Photo: Gravis
Joe Babcock, Director of Products for GravisIf BNQT was in the footwear / bags / luggage business, we'd be in stiff competition with Gravis. See, both companies bridge the gap between action sports and lifestyle (let's just call this space "action style").

Since 1999, Gravis has been providing premium footwear, bags and luggage that are functional yet sophisticated. Gravis relies not only on its 28+ employees but also its top team riders and artists for inspiration. Whether its shoes, sandals, or bags, Gravis is always looking out to keep your game tight and swagger in check. Joe Babcock, Director of Product, sits in the Street Beat hot seat. Enjoy!

- Danny Spyra

Photo: Gravis
Gravis team rider Dylan Rieder, noseblunt

BNQT - GRAVIS FOOTWEAR, BAGS AND LUGGAGE ARE NOT ONLY DURABLE BUT SUPREMELY STYLISH. WHAT COLLECTIONS DO YOU HAVE IN STORE FOR FALL 2010?

Joe - Thanks for the props! The FW10 Gravis has two collections of products that are available exclusively at skateboard shops and specialty footwear / bag stores. Our design inspiration is a formula where we blend clean design lines with a variety of quality materials like canvas, waxy coated canvas, polished suede and full grain leathers. Our seasonal color palette uses muted off-tones, earth tones, and shades of grey and black. We take pride in manufacturing quality stylish products.

Our Skate collection is a focused line available exclusively at authorized skate shops. This season, we are launching a new style called the Dylan Slip On. It is a vulcanized version of Dylan's original dressier skate shoe. Our Gravis footwear range is an assortment of styles that take design inspiration to vintage athletic and high-end luxury branded styling. We use a variety of shapes and constructions to give our line personality and attract a wider audience of consumers.

The Bag and Luggage category has been part of our brand's platform since day one. The function, design and aesthetic of the range gives them a personality of their own. For FW10 we offer a variety of materials from rip stop nylons, brushed cordura and ballistic nylons. The color stories lock up with our footwear and present seasonal flavor. Our luggage program offers up two roller bag styles and a new travel duffle, which is a perfect piece for a four day road trip. As always we have a stable of backpacks ranging in price and features.

Photo: Gravis
The Slymz: low top, high style
BNQT - THE SLYMZ ARE A LOW TOP SHOE WITH HIGH STYLE. WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS PAIR OF KICKS?

Joe - It's true! The Slymz are nice! The inspiration was focused on timelessness and retro vulcanized construction. To set them off a bit we developed a slender fit that gives the shoe a low profile look and snug fit. Then we added a two stripe foxing detail.

Photo: Gravis
The Dylan Oxblood - only 300 available
BNQT - DYLAN RIEDER HAS BEEN KILLING IT ON THE SKATE SIDE OF THINGS. HIS SIGNATURE SHOE, THE DYLAN, HAS A LIMITED COLORWAY CALLED OXBLOOD. HOW WILL WE BE ABLE TO FIND THEM?

Joe - Gravis Footwear is making a limited edition run of 300 pairs. 10 selected skate core retailers; BLVD, Familia, Goods, Jacks, Liberty, Milio, Skatewarehouse, Uprise, Utility and Vertical Urge will each receive 24 pairs to sell in store September 15th.
The remaining 60 pairs will be used for promotions (USA, MSRP) $110.


BNQT - WHAT ELSE HAS DYLAN BEEN UP TO; I HEARD HE HAS HIS OWN VIDEO PART COMING OUT?

Joe - His exclusive shoe color way coincides with a solo part in a soon-to-be released Gravis film project with world-renowned filmer, Greg Hunt featuring the "best of" Dylan video called, "Dylan Reider a short film by Gravis Footwear." A free DVD will be inserted in the October issue of The Skateboard Mag sold only at skateshops, starting 9/1. The online launch is TBD at www.gravisskateboarding.com

This year has been an intense skateboarding year for Dylan with tours and filming and he recently became a co-owner of a private skate park for the pro's only in an undisclosed location in Los Angeles.

Photo: Gravis
The Indo shoes, a great travel companion

BNQT - GRAVIS MAKES SHOES FOR A VARIETY OF PURPOSES, ONE OF THEM BEING TRAVELING. WHAT MAKES THE INDO SHOE A GOOD TRAVEL COMPANION?

Joe - It's key to pack light when you are on the road. Too much stuff just slows you down and limits the space to pack gems from the trip. So, we designed the Indo to be a complimentary pair of kicks on the road. Much like an all-terrain vehicle they are lightweight, comfortable and have lug traction outsoles.

Photo: Gravis
The aptly named Travel Duffle

BNQT - LET'S MOVE ONTO BAGS. THE TRAVEL DUFFLE SEEMS LIKE A VERY PRACTICAL PIECE OF LUGGAGE. WHAT FEATURES DOES IT HAVE?

Joe - The Travel Duffle is a great bag! It is perfect for a two to four day road trip. On the sides are slender drop down pockets for a laptop, pens, cords and sketchbooks. The inside main pocket is a big open bucket for clothing and on the side is a garage pocket that keeps dirty shoes or clothing away from the clean goods.

