Some people would say it’s easier to surf with a leash, or booties or a lighter board. But there is a reason why I swim for my board, cut my feet, and lug a heavy ass log around – tradition. Where I come from the word is ingrained in your brain. I grew up in a place where a palm frond hut goes up every summer and comes down every winter. There’s a pier you’ve had to have jumped off at least once. There’s a wall where only the most infamous have their names spray painted. There’s a reason why tradition is important, and it’s not exactly something you can put your finger on. The way you can tell it’s important is because when you see someone gracefully cross step to the nose at Malibu and stand casually at the tip of their board, streaming a perfect line down the face of a perfect wave with everyone hooting and hollering, the hairs on your arm stand up. Most of my life I have heard stories and seen photos of Dora and Tubesteak and the legends that came before the heroes of First Point now, doing the same thing, in the same place, decades ago.
Today I have a clothing line called Mint. The idea behind the brand is to share that same magical California culture I was lucky enough to grow up immersed in. Some people would say it’s easier to manufacture clothing in other countries. They’d say the margins are bigger, the process is less challenging and the quality is…well, wait. There’s a reason why I sacrifice my margin, why I lug heavy rolls of fabric around and why I would never sacrifice the quality of my product. A few years ago I traded sand and salty air for the smog and concrete of Downtown LA. I live and work a few blocks to the right of where my Great-Grandmother managed the children’s department of a clothing store in the 1930’s. A few more blocks to the left of that is where my Great-Grandfather owned a car dealership in the 50’s. All my life I have heard stories of how they worked in the fashion industry and built their businesses here. Walking down 9th Street I am daydreaming as per usual. Trying to scheme up my next move, thinking about how I can improve, how I can continue to make something I am proud of, how I can build this dream of mine. And it’s easy to imagine them, doing the same thing, in the same place, decades ago. And right then the hairs on my arm stand up.
Editor’s Note: California-made, surf inspired fashion by the bucket at @mintclothingcompany
