Photo: Kustom
Clay Marzo goes loonyPark five surfers on a boat in the aquatic playground of the Mentawai Islands and give each of them a simple mission stomp one big air and bag $50,000 cash.

Tune in for the final webisode of Landscape Altered as filmmaker Kai Neville wraps up the story of Mitch Coleborn, Clay Marzo, Jay Davies, Josh Kerr and Chippa Wilson and their assault on the annual Kustom Airstrike aerial surfing competition.

Who went the biggest? Who flipped the hardest? Did anyone unload a new move? Whose nose got creased? Whose knees got shattered? Did any one land anything good enough to claim the $50,000 winner-take-all prize?

Landscape Altered - Episode 4 from Kustom Airstrike on Vimeo.

Photo: Vestal
Derek Boucher, fellow USD alum and Director of
Marketing for VestalWhen it comes to accessories, Vestal has the market cornered. Started in 1997 as a line of watches, Vestal today has grown to produce clothing and now eyewear. Whether it be with family like MSTRKRFT or Jordy Smith, Vestal seamlessly fuses fashion with music and action sports. The Vestal style, via watches, shirts or shades...is distinct yet fashion-forward.

I'm proud to say I got my start in action sports interning for the Vestal gang circa 2003. I ran the Street Beat idea by Derek Boucher, Director of Marketing, and he was stoked to get involved. Enjoy!

- Danny Spyra

Photo: Vestal
The Monte Carlo offers time in digital and analog
formats

BNQT - LET'S START WITH WATCHES, THE PILLAR OF VESTAL. CAN YOU GIVE US AN OVERVIEW OF THE 2010 SUMMER COLLECTION?

Derek - The 2010 summer collection will be an affordable mix of both utilitarian textures and a touch of class. We have focused on both the luxurious side of timepieces as well as the fun, fashion forward approach. Finishing also plays an important role in our watch line this summer. Polished, brushed & matte finishes (sometimes combinations of the three) are taking a lot of consideration when we are developing a style.
Photo: Vestal
Vestal offers the ZR-3, it's largest watch to date,
in minimalist and standard versions

BNQT - THE ZR-3 IS YOUR LARGEST WATCH TO DATE AND THERE ARE TWO VERSIONS: STANDARD AND MINIMALIST. WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO OFFER TWO VERSIONS?

Derek - We strive to always keep our product fresh by offering more options in order to reach out to a broader audience. The ZR-3 Minimalist in particular, is an example of taking an existing style and stripping it down to focus on rudimentary watch shapes while staying visually stimulating. It actually turned out to be a somewhat controversial design.
Photo: Vestal
The Plexi watch in acetate

BNQT - ACETATE IS A UNIQUE MATERIAL FOUND IN THE PLEXI AND ROSEWOOD WATCH MODELS. WHAT MAKES IT STAND OUT FROM OTHER COMMON MATERIALS?

Derek - Acetate is a great material due to its almost unlimited color options and affordability, not to mention it is extremely durable. It is also the material found in the majority of our eyewear line. A lot of inspiration for upcoming eyewear colors was derived from throwing around different looks for the Plexi and Rosewood watches.

BNQT - SO YOU RECENTLY BRANCHED INTO EYEWEAR AND LAUNCHED VESTAL VISION. HOW MANY TYPES OF SHADES DOES THE INITIAL COLLECTION CONTAIN?

Derek - We launched our eyewear program with a tight collection of 6 styles; De Luna, Himalayas, Railways, St. Jane, Westerlies & Wonderland Ave. There are approximately 3-6 different colors per style, all of which are being merchandised in our existing display cases at exclusive retailers worldwide. We are really excited about the eyewear program and feel that it is a seamless transition into establishing Vestal as a premium accessory brand.
Photo: Vestal
The Himalayas in mirrored-gold lens

BNQT - I FEEL THE MIRRORED GOLD EYEWEAR COLLECTION WILL BE A HOT TICKET THIS SUMMER. ARE THERE PLANS TO INTRODUCE MORE REFLECTIVE LENS IN UPCOMING LINES?

