Key Street Co. | Blog

the Roses Base Jacket available now from our online store

Here’s another interview I did with Bianca from Social Flourish about the brand.

It’s quite long, but it’s a cool honest, raw interview/conversation about the brand, so if you want to hear my story from my own mouth, here it is!

Here’s a really cool interview I did recently for Titus Skate Store, who carry Key Street in Germany!

Below is the English version but if you’d prefer the German translation you can read that on the Titus website HERE

Key Street: The Dream of Owning a Streetwear Label - Jaxin Hall Interview

Hey Jaxin. How long are you running Key Street by now and how did everything start?

Key Street officially began in 2012, but I've been making designs since 2006. I used to work this horrible tedious corporate job in New Zealand (where I'm from) and I used to sit at the bus stop dreaming of a way to get out of the rut I was in. I'd sit there and draw while I waited because I'd always loved art and design. People started telling me I should put them on tees and they'd buy them, so I started doing just that. Eventually it got busy enough that I made the decision to quit my job and do design full time. The bus stop was on a road called Quay Street (pronounced Key Street).

What’s your role at Key Street and who else is involved?

I mainly spend my days working on graphic and garment design or planning our next team trip to the mountains haha but as our brand has grown my role has evolved to include operations, logistics and sales. Fancy ways of saying it's my job to make we get shit done! Haha I also have a small but amazing team at our warehouse that work on shipping and customer service and my amazing wife juggles being a mother and making sure I'm keeping the books right! That's it though, no corporate investors or big money backers. I grew our brand from the ground up and we do everything ourselves.

How would you describe the designs and products at Key Street? What’s different to other brands?

I draw a lot of inspiration from the outdoors and vintage hunting and fishing aesthetics. I try and create a good cross over between the old and new, fusing modern street wear and skate, cuts and styles with vintage Polo Ralph Lauren type outerwear. I think something that sets us apart is that as the owner and designer I am able to create a unique product with my own style of illustration and build lines around that. A lot of brands just buy ready-made designs online and throw their name in there and think they run a clothing brand. That always disappoints me. Like a band that doesn't even play their instruments or something. I live and breathe key street and my own hands psychically create every piece we release. I'm proud of that.

Skateboarding seems to be very important at Key Street. What’s the background and where does it come from?

Definitely! I grew up skating in New Zealand. It's been a huge passion for me since my early teens. I never got good enough to make any kind of career with it, but it never stopped me from loving it, also from a graphic standpoint, it was a huge influence on my life. Early Alien Workshop and Element graphics really appealed to me and as I grew I felt like different board companies and the graphic aesthetics they had really defined my own style. From the Shorty's era with baggy pants, crooked caps and backpacks through to Zero with more punk, all black everything and much tighter jeans! Haha My style and art was shaped by my youth on a skateboard and learning who I was.

You also support some professionals. Who’s on the team?

Yes, we currently have Garrett Hill, Dave Bachinsky, Sierra Fellers, Christian Sereika and the legendary Kris Markovich. We have a couple of Ams on the team too who I wouldn't be surprised to see with their name on a board in the very near future.

Is it more like a homie support or do you have a classic AM and Pro roster?

Well I'm lucky enough to call them homies for sure but it's also a solid team. We have a bunch of awesome Ams on the team like Brodie Penrod and Edgar Barrera who blow me away every time I see them skate, but everyone rips and it's a rad feeling when we all get along so well too. The future is bright!

What’s coming next? Any upcoming projects in the making?

I'm always working on the next thing. We are about to release our Fall 2016 range and I'm working on Fall 2017. We have some very cool signature items from some of our pro riders, some heavy clips in the works and also a very exciting collaboration with John Wayne, so stay tuned!

Key Street Co “Mandala Tee” in Burgundy Pepper