Primitive

Primitive

Primitive Apparel is a globally renowned clothing label that is deeply rooted in Southern California's skateboard culture that extends into diverse subcultures of music and art. The company started as a boutique in L.A. that curates the finest labels in skate and street wear styles, with products ranging from skate shoes, t-shirts, snapback caps, accessories, Hoodies and Jackets. Today, Primitive Apparel's own clothing line has strong emphasis on nostalgia and eclecticism, combined with technically advanced approach to meet the demands of the global market. Get the latest Primitive Apparel products here at Yakwax! All with FREE UK delivery.

Primitive Skateboarding Apparel UK Store

Street League icon, Paul Rodriguez (P.Rod) and two of his friends, Andy Netkin and Jubal Jones, started Primitive Apparel in 2008. It was not yet a fully fledged brand back then, since the founders curated mostly limited edition sneakers and skate footwear along with their favourite items from a variety of brands and sold them in one place.

Aside from the legendary P.Rod, Primitive Apparel has a skate team comprised of (pros) Paul Rodriguez, Bastien Salabanzi, Shane O'Neill, Carlos Ribeiro, Nick Tucker, Devine Calloway, Brian Peacock, (amateurs) Trent McClung and Diego Najera.

Don't be surprised if you find Primitive Apparel products with an additional logo or brand since they have also collaborated with other renowned brands such as Nike, Vans, DVS, Diamond Supply Co., New Era and Grizzly Griptape among many others.

From Curating Fine Footwear to Creating Their Own Product Line

The Primitive Apparel boutique grew and included a full in-house line of skate and streetwear products inspired by their Southern California roots. The boutique in Los Angeles became one of the most renowned shops in the valley, with locals and tourists visiting to get a taste of the prominent L.A. skate culture.

Among the most popular items in the shop are their graphic tees that range from parody to California-focused conceptual art, as well as headwear with bold prints that either call out or pay tribute to their neighbourhood such as VALLEY and BLVD (Ventura), and the company's original 'P' logo.

Considered as one of the most hyped and fastest growing skate brands in the U.S., Primitive Apparel sticks with the skateboard and streetwear culture in order to keep their level of authenticity high. Their current offerings embody these qualities that are uniquely expressed in their in-house collections of graphic t-shirts, jackets, hoodies, caps, socks, pants and accessories.

Foraying Online Into eCommerce and Wholesale

In the early part of 2016, Primitive Apparel closed their L.A. shop to focus on eCommerce and wholesale. Currently, they have stockists and retailers in Europe, Australia and all over the United States.

In one of the recent interviews with the co-founders, they mentioned that they don't need a physical store since they are driven by what they love to do which is to sell. As far as reaching and engaging with more customers, they are aware of the evolving youth culture and they are constantly looking for ways to bring to the fore their media and products in order to grow and evolve as a global brand.

The popular neighbourhood boutique may be gone, but Primitive Apparel's in-house collections have already surpassed the shop's sales for a few years now. Perhaps it's one reason why they opted to go fully online and distribute their products to local and international accounts. But it also goes to show that the brand has already captured the global audience.

Primitive Skateboarding

Primitive Skateboarding is a brand that produces skateboard decks, trucks, wheels and grips. They are known for creating cool, fun and cartoonish graphics on decks, but they do make plain coloured and graphically detailed decks under their signature and collaborative collections.

The launch of Primitive Skateboarding is quite memorable. When The Berrics announced that they would be selling limited edition P-Rod "Gold Eagle" models, the 100 decks (and 50 more) they've put out during the launch sold out in record 49 seconds. Fans have been anxious since the announcement and it's no surprise to see such support for their idol.

Currently, Primitive Skateboarding offer signature decks of their team riders headed by Paul Rodriguez, Nick Tucker, Shane O'Neill, Brian Peacock, Devine Calloway, Bastien Salabanzi and Carlos Ribeiro.

Living the Dream and Having More Ownership (of Himself)

When you have an apparel brand that caters mostly to skateboarders, it is reasonable to put up a 'sister brand' that makes the equipment as well. In Paul's past interviews, he mentioned that they already have the facility, creative staff and distribution capabilities in place, so it only makes sense to create a complementary brand. And that's what he did in 2014 after contemplating for ten months after resigning as an ambassador from Plan B (another skateboard brand).

The idea of launching a skateboard brand came about in 2012. He quit Plan B skateboards without a plan after being sponsored for a final year. The ten months of having no skateboard sponsor gave him the opportunity to move forward with his idea of launching a new brand within the Primitive business.

It's understandable when we hear stories like this because skaters also need to grow in order to support themselves (when they get old) and the younger generation of shredders in any way they can. In the case of Paul, he's been riding boards for over 17 years and he feels skateboarding should never be just being a pro skater - it has to be beyond skating and sponsorships.

Although Paul is the President of Primitive Skateboarding, he admits that he's not always in the office taking calls and sending out emails to customers. He's still skating and competing, doing the things he love first and foremost while bearing the brand/s he owns.

Apparel and Accessories

There's a separate line of apparel exclusively for Primitive Skateboarding which include hats and t-shirts. They also have commemorative decks, apparel, grips and small accessories bearing the images of Biggie, Anna Nicole Smith, and Tupac.

In the recent years, the brand launched their own line of hardgoods including skateboard bearings and tool kits.

What's In Store For Primitive Skateboarding?

Since the brand is fairly young as of late, more collabs in the future are always a possibility, since Paul is super connected and has a great network within and beyond the skateboarding community.

Even for a non-solid fan of the two Primitive brands, there's always a reason to check out what's in store with both. With the iconic skater at the helm of Primitive Skateboarding, there's always something to look forward to - may it be a collab or a new collection. And to complement, there's the apparel brand to match the distinct appeal that is uniquely Primitive.

Here at Yakwax we are among a number of hardcore European stockists/retailers that carry the Primitive brand and we believe that skate culture is forever rooted among the athletes and their avid fans, so there's always continuity and evolution going on among them and the products they love.

Don't be the last to know about the latest collection of Primitive Apparel's skate wear. Buy them at Yakwax and enjoy our FREE UK delivery service.