Photo: TAVIKErik Paulsen, President of TAVIKIf you haven't heard of TAVIK, you've slept past your alarm. Well, there's no snooze button on this week's Street Beat. Embodying the SoCal lifestyle with wild and crazy designs, TAVIK produces men's clothing as well as women's swimwear.

It all started back in 2004, when Erik Paulsen took his creative vision and successfully executed it. 6 years later, TAVIK is running stronger than ever and running the ship from a new, larger HQ (more like a yacht) in Costa Mesa, CA. I caught up with Erik and asked about TAVIK's latest collection (quite possibly its best) - Fall 2010. Enjoy!

- Danny Spyra

Photo: TAVIKThe Travel tee - don't leave home without it

BNQT - FIRST OFF, HOW DID THE NAME TAVIK COME ABOUT?

Erik - TAVIK is an iconic Southern California lifestyle brand that exploded out of a fusion of surf and street. TAVIK differentiates itself with loud, 'out there' designs that scream to individuals and empower them to define themselves. Its distinct style coupled with clean, contemporary lines produces a brand that goes beyond trends and fosters originality. TAVIK is more than apparel - it is a radical lifestyle movement in itself. Led by people who pump up the volume every chance they get, TAVIK advocates a dynamic lifestyle. Meet TAVIK - music and motion.

Photo: TAVIKThe Loner Hoodie, part of the Fall 2010 line
BNQT - WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE WITH THE FALL 2010 TAVIK COLLECTION? ANY CERTAIN THEMES?

Erik - The TAVIK Fall 2010 collection includes lightweight knits, premium knit tees, extended tee collection (including John Wayne Tees), and a solid selection of boardies and tanks (as they have been selling like crazy).

Fall 2010 Theme: 90's Streetwear, but slimmer bottoms. Always offering sarcastic tees.

Fall 2010 Color scheme: Street life in the 90's bring the mix of pop primary colors with dark color schemes. Think red, purple and blue meeting black, white and grey. Some hints of TAVIK's electric blues and greens remain in a few skus.

Photo: TAVIKThe JW Shooter, part of the John Wayne x TAVIK
collab
BNQT - I'M GLAD YOU JUST MENTIONED "THE DUKE." CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE JOHN WAYNE x TAVIK COLLECTION - I'VE HEARD IT'S BEEN SELLING LIKE CRAZY?

Erik - This is a killer collaboration! We had the authentic idea to make a few pieces with gun holsters. And who better than legendary John Wayne? Given John Wayne lived in Newport Beach and was such a waterman, it made sense for us to work with them. Matt Swift, partner at TAVIK, set up a meeting with Ethan Wayne. Ethan is the son of John Wayne and an awesome guy. He lives locally and kiteboards all the time. We showed him our concepts and our roll out plan for 2009. He thought it was a great idea! In 2009 we offered products in a limited run. Since then, it has taken off. We cannot even keep John Wayne Tees and Boardies in stock. For Fall 2010 we continue the collaboration, due to popular demand.

Photo: Danny SpyraThe TAVIK set up at Downtown Disney was one of the
best
BNQT - YOU GUYS RECENTLY TOOK PART IN THE DOWNTOWN DISNEY EVENT AND HAD A LIVE ART INSTALLATION. HOW DID THINGS GO?

Erik - It was a different type of event for us (outside our normal music festival and skate/surf events). Downtown Disney is a retail area in Anaheim that is packed all day, everyday with people from all over the world. It was great exposure for our brand and introduced TAVIK to an untapped market. Overall, great event! TAVIK artist, Tysen Sybesma, performed live art for the crowds. They loved it. His loud, street-style artwork engaged the crowds.

Photo: TAVIKShiny Toy Guns representing for TAVIK
BNQT - I'VE SEEN TAVIK GEAR ON A NUMBER OF BIG NAME MUSIC ACTS LIKE SHINY TOY GUNS AND IGLU & HARTLY. WHAT OTHER BANDS DOES TAVIK WORK WITH?

Erik - We work with a lot of musicians. Our brand has always had deep roots in the electronic, industrial rock and indie music scene. It is a huge make up of our brand.

Bands/DJs we work with today include:
-Le Castle Vania
-The Villians
-The Sounds (Playing at PACIFIC FESTIVAL Launch Party Sept 4th at Triangle Square, Costa Mesa).
-Hyper Crush
-DJ Sanjay
-and more.
Ryan Birtcher executes TAVIK s events and heads up TAVIK's Sights and Sounds Division. He has done an insane job with music. TAVIK is involved with some insane events and festivals for 2011. Stay tuned on TAVIK.com for more details.

Photo: TAVIKThe Rory tee, hand-dipped into dye
BNQT - I REALLY DIG THE RORY DIP DYE TEE. WHAT KIND OF TREATMENT GOES INTO PRODUCING THIS SHIRT?

Erik - It is a custom tee that we do overseas. It is hand dipped into dye, hence the name dip dye on both ends. Killer shirt. It is available to buy now, to find your local retailer go to Tavik.com/dealers. And we will have a few different color combos coming out for Summer 2011! Keep an eye out next year!

BNQT ANY LAST WORDS?

Erik - Get Weird.

Street Beat Archive:

Joe Babcock with Gravis

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

Photo: GravisJoe 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: GravisGravis 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: GravisThe 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: GravisThe 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: GravisThe 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: GravisThe 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: GravisThe 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: AtwaterMike 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: AtwaterAtwater'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: AtwaterThe 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: AtwaterThe 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: AtwaterAtwater 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: AtwaterThe 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: AtwaterThe 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