The inside of All Swell Surf was glowing pink on Thursday evening, Aug. 14, as racks of surfer-girl apparel gave way to a makeshift runway lined with families, cameras and plenty of excitement. The Los Molinos District shop, opened last year by San Clemente native Jamie Clinard, hosted its first-ever Back-to-School Fashion Show — and it quickly turned into more than just a night of clothes and photos.
Fifteen local girls, ages 2 through 12, took turns walking the pink runway, each dressed in surfer-girl, back-to-school looks. The models — Nora, Monroe, and Sophia Schrieber; Leila and Gisselle Richter; twins Radley and Rowen Price; Molly McKinney, Eloise Etnyre, Violet Sheehan, Emily Watson, Kyra George, Maddie Clinard, Gracyn Lum, Presley Zwar, June Andrews and Deborah Price — represented the heart of the community that Clinard has been building since opening her women-centered surf shop last summer.
Parents, grandparents and siblings packed into the shop to cheer them on, phones held high to capture every spin, pose and shy smile. The energy inside the shop was playful and celebratory, filled with laughter, clapping and bursts of cheering as each girl walked the runway. At first, a few of the younger girls hesitated, looking to their families for reassurance. But as the crowd encouraged them, their nerves gave way to grins. As Clinard put it: “You could see the transformation on their faces as they walked the runway: a little nervous at first, then smiling, laughing and standing tall as the audience clapped and encouraged them.”
Snacks were set out for guests, but one of the most talked-about details was the hidden gift cards tucked throughout the shop. Between runway walks, kids darted around in search of the prizes, adding to the lighthearted atmosphere.
“We hosted this fashion show, because we wanted to give girls the spotlight and remind them that their bravery and confidence deserve to be celebrated,” Clinard said. “Too often, young girls don’t get the chance to shine in front of a cheering crowd — but last night, they did.”
That sense of celebration — centered on girls, their families and the San Clemente surf community — is what Clinard says drives the mission of All Swell Surf. Since opening the shop, she has envisioned it as not only a retail space but a gathering place for women and girls who love the ocean.
“At All Swell Surf, our heart is to create a space where every girl feels seen, supported and part of a sisterhood,” Clinard said. “Watching families, friends and the whole community come together to celebrate these girls was a beautiful reminder of why we do what we do.”
As the last of the models finished their turns on the runway, parents rushed forward to hug their daughters, cameras flashed, and families lingered to chat. The show wrapped up with the kind of small but meaningful connection that Clinard hopes to foster: girls walking out of the shop a little taller than when they arrived, and families heading home with shared memories of a simple, joyful evening.
What began as a fashion show became something more: a celebration of confidence, community and the kind of local spirit that makes San Clemente unique. For All Swell Surf, it was just the beginning of what Clinard hopes will be a new tradition — one that shines a light on the next generation of surfer girls while reminding them, and their families, that they belong at the heart of surf culture.
