Santa Cruz Skateboards

Santa Cruz Skateboards was founded in 1973 in Santa Cruz, California by Richard Novak, Doug Haut, and Jay Shuirman as one of the original American skate-deck-and-equipment companies, with the brand becoming one of the defining post-1970s 'Skate-and-Destroy' era skate brands alongside Powell Peralta, Independent Trucks, and Vans. The brand has been one of the longest continuously-operating American skate-deck manufacturers, with the iconic Santa Cruz screaming-hand graphic (designed by skate-artist Jim Phillips in 1985) anchoring the brand's broader cultural position. The Santa Cruz Skateboards vocabulary settled around several specific products: the iconic Santa Cruz screaming-hand graphic skateboard-deck programme (the brand's defining 1985-era product, still in production with the original Jim Phillips-designed graphic), various other iconic skate-deck graphics including the Slasher, the Roskopp face-series, the Salba tiger-series, the Natas Kaupas panther-series, the long-running Santa Cruz × Marvel Comics collaboration capsules, and an extensive Santa Cruz apparel programme including heavyweight cotton tees and hoodies with the brand's iconic graphic motifs. The brand is independent and held by NHS Inc. (the Santa Cruz-based skate-industry parent company that also operates Independent Trucks, OJ Wheels, Krooked Skateboards, and several other defining post-1970 skate-industry brands). Santa Cruz Skateboards distributes through skate-shop wholesale globally — including Supreme, Slam Jam, Civilist Berlin, the broader US-and-European skate-shop network, and the Japanese skate-specialty retailers Beams, Ships, United Arrows, and the broader Japanese skate-specialty distribution. The brand has been one of the defining post-1973 American-anchored skate-deck-and-apparel brands.