VOLCOM Stone Age X APACHE /Douglas MILES Designs:
IN 2009 I was asked and invited by Volcom Stone Age to design a line of products for their skate brand, Volcom Stone Age. I designed over 24 items of which 7 items were produced. You are looking at design and art history created in San Carlos AZ for the skate crowd from the San Carlos Apache Nation.
In an age when many clothing brands openly exploit Native themes, culture and art, Volcom did the opposite, they reached out to us as friends & family to support Apache Skateboards with complete respect for tribal Apache culture asking us to help develop product.
This was not a pitiful attempt to assuage for historical guilt from a mainstream company nor based on some institutionally racist faux paus. I worked closely with Geoff Rowley and Remy Stratton at the time to refine the designs I created for Volcom as guest designer. It was a collaboration between “tribes”. Volcom had been supporting Apache Skateboards for years prior to our Co-Lab. I’ll share more items in future posts. Be assured,
this is only the beginning.
/DM1/