Jesse Shoup - Oke Clothing

OKE CLOTHING is one of the newest clothing companies here at Roller Warehouse. OKE premiered in the latest 2006 Summer/Fall RW catalog. We have had lots of questions from our customers about OKE so we decided to hook up with Jesse Shoup to find out more about this hot new company…

RW: How is the name of your company pronounced?

JESSE: OKE is pronounced just like the tree, Oak. I’ve heard people say it a few different ways, and no one really knows until they ask us.

RW: What does OKE mean, how did you decide on this name for your company?

JESSE: The birth of OKE is a long story. It all started with Aaron Durand and Ira Zuckerman. Back in 98 they began making aluminum H-blocks for Salomon St9’s and called the company “OKE”. Aaron came up with the name which he picked up while traveling the world and is a slang term for friend. To us skating was always about going out with your friends, pushing one another and just having a good time. After the H-blocks Aaron and I made a run of t-shirts. That didn’t really go anywhere and a few years later I met up with Eric Brown. I loved his artwork and we decided to start making t-shirts once again under the name OKE.

RW: What is your role in the company?

JESSE: I take care of the business side of things and Eric Brown takes care of everything else from the website to creating all of the incredible designs. It’s been a little harder over the past two years since we now live in two different cities, but we’ve been making it work and its all worth it when we get to see the new products fresh off the press.

RW: Who makes the designs and logos for the clothing?

JESSE: That would be the silent co-owner of OKE, Eric Brown. The last couple rounds of products have had more and more input from our team as to what they would like to see, not only the graphics but the actual materials, styles and brands we use.

RW: We’ve noticed the prices of your tee shirts are a little bit cheaper than most companies, what’s the reason for this?

JESSE: We’re not in this to make money and we’re not trying to live off of OKE. OKE lives off of itself, which allows us to have lower prices for our products. When we started selling shirts we wanted to provide the rollerblading industry with high quality products for reasonable prices. By saving a couple bucks on a few of our shirts skaters are able to spend more money on skates, wheels, videos, magazines and other things in our industry, it’s all circular.

RW: Is OKE clothing going to come out with any other products besides shirts and belts anytime soon?

JESSE: We have done runs of hoodies, fitted hats, visor beanies, regular beanies, long sleeves and even anti-rocker wheels. The new line will consist of more of a variety of products that will hopefully go beyond your typical skater clothing t-shirts and sweatshirts.

RW: A lot of companies come out with some hot new items for Christmas time, what should we expect from OKE?

JESSE: If I were to tell you then it wouldn’t be a surprise?

RW: Does OKE clothing have a Pro or Am team? If so who does it consist of?

JESSE: The OKE team currently consists of Jared Adams, Justin Tribett, Ron Copeland, Mike Currier, Nick Uhas and Nate Szana; all of whom bust their ass for OKE and we can’t thank them enough for being part of our team.

RW: In what ways will OKE clothing help the rolling industry?

JESSE: We are always looking for ways to save rollerblading. We have found the most effective is just to be involved in the industry. Rollerblading needs more grassroots companies to build a solid base and catch the attention of outsiders. Some people think there are too many clothing companies out there doing nothing for anyone. In reality they are sponsoring competitions, organizing events and giving all they can to what they believe in.

RW: Where is OKE clothing based out of?

JESSE: OKE is based out of two locations, Jesse Shoup in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Eric Brown in Columbus, Ohio. Everything began with us in Athens, Ohio while we were attending Ohio University.

RW: There have been some clothing companies recently that have died off, what are you guys doing to do to stay in the game?

JESSE: Our goal is to provide the rollerblading industry with high quality, affordable clothing that everyone can be proud to wear. In order to do this we began using American Apparel brand products, anyone who has worn anything by AA knows how comfortable they are when compared to the sometimes cheaper products used by others. If a shirt doesn’t feel good against your skin then is it really worth wearing? We also try to appeal to all styles with our different products instead of being seen as just a hip hop brand or a rocker brand. Each new line evolves and progresses along with rollerblading as a whole.

RW: Since there are so many other clothing companies does it put pressure on you to produce something really special with OKE?

JESSE: Same as the last question. Right now there are a lot of clothing companies out there, but they all have their own appeal.

RW: Are you planning on releasing an OKE team video any time soon?

JESSE: There has always been talk of making an OKE video; I believe our team has a broad enough range of styles of skating that we could put together something that would be worth a watch or two. But as of right now, time (due to our day jobs), funds and a decent computer to edit the footage on are almost non-existent. We are pretty protective of OKE and like to have full control of what goes on, so we don’t really want to outsource the editing of what we have worked so hard on. But you never know.

RW: Is there an OKE website? If there is what’s the address?

JESSE: Indeed there is, www.okeproductions.com

RW: Anything else you want to tell everyone about your sick new clothing line?

JESSE: I think that’s about it. I just want to thank everyone who has supported us through the years and have become part of the OKE family.

See the OKE CLOTHING TEE SHIRTS HERE