Bermudian Rebecca Hanson says she was driven to create the perfect pair of Bermuda shorts.And TABS — The Authentic Bermuda Shorts — are “inspired by Bermuda and designed exclusively for the Bermudian people.”In marketing the new shorts, Ms Hanson has developed a website which created a stir in the community with its Bermuda-inspired, artistic and engaging content. She says on it: “With a demand for quality and an eye for design, Bermudians are fashion conscious and like to make an impression. TABS represents these people; they are colourful, trendy and playful. The colours are inspired by the Island; the red is a colour matched to the local Red Bird; the pink to the walls of the famous Princess Hotel; the orange the same as the Bird of Paradise Flower.”Speaking to The Royal Gazette last week, she explained further: “They are very, very well made. Everything is double stitched.” Cut from pre-washed cotton twill, which Ms Hanson explained is light, breathable and will go through the washing machine, the shorts feature details including a colourful lining, either with a stripe or in a tropical print, a tiny Bermuda Triangle motif, embossed buttons and a triangular belt loop. “The triangle runs throughout,” she said. “There's a whole lot of Bermuda inside every pair.”Traditionally Bermuda shorts were made out of linen, but linen creases easily and lighter colours may be see-through. Wool is hot and may be itchy.To get it right, the design, test marketing and production has taken a year. Now, the shorts have arrived and are available online via Ms Hanson's website.Sales so far for the shorts, which cost more than $100, have been “really good — really steady,” and have included international sales as well. “Bermudians are excited by them, and I've even been dropping them off at people's offices. One guy bought them in every colour!”Ms Hanson has special, masculine-style packaging that she wraps the shorts in before delivery. “I wanted something guys would like — a rustic, authentic look.“You can wear them with flip-flops, or to work,” she said. “For work by day, for play by night.”Ms Hanson said she decided to create the shorts after researching what product it should be. “The trend is Bermuda shorts,” adding they've been described as a summer essential by The Guardian newspaper and CBS news.In the future, she hopes to add socks, and she is working on boxer shorts, designed especially to go under a pair of TABS.“The key for me is expanding. Bermuda is too small a mare so I am using it as my test market,” she said.Ms Hanson recently returned home to Bermuda after pursuing a advertising career in London, She has a day job, working for AAC in Bermuda, and has been involved in the “Pink Project' which has seen Island landmarks bathed in pink of all kinds.For more information, http://www.authenticshorts.bm Also look for TABS on Facebook and other social media.