MANUFACTURING
Asphalt Yacht Club: Skating From the Street to the Yacht
Nyjah Huston won a gold medal for street league skateboarding at the X Games in Los Angeles this summer, but gliding over obstacle courses with a skateboard was only one of the things on his to-do list. He also helped launch skateboarding/fashion label Asphalt Yacht Club.
AYC was introduced at Agenda trade show in Long Beach, Calif., in July, and the skaters representing the line are meant to be a United Nations of skateboarding. Huston has won four gold medals at the X Games, and he was raised in Puerto Rico in a Rastafarian household. AYC Creative Director Stevie Williams, another street skater, was raised in the projects in Philadelphia and developed a career marketing streetwear. Another team rider is Riley Hawk, the oldest son of pioneering skateboard star Tony Hawk.
“We all have our fashion and our own look,” Williams said of the eight skaters who serve as the faces of Asphalt Yacht Club. Yet they all could be united by one brand. The brand’s name also is filled with ambition, according to Jesse Fritsch, marketing director of AYC. Through hard work, anyone can rise from the street level to living on a yacht—or reach any goal.
All AYC shirts have the brand’s monogram printed inside them. They also offer a fabric that is similar to a Nike Dri-Fit moisture-absorbing fabric. However, AYC’s shirts don’t have a sports-apparel look to them. “Skateboarders tend to reject jockish-looking apparel no matter what the benefits are,” Fritsch said. “We offer those same benefits but with a look that skaters can still relate to.”
Other looks include shirts with patterns featuring the AYC logo and tees with a contrast pocket. There’s also the Riley logo camo tee, which features an all-seeing-eye design contributed by Hawk. “We’re making sure that we are putting out premium quality that kids can afford,” Fritsch said. Shirts will wholesale for $30 to $35, and fleece will wholesale for $65 to $70. The line’s T-shirts, henleys, hoodies and fleece are produced in Los Angeles and Miami. Caps are produced overseas. For more information, email jesse@asphaltyachtclub.com.
