As far as Betties go, we all know Betty and Veronica and Ugly Betty. And then there’s Board Betty, that catchall term for a girl who rides the slopes in winter and the waves in summer—a not-so-rare breed in this city. This summer, Vancouver designer Katie Quinn—who founded and produced the first Life’s a Skim Beach fashion and lifestyle show on June 26 at the Lotus Sound Lounge—is determined to make Downtown Betty a household name too.

“I’ve had the name for 16 or 17 years,” says Quinn, a 30-something Ontario native who graduated from the Blanche Macdonald Centre’s fashion-design program in 2005 and has been creating her signature skimboard bags ever since. (She also makes diaper bags and soft guitar cases.) “To me,” she says, “Downtown Betty’s an urban board girl—that includes skateboarding, surfing, and skimming—and also, my grandmother’s name is Betty.”

Hang on a second. Skateboarding—sure. Surfing, no problem. But skimming? In a nutshell, skimboarding is a water sport that involves launching an oval- or tear-shaped board (smaller and thinner than a surfboard) with the hands, then running and jumping onto it to hydroplane, or “skim”, across a shallow wave or tidal pools.

Quinn recalls a teacher at Blanche Macdonald saying, “ ‘I remember skimming in the ’60s, but our boards were circular!’ ” She continues: “She said that people were skimming on Spanish Banks, and lots of people had homemade boards.”

Many believe skimboarding originated in California in the 1920s, but “we’ve really hit the crest of the wave here in Vancouver,” Quinn says, pointing out there are now at least five local companies making skimboards, including the 11-year-old Four Skims. “We don’t have huge waves, but everybody wants to pay homage to the ocean.” For Quinn, this tribute has grown from a postsecondary education in marine biology; she donated the proceeds from last Thursday’s show to two water-conservation organizations, the Living Oceans Society and the Surfrider Foundation.

While Quinn continues to catch waves, the success of her Downtown Betty bags has largely been driven by word-of-mouth referrals and sightings on the beach.

“Rob Sluggo of Red Dragon Skate was one of my first clients on the beach,” Quinn recalls. “He asked me if I made my bag, and asked if he could buy it! Later, everybody was like, ‘Do you know who that was?’ ”

Each “Downtown Betty original” is hand–silk-screened and made of water- and abrasion-resistant canvas. Two sets of straps mean the skimboard bags ($150), can be carried like an enormous purse or on the shoulders like a backpack. For spring, Quinn created four new prints, including a brown bag emblazoned with orange guitars called No Strings Attached, and West Coast Twahl, featuring spearmint-hued scenery screened onto a beige background. (For now, the bags are only available by e-mailing downtown_betty@hotmail.com , or by contacting Quinn through www.myspace.com/downtown_betty . Diaper bags are at Bobbit for Kids [2935 West 4th Avenue], and guitar bags are at Favourite [Lonsdale Quay Market].)

Each skimboard bag can fit at least two plywood boards. Quinn has since been approached by local skimboard manufacturers interested in having her design their bags. “I’d like to be in with the big boys, for sure,” she says, “but I like pioneering, building the culture and look of my company.” This Downtown Betty is sure to play a key role in building the culture of Vancouver’s skimboard scene.