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  The brand's team riders were featured on the booth

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  Stevie Williams in the Asphalt Yacht Club booth at Agenda Las Vegas - Photo by Shop-eat-surf

At Agenda in Las Vegas, I spoke with skater and businessman Stevie Williams about his new brand, Asphalt Yacht Club.

I wanted to find out more about the brand after some kids who work at Zumiez raved about it when I was in a store.

Here, Stevie answers a few questions about his goals and strategies for Asphalt Yacht Club.

You are also a partner in DGK. How do those come together or are they separate?

Stevie Williams: There are two different brands. DGK is a younger me, and Asphalt is a more mature and experienced me. I try to express that in the clothes. I wanted people to see me in more of a quality apparel way than just in skateboarding apparel.

I still skateboard, and I have a skateboard company, which is DGK, but Asphalt Yacht Club is the clothing company that Stevie Williams really loves to wear.

How would you describe the aesthetic? What do you love?

Stevie: Quality and design. When I shop with my own money, quality and design.

Is the design for Asphalt Yacht Club coming out of New York?

Stevie: Yes.

Does it have a New York feel?

Stevie: It’s a skateboard feel and skateboarders are original and we’re international. So it’s a culture and we’re trying to push for the skateboarding culture and then a lifestyle culture, too. It’s a mix of a few things. Asphalt is a representation of skate, streetwear, and lifestyle. That’s my goal.

DGK has been around for a while now. How would you describe that aesthetic?

Stevie: Street-inspired and real skate-heavy mixed with a little bit of lifestyle targeted toward city and suburban kids. It’s a skateboard thing.

Are you a majority owner in the brands?

Stevie: In Asphalt, I am. In DGK, I share it will Kayo Corp. My DGK partners are really cool so it gives me a lot of time to skateboard and trust them with the administration.

With Asphalt, I do skate, but I want to be involved with everything. I am paying attention more.

Prior to DGK and Asphalt, did you have an apparel sponsor?

Stevie: I didn’t really have an apparel sponsor because I love buying clothes. I have my own clothing company now, but I am in the mall four times a week. I love to shop like a female. I just love shopping, quality and design. I’m not a label whore, though, but I like quality.

How many seasons has Asphalt been going?

Stevie: Three.

For three seasons, it looks like a pretty big line.

Stevie: The designer is Peter Huynh, who comes from skate and fashion, and he has a degree from Parsons and I really respect that both as a shopper and a consumer. I like somebody being able to explain to me about the different materials, and how you start something from scratch all the way through to production. It’s been a really dope process and I’m really grateful and appreciative for what he has taught me. I’m not breathing down his neck when it comes to design, but we have concepts and stuff we talk about.

Do you think there’s room for another apparel brand in the skate market?

Stevie: There’s always room in my eyes. This place is big. You have to have a cool name, and you have to have quality and design. People already know I love clothes, and that I like to push the envelope forward in skateboarding.

With the skate team, what kind of guys were you going for?

Stevie: Just an eclectic bunch of people that can represent skateboarding, fashion and the skateboarding culture.

Moving forward, we want to have clothes for each style of skater that as a whole make up a nice brand but we aren’t quite there yet. 

How would you describe the different skater styles?

Stevie: Suburban, street/urban, rugged/grunge, and success.

Tell me about the name.

Stevie: Asphalt Yacht Club is a mentality. It’s a destination. Start from somewhere and have a goal to make it somewhere else. The asphalt is the street, the yacht is like a vehicle – everybody wants a mansion or a yacht or a Mercedes – the success of life. The asphalt is the starting point, the yacht is the destination, and the club is the group of people trying to get there. You’ve got to think the same to get there.

If you had ideal retail mix in the U.S. what would it be?

Stevie: I love Zumiez, skate shops, and dope stores in the inner city where the kids are saving up their money to buy something cool. I want to appeal to suburban kids who can’t come to the city but still want to look cool, and to skaters.

I want kids to find their own self in Asphalt. The brand should represent all of us.