The Garment District: Fresh Concept: Concepts Steps Up From The Underground
Published: Wednesday - June 27, 2007
Words by Arnold T. Pants
What's this?
Well, at first glance it really is just a shit picture of me taken by Rob Heppler of The Weekly Drop. However, if you look closer, it is also a glimpse into the future. Behind these doors one of the pioneers of the streetwear and sneaker world will literally step up from the underground and rise to even loftier heights.
Concepts was founded in 1996 by Bobby Riley, Jon Roy and Tarek Hassan. Tarek had recently fallen in love with snowboarding. Driven by this passion, he decided to sell them in his uncles women's leather goods store, the world famous Tannery in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA. This was an unheard of tactic in 1996. It was a tough sell to the players in the industry, but eventually Burton, the originators and leaders in the sport, saw the brilliance of the idea and Concepts was born.
From humble beginnings in the back of the Tannery, Concepts grew into the region's leader in snowboarding, skate and street culture. Many of the early Concepts team riders, most notably Vinny Ponte and Zared Basset (both of whom later skated for Zoo York), would go on to generate huge buzz on the world stage. Following suit, the store did the same. Concepts was arguably one of the first doors with a Nike sb account, now one of the true stamps of cool. It is also perhaps one of the only locations to hold Jordan, sb and tier one accounts with Nike. Add to that amazing accounts with Adidas, Vans, New Balance and every other hot sneaker brand, and you can basically find anything under the sun. Beyond that, Concepts has carried, and continues to support, trend setting brands from Maharishi to Red Monkey to the hundreds and more. On its own, Concepts has released some of the sickest store brand goods, drawing inspiration from local sporting and political history. The store has also developed strong relationships with celebrated brands like Clarks and Canada Goose, granting the opportunity to offer insane limited run products, and in some cases amazing one off pieces.
Late this summer, Concepts will move from its storied hidden location in the back of the Tannery to a new location. It may physically be only steps from the original spot, but it will allow the store to grow in size and stature. The move brings with it an insane amount of limited projects with famed artists across the globe and some incredible surprises. And, for those of you that fear the underground appeal of the store may dissipate... watch out, there will still be some things hidden just below the surface.
If you get a chance to stop by, ask for Jimmy Tits, he'll sort you out.
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