Just a few weeks ago we introduced you to Heel Bruise, the new venture from Roby Jeffers, Richard Mulder and Thomas Yu. The trio that represents HB has a lot of history in street wear culture. Roby managed the skate team at Stussy for over 10 years working with Paul Middleman, Eddie Cruz and Huf among others. That’s where he hooked up with designer Thomas and also recruited prominent boarder Richard Mulder to the team to help promote the brand. Since then the team has been pretty much inseparable, later working with Nike where they were instrumental in bringing the Nike Dunk into the skate culture and making it widely accepted by skaters from around the world. Last week HB launched its new Summer 2009 collection of tees and added a new recruit, former Bones Brigade member and 80’s skateboard legend, Lance Mountain, who designed a one of a kind special tee specifically for the Summer line up.
In honor of the new line we thought it would be a good idea to sit down with Roby and crew to discuss the history behind the team as well as HB’s success.
First off, tell us where the name Heel Bruise came from?
RM: I really liked that name and thought it would look right on stuff. I like how it sounded, I like the letters that make up the name, and what comes into your mind when you say heel bruise. If you’re a skateboarder you get can identify. My wife’s OB doctor thought it correlated with baby clothes. People could have no clue and be puzzled, but something tickles when they see it.
Heel Bruise got a lot of attention when we featured the line on the site, what’s been the overall feedback been like?
RJ: The feedback has been surprisingly very good. In my years of being a part of this industry I haven’t seen a brand be accepted so graciously from the get go. I attribute it to the people behind it. Richard Mulder has a great Legacy in skateboarding, being a pro for Chocolate for 12 years, the first rider for Stussy and Nike SB really helps the cause. Thomas Yu was a designer at Stussy when I started the skate program and had a heavy hand in shaping the image for the skate program there. So collectively I believe we have a strong foundation to build upon from all our past works.
What do you want Heel Bruise to be known for? Where you see the brand going?
RM: Quality. Thoughtful. Genuine. We want to make people smile when they think of the brand. I see the brand continuing to go north at a healthy pace with momentum. We are appreciating the traction we’ve initially received, very thankful for the demand, and doing well in making enough supply to meet that demand.
You were part of the team that helped bring the Dunk to new heights and made it accepted in the skater culture. Were you confident from the start that you had something special and that it would be that successful? Looking back, are you happy with the result? Would you do anything different?
RJ: One thing you have to remember is that in 1999 major corporations were not cool in skateboarding but to be honest I knew if anyone could cross that boundary it would be Nike. From the first day I met Sandy Bodecker I knew they would make a huge impact in the skateboarding. Not out of arrogance did I believe this, but it was after having a conversation with him in a Starbucks that I soon realized they are open to listen and commit to making it happen. That gave me the confidence to reach out to the original skaters and industry heads. Sandy is an extremely powerful individual up at Nike and it also helps that he is incredibly intelligent and humble. He was smart enough to know that he knew very little about the skateboard community and how it thinks and works. It also helped that Mark Parker, Nike’s CEO, was very much behind this project. I specifically remember being on his front porch and we where talking about art and skateboarding and he said to me “make sure we keep this fun. Don’t worry about making a profit for the first couple of years, but keep it organic and fun, and good things will come in due time; and I will keep the wolves at bay with in Nike’”. That he realized and acknowledged what it would take was very impressive to me. He was cool with the gamble of losing a lot of money in the beginning with hopes of seeing it come around in the end. There is a good reason why he is a CEO of one of the worlds largest companies. You asked me what did I learn… it takes a painful amount of patience and a strong game plan to create a brand worthwhile.
I really appreciate how the both of them really listened and applied what we suggested to do; it made all the difference in making Nike a legit brand in skateboarding which has been very rare for major shoe corporations to accomplish. With their support and Nike’s history and ability to make the best sneaker… it was game over… at least in my mind.
I am very happy and proud to have been a part of Nike SB; I learned a lot in the five years I was there. Some people tell me that I brought the dark side into the industry but I think it was inevitable. Nike is too smart and powerful to watch a growing industry at that time pass them by.
