KNOW Blog

Transworld Business On The Action Sports Enthusiast

Fri, 18 May 2012 17:49:00 GMT

Transworld Business has just put together an article breaking down the action sport enthusiast; pinpointing unique traits, average age group and annual income between the various sports. There's no question we make up some of the most loyal and discerning customers out there so have a look at what makes us tick. Head to Transworld Business.

Job Opportunity: Sitka Summer Ambassador

Tue, 15 May 2012 22:58:00 GMT

Plan on hitting every event, festival and gathering this summer? Or at least the bulk of em? Well maybe you can land your summer dream job with Sitka as a Sitka Summer Ambassador! Click through to get all of the details and see if it is right for you. Sunny days ahead.

Wickwinder To Distribute Hex

Fri, 11 May 2012 22:23:00 GMT

Our friends at California based accessory label Hex have found a home in Canada and will now be distributed through the folks at Wickwinder. We caught up with Hex a while back on the show floor and got a brand bio together. Head over to cut & SHOW for the official press release.

30 Years Of Transworld Skateboarding

Wed, 09 May 2012 16:54:00 GMT

Last week we touched on Transworld's Brief History of Action Sports but we all know it started with Skateboarding. Here they give us a great break down on the last 30 years of Transworld Skateboarding speaking on the birth of the mag, the importance of gracing it's pages, the ground breaking videos and so much more. Check it out HERE.

Behind The Brand Talk With Pierre Andre Of Soletech

Mon, 07 May 2012 18:12:00 GMT

Via the Timebomb blog we are put onto this great video interview with CEO and Founder of Etnies shoes Pierre Andre. A nice view of the company from the very beginning with some interesting facts and tips along the way. Click through to watch the video.

Stussy X Converse Featuring Hanni El Khatib

Mon, 07 May 2012 17:34:00 GMT

Over at Freshness they give us a good look at the Converse and Stussy collaboration done with the help of musician Hanni El Khatib. The Sea Star and Elm models get some special treatment and are right now available online and at Stussy stores. Click through to check the video and head over to Freshness for more images.

Neff & Seventh Letter Present Sesame Street

Fri, 04 May 2012 19:27:00 GMT

Neff Headwear and The Seventh Letter collaborate to bring the Sesame Street Art Show. A one of a kind art presentation bringing together 40 of the best street artists from around the world creating works of art inspired by their favorite Sesame Street characters. Click through for details and video!

The show was held at the Known Gallery in Los Angeles, California. A portion of the proceeds benefited City of Hope Department of Pediatrics.

Spy Unveils The Crosstown Collection

Fri, 04 May 2012 19:15:00 GMT

SPY announced this week the launch of its much-anticipated Crosstown Collection, a line of stylish, handmade sunglasses inspired by 50s and 60s fashion, music, Golden State roots and a fondness for The City. The first instalment of this limited distribution collection lands this week at approximately 150 key independent specialty retailers nationwide.

"The Crosstown Collection is perhaps the most exciting product launch ever for our brand," explains Brent Sandor, SPY Brand Manager. "It was designed as an exclusive collection with a more fashionable slant for those who appreciate the same inspirations that permeate the collection?classic surfing, the sounds of a good record, vintage automobiles and life in the city. Crosstown essentially connects SPY back to its foundation as a fashion-forward brand that embraced the cultural crossroads of the surf, snow and motorcycle lifestyles."

A focused offering of seven styles, Crosstown is a reinterpretation of classic styling. Traditional shapes ranging from square to round, cat eye to angular, are handcrafted from the finest acetate to create rich, lustrous torts and colors in both polished gloss and matte finishes with custom metal detailing. High quality CR39 lenses with an antireflective coating on the inside provide a rich visual experience, optical clarity and protection in the most glaring of situations.

A Visit To Archetype By Endeavor Snowboards

Tue, 01 May 2012 21:01:00 GMT

A couple of months back we took a visit to our neighbours at the new Archetype lab by Endeavor Designs and were treated to a tour by founder Max Jenke. Endeavor has brought so many levels of their business under one roof in such a unique way and we wanted to take you on the tour as we say farewell to another winter. Click through for photos and a Q & A with Jenke.

Well there certainly is a lot going on under one roof here! It seems that all the pieces of the puzzle came together for you guys. Can you give us a little run down of how the office move came about and the incorporation of Archetype into the building?

