culture// Art Of Board
"Sustainable green living" you hear it constantly these days. Most of the time it's from preachy people that don't even know what it means, its just something they heard in passing on an aisle at Whole Foods. While companies like Art Of Board with thier "I Ride I Recycle" campaign are really living the 'the green life' by doing their part by turning trash into a conversation piece.
They take old used and abused skateboard decks, and with the simplest of production methods, they create something beautiful like designer tiles for homes and retail locations. We talked to co-founder Bruce Boul about the company and got a little more insight into what they are about...
What is "Art of Board" and how did it begin?
Art of Board is a lifestyle and design brand that embodies the creative spirit, freedom and individuality of skateboarding. Art of Board-brand hard and soft goods pay homage to a used skateboard deck’s scratches, gouges and worn graphics – capturing the true soul of skateboarding. Creators of the first-ever skateboard recycling movement, I Ride I Recycle allows skateshops, parks, board manufacturers and individual riders to be part of the brand’s designs by recycling their skateboards instead of tossing them in the trash. The brand’s goal is to keep wood waste out of landfills, support skateshops and parks, and empower youth. By purchasing Art of Board products, customers become part of the movement and help the brand to support various action sports charities.
Art of Board began in the Pennsylvania basement of founder Rich Moorhead, whose "aha" moment came from considering the pile of destroyed and discarded wooden skateboard decks generated by his nephew. After trying his hand at turning the material into picture frames, mirrors and the occasional table, Rich started thinking about how to use the resulting jumble of smaller castoff pieces. That's when Art of Board's tile concept was born.
Since then, we opened up a southern California division where that original concept has since evolved into various tile surfaces, including eco-friendly ceramic wall tile, and porcelain floor tile bearing Art of Board's signature artwork. Our PA facility is where all of our tile surfacing is manufactured. Our SoCal division is made up of our sales team, design, branding/marketing, licensing/partnerships, apparel and also where the I Ride I Recycle movement is headquartered and run. Last year, we added Pro skater and 5-time X Games medalist Mimi Knoop to our ownership team as creative director here on the west coast.
Give us the background on the "I Ride I Recycle" movement:
Created by Art of Board, I Ride I Recycle leads the charge for sustainability in the skateboard industry. Through a powerful network of participating shops and manufacturers across the U.S. and Australia, we collect thousands of pounds of broken, blemished and used skateboard decks for upcycling and re-use.
Our mission is to keep broken skateboards out of landfills, put used boards in the hands of underprivileged kids, support local skate and surf shops, create community and support skateboarding at its core. Through I Ride I Recycle, we transcend a rider’s environmental footprint, enhance social consciousness and create meaningful impact through charitable causes. I Ride I Recycle was launched in 2010 by the founders of Art of Board to empower the skateboard community, provide a recycling solution to the industry and support skateboarding at its core. We designed the first-ever skateboard recycling bin and together with a strong network of participating skate and surf shops, we regularly collect thousands of pounds of wood waste from around the U.S. that would otherwise have gone to landfills. Then, we combined efforts with Just One Board and Element’s No Board Left Behind to create a solution for any used equipment we received – all from one recycling bin in the skateshop to truly empower the skateboard community on a large scale. ALL wood waste becomes functional design. ALL used gear is refurbished and given to underprivileged kids. And ALL dilapidated decks are cut into cruisers, giving each one a second chance to hit the streets.
How do you feel the idea behind recycling/reusing is getting across to the younger generation of skateboarders. Do you feel it matters to them?
If the growth of IRIR is any indication, then the answer is YES. It does matter to the younger generation of skaters. We started with a handful of participating shops in 2010 and we’re now up to over 400 around the USA and we just planted the seed in Australia and New Zealand. I think kids are realizing more and more that it’s important to get behind something, to stand for something and make a difference. The cool thing about IRIR is that our members and supporters are not only helping the environment, but they are also helping us put good design into the world, they become PART of that good design, and they help support local skate/surfshops and charities (and communities) in the process. At the end of the day, IRIR supports skateboarding. We also highlight and promote recycling in the surf, snow and bike categories. Because no matter what you ride, you want to recycle!
Art of Board is more than just tiles - tell us about how you have expanded and your other products:
Art of Board surfaces tell a story. Discarded skateboard wood becomes handcrafted artisan tile. That narrative continued on repurposed ceramic and porcelain using photocell imagery of our wood tiles so that customers could use our tile in high moisture areas like pools, showers, outdoors, etc. It’s a tale of authenticity that comes to life in every space they inhabit. So, now we’re taking that authentic story and continuing to tell it on wall coverings, textiles/pillow collections and canvas wall art. We’re all skaters, surfers and designers. We have an affinity for not only architecture and interior design, but also fashion. So, we took our authentic story to apparel. We felt it was a logical next step to create collections that skaters and surfers could wear, as a tangible result of their recycling efforts through IRIR. And what we’ve come up with are prints and patterns that are truly authentic. Actual recycled boards from kids all over the country end up on a board short, a 5-panel hat, a pocket tee…it’s pretty amazing. We did a clothing collab collection with Coalatree Organics last year, we just launched our eco-stretch original surf short for men and women with Odina Surf out of Redondo Beach, CA, and we did a collab Pennyboard nickel last year that sold out in 1 week. We’re in the process of designing a new nickel and smaller penny board for release later this year, and we’re in the design phase of a brand new apparel collection with a major skate/lifestyle brand right now. I can’t reveal who it’s with, but it’s going to be amazing. Part of it will launch inn July and more of the collection will roll out in Spring 2016.
Since the conception of the company, what has been the most rewarding thing to happen?
A- So many rewarding things. I’ll just list some here for you:
The fact that our tile surfaces have become recognized worldwide by architects and designers as one of the top most innovative and sustainable materials is very rewarding. We are on display in the esteemed Material ConneXion global library in 7 countries from NYC to Bangkok. Our designs have been featured in major interior and retail design magazines. We are being featured on HGTV later this year on the show Kitchen Disasters. We have saved over 50,000 broken decks from landfills. Through our business, we have been able to donate $30,000 to the Tony Hawk Foundation’s Stand Up for Skateparks initiative, and also give support to organizations like Grind For Life and Life Rolls On. Our tile customers include major retail and commercial design clients like Google, Monster Energy, Element, California Pizza Kitchen, Virgin Atlantic, Hooligan Racing, Hyundai, Quicksilver, Birdhouse, Penny Australia, Red Bull and countless restaurants all over the U.S., Europe and Australia and New Zealand. And finally, the fact that we’ve been able to create (and grow) the first-ever international skateboard recycling movement is just amazing icing on the cake.
What is coming up for Art of Board?
I mentioned a couple things above (HGTV show coming up, clothing collection launching with major skate brand). Also, launching pillow and wall coverings collections, several more collections of tile coming, we are putting more and more recycling bins out there into local skate/surf shops this year, we’ll be attending some big design shows this year and just continuing to evolve AOB. Our goal is to continuously surprise people and prove to the world that AUTHENTICITY IS NOT DEAD.