Derek - The Gold Mirrored lens was an approach to make a few of the styles a little more quirky and fun for the summer. We feel they fit particularly well in the De Luna and Himalayas models. The Vestal take on classic aviators, the Westerlies, will most likely always be offered in a mirrored lens. We are also playing with gradient lenses right now, so that could be a potential look for later this year.
Photo: Vestal
The De Luna shades

BNQT - THE DE LUNA SHADES REALLY STICK OUT. WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THIS DESIGN?

Derek - We consider the De Luna's to be our signature piece in the Vestal eyewear collection. The inspiration was taken from blending different elements of eyewear that we all personally dig. Most of these elements originate from prescription glasses. In actuality, the inspiration for the whole eyewear line comes from prescription glasses.

Street Beat Archive:

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: Vans
Steve Van Doren, VP of Events and Promotions at VansFew companies personify the Southern California lifestyle more than Vans. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone from SoCal who hasn't owned a pair of waffle-sole kicks. Vans shoes have classic style, yet are able to transcend generations and remain current.

Founded by Paul Van Doren in 1966, the Van Doren Rubber Co. and its shoes came to be known simply as "Vans." From the Slip-On to the Authentic, Vans has put their signature on the skateboard and fashion world for over 40 years.

While the company has grown tremendously, Vans has kept much of the original family in-house. Steve Van Doren, son of founder Paul Van Doren, currently serves as the VP of Events and Promotions. I've said enough, let's let Steve do his thing...enjoy!

- Danny Spyra

Photo: Danny Spyra
Unique Vans on display at the Custom Culture Contest

BNQT - THE CUSTOM CULTURE CONTEST LET KIDS SHOW THE "SOUL BEHIND THE SOLE." WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS FIRST ANNUAL CONTEST?

Steve - The Vans Custom Culture high school art contest was great. We've always been driven by creativity and by young people's creativity especially. Our most iconic shoe, the checkerboard slip-on, was inspired by kids I saw drawing checkers on the sides of their shoes when I was in school. When we give kids a pair of Vans as their blank canvas, I'm always amazed at the creativity they show us.

Photo: Vans
The Larkin in Herringbone, part of the OTW
collection
BNQT - THE NEW OTW COLLECTION BLENDS SIMPLE YET DETAILED SHOES WITH PREMIUM MATERIALS. WOULD YOU CLASSIFY THIS COLLECTION AS MORE OF A STREET OR LIFESTYLE LINE?

Steve - The OTW line comes from Vans skate background, but the designers have been given the freedom to create a collection that isn't limited by the restrictions of performance skate shoes. We have shoes for every kind of skater from those who need more support to those who are about boardfeel. The OTW line is for guys who want Vans style that is at the front of the streetwear look.

Photo: Vans
Lance Mountain - frontside air transfer during the
Pro-tec Pool Party

BNQT - DURING THE RECENT PRO-TEC POOL PARTY, VANS GAVE AWAY RAD PRIZES TO THOSE WATCHING THE ONLINE WEBCAST. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR VANS TO INTERACT WITH ITS FANS?

Steve - Interacting with our consumers in the ways that they want to be connected with is one of the most important things we do at Vans. Not only are we making them feel that they are involved in Vans and our lifestyle, but we also learn from them. When we do contests like the Pro-tec Pool Party or the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, we're talking to fans whether its at the venue or with on-line chats during the webcast. We learn what they like and don't like about our events and we listen to them.

Photo: Vans
The Rata has eco-friendly features

BNQT - THE SURF SERIES SHOES MIX COASTAL DESIGNS WITH ECO-FRIENDLY MATERIALS LIKE BAMBOO AND RECYCLED CAR TIRES. ARE THERE PLANS TO UTILIZE MATERIALS LIKE THESE IN OTHER LINES?

