Shawn Stussy's Blog

DROOLING

2012-03-03T16:45:00.000-08:00

I am seriously drooling on this thing...

SUBMERGE

2012-03-02T07:36:00.000-08:00

FLIGHT

2012-03-01T07:17:00.000-08:00

YEAH BABY

2012-02-28T11:01:00.002-08:00

My youth right there wrapped up in one unreal shot... This so captures the sacred spirit of the dance for me... Mr. Lopez going with the flow...

1965

2012-02-26T20:41:00.000-08:00

SKATE TOUGH

2012-02-25T06:56:00.000-08:00

NICE

2012-02-25T06:52:00.001-08:00

A couple of nice sticks that look really good right now... Nat and pooch, 1971...

T. ADLER

2012-02-24T06:40:00.005-08:00

My favorite book publisher just keeps doing beautiful work... Mostly known for his work in the surfing world, I feel some of his best work is done on other subjects, rock climbing and tahitian beauties are a couple of nuggets...

T. WAITS

2012-02-23T13:25:00.002-08:00

Jump, jump, jump around... get up, get up, and get down...

T. WARREN

2012-02-22T13:37:00.001-08:00

Nice flow from one of the modern stylists, regardless of the long or short of it...

NO SMOKING

2012-02-22T00:01:00.000-08:00

We know how bad for you it is, but damn, she sure looks good doing it!...

INSPIRATION

2012-02-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

When I am shaping surfboards, I tend to think of products like these sleek autos for inspiration... Also the aeronautics world is a great place to check out flow and shapes...

SHAPING

2012-02-19T11:21:00.000-08:00

Here's a peak into what I have going on...

Shawn Stussy at his Studio from Seth Epstein on Vimeo.

ALTERNATIVE

2012-02-18T13:38:00.001-08:00

M. PETERSON

2012-02-18T13:24:00.000-08:00

In the final running for another all time cutback visual... MP in this iconic arc is hard to beat... Another example of laying it over and riding the rocker through...

J. PROUVE

2012-02-17T17:35:00.001-08:00

Another mack daddy of the design world... One of my all time favorites... I am really feeling his plaid tie with the rolled up sleeves...

R. LOEWY

2012-02-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

Mr. Raymond Loewy had his hand in some amazing products, also looks like he knew how to hang...

D. RAMS

2012-02-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

Love this gentleman's output...

EXCEPTIONAL

2012-02-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

SWEET

2012-02-12T18:23:00.000-08:00

CR FIN III

2012-02-07T10:10:00.000-08:00

New film put together by CR Stecyk III called "FIN" is showing up Costa Mesa way soon... As cryptic as the OG is, I am delighted to see the show, can't wait... Ask around for the specifics on time and stuff... Also, I don't think these images top and bottom have anything to do with the movie, I just like them...

GIVE THANKS

2012-02-06T12:24:00.000-08:00

Today is the birthdate of a very special man, we all should look up and give thanks...

ALL TIME

2012-02-05T09:57:00.000-08:00

This shot of Tom Curren is at the very top of my list of all time favorite cutbacks... Almost could be considered vintage, it is hard to better the commitment factor... Hats off for burying the rail and riding the curve through...

SMOOTH

2012-02-02T09:07:00.000-08:00

SLEEK

2012-01-31T18:44:00.000-08:00

1955 studebaker commander... I love the flow...

THE TURN

2012-01-29T08:29:00.000-08:00

A moment in time when the lengths of things started to drop...

FINE

2012-01-26T08:02:00.000-08:00

Another fine vehicle from a simpler, gentler era... I wish you could go down to the Chevy dealer and pick up one of these all spanking new with all wheel drive...

PERFECTION

2012-01-23T09:51:00.000-08:00

Why can't they just make a new one of these that's all green and safe and shit?... I know I would not be the only one in line...

JMB

2012-01-21T12:08:00.001-08:00

CUTE

2012-01-20T13:12:00.001-08:00

BEAUTY

2012-01-19T08:50:00.000-08:00

BUFFED

2012-01-17T08:52:00.000-08:00

Two OG heroes looking good in their prime...