Our office move was our third one in the last ten years. We started out in Chris Martin's solarium while he was still working full time at GF. It was a bit difficult to do meetings with customers in his lounge, so we grabbed an office at 309 West Cordova Street, where Wildcats had their spot. We operated out of there for 8 years...sometimes the office was packed (Trini from SPY was even an office resident), and sometimes it was empty (when Rob Dow and I were the only ones there). When we hired Jason Broz and Scott Serfas had his baby, I knew we would be running out of space quickly. The only thing was to figure out what we needed. We started poking around at all sizes of spaces, not really sure what we wanted or needed, in the back of our mind thinking it would be dope to have a snowboard lab. On the way into work one morning I noticed liquidators moving furniture out of 439 Railway - Industry Images had gone bust. I've always loved the space, so I got a hold of the landlord and within two weeks we were set. We pretty much went with the ultimate space - something that we won't need to move out of for a long time. Since getting the spot, we've taken over the entire downstairs, which only half of which was in our original plan. We have roughly 1800 sq. ft. upstairs where we have our showroom, meeting areas, coffee bar, and desks. Downstairs we have a 500 sq. ft photo studio and Scott's desk, 1000 sq. ft of storage, and 1500 sq. ft for the Archetype by Endeavor Snowboards Lab.

The design of the office space is stand out. From the reclaimed wood to the projection screen. It looks like you can use it for a lot more than just 9 to 5 desk jockeying? What's gone on here already and what's coming down the pipe?

We wanted to have a heritage vibe upstairs, making all of our all desks, bars, tables from reclaimed wood and had Dave Osato do up all the welding for the frames and racks in our showroom. It's a definite juxtapose to what is downstairs, which is all white and tech. We've had a couple of happy hours but the most fun has been when Scott Serfas, who was the principal photographer on the Art of Flight, did a slideshow and premier of the movie before it was shown in Vancouver. We'll continue to do things like that, time permitting!

How about the artwork? The mural on the outside wall to the pieces scattered throughout the office. Endeavor has always worked with a great roster of international artists. How important has that been to developing the brand?

There was a lot of debate about what to put on our walls. We had the opportunity to have Meggs come up from Australia to do some work for us - so we got him to bomb some old lockers we had, some old scaffolding platforms we bought, and do a huge piece on the wall outside. It definitely adds a unique element and something we will definitely be building on in the future. The office is a creative zone, so having inspiration like this around us is amazing. Working with artists has always been a mandate we have had in developing graphics and it's one of the things that separates us from the other hard goods out there.

We're hoping to give a glimpse of the Archetype facility to those that are yet to witness it first hand. Essentially Endeavor has incorporated a one off R&D factory within it's office building. Can you break it down for us?

In any production setting, it is extremely difficult and costly to do R&D. We've taken it out of the factory setting and put it in a creative setting, where it belongs. We can have an idea Monday morning and be riding it later that night at the local hills. We have two types of materials - materials that are exactly the same as our factory overseas so we can duplicate a board exactly, and Archetype lab materials, which are for testing and for high end production only. Most of the machines have been created from scratch which is key, as we have built in extreme adjustability and flexibility - whether it is camber, nose/tail shape, etc. We also have sublimation capabilities for proto graphics which is perfect for what we're doing here.

We turned 10 this year and look ahead at where we are going. Our future lies in the Archetype Lab. We designed it so it would be a stand alone piece in itself - something part of our marketing that we would be proud of. It was natural to go all white, super clean, and have accent lighting throughout it (i'm still waiting on the flashing lights to be installed on the press).

We'll also be working on limited edition projects with partners - whether it's our team riders or another brand - to develop new types of boards. Our whole snow team - Kevin Griffin, Kale Stephens, Gillian Andrew Shenko, Brody Pigeau, Jake Fine, etc are all riding prototypes built in the lab and their feedback is key for tweaking and re-designing the prototype designs.

Thanks Max and the rest of the Endeavor crew. We're all looking forward to seeing the progression of the Archetype Lab over the years and the influence it will have on the future of snowboarding.

Roxy Ride Days Recap

Tue, 01 May 2012 21:30:00 GMT

The Roxy Ride Days Canadian Tour ended the season at Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. Almost 80 girls joined Roxy pros Robin Van Gyn and Erin Comstock for a fun day in the park and for a dance-off. Credits to Steven Kilzer for filming and Jeff Patterson for photos. Hit the jump for the video.

Holden Relocates To California

Thu, 03 May 2012 23:22:00 GMT

The folks at No Limits have put the news out that as Holden move forward with their 'four-season' offerings they will also strengthen the commitment by making the move to California to set up HQ. Click through for the details and the official press release.

