Interview by Jeff Carvalho and Frank the Butcher.
Can we step back and look at a little bit of your history with Burton specifically the early 90s. I have a conversation with someone about you. He placed you in a position in the early 90s as reinvigorating the cultural street relevance of Burton. Prior to that things may have slowed down.. this is also the point when you guys got involved with the US Open. Can you talk about the transition back to focus?
GD - When I first came to Burton... snowboarding or outerwear specifically had become a bit skeezy looking.... outwear looked like outerwear: color blocks. one fit, simple cuts lines.. and it definitely had that stereotypical snowboard look. ... and when I came in I met up with the young group of riders, like Trevor Andrews, Anderson... and we got together and decided to flip the switch again... and change/redefine what snowboarding [was].
You could be riding in a jacket that was more like an M654 jacket. It didn't have to be guarding you against all the elements. Like I say, doing the non conventional and going against the grain of what people thought outerwear had to be. I think that really helped it. I think the street relevance came from looking on what was on the street... Like you alluded to earlier.. working with people I really admired and bringing new people into the mix to help define that new look. Its a never ending battle.. your only as good as your last move and we're always trying to progress the brands here.
I hope we not only continue to be relevant but also expand our audience with shops like this LA store and show that Burton is more than a snowboard brand... and hopefully bring [more people] into the sport. Thats always my hope. First and foremost, I love snowboarding. Its the main component that keeps me here and keeps me doing what I do.
Greg you touched on ANALOG. You were on the forefront of starting the line. Can you talk about the process and what you felt ANALOG would be when you envisioned it and how it has changed over the course of the years?
GD - It all started as a snowboard outerwear brand and balked [what the] normal conventions were and broke them all. I have to say at the beginning when you do a gasoline jacket with no hood... not so functional but waterproof and breathable... the reps and dealers look at you like you're completely whack. Or when we're doing things that were never thought as being acceptable in outerwear. Not everything has to look like North Face.
|
|
|
|