GIMME SHELTER

2012-01-13T16:36:00.000-08:00

SUPER FLY

2012-01-12T12:16:00.000-08:00

FLY

2012-01-12T12:14:00.000-08:00

CHAMP

2012-01-12T12:12:00.000-08:00

DK

2012-01-12T12:11:00.000-08:00

LEATHER

2012-01-12T12:08:00.000-08:00

HERBIE

2012-01-08T15:42:00.000-08:00

Another great, squared off and committed bottom turn... This one is Herbie Fletcher in the early seventies...

CLASSIC

2011-12-29T21:12:00.000-08:00

One fat, squared off bottom turn... It doesn't matter what era your from, you know this is all good... I think this is BK, or someone else doing an impersonation of the man... UPDATE, yes it is BK, and was shot in 1971 by the master, Jeff Divine...

SHADOWS

2011-12-28T19:24:00.000-08:00

TOUCHE

2011-12-26T21:51:00.000-08:00

A very interesting read should be had by all who are interested in the artistic dance we partake in, some compete in, but all have had their lives tweaked when we have fallen into the arms of her... One of surfings brightest lights has his own take on what it means to him, and it is a noble pursuit to know when the time is right to follow one's gut...

SURFBOARD SHOP OPENS

2011-12-07T17:00:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, Wednesday December 8th, my little hole in the wall opens for viewing surfboards... The hours will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday 2 to 6pm... Located in Montecito's lower village at 1187 Coast Village Road in the back of Richie's barbershop... Did a few simple pieces of gear you can check out on the S/DOUBLE site to go along with the boards... Stop by to size it up and talk story...

LOOKS MODERN

2011-12-03T09:24:00.000-08:00

This old shot of Nat looks like the boards I have been shaping recently... Everything that is worthy seems to have more acts than their first...

RELUCTANT PROPHET

2011-12-02T14:25:00.000-08:00

As time marches on, the work of this man seems more and more important... Thanks for being so engaged in the act of surfing...

SWEETSPOT

2011-11-26T09:00:00.001-08:00

5'6" for skating on water...

CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON

2011-11-12T19:00:00.000-08:00

LITTLE NUGGET

2011-11-09T15:38:00.000-08:00

Here is a 5'7'/5'9" asymetric situation... Boards are coming in from the glassing world, stoked with the outcome... The S/Double surfboard shop opens soon in Montecito, come check out the roster...

THE MAN/PART 3

2011-10-31T08:44:00.000-07:00

THE MAN/PART 2

2011-10-31T08:43:00.000-07:00

THE MAN

2011-10-31T08:39:00.000-07:00

BUTTAH

2011-10-31T08:32:00.000-07:00

As smooth as it comes...

AND EVEN MORE CURVES

2011-10-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

OHANA

2011-10-25T11:07:00.000-07:00

Great north shore vibe of the family going to the beach for the day... The crew all hanging for the day, watching big brother giving Sunset a go... Boy, do I wish the highway still looked like this, and I love those dark, black clouds overhead...

AND MORE CURVES

2011-10-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

Boards are starting to arrive back from the glass shop... The little nugget in front is a 6'0" fish and chip, hull to heavy double concaves out the tail, wide based twin fins with a good amount of splay... The one in the back is a single fin displacement hull in my salute to the genre, I am really stoked with the way these are coming out...

MORE CURVES

2011-10-10T13:25:00.000-07:00

EARLY SUNDAY

2011-10-09T06:28:00.000-07:00

The sun has not come up today yet, woke up really early and just had to come into studio to shape myself a new board... Was just laying there thinking of this board in my mind and had to get it out... Stringerless, low rocker, messed up plan shape, just what I had in mind... So stoked, I think I'm going to bust out a new quad also... Enjoy your sunday...

ASYM/ETHICAL

2011-10-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

Really liking these things I am working on this week... A large nod to Mr. Eckstrom...

OG+PLANER

2011-10-08T08:46:00.000-07:00

Some nuggets in germination... All kinds of different vibes are being explored... displacement hulls, classic twins, quad fish, mini-simmons kinda flavor through my lens, asymetrical situations and such, even a neo-mctavish deep vee single... I can't wait to water them up and see what grows... You reap what you sow...