Portland, Oregon April 30, 2012 – Holden Outerwear announces the company’s relocation to Los Angeles, CA –Scheduled to open in early July 2012, the move represents a significant commitment to the brand’s long-term strategy of extending Holden from Summit to Sea with a four-season offering.
Known in the industry as a market leader for apparel with progressive aesthetics, timeless quality and eco-friendlier options, Holden’s four-season offerings will debut in Spring 2014.
Holden was conceived with a singular goal: To make the most functional and fashionable apparel possible, allowing consumers to be healthy and happy in their pursuit of a life well led. CEO Ben Pruess said, “Holden represents a set of products, values and ideas not fixed by a location. We are a reflection of the global community that inspires us. This move is part of our quest to extend our product offering, allowing more people to enjoy what we make.”
Rooted in mountain culture, Holden’s commitment to snow sports and its Northwest heritage will remain intact and continue to be an intrinsic part of the Holden ethos. Winter products will still be conceived, tested, and designed in the conditions they are built for by Holden’s talented group of team riders, including Scotty Wittlake and Darrell Mathes, and its passionate employees, including co-founders Scott Zergebel (creative director) and Mikey LeBlanc (marketing director). “Having spent the past ten years in Portland making the best snow products, this move is an exciting way to extend the Holden experience outside of our focus on the winter lifestyle and into year-round goods. LA is going to be about new energy, new products and new friendships.” says Holden co-founder Mikey LeBlanc.

Lifetime & CWB Present: Lab Coast With Fist City, Gold & The Diet

Tue, 01 May 2012 17:20:00 GMT

Tonight for all of our Calgary readers, Lifetime and CWB present Lab Coast with Fist City, Gold and The Diet. We're not certain you could find anything better to do for only $5 at the door! Doors at 7pm and show at 9pm at the Commonwealth Bar & Stage. If you haven't heard the bands, get familiar HERE!

Rip Curl Pro Tofino June 9 & 10

Tue, 01 May 2012 17:19:00 GMT

The Stew has gone Pro! Check the official press release from Rip Curl:

The Ultimate Surfing Company evolves Canada’s premiere surfing event from the Stew to the Pro, renews partnership with Monster Energy as presenting sponsor, and announces dates for 2012. Hit the jump.

“We are excited to align our national event with the brand's world class events under the Rip Curl Pro banner” said Rip Curl Marketing Manager Myrosha Daley, adding; “The Stew has evolved. We will maintain the grass roots component with the grom categories, the store challenge and other open categories, but are recognizing the professional surfing element that we have developed over the past five years.”
The Rip Curl Stew began as a grass roots surf competition in 2007. The event got its name from the mix of swell that the break at Cox Bay tends to provide. The name was made literal when hot homemade stew was served to spectators and contestants on the beach in the mild temperatures of late spring in Tofino. Last year marked the 5th annual Rip Curl Stew Surf Competition. The event has now grown to attract Canada’s top professional surfers, veterans, longboarders, juniors, and crowds of spectators to Cox Bay in Tofino, BC. The event is a celebration of Canada’s surf culture with a great vibe on and off the beach.
“As the Ultimate Surfing Company we are proud to organize the Rip Curl Pro Tofino as Canada’s premiere surfing competition,” said Nick Russell General Manager of Rip Curl Canada. He added; “We look forward to working with the surfers, our event partners and the local community to grow this great event in Tofino, Canada’s surf city.”
The Rip Curl Pro Tofino, set for June 9th and 10th, 2012, promises to deliver another exciting weekend in Canadian surfing. A renewed partnership with Monster Energy as the presenting sponsor means the event will be fueled well with music, parties, and the energy that Monster has brought over the past three years.
Nelson Phillips Director of Marketing at Monster Energy Canada said, "Monster Energy is a dedicated partner in the newly named "Rip Curl Pro Tofino" as it is the best suited vehicle in which we can interact with the Canadian surf community. “ Adding, “With 2 of our primary Canadian Athletes, Peter Devries and Noah Cohen, living and surfing those waves every day it only makes sense for us to put our best foot forward to support in any way we can. And, don't worry STEW will still be served!""

Poler Featured On Gear Patrol

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:18:00 GMT

If you haven't checked out Gear Patrol, they are keeping the internet up to date with the coolest shit you maybe don't NEED but definitely will WANT! They just dropped a little feature on the Pacific North West's own Poler and a list of their best gear. Check it out HERE.

Transworld's A Brief History Of Action Sports

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:18:00 GMT

Our friends over at Transworld are celebrating their 30year Anniversary and have decided to piece together a look back at the brand’s history, the history of the sports they cover, and how the two have evolved together. Definitely worth a read so head over to the Transworld site and have a look for yourself!