Damon Way Interview

The co-founder of DC Shoes and recently appointed brand guru for Incase discusses his streetwear legacy and his plans to keep breaking rules in the retail world.

By Bradley Carbone
Photography by Buddhabong

From sneakers to technology, there’s one thing that separates the products that work from the ones that don’t: details. Damon Way knows this better than most. As co-founder of DC Shoes, the 37-year-old combined a solid foundation in skate culture with business acumen to create a juggernaut. Now Way is hoping to replicate that success as chief brand officer at Incase, an industrial design firm that makes accessories for electronics and innovative luggage. He recently sat with Complex to explain how it started and where it’s headed.

You and DC were at the forefront of artist-sneaker collaborations. Where do you see that heading?

Damon Way: The Aaron Rose project is the last one that I’m going to be working on relative to this concept. The reason I wanted to finish it with Aaron was that it’s kind of symbolic—he was really the platform for this whole piece of culture. He was the first guy to pull this group together, and I thought it would be appropriate to conclude with him. I worked on each of the Artist Projects series [with DC], and the space has become overly diluted. It was time to give it a rest.

You had a hand in designing this winter’s outerwear line for DC. How did that come about?

Damon Way: I had taken a break from designing in order to immerse myself in the brand positioning of DC, but last year we lost our outerwear designer, and I was asked to do it. It was exciting for me to jump into this project, and I was able to create some strong anchor pieces, including the Peter Saville pieces.

What led to you working with Saville?

Damon Way: I had wanted to work with Factory Records and him for a while. I’m a real fan of that period of post-punk music and the identity that he created for Factory and its bands—New Order, Section 25, Joy Division and OMD, to name a few. We wanted to work with Factory Records and Saville, but the prospects of working with the record label became difficult due to the complicated nature of the ownership—or non-ownership, for that matter. So we just focused our efforts on Peter.

What’s the background of Incase?

Damon Way: The brand was started by two industrial designers, Joe Tan and Bobby Chang, in 1997. They started to develop cellphone cases, and that ultimately led to neoprene sleeves for PowerBooks. As Apple retail picked up, there were more opportunities for product solutions, and recently the brand has moved into a more varied product line.

How did you end up hooking up with them?

Damon Way: In 2002 I was on a flight from San Francisco to San Diego, and I sat next to Tony Helb, one of the Incase owners. I had one of their cellphone cases, which caught his attention. We saw an opportunity to position DC within the Apple retail environment and Incase within the skate market.

How did the first collaboration between DC and Incase affect the brands?

Damon Way: The Incase-DC Skate Bag opened a window for Incase to start exploring opportunities within the lifestyle channel. On the DC side, we introduced a well-designed premium backpack that was an absolute game-changer in the skate market.

What is it about working with Incase that appeals to you?

Damon Way: I think it’s important to work with creative people who are operating in a different area of creativity. The industrial design sector is really compelling for me, and it’s a nice lateral move for me to be going from fine artists to product artists.

Where do you draw the line between lifestyle accessories and tech product?

Damon Way: We don’t necessarily think there is a line; for us, Incase is a hybrid of tech and lifestyle. We believe that technology accessories are just as much a part of one’s personal expression as sneakers, caps and sunglasses.

So what’s next for both DC and Incase?

Damon Way: For Incase we’ve got the new EO luggage collection, the Curated by Arkitip series that includes KR and Parra, and messenger bags with Huf and DQM for spring. As for DC, the next step in the SE BMX series will be a P.K. Ripper track bike. I’m working with a fairly reputable industrial designer on a footwear project, but for that you’ll have to wait and see.