"KNUB" #2

2011-10-06T13:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a shot of the second "knub" to come straight out the studio...The concept is to bridge the gap from the finless world into the standard realm of surfboards... Branden has been riding "knub #1" when the surf is small and gutless, but surprisingly it is holding on longer than I expected when loaded up, eventually giving in to a controlled/uncontrolled slide when pushed... #2 is a 6'3" bigger guy size, compared to Branden"s 5'6"... Do not confuse this with the twin fin concept reported about on in the earlier post, two completely different gigs going down at the same time... I will have more ideas coming your way soon, as I just took 10 more to the glass shop yesterday... Cannot wait for more surf up here below the elbow of California...

SPEED AND FLOW

2011-09-30T09:03:00.000-07:00

A local point has had a season starter of fun surf the last few days... This is officially the first surfing photo of a S/Double board being put through the paces... Branden Aroyan is on a 5'10" wing swallow twin fin I shaped as a prototype for the next generation of eighties inspired twins... This is not a fish of the Lis school, but a evolved version of the twins that got forgotten about when we went with the three fin thruster many moons ago... By all accounts homeboy was flying down the line with finesse and swagger... What stokes me the most is the clear sheet of water off his loaded up outside rail after the small adjustment up top, how the undisturbed water is completely clear and trips out the outline shape... Another thing I am proud of is he had written off twin fins in general as a desired board for himself, took it out on a whim, now I can't get it back... Big thanks to his buddy for taking this shot, it is a good season opener for me... Zen sessions in the shaping room are just the right thing at this particular moment, stoked to be in the game...

BARITONE

2011-08-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

My son is really getting his chops down on baritone sax lately... It is letting me turn him on to my favorite player on that instrument, Mr. Gerry Mulligan... The albums he made with Chet Baker are all time classics... Check out the swagger for a skinny white kid holding his own... Revisit, or visit it for the first time, this music that has been a staple for me for my whole adventure...

ps... I have never seen anyone wear Clark desert boots better than this!... He could be in the Specials...

GALS WE LIKE

2011-08-25T15:44:00.000-07:00

RUSS/RIP

2011-08-23T16:54:00.000-07:00

Bummer news on the passing of Mr. Robert Russell Brown... This guy is one of a kind, has been making boards as long as anybody, is as unique of dude as you will ever come across... Russell passed on this past weekend, my heart is with him on this next part of his journey... Above is a picture I have always cherished from my days working at the Brotherhood factory in Huntington Beach (73'-79') shaping boards for Russell as I came of age... The rig is the old delivery truck that Russ drove back and forth to Newport, taking boards to the Russell shop down by the Crab Cooker... The expression he has in the photo is how I will always remember him... Travel well my bruthah...

STYLE

2011-08-17T12:05:00.000-07:00

Love this old Citroen poster, timeless graphics...

HF

2011-08-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

I have been revisiting old tapes that I have kept around since the late eighties forward... These two nuggets were in the flow of sounds that Hiroshi would send me in those years... These are most likely 1990-92 vintage?... Still sound very cool, and I sure hope this address is very old and outdated...

WAY BACK

2011-08-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

How many of you cats can tell me what this is?... Found it while going through archives of favorite things... If you know, you know...

CUTBACK

2011-08-15T13:08:00.001-07:00

Wide nose cutbacks are things I am really feeling lately...

SEALIFE

2011-07-19T13:50:00.001-07:00

Many things live in the sea...

FRESH

2011-07-16T16:45:00.000-07:00

ALAKA'I SWAMP

2011-07-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

Went on an insane hike up to the edge of the world, past Koke'e into the swamp gets you to this spot... Then the gamble is getting it with the sun out, as it is usually full blown guerillas in the mist type of situation... Hanalei bay and Kilauea sit in the distance... You know that what you capture on film is not even close to how it looks in person...

COUNTRY

2011-07-05T17:33:00.000-07:00

You can deal with this, or you can deal with that...

SUMMER COLORS

2011-06-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

HARD TO BEAT

2011-06-27T16:22:00.000-07:00

Time slows down on Kauai, hard to beat the pace of the country... Like the Paula Fuga song says, "country side always mo' bettah than town"...

REMIX

2011-06-21T16:59:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots of another prototype I have been working on... A mash up exercise in two valid schools that I feel have certain limitations in their original state... Remixing the Liddle egg school with a feel from the Simmons vibe is my point of view... The neutral rocker and slim foil will fit in perfectly around long points this fall... 6'8"x 22" for D.B...

