Zoo York
TypeSubsidiary
Nasdaq: ICON
IndustrySkate Textile
Founded1993 (1993)
FoundersRodney Smith
Eli Morgan Gesner
Adam Schatz
Headquarters
New York
,
US
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsSkate boards, t-shirts, hoodies, windbreakers, hats, fanny packs
ParentIconix Brand Group
Websitezooyork.com

Zoo York is an American company focused on the skateboarding market. The company currently commercializes skateboards, t-shirts, hoodies, windbreakers, hats, fanny packs.[1]

The company's name was taken from one of NYC's oldest skate crews, Soul Artists of Zoo York.[2]

History

The company was founded in 1993 by skateboarders Rodney Smith, Eli Morgan Gesner, and Adam Schatz, who started their own business after Smith's company, Shut, lost a legal battle over trademark infringement. The company established itself as the major firm in the East Coast due to the adding of graffiti and hip-hop culture to their designs.[3] The company was first sold to Marc Eckō in 2001;[2] four years later, the Zoo York brand sold the rights to use its name to the Iconix Brand Group.[4]

In 2019, the founding partners returned to Zoo York as creative directors with the purposes of bringing strategic, design, and marketing insight to the brand.[5] The directors also focused on new licensees and partnerships. Iconix Brand CEO Bob Galvin state that "partnering with the creators of Zoo York will help us reconnect to the brand's origins in New York City street culture and regain credibility".[6]

Media

Zoo York Skater Brandon Westgate doing a frontside flip in Queens, New York City
Zoo York Skater Harold Hunter does a wallride in Times Square in 1989

The company produced a popular VHS mixtape series.[3][7]

  • Mix Tape (1998)
  • Peep This (1999)
  • Heads (1999)
  • E.S.T (2000)
  • E.S.T 2.0 (2001)
  • E.S.T 3.0 (2002)
  • Unbreakable: Mix Tape 2 (2002)
  • City Of Killers (2003)
  • E.S.T 4 (2004)
  • Ellis Island (2005)
  • Vicious Cycle (2005)
  • Welcome to Zoo York City (2006)
  • State of Mind (2009)
  • Z.Y Field Agent Report (2010)
  • the Chaz Ortiz video (2012)
  • true east (2013)
  • King of New York (2013)
  • Eastern Conference (2016)

Zoo York produced a television show on Fuel TV called 'Skate Maps which shows the Zoo York team on tour. In 2007, Zoo York's team appeared on Thrasher Magazine's cross country skateboarding contest, "King of the Road."[8]

Former team riders

[9] Brandon Westgate, Burton Smith, Harold Hunter, Ricky Oyola, Danny Supa, Quim Cardona, Chaz Ortiz, Hamilton Harris, Jamie Story, Zered Bassett, Justin Pierce and many others.[10][11][12][13][14]

References

  1. ↑ Products (shop) on Zoo York, 17 Aug 2020
  2. 1 2 What the hell happened to Zoo York? on Jenkem website, 1 Oct 2018
  3. 1 2 The History of the Zoo York Mixtape by Aaron Frank on Red Bull, 1 Aug 2013
  4. ↑ The History of the Zoo York Mixtape by Aaron Frank on Red Bull Academy, August 1st, 2013
  5. ↑ "Zoo York is Back Under Old Management | Shop-Eat-Surf".
  6. ↑ Zoo York taps original brand founders as new creative directors by Robyn Turk on Fashion United, 3 September 2019
  7. ↑ "Zoo York skate videos, online skateboarding videos | Skatevideosite". www.skatevideosite.com.
  8. ↑ "Thrasher Magazine - 'King Of The Road 2007: Blind vs Zoo York vs Foundation vs Black Label' (DVD)". UndergroundHipHop.com. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  9. ↑ "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO ZOO YORK?". Jenkem Magazine. October 1, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Brandon Westgate: King of New York Interview". www.thrashermagazine.com.
  11. ↑ "Zoo York Is Back Under Old Management". Shop-Eat-Surf. September 3, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Quim Cardona: Non Fiction 2". Quartersnacks.com. July 18, 2013.
  13. ↑ Skateboarding, N. Y. (May 9, 2014). "Ricky Oyola & Quim Cardona Reminiscing (2014)". NYSkateboarding.com.
  14. ↑ "chrome ball interview #93: vinny ponte". the chrome ball incident. July 5, 2016.
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