Photo: Gravis
The Yar, designed by Thomas Campbell

BNQT - HOW DID THIS COLLABORATION WITH ARTIST THOMAS CAMPBELL COME TOGETHER? WHEN WILL HIS BAG BE IN STORES?

Joe - Thomas Campbell is a part of the Gravis family and is a sponsored artist. He works closely inspiring our team of designers. "I love the fact Thomas works in so many medium's, from film making to photography to all the art he creates. His body of work touches skaters, surfers and the art world; we are so happy to work with him," says Maurice Torres, Global Marketing Director for Gravis Footwear. The first collaboration, the Yar bag will launch in Fall/Winter 2010 at a MSRP of $75.

Street Beat Archive:

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

Rob Machado Presents Melali: The Drifter SessionsWhile wandering through Indonesia filming the award-winning surf movie The Drifter, Rob Machado met up with various friends for the best waves the Islands had to offer.

Set across the vast Indonesian island chain, Melali: The Drifter Sessions features Rob Machado - one of the most stylish and skilled wave riders of our time. Melali returns to the fundamentals of surf cinematography by focusing on the surfing experience, the artful relationship between man and surf, and the sharing of this experience with good friends.

Spearheaded by Machado and director Taylor Steele, this two-disc set contains two versions of the 35-minute surf film, an audio CD of the original score, and a short film documenting the recording of the soundtrack. Joining Rob at the finest surfing locales Indonesia has to offer is an eclectic and world-class cast of wave riders: Dane Reynolds, Kelly Slater, Kalani Robb, Shane Dorian, Dan Malloy, Mike Losness, Marlon Gerber, and Rizal Tanjung.

Rob Machado pulls in
Set to an original score written by Jon Swift, Todd Hannigan, Fernando Apodaca, and Machado (The Melali Sessions Band), the music complements the imagery of the synergy born from long-standing camaraderie. "When we premiered The Drifter across the country, the best part of the night was the live improvisation with the band to the surf bonus footage," Machado says. "That inspired us to make another movie with the unreleased surf footage and record some music as the score."

Swift, a fellow surfer and Machado's friend of 25 years, led the intense creative push by this team of accomplished musicians, who recorded the score in a barn in rural southern California. The result is a diverse mix of musical compositions ranging from simple ballads to full band improvisations that captures a broad spectrum of moods tailored to the soulful and dynamic surfing.

Melali: The Drifter Sessions Trailer

Photo: Atwater
Mike Quilliam, Marketing Manager for AtwaterIn 2006, industry veterans Dean Bradley and Scott Madison set out to create their dream brand. Shortly thereafter, Atwater was born. Drawing inspiration from fashion, art and California beach culture, Atwater clothing combines surf style with a street edge. They call it "City Surf."

Based in Newport Beach, Atwater has a team of 10 who convey the company slogan - "The Good Life." After winning the 2009 SIMA award for Breakthrough Brand of the Year, Atwater is on a roll. Scott and Marketing Manager Mike Quilliam were happy to provide some a's to my q's. Enjoy!

- Danny Spyra

Photo: Atwater
Atwater's attention to detail is second to none

BNQT - SINCE 2006 ATWATER HAS CREATED CLOTHING CHANNELING CALIFORNIA HERITAGE. CAN YOU GIVE US AN OVERVIEW OF THE FALL 2010 LINE?

Mike - For Fall 2010 we are growing our line to fit the needs of our specialty retailers as well as our core majors. We always continue to fill our mantra that is classics with a twist and "City Surf." Atwater's twist on a classic silhouette such as flannel woven's and denim jeans is fit, fabric, and function. We have expanded our denim line and are also offering some cool lightweight jackets that are perfect for late summer and fall nights. Another category we are excited about is sweaters. We have a stylish solid lightweight sweater with military patches called Airborne.

Photo: Atwater
The Boehene, inspired by vintage flannels
BNQT - THE FALL 2010 LINE FEATURES MANY FLANNELS AND VARIATIONS OF FLANNELS. I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER SEEN SOMETHING LIKE THE "BOEHENE." DO YOU TRY TO MIX IDEAS UP?

Scott - Well I have been shopping vintage my whole career and I found the Almighty of all thrift stores. It is a vintage warehouse that is categorized by classification. Their flannel section has some unique and different plaids and colors. I get inspired off some crazy stuff and I might try to mix a classic flannel but change the colors from an old Hawaiian muumuu that I found at another Thrift store or Garage sale.

Photo: Atwater
The Check boardshorts, with 4-way stretch
BNQT - ATWATER HAS A GREAT VARIETY OF BOARDSHORTS. WHICH ARE GEARED MOST TOWARDS PERFORMANCE?

Scott - I was lucky enough to work below one of the best boardshort Designers in our industry. She brought me under her wing while I was at Billabong when Bob Hurley owned the license for Billabong USA before he launched Hurley. I also have designed snowboard outerwear, which is very technical. All my past experience and also being inspired off all of the new materials that we have in 2010 that we didn't have when I started designing boardshorts has helped me to be a better designer. The Atwater Spring 2011 boardshorts that we are about to launch are going to be able to compete with the big dogs and we are also price competitive. Atwater's 4-way stretch fabric is so comfortable. I have been testing it and I have been so happy with the performance. I can't wait to launch at ASR / Class and Surf Expo.

