The indie board-builders bringing DIY back to skate
- Text by Nathan McLaren-Stewart
- Photography by Nathan McLaren-Stewart
“It started in college,” explains Sam Hunt, co-founder of the Bristol-based Backbone Skateboards. “I finished my [furniture making] work for the year and I had loads of time, so I made a skateboard. My tutor loved it.”
Hunt, along with his friends Fred Loosmore and Jake Ponting, started up Backbone in 2015, in response to a market that was oversaturated with mass-produced, fashion-focused plastic boards. Hoping to bring skating back to its roots, the group took their influence from the origins of skateboarding, noting the Zephyr Skate Team in the mid-’70s and their surf-influenced style.
For Sam, Jake and Fred, supporting independent skateboarding and DIY culture is their main priority. “It’s my life,” Jake says, with a laugh. When skating they’re always thinking about how they can make their boards better (a current project being worked on in the workshop now, for example, is exploring how to give their boards a kick tail).
Though their passion runs deep, for Backbone it’s not all a breeze. The group admit to having a hard time finding their target market. However, there’s no desire to change what they’re doing, and they stress that they want to avoid mass production and keep it handmade. “We’re not equipped to the masses,” Jake says. “We never really made the company to make money. It was all about getting enjoyment out of it, and we still are enjoying it after four years. It’s more of a hobby that we get to share.”
HOW TO GO DIY AND BUILD YOUR OWN SKATEBOARD
YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO IT ALONE
“Find some mates who want to get involved in what you do. Three of us work on Backbone in our various roles. Starting a business with your mates that you have passion for can be one of the most rewarding things you do.”
GET NETWORKING
“Get out there and tell people what you do! Be proud of what you do and never be scared to ask for advice. The best things that have happened to us mainly happen from just chatting to people.”
BACK YOURSELF
“Settle for good enough, not perfect. Sometimes its hard to know when to release something that you’ve invested so much time into. Even when you’re getting great feedback from people. We can’t tell you how many times this has happened to us and we’ve ended up wasting time trying to correct a perfectly good product.”
DON’T RUSH
“We spent a full year designing, making, testing our boards before we went live. We also spent this time developing content for social media, getting advice and feedback from people. The point is that the we feel it’s really important not to rush the initial stages of your business. However it’s also important for this not to get out of hand and break no.3. There is a balance!”
MONEY FOLLOWS PASSION
“If you have passion for what you do, your product will reflect that. It won’t always be easy but it will always be rewarding.”
Learn more about Backbone on their official website.
Follow Nathan McLaren-Stewart on Twitter.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck
Clubbing is good for your health, according to neuroscientists
We Become One — A new documentary explores the positive effects that dance music and shared musical experiences can have on the human brain.
Written by: Zahra Onsori
In England’s rural north, skateboarding is femme
Zine scene — A new project from visual artist Juliet Klottrup, ‘Skate Like a Lass’, spotlights the FLINTA+ collectives who are redefining what it means to be a skater.
Written by: Zahra Onsori
Donald Trump says that “everything is computer” – does he have a point?
Huck’s March dispatch — As AI creeps increasingly into our daily lives and our attention spans are lost to social media content, newsletter columnist Emma Garland unpicks the US President’s eyebrow-raising turn of phrase at a White House car show.
Written by: Emma Garland
How the ’70s radicalised the landscape of photography
The ’70s Lens — Half a century ago, visionary photographers including Nan Goldin, Joel Meyerowitz and Larry Sultan pushed the envelope of what was possible in image-making, blurring the boundaries between high and low art. A new exhibition revisits the era.
Written by: Miss Rosen
The inner-city riding club serving Newcastle’s youth
Stepney Western — Harry Lawson’s new experimental documentary sets up a Western film in the English North East, by focusing on a stables that also functions as a charity for disadvantaged young people.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The British intimacy of ‘the afters’
Not Going Home — In 1998, photographer Mischa Haller travelled to nightclubs just as their doors were shutting and dancers streamed out onto the streets, capturing the country’s partying youth in the early morning haze.
Written by: Ella Glossop