Zoo York

Zoo York is an American skateboarding and streetwear brand established in New York City in 1998 by skateboarders Rodney Smith, Eli Morgan Gesner, and Adam Schatz. The founders built the company around the visual language and social networks of New York's skate scene, combining skateboarding with graffiti and hip-hop influences. The name was taken from Soul Artists of Zoo York, one of New York City's early skate crews, linking the commercial brand to a pre-existing local culture rather than presenting it as a conventional sportswear label. The company emerged after Smith's earlier business, Shut, lost a trademark-infringement legal dispute. Zoo York subsequently developed a strong position in the East Coast skateboarding market. Its identity was expressed through graphic-heavy apparel and a visible connection to street-level New York culture. The brand's product scope has included skateboards, T-shirts, hoodies, windbreakers, hats, and fanny packs. It has also been associated with team-rider programs, skate videos, and touring media, making video and editorial content an important part of its relationship with skateboarders. Zoo York was first sold to Marc Ecko in 2001. In 2005, the rights to use the Zoo York name were sold to Iconix Brand Group. This ownership structure shifted the brand from an independently founded skate company toward a licensed and brand-management model, while its name and imagery continued to draw on its New York origins. The company produced a substantial series of VHS and later video projects, including Mix Tape, Peep This, the E.S.T. series, City Of Killers, Welcome to Zoo York City, State of Mind, and other releases. Zoo York also produced the Fuel TV program Skate Maps, which followed the team on tour, and its team participated in Thrasher Magazine's King of the Road competition in 2007. In 2019, the three founding partners returned to the brand as creative directors. Their stated role was to contribute strategic, design, and marketing insight, as well as to help identify licensees and partnerships. Iconix described the arrangement as an effort to reconnect Zoo York with its New York street-culture origins and restore credibility through the involvement of the original creators. The return of the founders represented a strategic emphasis on authenticity and heritage rather than a change in the brand's basic product category. Zoo York remains identified primarily with skateboarding apparel, boards, accessories, and related cultural content. Its brand story is particularly associated with the East Coast, New York-based character of skateboarding and with the crossover between skate graphics, graffiti, hip-hop, and urban fashion. Distribution information in the supplied material specifically documents sales through Japanese e-commerce channels, but a complete current market and retail footprint is not established here.

Zoo York was founded in 1998 by skateboarders Rodney Smith, Eli Morgan Gesner, and Adam Schatz. The founders created the company after Smith's previous business, Shut, lost a trademark-infringement case. Rather than separating skateboarding from broader youth culture, Zoo York used New York's local mix of skateboarding, graffiti, and hip-hop as the basis for its product and communications identity. The name referenced Soul Artists of Zoo York, an early New York skate crew, giving the company a direct connection to the city's skateboarding history. The company became a major presence in the East Coast skate market. Its designs helped establish a recognizable New York streetwear aesthetic, while its product range extended from skateboards to graphic T-shirts, hoodies, windbreakers, hats, and fanny packs. Team riders and skate media were central to the brand's identity. Zoo York produced a series of VHS and video projects, beginning with Mix Tape in 1998 and continuing through releases such as Peep This, Heads, the E.S.T. series, City Of Killers, Welcome to Zoo York City, State of Mind, and later team and regional projects. It also produced Skate Maps for Fuel TV, a program documenting the Zoo York team on tour. In 2007, the team appeared in Thrasher Magazine's cross-country King of the Road contest. Zoo York's ownership changed as the company developed. Marc Ecko acquired the brand in 2001. Four years later, Iconix Brand Group acquired the rights to use the Zoo York name. The transition placed a brand rooted in an independent skate community within a larger commercial licensing structure. Despite that shift, Zoo York continued to draw on its New York identity and on the credibility of its riders and founders. In 2019, the founding partners returned as creative directors. Their responsibilities included strategic, design, and marketing input, together with work on new licensees and partnerships. Iconix chief executive Bob Galvin presented the partnership as a way to reconnect the brand with its New York street-culture origins and rebuild credibility through the involvement of its creators. This return made founder participation a central part of the brand's renewed heritage strategy. The available reference material describes Zoo York as an active company commercializing skateboards, apparel, and accessories. It also identifies sales in Japan through e-commerce platforms, although it does not provide a complete current distribution map, current corporate headquarters, or detailed financial information. Zoo York's enduring category position is that of a New York skateboarding and streetwear brand whose differentiation comes from cultural heritage, team content, and graphic design.

• 2019

  Founders return as creative directors

  [1]Zoo York (company)en.wikipedia.org

  The three founding partners return to guide strategy, design, marketing, licensing, and partnerships.

• 2007

  Zoo York team appears in King of the Road

  [1]Zoo York (company)en.wikipedia.org

  The Zoo York skate team participates in Thrasher Magazine's cross-country King of the Road contest.

