RVCA

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RVCA teamed up with Reebok for the Basquiat shoe series.

Take a big chunk of contemporary art, add various music genres and some real fashion passion, then shake it hard and you’ve got yourself an original streetwear label – RVCA. RVCA (phonetically “ru-ca”) clothing company is the brainchild of PM Tenore, an unconventional mind who grew up surfing, skating and designing clothes. He claims that “RVCA’s worldwide success as a lifestyle brand is due to a melding of different subcultures and personalities into a tribe”. Indeed, RVCA is a tribe of more than 200 famous artists, musicians, models and sportsmen. They are the RVCA’s advocates in more than 28 countries worldwide.

At 15 years old, Tenore moved from San Francisco to New York City to learn fashion design. He opened his first fashion boutique at age 19 and at the same time planted the seeds of a unique vision called RVCA. The vision matured in 2002. With the help of his childhood friend, Conan Hayes an established professional surfer, PM Tenore officially launched RVCA clothing brand. “I saw artists and how they weren’t getting the credit for their work, so I knew I wanted to create a platform for them… it’s not so much a business as it is a lifestyle and a culture.” In these words, Tenore describes his idea behind RVCA.

A glimpse from RVCA 2009 Fall Collection.

RVCA is a design-driven label which creates unique garments that are a mix of contemporary and active wear rooted in surf, street, skate and snowboard culture. The style adopted by the label combines function and fashion for every day use. Wearability, Nature and Industrialization – these are the three words that best describe the brand’s organic approach to the market.

In just a few years, RVCA brand grew strong, so did the Artist Network Program (ANP) sponsored by the brand. ANP is an ongoing program that promotes young talented artists and donates a part of the profit for charity. Tenore reveals the aim of the program. “I wanted to do something other people in the industry weren’t, and that is provide a space for artists, musicians, surfers, skaters, curators, models. That’s when I started conceptualizing the artists network program (ANP).” Ed Templeton (artist and pro skater) was the first artist to participate in the Artist Network Program. He donated his earnings to The Luggage Store Gallery in San Francisco. The streetwear label also sponsors a skateboard and surf team and produces signature series (Barry McGee, BJ Penn, Erin Wasson, Josh Harmony, Kevin “Spanky” Long, Leo Romero).

You can find RVCA streetwear in skateboard and surf stores and in Zumiez, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Tilly’s, The Buckle, PacSun and numerous other shops around the world. However, the easiest way is to buy online at Karmaloop.