Final fantasy, total eclipse, sun children, teenage kicks. So reads part of the Resort 18 manifesto from design duo Mikey Nolan and Toby Jones, founders of beachwear brand Double Rainbouu. “The idea of escape but in a ‘drop out’ kind of way. The positive and negative aspects of that … fun-loving hedonists and where they like to go.”

Both raised in New South Wales coastal towns, the pair first met in the early 00s, sharing stints at surf brand Insight and then Ksubi. With shared strengths in print and marketing design, as well as roots planted firmly by the sea, it was inevitable that Nolan and Jones would one day find a place to pour their creative energies and mutual tastes, and fuelled by a desire to craft unisex resort wear attire Double Rainbouu was born in January 2016.

“We wanted to create a brand that dabbled on the fringes of fashion but was simple and fun. Beachwear just made sense to us.”

The initial concept was a curated offering of styles with endless options of prints. The result was a capsule collection of loud coloured tailored Hawaiian shirts, the kind you throw on in the morning before you head to the sand, and leave on for drinks with friends that night.

Like modern-day Beach Boys – with design sensibilities that throw out nothing but good vibrations – Nolan and Jones’s offering has now expanded to include pants, hats, T-shirts and swim shorts. When designing a collection, the pair finds inspiration in “everything really … Tadanori Yokoo is a Japanese artist who was one of our inspirations for Resort 18. There was some Bridget Riley in there, and we looked at a lot of 80s 90s acid house rave flyers.” They look to create natural mood enhancers, clothes that imbue energy to the wearer, and operate by the personal philosophy, “dream more”.

For the international cult following Double Rainbouu has garnered since its launch, Nolan and Jones credit their specific brand of authenticity: “We are based in Sydney and think that’s important for the brand. We feel like a lot of brands that do beach and resort wear are peddling a Tumblr-ised dream of paradise that’s a little bit clichéd and inaccessible. Living by the beach it’s just part of everyday life, and we feel that comes across in our brand.”