The worlds of skateboarding and streetwear have been intimately linked since the beginnings of both cultures. In the beginning, the link was something amorphous, based around a skater’s need for a different sort of sport-ready gear than their football- and basketball-playing counterparts.
But today, Diamond Supply Co. is the center, the heartbeat, the intersection of skateboarding and streetwear culture (yes, you could argue that Supreme is the de facto home of New York skate/street culture, but Diamond Supply is the unparalleled king of the West Coast).
It was 1998 when skateboarder and designer Nicholas Tershay a.k.a. Nick Diamond began creating a skate hardwear line in his one-bedroom apartment in San Fransisco. He moved to LA in 2000 and linked up with Mike Carroll and Rick Howard‘s Girl Skateboards, expanding his vision to include not only the technical equipment that skateboarders need, but the apparel that they wanted.
Nick Diamond & The Nike SB “Tiffany” Dunk
Much like Ronnie Fieg’s rise to streetwear stardom, Nick’s can be traced to a single, “big bang” moment: in 2005, Nike asked him to design his own signature Diamond Nike SB Dunk. The result was the “Tiffany” Dunk, one of the hardest hitting, most sought after releases in not only skate sneaker history, but sneaker culture as a whole. The Tiffany skyrocketed Diamond Supply Co to national relevance.
The Fairfax Flagship Store
Then, in 2006, the label’s flagship store opened on Fairfax in Los Angeles and, as Diamond Supply’s website aptly puts it, the storefront “Home to exclusive special releases, the shop is no stranger to lines that wrap around the block or the un-announced pro-skater, artist, or athlete, stopping by to pick up the latest releases.”
Paul Rodriguez and the Diamond Supply Co Skate Team
Beyond apparel and gear designing, Diamond Supply Co also supports one of the best skate teams in the world. There’s Paul Rodriguez a.k.a. the “Michael Jordan” of skating, Eric Koston, Stevie Williams, Torey Pudwill, Nyjah Huston, and more.
When you hear Nick speak about what essentially amounts to HIS team, he sounds like he’s talking about his family, people he would do anything for and who would do anything for him. It’s indicative of the way Diamond Supply Co. operates, as a brand build on relationships. It’s a collaborative place, open to experimenting, never one to turn its back on one of its team.
The Year Diamond Supply Went Next Level
With this spirit of collaboration in mind, Diamond Supply grew to an international brand, but 2012 was the year things went absolutely crazy. Part of the brand’s explosion was its mainstream exposure on Karmaloop.com, co-signs from Lil Wayne, Curren$y and Rick Ross, and, unsurprisingly, a series of uber-successful collaborations. There was the 50-pair release of Miami-inspired moccasins for LeBron James’ UNKNWN store in Miami, the Curren$y X Diamond Supply 4/20 collection, the “Kemp’s Kids” capsule collection with Matt Kemp, the Ibn Jasper X Diamond Supply Co. 2012 Fall/Winter Capsule Collection and more.
Today, Diamond Supply continues to add to their roster of collaborators, including Been Trill for Pac Sun, HUF, Agenda Long Beach and of course a revival of the Nike SB design that made Nick and Diamond Supply Co.’s name. So, when you next find yourself on Fairfax in LA, stop by the Diamond Supply Co flagship store — odds are you’ll just have to look for the long line of skateboarders outside — and take a look at the beating heart of skate and streetwear culture.
Diamond Supply Co451 N Fairfax Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036 Diamond Supply Co
1710 Cordova St
Los Angeles, CA 90007 And at Pac Sun and Zumiez
Diamond Supply Co.
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