Looking back would I change anything…? There are always things you could do better in retrospect. But for the most part I wouldn’t change anything.
Thomas, Richard and yourself seem to have great success working together. What’s your working relationship like? What do each of you bring to the team?
RJ: We all work very well together. We have respect for each other and have our own individual strength we bring to HEEL BRUISE. But more importantly we compliment each other in our weaknesses. I am a complete unorganized mess! I can’t even balance a checkbook. Richard works in the marketplace with finances & residential real estate. He obviously is organized and is capable of handling the financial aspect of the brand. Thomas is our art department; he is an incredible artist that graduated from Pasadena School of Art and has an amazing understanding of both street and high-end art. I’m still figuring out what the heck my role is…
RM: Roby is the brand overseer. A curator too. We bounce and chew everything through him. Thomas is on the illustrations and branding. I steward our monetary inflows and distributions and help out wherever I can in every aspect of Heel Bruise.
We know you guys worked at Stussy, what was it like to work there? What’s the single most important thing you learned about the business there?
RJ: I worked for Stussy for almost ten years and I’m very grateful to have been apart of a brand that has an incredible legacy. Working with Paul Middleman, Eddie Cruz, Huf, and other heads from Stussy New York, Stussy London, and Stussy Japan has had a huge impact on all three of us. Stussy is an interesting establishment in that It is unorthodox in its structure and has a unique way of doing things… sometimes great and sometimes completely wrong. While it is hard to identify a single lesson from Stussy, I did learn the value of creating affiliations with credible tastemakers and social leaders. There is tremendous power in people.
TY: Working there was great, got to work with some cool heads, as Robbie mentioned. Kevin Lyons was there for a while and it was cool to see his whole creative process. The most important thing I learned there was how to turn on a computer.
I saw the Disaster ‘zine with Lance, Thomas and Skypage’s art. Pretty dope, do you plan on regularly releasing more work from them and other artists in future ‘zine’s?
TY: Yes, keep an eye out. We’ll be working with Skypage regularly to produce more zines and other art-related projects featuring different friends and artists.
What do you look for when choosing the art that’s featured on the Heel Bruise line?
TY: We look for art that’s wearable. Meaning nothing too heavy or over done. But even that is not an absolute rule. As individuals that grew up skating and being surrounded by all the associated imagery, I think there are certain images with a certain quality that has an appeal for us. It’s hard to define, but that’s what we try to create or should I say recreate.
What are some of your favorite shops, cities, hotels?
RJ: Some of my favorite shops are those that I am friends with. Keith has been a long time friend so HUF is one, Supreme LA, Miguel over at Barracuda; some of the new shops I am stoked with are Atlas in San Mateo. St.Alfred’s in Chicago. As far as cities is concerned, I love downtown LA. ,Tokyo and London. I really don’t like hotels, and I try as much as possible to stay at friends houses in the cities I travel to. I actually hate hotels; they give me the creeps.
TY: Stoked on LA, SF, Chicago, NY, Portland.
RM: Huf, Mitsuwa, Ross, Faconnable, and The Department of Skateboarding. Utrecht, Paris, and Chicago.
What tunes are in your iPod/8Track and listening to right now?
RJ: That is a bad question for me; I have way too many. Radiohead has made a consistent come back along with Nick Cave, Nick Drake, Two brothers Reeve and Zane Carney – both are ridiculous guitar players and songwriters that I have been into. I think one of my all time favorite musicians I always come back to is Daniel Lanois. His take on music is incredible - I love most things he has his hands on.
TY: I’ve been playing my old Accused records.
RM: My son, my son, why are you striving. – Good old Keith.
Name 3 things you always carry and that you can’t live without:
RJ: My family: MaryAnn and my two kids Selah and Silas, Scriptures,Music
RM: Blackberry, a good pair of pants that you could wear everyday, and heart.
TY: The less I have to carry, the better.
On a final note, we just wanted to congratulate Richard and his wife because between the time we had the interview and posting this Richard’s wife gave birth to a new baby boy so we wanted to wish them all the best. Thanks guys!
All shirts are available at Supreme, HUF, BNTC, Leilow, Univ and other stores.
mike says: 
Tina 
