Surf Shacks 042
My Name is Jeff Yokoyama, my nickname is Yoki. Yoki in Japanese means “Good.” I was born in a small town near downtown Los Angeles called Glendale in 1955. I grew up loving football and surfing. After graduating from Glendale High School, I moved to Hawaii to find warm water.
I surfed and sailed every day and worked in restaurants. About 3 years later I moved back to the mainland to study cosmetology and hair. After a year of school, I passed my test and moved to Newport Beach, California and started to work at a salon in Fashion Island. I was making $89 a week as an assistant to the styling director. Now only 23 years old, I was moved up to a stylist and started making close to $2,500 a week. That’s when I started my first clothing line called Maui and Sons in 1980, I was 24 years old.
I started Yokishop about 10 years ago when I noticed that there was a change in the way I wanted to design, make, and sell product. I started to design from things that were being thrown away, I also wanted to make all product domestically here in USA.
My daughter played volleyball for the University of Oregon, that is when I noticed that they were discarding tons of used and game worn uniforms. I thought if I could get some of those uniforms I could make cool stuff and sell it back to the kids on campus. I make all sorts of things from the discarded uniforms; tailgate aprons, duffle bags, hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts. It’s a very rewarding project in that we have used over 2,000 USC articles of gear that was once destined for a landfill. The only challenge is that we are not able to keep up with the demand.
Everything!
Ralph Lauren and the Ivy League schools. Levis to repurpose their 501s. We are also trying to get sponsored by Nike so that we can start doing business with 200 D1 schools across the nation.
I started Modern Amusement around 1995. It was only kids clothing at first and then I made a mens line for Japan only. About 10 years ago I sold Modern Amusement to Mossimo.
No, not really, I loved sports!
Seeing all my friends doing great things.
Our back yard because it’s the beach, sand and ocean.
My wife and 4 kids.
Perfect is dead. Be everything that everyone else isn’t. People buy not what you do, they buy WHY you do it. The unknown is the future. Believe that you can do it.
Discover more creative surfers’ homes in our books; Surf Shacks® Vol. 1, and Vol. 2 available now!
A goofy-footed graphic designer who hails from the first state, Delaware. After attending Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL then graduating from SCAD in Savannah, GA with a BFA in Graphic Design and Illustration, Matt moved to NYC and found work as a freelance designer and art director. In 2006 he moved west to Venice, CA where he co-founded ITAL/C Studio and now resides a bit further north in Oxnard.
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