From skating for Polar to starring in Josh Stewart’s Static 4, you’ve been a huge contributor to the independent skateboard movement. What made you decide to take another step and start your own brand, Chrystie?
The idea came from my friend Pep Kim and I wanting to do something for skateboarding with skateboarders that we think are super rad and our friends. So then we started up with the idea of ChrystieNYC being a NYC skater based sock/garment brand.
We just wanted to do something more east coast based even though we’re now trying to get away from just being one coast minded. We want to communicate to people that we make rad garments and have rad dudes skating for it and being involved. We just want to show people what we think skateboarding is about.
Where is the brand currently sold?
We’re lucky enough to get our name out thru all amazing distributors all over the world. Currently products are being sold in US, EU, UK, Japan, AUS, Canada and S.Korea.
How do you go about selecting the shops the brand is sold in?
That is more based on the distributors and the shops they have accounts with. We have Mike Halls over at Keen Dist. helping us out in England, and Mike also does Polar and a bunch of other brands. That’s the same for all of our other distributors, so I trust who they want to have accounts with.
I have been super busy the past year with Converse and traveling, so Pep has taken on most of the responsibilities of the brand. He is fucking killing it.
Trying to make the right amount of gear, whether it be less garments and more socks or vice versa. There’s nothing easy. But we can’t complain. As everyone does, we have had lots of difficulties on many different levels, but all our friends and distributors have been extremely helpful and try to give us the best advice for their own markets.
Bronze56K, Theories Brand, Grand Collection, GX1000, Alltimers, Quasi, Dear Sk8ing, 917. I mean the list goes on. They are all killing it in their own way and it’s all super inspiring to see it happen. Especially living in NYC where it seems so prevalent.
Kenny Anderson was battling a trick on the One Star tour in Australia and a few of us said we’d go vegan for the remainder of the trip. That was a year ago. I just stuck with it because I wasn’t as tired anymore and felt like I was skating longer and harder. And it’s nice just trying to think more about what you’re eating and how it could impact how you’re feeling.
I know how much you love donuts. Do you have a go-to vegan spot in New York?
Dun-Well Donuts or Cinnamon Snail. They are both amazing. And Punjabi for the cheap microwaved Indian food. Ha.
You have a very unique approach to skating and spot selection seems very important to you. I remember you used to have a food delivery job where you had to bike around New York delivering food. But the hidden blessing was that you were able to discover new spots while biking around. Has quitting that job made it more difficult to find spots? How do you go about finding spots now?
Back then, when NYC was so fresh, it was super helpful being able to ride around and find things that I had never seen or seen skated before. Now that I don’t deliver food, I try to avoid the areas I was always riding around in. Now I either walk around on Google maps when the weather is poor, or I take whatever train to a random stop or last stop and I’ll walk 10-15 miles home and hope I find some gems. It’s difficult, but I enjoy it.
You have a really good thing going on with Converse. Are you the type of person that can skate any shoe or are you particular?
Polar HD Promo and Converse full length. Les get it!
Quality read, amazing photos