• 2005

  Iconix obtains naming rights

  [1]Zoo York (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Iconix Brand Group acquires the rights to use the Zoo York name.

• 2001

  First ownership transition

  [1]Zoo York (company)en.wikipedia.org

  The brand is sold to Marc Ecko.

• 1998

  Zoo York is founded

  [1]Zoo York (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Rodney Smith, Eli Morgan Gesner, and Adam Schatz establish Zoo York as a New York skateboarding company.

New York-rooted skateboarding and streetwear brand combining board sports with graffiti, hip-hop, and urban design culture.

• Skateboarding equipment

  Skateboards

  Skateboards are a core Zoo York category and anchor the brand's relationship with skateboarding rather than merely using skate graphics on fashion products. The available material identifies skateboards among the products currently commercialized by the company, but does not specify individual board models, construction details, materials, or launch dates.

• Apparel

  T-shirts

  Zoo York T-shirts form part of the brand's graphic streetwear assortment. The company's apparel identity has historically drawn on New York skateboarding, graffiti, and hip-hop culture. Specific graphics, collections, fabrics, and current retail availability are not established in the supplied sources.

• Apparel

  Hoodies

  Hoodies are among Zoo York's established apparel products and fit the brand's skate-oriented, casual streetwear positioning. They extend the company's graphic and logo language into heavier everyday clothing. No reliable source details a specific hoodie line, product generation, or technical specification.

• Outerwear

  Windbreakers

  Zoo York windbreakers are part of the brand's documented outerwear range. Their inclusion broadens the assortment beyond boards and basic tops while retaining the practical, casual character associated with skateboarding apparel. The available reference does not identify named models or current design details.

• Headwear

  Hats

  Hats are a documented Zoo York accessory category and support the brand's logo- and graphic-led streetwear presentation. They are positioned as part of the wider skate and casual apparel assortment rather than as a separately documented technical product line.

• Accessories

  Fanny packs

  Fanny packs are included among the accessories commercialized under the Zoo York name. Their presence reflects the brand's broader streetwear assortment and its connection to practical, portable accessories used in urban and skate settings. No model-level information is available in the supplied material.

• 2016Eastern Conference

  United States

  A later Zoo York video project associated with the brand's East Coast skateboarding identity.

  Source
• 2013True East

  United States

  A Zoo York skate-video release reflecting the brand's East Coast orientation.

  Source
• 2013King of New York

  United States

  A New York-focused Zoo York skate-video project reinforcing the brand's geographic and cultural positioning.

  Source
• 2012The Chaz Ortiz Video

  United States

  A Zoo York project focused on team rider Chaz Ortiz.

  Source
• 2010Z.Y Field Agent Report

  United States

  A later Zoo York video project documented in the brand's skate media history.

  Source
• 2009State of Mind

  United States

  A Zoo York skate-video release continuing the brand's team and culture-oriented communications.

  Source
• 2007King of the Road participation

  United States

  Zoo York's team appeared in Thrasher Magazine's cross-country skateboarding competition.

  Outcome. Extended the team's visibility within skateboarding media and competition culture.

  Source
• 2006Welcome to Zoo York City

  United States

  A skate-video project explicitly presenting the brand through its New York City setting and identity.

  Source
• 2005Ellis Island

  United States

  A Zoo York skate-video release associated with the brand's New York-centered cultural identity.

  Source
• 2005Vicious Cycle

  United States

  A further video project in Zoo York's continuing skate media catalog.

  Source

Showing the 10 most recent.

• 2019

  Founders return to restore cultural connectionStrategy

  Background

  Iconix sought to reconnect Zoo York with its New York street-culture origins and strengthen the brand's credibility.

  Action taken

  Rodney Smith, Eli Morgan Gesner, and Adam Schatz returned as creative directors, with responsibilities covering strategy, design, marketing, licensees, and partnerships.

  Aftermath

  The brand placed renewed emphasis on founder heritage and authenticity within its skateboarding and streetwear positioning.

  Source

• 2005

  Iconix acquires rights to the Zoo York nameM&A

  Background

  The brand moved from founder-led ownership into a larger licensing and brand-management arrangement.

  Action taken

  Iconix Brand Group acquired the rights to use the Zoo York name.

  Aftermath

  Zoo York continued to operate as a skateboarding and streetwear brand under Iconix's ownership and licensing framework.

  Source

• 2001

  Sale of Zoo York to Marc EckoM&A

  Background

  After establishing Zoo York as a New York skateboarding brand, the founders sold the company to Marc Ecko.

  Action taken

  Ownership transferred to Marc Ecko.

  Aftermath

  The sale began a sequence of ownership changes that later placed the name under Iconix Brand Group's rights structure.

  Source

1. 1Zoo York (company)en.wikipedia.org