UK SKATE BRAND PROFILE: L.A.B. SKATEBOARDING
Live and Breath Skateboarding is the UK's only non-profit skate brand. TVSC spoke to L.A.B. co-founder Adam Coren to find out all about them...
TVSC: Hey Ad, great to meet you. Can you tell us about the formation of Live and Breath Skateboarding?
Adam Coren: Live & Breathe skateboarding started late in 2014 when a conversation came up whilst cleaning out a neglected local bowl. We realised all of the new skate facilities popping up were great but due to bad location or design they were unskateable half the year unless you turned up armed with a squeegee, mop and broom. We wanted to start a project that could help fund better park design or add to existing parks working alongside local councils and the skate community. We came up with the idea of a non-profit skate brand and by early 2015 we brought out our first line of merchandise, the interest in the company was quicker than we expected and we soon had our first board out and a small team of riders helping the cause, since then we have helped with a few projects from teaching kids as part of the school curriculum to getting involved with park design and organising jams.
TVSC: Who do you guys have on your management team and what are their backgrounds?
Adam Coren: The Management..Ha Ha !! If you wanna call it that, Adam Coren is the boss man, he has been skating since the 80s and has seen a huge change in the U.K skate industry in recent years. Ads has worked in photography, film and media for the past 20 years and has brought this experience to L.A.B to produce high quality images and edits of our team riders.
TVSC: What would you say is the company ethos?
Adam Coren: Our company is run by skaters for skaters, we don't look to make money out of our brand we just want to put as much back into U.K skateboarding as we can and push it to the same level as the U.S and Brazil.
TVSC: What do you guys enjoy most about skating in the U.K and most dislike?
Adam Coren: We really love the U.K. scene, there is a real sense of community where ever you end up riding, its like being part of a huge family and you can turn up at any park anywhere and end up making friends for life. The dislike is only down to facilities and weather, some of our parks are so run down or badly designed we spend more time cleaning them out than skating in the winter, street skating can be a bit of a downer too with more and more sick spots getting skate blocked!
TVSC: How does L.A.B. support UK athletes and the wider skate community?
Adam Coren: We have already started teaching kids from local schools to push their talent and we have a page on our website where anyone can contact us and ask for help within their community. We want to see skating up there with football and rugby but still keep its underground roots.
TVSC: Do you have a pro team?
Adam Coren: We have a team of riders but don't have a pro line out yet!! Although our riders do compete in some of the big comps around the U.K and we hope to release our first pro board this year.
LAB Skateboarding New Beginnings Deck - £42
TVSC: What do see for the future of your company?
Adam Coren: Bigger, better and helping more and more, the brand is limitless and we want to take it international!
TVSC: What do you see for the future of the skate industry in the U.K.?
Adam Coren: U.K skateboarding is getting bigger all the time and with our riders now going over to the states and making it big we think the future will just make the sport more accessible to everyone, we hope it doesn't lose its underground vibe but at the same time it would be great to see U.K. riders making a success and a career out of skateboarding the way many U.S. riders do.
TVSC: Rad, thanks Adam. Where can we check out ypour products/videos etc?
Adam Coren: We are on Facebook, Instagram &Twitter under Liveandbreatheskateboarding or L.A.B skateboarding. Check out our Instagram page its going off on there!!!