Well here it is. Boxes Lmited is one of the best scooter clothing companies out there. I had a chance to meet the man behind it, Kris Anacleto when I was staying at Buff's house in Vista, CA. I had heard about Kris and all I really knew was that he was Andrew's friend who was a filmer and ran Boxes. Then him at Matt Mckeen showed up at Andrew's to hangout. The next day we all went out filming and he's one of the chillest dudes ever. And he knows his shit behind the old VX2100. He ran the Boxes booth at SD6 and I was helping out and he bought me lunch haha. So yea I hit him up a few days ago becuase alot of people know of Boxes Limited, but they dont know much about it. So I thought it would be a good idea to get a interview done with him! And here it is!!!
What made you want to start a scooter clothing company?
I've been best friends with Andrew Broussard (owner of Proto Scooters) for the past 14 years, and we've grown up doing almost everything together. I've always been into skating but Andrew never was, but he got into scootering around our senior year or something like that. He would come out and film with us and what not, and eventually started the Scooter Resource. Once he started Proto, I would always help him out with graphics, video stuff, etc. My work background has always been video, graphic design, and marketing, so one day we were talking and decided to work on a project together and that's how Boxes initially started. With Andrew and I each using our resources, we figured we could come out with something really good that hasn't been done yet in the industry. Andrew actually owns Boxes more than I do, I just have a stake in it and I run the program. I handle all the creative stuff, the video, clothing design, team managing, Internet promotion, etc. From an outsiders view, it's my company, but Andrew has a say in everything, I just handle the stuff I'm good at and Andrew does the same.
How did you choose the name Boxes Limited?
We actually had a different name from the beginning, but that name was actually taken for a plus-size woman's brand of clothing. So I sat there for a while working on a new name and somehow came up with Boxes and really liked the look of it with the design I used for the logo. It's definitely a name that people have to get warmed up to, It's weird at first. But as the brand grows, it will become more normal. Think about names like Volcom, RVCA, Billabong, all those names are kind of like "What's that name for? Sounds kind of dumb?" But now those names are so embedded in people's minds that they are normal. As far as the Limited part goes, we kind of wanted to give the brand a name that made it sound more special because we feel like what we're doing in this industry IS more special. Branching away from the cheesey aspect that so many companies are doing. Boxes truly is a very limited company in the scooter industry.
The Boxes team is pretty stacked, how did you pick who you wanted on the team?
Well we knew we wanted to keep the team small from the get go. It's just easier to start a company that way and keep everything organized. We wanted to put people on who we knew personally as well, not just because of how good they are. It was pretty easy for us to pick the initial team. One thing Andrew and I wanted to make sure and do is keep some what of a separation between Boxes and Proto, so initially we only had Kasson and Kilbury on. But once Chema got up here to Southern California from Guadalajara and started staying with us and filming, it was a no brainer. He's such a work horse, I take him out filming every Saturday and Sunday and he gets on average 4 tricks a day. He's been here for only 4 months and has 6 minutes of raw, usable footage for his Proto part and that's after his Boxes promo already released. Addison is just a bad ass dude who's been around killing it forever and has a good vibe when hanging out. McKeen and I have basically the same outlook on what we think will look good on video and it's really fun filming with that dude. Plus, McKeen is obviously a favorite in the industry.
Is there any new product in the works right now?
Definitely. McKeen is getting a signature 3/4 baseball sleeve shirt coming out this Friday when his promo drops. Working on a signature piece with Dylan, zip up hoodies, beanies, hats, it's all coming out. We're doing everything step by step, and as the business grows, more and more will be offered. Button ups, pants, all of that is the goal. There's no need for scooter riders to be wearing skate clothing if they have a brand that can represent them and have all the clothing they need.
You film and edit all of the Boxes Promo's, but you're a skateboard filmer. Do you think there are any differences when your filming scooter riding?
Of course there are some differences, but as whole, not really. The most exciting part about filming with scooter riders is being able to take them to spots that just don't work for skaters. Everyone on Boxes comes here to Vista where I live and they're pretty baffled at the millions of spots I have just within the 20 mile radius of my house. But yah, not much of a difference to me when filming skateboarding and scootering. They're both awesome and creative, so at that point there's no reason to really compare the two. I know there are skaters out there who hate on scootering, and scooter riders who hate on skating, but there's really no need for that. Every one's just doing their own thing and that's awesome. I'm 26 years old, I got rid of that "skateboarding is the only cool thing" mentality a long long time ago. I've come out with 3 full length skate videos, and Andrew has had clips in all of them. We always have big premieres for our videos and everyone is always stoked when Andrew's clips come on.
Are there any future plans for a full length DVD?
Definitely, but nothing set in stone yet. McKeen is finishing his Addict part, Dylan and Chema are working on their Proto parts, but they both have so much footage they could probably start working on their next parts. Addison is in the bay area working full time and finishing his stuff for the Overshow video, and Kilbury is in LA working on rocket science stuff. I'm not kidding about rocket science either, the dude is on top of his life program and doing big things with it. So every one is working on stuff, but we want to take some summer filming trips and try to work on a more full length project for sure. Imagine that line up in a full video, people are gonna be stoked.
Chema is the newest member of the team, how did he get on?
What's funny about Chema just getting on recently is he was the very first person Andrew wanted on but I had to say no for a few reasons. I wanted to make sure Boxes came out as company that had a new set of standards across the board. Riding, filming, presentation, graphics, all of that. With Chema being in Mexico, it was going to be impossible to film with him and implement those quality of standards, especially when it comes to video quality. I want everything filmed well and on point to really express what this brand is about. But once Chema got his Visa and is now allowed in the states, it was a no brainer to put him on. I can't wait until his Proto part comes out, I just filmed what will probably be his ender yesterday and it's easily the gnarliest thing I've ever filmed between scootering and skating.
Do you have any goals in 2012 for Boxes?
Tons. We have a new rider who will be announced in a month or so, once I fly out and film the rest of his promo with him. We want to come out with a lot more product, some of which you'll be seeing quite soon. We want to just keep pumping out our Internet content, the Q&A's, throw away edits, ads, etc. We'd like to start advertising in magazines, opening up new accounts and getting in more shops, expanding our international sales. Just trying to stay on top of our game and hopefully we'll get some more stuff out there to get people stoked.
Any thanks or shoutouts?
Mainly to Andrew, for being the main dude who really kick started this industry into something legitimate and not just a kid sport. And to the Boxes riders who have been fully supportive and lending a hand in getting this thing going. When it comes down to it, it's not mine and Andrew's company, it's everyone on the teams company too. They have a say in what gets made and who gets on, so they have control as well. We have an eclectic team and everyone has different view points and opinions on this industry, and it's becoming very interesting to run a company right now.
