This interview was done at long time friend and NJ industry veteran Jack Laird's apartment in Asbury Park, NJ. We were both sick as dogs and smoking cigs playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater2. The Images to your left are a sneak peak of Atwater clothing and Raen Optics summer 2010. Enjoy bitches
Davie: Ok so I am here interviewing Jack Laird.
Jack: Hey!!!!
Davie: This is the guy that runs the northeast for a few different companies over in New Jersey but also travels a lot in other places, why don't you start this off by telling us who you rep for.
Jack: I work for Atwater clothing it's a five year old company from Newport Beach California started by Dean Bradley and Scott Madison with a total of 20 years of industry experience, Billabong, Hurley and a bunch of other companies. Basically wanted to start their dream brand something a little more fashion- forward, something that could translate into the music and art lifestyle as well as surf skate and snow. Something that a lot of companies have been trying to cross market in that direction try to keep it a little more open to more humans. I also work with Raen Optics which is Jeremy Heits company, used to be a pro surfer for Ezekiel and he started Chemistry Surfboards. Raen also is a little bit more of a retro fashion-forward twist done modern eye-wear. We are collaborating with Thomas Cambell, Pat Graham and a bunch of other really cool photographers and MGMT Modest Mouse to push a product just a little bit different then your typical run of the mill surf-shop sunglasses. I am also working with Eskuche. Eskuche is a L.A based headphone company that sorta is a HiFi 1970's inspired style with new school design as far as it's functionality. It can work with Iphones, Blackberry but still is a steezy pair of headphones that you can rock.
Davie: You can also plug it into a guitar amp can't you.
Jack: Ya you can
Davie: So what else
Jack: I am also doing a company called AJW which is a surfboard company from Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Adam James Warden is the AJW in AJW and he was a apprentice for people like Rusty Preisendorfer he worked for Marcio ( Sharp Eye) for a long time, he is actually splitting the factory cost with Marcio out in California now. It's a little bit easier to get things shipped out from over there as we all know. It's a little further for us to get our product but he prides himself in being made in the United States. Blanks are coming from Brazil but the boards are shaped here, no pop-outs he does do some computer generated shapes but he finishes all the shapes himself. Then last but not least i just picked up a company well two companies actually called Big Swell which is a ding repair company that comes a little bit more neatly packaged then the ding repair companies used too. Also Board Suit which is a guy from around here that started this company it's got some pretty rad stuff. It's a neoprene board-bag so it's actually going to stretch to fit your board a little bit more snug and offers a little bit more protection then your normal board sock.
Davie: Sounds cool... So what about yourself what got you into reping?
Jack: I worked in the industry for a long time, I guess I got my first shop job when i was about 16. Selling surfboards, snowboards, skateboards I have always been into that kinda thing. I worked at a local retail establishment called Brave New World for some time, and our local Lost, Spy and FCS rep Ed Doyle took me under his wing as a sub rep for a while. When he picked up a couple more lucrative lines he passed on a couple to me.
Davie: Nice
Jack: Ya I just started making contacts, making friends and finding new lines that needed representation in the North East territory and just ran with it.
Davie: Shradical!!! So what's new with Atwater? I mean they have been around they just won a SIMI award.
Jack: Ya we won the Overall Image Breakthrough Brand of the Year Award. It was a long time coming, we have been nominated for a really long time because of the swine flu they kept pushing the SIMI awards back because no one could go to Mexico without coming back with H1N1.
Davie: haha
Jack: So um ya we just won that award you know we are just pushing forward we are looking forward to the economic situation to start turning around, we have a lot of people that are really interested in the product and we just wanna get it in the right stores. Start slow keep it kinda core but also can't make any money being absolutely core so we need to branch out to other angles, but like what i said before we need to go into style stores as well as surf-shops kinda broaden the horizons.
Davie: Cool, so any new news in team guys collaborations anything like that.
Jack: Ya we did a colab with a team guy named Sean Tully he's a super good long-boarder really good artist, he actually painted in our booth for surf expo and it came out pretty rad. He did a collaboration in our spring line, it's three shirts and its all his original artwork printed on the shirt. One of them holiday actually has 27 screens or something ridiculous like that, it has so many different colors on it. Then also we have been going on kinda the friend route with everybody. We have befriended Slightly Stoopid over the years and they are rocking the gear on the stage. Face To Face as well.
Davie: Nice and for those of you that don't know who Face To Face is.
Jack: You should find out.
Dave: Ya you should definitely find out, they are pretty much the reason why any punk band nowadays is anything, Blink-182 you can definitely hear a lot of Face to Face influences in their music. But whatever back to Atwater.
Jack: haha um so ya we have just been plugging along, opening some doors, picked up a whole bunch of new reps. My territory is from Jersey to Maine we got a guy underneath us John McDaniels which is doing a killer job and he has the mid- atlantic region. We are working with Greg Osthus which is our VP of sales and marketing. You might know him he is actually listed in that Gotcha book, he was basically a surf pioneer this guys been in the industry forever. If he doesn't know someone in the industry he's not worth knowing, it's kinda nice to work for a guy like that.
Davie: Ya sure
Jack: Ya you know just plugging along, and with Raen as I said before we have been sponsoring Modest Mouse, MGMT and collaborating with different photographers and trying to do different more art driven advertising campaign. So that's good stuff.
Davie: Ya absolutely what about collaborations with companies with Raen and riders any new guys on the bill?
Jack: Well we are working with Alex Knost right now it's probably our biggest guy that fits the bill of that retro steeze that we are looking to push and Kassia Meador which is our surf chick, she rips and is a Roxy Model, killer long-boarder and just working with a bunch of different artists just trying to get out there. The whole advertising campain is "through the eyes of". They go through different photographers that are famous for working that kind of lifestyle and they let them shoot the advertising campains threw their eyes, threw the eyes of Raen .
Davie: Thats super cool
Jack: Ya it's cool stuff.
Davie: Well is there anything else you want to add?
Jack: No man that is about it, just go buy all those products!!!!hahaha
Davie: Ya hahaha. Just for the record who is your favorite surfer and who is your favorite band of all time.
Jack: Wow that is a tough question. Well I would have to go with Social D as my favorite band.
Davie: OK
Jack: And I got the need for speed so Archy has always been my home-boy.
Davie: Rad so that's it Archy and Social D
Jack: Ya i guess I like guys with slicked hair and tattoos huh.
Davie: Hey man everyone's got a greaser in them somewhere haha
Jack: Hahahaha
Davie: Alright rad thanks a lot Jack
Jack: No worries dude
For more info on the products shown check out
http://www.ajwsurfboard.com/
http://atwatercollection.com/main/
http://www.eskucheme.com/
http://www.raenoptics.com/
http://boardsuit.com/BoardSuit.html
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