throw back

so i was reflecting on all the things i am into these days, i mean fashion-wise, and how they've evolved over the years. it got me thinking about when i first starting getting into fashion, well specifically girls fashion. obviously not fashion as i think of "fashion" now, but just the art of dress and putting effort into outward appearances. up until then i had pretty much shared a closet with my brother -which primarily consisted of skate tees.

i was introduced to the more technical side of apparel at a very early age. my grandma was a skilled seamstress and my mom was excellent at anything with her hands. they taught me how to use a sewing machine and knit crazy patterns in the third grade. i was a bit too impatient for it at that time and as i grew older i became more preoccupied with the surf and skate world, too much so to give up my precious time for sewing; i was fine with my vans and tees. i wasn't about to wear dresses, yeah right.

as i moved into high school, however, i wasn't finding what i was liking in stores in suburbia and had limited access to other neighborhoods, what with being 14 and license-less and all, so i resorted to vintage stores and crafting my own clothes. the only new clothes i found myself buying were skate brands. my TSA tee and Fuct tee were on rotation all through the week, but my all time favorite brand was Poot.

i was first introduced to Poot hanging out at our local skate shop in newport beach. a girls skate shop (what?!) opened up upstairs and thus my first ever job was born. that's right, my first job at 15 was at a girls skate shop - a haven, or i guess heaven, for girls like me who lived and breathed that world. Poot was the brand that influenced my youth the most, with messages of women's empowerment without all the gnarly bra-burning hardcore feminist vibe. it just told you that, hey, girls are rad and skateboarding is rad, and girls that love skateboarding are rad and that there was a little "society" of us. we weren't the pro-ho's just jocking the dudes, it was a world of girls that just loved the sport and loved being a part of that world. it went on from being a graphic tee brand, to having cut-n-sew pieces, to inspiring a zine that eventually became a (short-lived) glossy called Foxy. the only other zines i read were the local ones picked up at record shops and punk shows, but man, i read Foxy like it was my bible. i pretty much idolized Keva Marie, the founder of both Poot and Foxy, and Deanna Templeton (wife of Ed), who was the epitome of the down-to-earth skate/art chick that i aspired to be. Poot may not be around anymore, but it will always remain near and dear to my heart, as a part of my youth and as one of the seeds that helped me to grow into who i am today.


the iconic logo that i couldn't get enough of


i had this plastered EVERYWHERE. if not as a sticker, then painted on. i was gifted in the art of puffy painting logos.


classic Poot imagery




examples of some of the hangtags. my favorite was the one of a little girl flipping the bird, not shown




example of an ad, which also shows Choes, the Poot shoes that came out later on





Foxy, in it's early stages as a photocopied zine, and later as a glossy

all images via Keva Marie's website, check it HERE

aaaaaaaaand, was thinking about this song that i loved in high school and couldn't find it anywhere for a decade. but hello, technology, you've made life much easier these days.