Inside the Industry: proVoke rolling

You’ve laughed at their commercials, now meet the brand that is shaking things up in the blading industry.

Aggressive rollerblading takes itself seriously, very seriously. How many times have you watched a skate promotional video and thought, “Lighten the hell up”? On how many occasions have you read a ridiculously detailed, physics-laded product description and wondered, “Do these companies actually expect us to know what they are talking about?” Well, we have. That is why we have been won over by proVoke’s alternative approach to marketing over the past 12 months.

The Detroit-based blading brand started in 2011 with a limited selection of T-shirts and, while the designs were relatively interesting, there was nothing to set them apart from the seemingly endless list of T-shirt companies that have come and gone in our short history. However, in 2013, they released a pro wheel for the criminally underrated female blading prodigy Chynna Weierstall and people took notice. Then they unleashed a hilarious advert to accompany the signature model that was essentially one outlandish statement upon another, executed with faux Hollywood blockbuster dramatics and supplemented with imagery that had nothing to do with the product they were trying to promote. In short, it was hilarious.

This month, they have repeated the feat with another side-splitter for their latest product, Armored bearings. After witnessing their latest visual treat, we instantly got in touch with proVoke owner Jeff Crays to find out more about the brand, who is responsible for those exceptional adverts and what we can expect from them in the upcoming months.



Wheel Scene: What year did proVoke start and who is involved?

Jeff Crays: I started proVoke at the end of 2010. The shirts were for myself but I decided to make them available for others – these were designs I had in my head for over ten years. I perform most of the duties related to the business: filming, editing, website development, product designs etc.

Recently, I teamed up with several people around the globe. Pascal Morasse-Raymond joined the team and spearheaded the expansion of the brand to China, along with facilitating the combined efforts of proVoke rolling and Arrows Skate Shop to develop Armored: Machine Grade Bearings. Next, I teamed up with Bruno Canali and Diego Rachadel of Go Roller Skate Shop to bring the brand to Brazil. Our partnership goes beyond stocking proVoke goods. I empowered them to print the proVoke logo as their own with nothing in return. I want to help shops and riders succeed in the rollerblading industry.



I was able to con Larry Fagan into letting me resurrect some of his drawings from Daily Bread #25 – I love those shirts! I also worked with Chris Sheppard to bring two of his designs to proVoke. I think it’s an unwritten law that Mr. Stefan Brandow has to design all shirts, so I think I need to make that happen. You have been warned, Brandow.

There are too many people that help and support the brand to name them all. Thanks to everyone involved!



I remember you guys as just a T-shirt brand a while back but things have kicked into gear recently with wheels and bearings and much more exposure. What happened?

When I first started provoke, I received a great deal of negativity with lists of why I would fail. It has been almost three years and I’m just getting started.

While filming and editing local skaters, I came to the conclusion that “living the lifestyle” has its drawbacks. I wanted to offer my team more and decided to develop wheels. I contacted over 30 different companies over a two-year period. Most of the companies wouldn’t even respond to my emails. The ones that did were unable to develop what I needed. Finally, I found a company willing to work with me. The version one wheels are far from perfect but it is a good start. I am working to improve at the moment.

My main motivation for developing bearings was the fact that I hate changing or cleaning my bearings – I’m lazy. Armored bearings have a unique v-groove that keeps the lubrication in and the dirt out, allowing me to ignore them without them resenting me.



Who skates for the brand at the moment?

Currently, the United States team is comprised of Chynna Weierstall, Brandon Long, Winston Wardwell, Theo Partin and Jake Cawley. The team has expanded globally to China, Brazil and The Netherlands, adding Pascal Morasse-Raymond, Levi van Rijn, Joery van de Pol and Cleiton da Rosa.

The last couple of adverts you guys have released have been pretty entertaining. Who is the mastermind behind coming up with the ideas and executing them?

I personally wrote and edited both the wheel and bearing release advertisements.

It took me two years to bring the wheels to life and during that time, five other wheel companies were created! The industry was tired of new wheel companies and I was tired of the bullshit descriptions of new products. I decided that my bullshit needed to be better than theirs. I try not to take myself too seriously.



What is the idea behind the brand?

The initial idea for the brand was to help promote rollerblading. All of the current people involved are different in many ways but have one thing in common – passion for blading. In an effort to help out, I have been trying to sponsor as many events as possible, regardless of how large or small. Most people are surprised I even respond to their email, let alone actually participate. As more and more people get involved, I believe the overall philosophy will change.



What can we expect in the future from proVoke?

I want to continue to grow the brand by supporting riders, events, shops and working with other like-minded individuals. I am currently working on a new edit of both Chynna Weierstall and Brandon Long.



Any final words?

Keep an eye out for an improved wheel formula, Armored bearings and more products you didn’t ask for.

proVoke Armored – The Dropping of proVoke’s balls from proVoke rolling on Vimeo.

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