Steve - Yes, we already are using more sustainable materials across other Vans lines. The surf line is probably always going to lead in green products because the health of oceans is so important to surfers, but we now offer organic cotton Classics such as slip-ons and Eras and we have a line of organic cotton t-shirts. We're also trying to be more eco-friendly in the way we conduct business from using recycled cardboard in boxes and store displays, using water soluble inks and glues in manufacturing and taking back used shoes for recycling at our Southern California Vans stores.

Photo: Vans
The Joel Tudor collection from Vans

BNQT - EXPANDING ON THE SURF SERIES, VANS NOW HAS A COLLABORATION WITH ICONIC WATERMAN JOEL TUDOR. WHERE DID THIS IDEA COME FROM?

Steve - Joel has always been a Vans guy and has ridden for us for a long, long time. Our apparel line has grown a great deal the past few years and originally was focused on skate. We've broadened the line to include apparel and accessories for surfers and we couldn't find a better person to start our surf line with than Joel. He's always been a trendsetter in surf and surf style plus he has always stayed true to his roots.

Joel brought in a duffel bag full of his favorite items from the vintage and surf shops he likes to shop and said "Let's start with this" and our designers took it from there. The Joel Tudor collection blends classic surf style with improvements our designers can make today and has a great selection of boardshorts, shirts and items such as that original duffel.

Photo: Vans
Every time an Angel hits the Off the Wall sign, Vans
donates money to Surfrider

BNQT - I RECENTLY SAW A FRESH BANNER IN RIGHT-CENTER FIELD AT ANGEL STADIUM FOR VANS OFF THE WALL . HOW DID THIS COME ABOUT AND CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP WITH SURFRIDER?

Steve - We are actually just down the street from Angels Stadium and we've always joked around the office about how an "Off the Wall" sign would be perfect at the ballpark. Before the season, the Angels approached us about the sign and we told them we'd consider it if we could include a promotion with Surfrider Foundation that every time an Angels batter hits a ball of that sign, we'd donate $500 to Surfrider. It was perfect...we got our "Off the Wall" sign and Surfrider got extra visibility of more than 2 million fans this summer right in the heart of the SoCal surf scene in Orange County. Torii Hunter and Hideki Matsui were the first ones to hit it!

Street Beat Archive:

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: Billabong
Billabong's 4th Annual Design for Humanity event
takes place June 10 at Paramount StudiosBillabong's 4th annual Design For Humanity benefit, to be held on Thursday, June 10th, 2010, is heading to a new location set in the heart of legendary NY streets on the back lot of Paramount Studios in Hollywood. This massive fashion-music-art block party will feature two concert stages, DJ dance parties, a runway fashion show showcasing one of a kind Billabong bikinis, a custom art gallery in partnership with the Carmichael Gallery, live art installations, Hit+Run live t-shirt screen printing, food trucks, a VIP street, and much more.

Legendary electroclash duo FISCHERSPOONER will be headlining this year's event for an unforgettable festival of light and sound performance. FISCHERSPOONER's fusion of music, dance, fashion, film and photography makes them a perfect collaborator for this year's event. Chi-town rapper Kid Sister, who seamlessly fuses elements of electro pop, Hip-Hop, and ghetto house will also be taking the stage. DJ's Pase Rock, Classixx and Them Jeans will be providing jams throughout the night.

100% of this year's ticket sales and proceeds from art show and product collaboration auction sales are being donated to Invisible Children, an organization raising awareness and funds for families affected by the long-standing war in Uganda, Africa. Invisible Children rebuilds schools devastated by war, benefiting over 8,400 Ugandan youth in the areas of water and sanitation, books and equipment, refurbishment of structures, teacher support, and technology and power.

Get out there for an awesome event benefiting an even better cause! Pick up tickets before it's too late here: http://us.designforhumanity.com/

2009 Design for Humanity Video:

Go to BNQT.com for more videos.