We randomly came across the Public Housing Skate Team in 2016 when we saw their video “THUG”. It felt experimental and raw, like a strangely satirical mix of short film, skate video, and kung-fu flick. Mixing stereotypical “hood moments” with tongue-in-cheek antics, like finding bullets in your hardware stash, we weren’t sure how much was comedy and how much was real.
When PHST hit us up to come hang in the Bronx, we didn’t know what we’d be getting into. So we took a train an hour and a half north and met them at Gun Hill Road projects.
What we found was a group of dedicated and pretty successful young guys running a small brand right out of public housing. All their products are inspired by real-life stories, like the New Yorker who raised a tiger in his apartment, or a family member who spent time in jail. Despite their rough environment, these guys lead genuinely positive and creative lives. Rather than feed into their surroundings, they’re using the hood to build a brand that could take them wherever they want to go.
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December 18, 2017 8:26 pm
I’m trying to start a brand in my southern Appalachian meth town if you wanna cover it.
December 19, 2017 9:49 am
I feel it. Vlad bears resemblance to a low-key friend who is smart, chill, and making it happen. Inspiring!
December 23, 2017 1:01 pm
Yo Jenkem staff, that question about gentrification shows how insular the NY skate bubble is. The Bronx is huge: the borough’s gentrifying development is in the southernmost neighborhoods, closer to Astoria or even midtown than to Gun Hill Rd (6 miles north and thus nowhere near “SoBro”). Even so, great to see Bronx skating coverage.
December 28, 2017 11:10 am
Watch out for passing school buses on Gun Hill Road