Photo: TAVIK
Erik Paulsen, President of TAVIKIf you haven't heard of TAVIK, you've slept past your alarm. Well, there's no snooze button on this week's Street Beat. Embodying the SoCal lifestyle with wild and crazy designs, TAVIK produces men's clothing as well as women's swimwear.

It all started back in 2004, when Erik Paulsen took his creative vision and successfully executed it. 6 years later, TAVIK is running stronger than ever and running the ship from a new, larger HQ (more like a yacht) in Costa Mesa, CA. I caught up with Erik and asked about TAVIK's latest collection (quite possibly its best) - Fall 2010. Enjoy!

- Danny Spyra

Photo: TAVIK
The Travel tee - don't leave home without it

BNQT - FIRST OFF, HOW DID THE NAME TAVIK COME ABOUT?

Erik - TAVIK is an iconic Southern California lifestyle brand that exploded out of a fusion of surf and street. TAVIK differentiates itself with loud, 'out there' designs that scream to individuals and empower them to define themselves. Its distinct style coupled with clean, contemporary lines produces a brand that goes beyond trends and fosters originality. TAVIK is more than apparel - it is a radical lifestyle movement in itself. Led by people who pump up the volume every chance they get, TAVIK advocates a dynamic lifestyle. Meet TAVIK - music and motion.

Photo: TAVIK
The Loner Hoodie, part of the Fall 2010 line
BNQT - WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE WITH THE FALL 2010 TAVIK COLLECTION? ANY CERTAIN THEMES?

Erik - The TAVIK Fall 2010 collection includes lightweight knits, premium knit tees, extended tee collection (including John Wayne Tees), and a solid selection of boardies and tanks (as they have been selling like crazy).

Fall 2010 Theme: 90's Streetwear, but slimmer bottoms. Always offering sarcastic tees.

Fall 2010 Color scheme: Street life in the 90's bring the mix of pop primary colors with dark color schemes. Think red, purple and blue meeting black, white and grey. Some hints of TAVIK's electric blues and greens remain in a few skus.

Photo: TAVIK
The JW Shooter, part of the John Wayne x TAVIK
collab
BNQT - I'M GLAD YOU JUST MENTIONED "THE DUKE." CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE JOHN WAYNE x TAVIK COLLECTION - I'VE HEARD IT'S BEEN SELLING LIKE CRAZY?

Erik - This is a killer collaboration! We had the authentic idea to make a few pieces with gun holsters. And who better than legendary John Wayne? Given John Wayne lived in Newport Beach and was such a waterman, it made sense for us to work with them. Matt Swift, partner at TAVIK, set up a meeting with Ethan Wayne. Ethan is the son of John Wayne and an awesome guy. He lives locally and kiteboards all the time. We showed him our concepts and our roll out plan for 2009. He thought it was a great idea! In 2009 we offered products in a limited run. Since then, it has taken off. We cannot even keep John Wayne Tees and Boardies in stock. For Fall 2010 we continue the collaboration, due to popular demand.

Photo: Danny Spyra
The TAVIK set up at Downtown Disney was one of the
best
BNQT - YOU GUYS RECENTLY TOOK PART IN THE DOWNTOWN DISNEY EVENT AND HAD A LIVE ART INSTALLATION. HOW DID THINGS GO?

Erik - It was a different type of event for us (outside our normal music festival and skate/surf events). Downtown Disney is a retail area in Anaheim that is packed all day, everyday with people from all over the world. It was great exposure for our brand and introduced TAVIK to an untapped market. Overall, great event! TAVIK artist, Tysen Sybesma, performed live art for the crowds. They loved it. His loud, street-style artwork engaged the crowds.

Photo: TAVIK
Shiny Toy Guns representing for TAVIK
BNQT - I'VE SEEN TAVIK GEAR ON A NUMBER OF BIG NAME MUSIC ACTS LIKE SHINY TOY GUNS AND IGLU & HARTLY. WHAT OTHER BANDS DOES TAVIK WORK WITH?

Erik - We work with a lot of musicians. Our brand has always had deep roots in the electronic, industrial rock and indie music scene. It is a huge make up of our brand.

Bands/DJs we work with today include:
-Le Castle Vania
-The Villians
-The Sounds (Playing at PACIFIC FESTIVAL Launch Party Sept 4th at Triangle Square, Costa Mesa).
-Hyper Crush
-DJ Sanjay
-and more.
Ryan Birtcher executes TAVIK s events and heads up TAVIK's Sights and Sounds Division. He has done an insane job with music. TAVIK is involved with some insane events and festivals for 2011. Stay tuned on TAVIK.com for more details.

Photo: TAVIK
The Rory tee, hand-dipped into dye
BNQT - I REALLY DIG THE RORY DIP DYE TEE. WHAT KIND OF TREATMENT GOES INTO PRODUCING THIS SHIRT?

Erik - It is a custom tee that we do overseas. It is hand dipped into dye, hence the name dip dye on both ends. Killer shirt. It is available to buy now, to find your local retailer go to Tavik.com/dealers. And we will have a few different color combos coming out for Summer 2011! Keep an eye out next year!

BNQT ANY LAST WORDS?

Erik - Get Weird.

Street Beat Archive:

Joe Babcock with Gravis

Mike Quilliam with Atwater

Chris Friel with SABRE

Ryan Hagy with Metal Mulisha

Dustin & Dylan Odbert with ambsn

Chad LaBass with Freestyle

Joey Jorgensen with Analog

Kelly Magrath with DC

Frank Delgadillo with COMUNE

Derek Boucher with Vestal

Steve Van Doren with Vans

John Harbin with West Wetsuits

Ryan Rush with ECO'Neill

Nicole Hanriot with TAVIK Swimwear

Matt Gleason with Liquid Force

Eric Mehlberg with Kustom

Mike Murphy with Fyasko

Ian Foulke with ISIS

Jonathan Paskowitz with Lightning Bolt

Matt Harkins with SPY OPTIC

Chris Brunstetter with Goldcoast Longboards

Damon George with ERGO

Charlie Setzler with Rusty