Photo: Atwater
Atwater sponsors music groups like Slightly Stoopid,
shown here with the one and only Snoop Dogg
BNQT - ATWATER SPONSORS A SOLID TEAM OF MUSIC GROUPS & ATHLETES, WHO YOU CALL THE ATWATER "WHITE TIGERS." WHO ARE SOME OF THESE BIG CATS?

Mike - Our Music team is solid; we have been sponsoring The Dirty Heads, Slightly Stoopid, and Face to Face. Our Hawaii surf team is growing with Noah Johnson, Jamie Sterling, Sage Huls, Matt Gorman, Rory Parker, Kelli Everett, Ricky Clark, and Kapu Ping, James Labrador and Peter Labrador.

On the West Coast we have Layne Harrison, Max Mcilwee, Marty Weinstein, Paulo Prietto, Sean Tully, Darshan Gooch, Cully Chestnut, Antoine Alain, Drew Snyder, Casey Langvot and Jack Belli.

On the East Coast we have Luke Ditella, Shane Murray, Tom Petriken, Jake Kirshenbaum and Scott Posner.

Our Skate team is James Reed, Frank Atwater, Jerry Haffner, Chris Mumma, Dusty Anderson, Isidro Vargas, Devin Briggs, Pat Daniels, Mikey Mosa and Kyle O'Neill.

Photo: Atwater
The CDM polo, inspired by the OC area

BNQT - AS MANY KNOW, ATWATER IS BASED IN NEWPORT BEACH, CA. DOES YOUR LOCATION INFLUENCE SOME OF THE NAMES OF SKUS? FOR EXAMPLE, THE "LA CAVE" OR "CDM" SHIRTS.

Scott - Every season I design all the pieces and I name them based on past experiences or landmarks that represent the Atwater lifestyle. I like to name the styles off places or team riders to give each piece a personal touch that fits our culture. I grew up in Newport Beach and Corona del Mar, so yeah most pieces are based on local places or team riders that help support our brand.

Photo: Atwater
The Vineyard v-neck
BNQT - ATWATER WAS CREATED AS A DREAM BRAND. WHAT KIND OF DREAMS DO YOU HAVE FOR THE FUTURE?

Mike - Atwater is our Dream Brand. We worked for a lot of the big names in action sports and when we launched Atwater we wanted to create our dream brand and work with our best friends and do the things that are in our wildest dreams. We see Atwater being the go to brand for people that share our same core values.

Street Beat Archive:

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

Photo: Danny Spyra
On Saturday, July 24th, Tony Hawk and company took
over the Downtown Disney main plaza.The first ever Downtown Disney Action Sports Weekend took place this past weekend in Anaheim, CA - a stone's throw from the world-famous Disneyland amusement park.

On Saturday, July 24th, Quiksilver presented the Tony Hawk Skate Jam. This skateboarding demo headlined the action sports-themed weekend with a vert demo in the main plaza. Quiksilver brought it's A-Team of skate stars, including Tony Hawk, Lincoln Ueda, Josh Stafford, Jesse Fritsch, Kevin Staab, Lyn-Z Adams-Hawkins and Tom Stober, to perform in front of tens of thousands of fans.
Photo: Danny Spyra
Crowds flocked to see Tony Hawk take on the halfpipe

Tony Hawk, perhaps most famous for being the first to successfully land a 900 on vert, was stoked to perform in front of a more-mainstream audience. "I'm really proud that we've come this far and that [skateboarding] is on this scale of appreciation to the public," Hawk said. "I think it shows how far skating has come and that if they're trying to get a more youth culture coming to a place like Disneyland, these are the sports that the kids are gravitating towards."

"Thousands of kids and families travel from all over the world every summer to experience Disneyland Resort," said Mike Matey, V.P. of Quiksilver Marketing. "We enjoyed bringing them a day of action sports and a chance to see Tony Hawk and friends skate at Downtown Disney."

Although Tony Hawk might have been the top bill for the weekend, Downtown Disney hosted a myriad of action sports events over the 3-day event including BMX and street skate demos, live art performances and a sponsorship village. Endemic companies like DC Shoes, Quiksilver, TAVIK and ISIS lined up interactive booths and raffled off prizes for kids of all ages.

Photo: Danny Spyra
TAVIK had a rad booth and raffled off a stand-up
paddleboard

"Participating at Downtown Disney's Action Sports Weekend was a great opportunity for ISIS to reach huge crowds in our own backyard," said Ian Foulke, ISIS V.P. of Marketing. "And the crowds loved it!"

TAVIK President Erik Paulsen agreed. "Action sports are growing overall and to get in front of Downtown Disney's audience was just mind-boggling. It's great that Downtown Disney reached out to the action sports community. I don't think having this anywhere else would have worked."

Photo: Danny Spyra
Analise Seltzer and Ian Foulke show off some ISIS
packs
After Downtown Disney's first Action Sports Weekend, the proof is in the pudding...Mickey Mouse knows how to throw down.

- Danny Spyra