WOW

2011-06-16T20:11:00.000-07:00

MAN and MACHINE

2011-06-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

When in New York last week I hooked up with Michael Halsband. He shot a portrait of my ugly mug using a vintage 8x10 polaroid camera for his current project... I really enjoyed myself at his studio where he did this amazing tea prep situation that was more of a ritual... I wonder how the photo will turn out...

WORKING

2011-06-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

A young, hard working band early in their adventure... I am feeling the sweaters...

BEACHCRUISER

2011-06-12T16:15:00.000-07:00

Another cool version of the mash up of bicycle and motorcycle...

SUMMER

2011-06-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

Summer is close, get wet...

PROTOTYPE

2011-06-06T22:00:00.001-07:00

Here is a new little 5'6" hybrid kinda deal that I have been working on...

BEACH TOWN

2011-06-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Got back home to the beach where flagstone and sand replaced the concrete of the trip, but still a fresh pair of Vans does the job...

MEAN STREETS

2011-06-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

Another self portrait of a fresh pair getting worked in on the steamy streets of the city...

T/ADLER

2011-06-04T00:01:00.001-07:00

Spent some time with Mr. Adler in New York city this week... Cruised around the city and talked story about favorite book stores and stuff...

TWIN FINS

2011-06-03T06:44:00.001-07:00

The "Hottest Hundred Yards" gig in NYC got off to a great start with a fun gathering the other night... A solid turn out of interesting people came out on one hot, sweltering night to stroll this small moment in time of our surf culture... Randy, Charles and the quik crew get a big thanks for including me... Check it out if your in the city...

CUTE

2011-05-29T17:03:00.001-07:00

COFFEE

2011-05-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

Self portrait starting the day grabbing a coffee... You know that point when your Vans get worn in just the right amount, almost too hammered to wear to dinner, but they just feel right?... This is one of those pairs in their prime... This could sound corny to some, but for a lover of the game this stuff matters...

FROS AND TWINS

2011-05-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

A big influence at a very influential time, Larry B. at the zenith of the scene... For me, one of the best times to be a surfer, the world moved slower and more to a jazz beat...

MOWING FOAM

2011-05-25T13:10:00.000-07:00

Self portrait of a day at the office... Grinding on some foam is great therapy...

PEEPSHOW

2011-05-24T14:10:00.000-07:00

Paula shot this footage through my unfinished shaping room door... someday I need to get a doorknob in that hole....

FLOW

2011-05-24T08:20:00.000-07:00

Down the line on tiny craft, TW with a simple gesture of flow... photo poached from Surfknot...

WORKSHOP

2011-05-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

Paula has been taking really cool photos with her iPhone... Here is a little nugget of a workshop still life...

NEW YORK SHOW

2011-05-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

The four boards in the photo below are going off to New York for this gig launching a book on an era that happened right as I was starting my own board company, way before I even thought of making clothes... My buddy, Tom Adler, art directed this book of Mike Moir photos with Jamie Brisick in charge of the words of this moment in time... Check out Kelly as a grom on the invite...

WORKING

2011-05-19T12:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lag on this blogfront, I have been in Hawaii for awhile and recently returned to Santa Barbara and have been working in the board studio... Drove six new boards to Moonlight down south for them to do their magic on the glassing, painted some up in all their eighties regalia... Also working on boards for myself and a few buddies, I will keep you posted here as things develop...

COUSINS

2011-04-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

These two bikes are the beefy cousins of the lean machine posted about earlier... Different vibes, but I really like both approaches shown here...

TASTES

2011-04-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

So many choices in the car realm, my tastes run wild...Part of me likes this equally with it's brethren below...

A DREAM

2011-04-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

The list is smallish of things I would really like to own in my lifetime, and at the very top of that list sits this puppy... A 1954 Bentley R-type Continental with coach by Pininfarina... This is the ride for my next chapter of life, of course a surf vehicle would sit elsewhere on the property at the ready...

HYBRID

2011-04-15T14:13:00.000-07:00

This minimalist vehicle is very put together from a simple perspective...

GOOSEBUMPS

2011-02-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

I get goosebumps when the bass line thumps...

DOWN BY LAW

2011-02-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

Check out this movie if your looking for something to watch... Jim Jarmusch directed this film with John Lurie, Tom Waits and Roberto Benigni in 1986... It is one of my favorites...