Local skate brand with an ethical vision

Sabi Skateboards is a local skating apparel and skateboard brand with a vision to be ethical, compassionate, and sustainable in its space.

The local small business was started by Jan Juc-based Simon Dunn, known to his friends as Simo.

Dunn was born in the Philippines, grew up in Geelong and is now based in Jan Juc. He has surfed and skated for as long as he can remember, and always dreamed of starting up a local skate brand.

“This project simply started through having a passion and love for skateboarding. It’s every skater’s dream as a kid to have your own brand,” he said.

“I was originally born in the Phillipines and have grown up in Geelong most my life . I’ve always had a deep interest for skateboarding.

 

“I use to love going to my local skatepark at a young age and watch all the skaters. I was obsessed with the culture right from the beginning. Skateboarding has always been a healthy outlet for self-expression. There is so many physical, social and mental benefits anyone can obtain through skateboarding.”

Sabi Skateboards is a skate brand for apparel and skate decks, born from this love of skateboarding and Dunn’s desire to see more sustainable and ethical practises in the skating industry.

“It all really just began with wanting to learn screen printing T-shirts in my garage at home and ride my own boards that I personally liked the shape and design of and offer it to my friends,” he said.

 

“The name Sabi stems from a Japanese philosophy of seeing beauty in imperfections and seeing the true essence of nature and reality.

“My approach is to create skate hardware and apparel that is sourced ethically and environmentally humane in respect for people and planet.

“Skateboarding is such an amazing community, it’s inclusive, authentic and fun which is the approach that will reflect the brand.”

Sabi is a skate brand for apparel and skate decks, all designed and made to reflect the brand’s core principles of sustainability and ethical living.

“I will always have the direction and approach to sourcing quality, ethical and eco-conscious products,” Dunn said.

“All our apparel is sourced from natural fibres such as organic cotton, hemp and recycled polyester.

“I intentionally work with Australian suppliers that avoid forced labour and worker exploitation in the production of making the clothing.”

“We also offer a board incentive in which you can return your old deck and we will upcycle and repurpose them.”

The company teams up with artists and crafts people to reuse and upcycle its boards and transform them into new materials and products adding new life, value and purpose to skate decks.

“I want what I release to be limited runs and kept to substantial quantities in order to avoid bulk ordering and mass production,” Dunn said. “This is in aim to encourage slow fashion and offer timeless and simplistic designs to reduce excess textile waste.”

 

 

Since launching Sabi, Dunn said he had been overwhelmed by the support of the community, which was stocking his products in local stores, spreading the word and believing in the vision.

“A highlight for me so far has been seeing your close friends and the local skate community support and trust my project and ideas.

“At the moment I’ve just been working on this project myself and planting the seeds as best I can. It’s been a challenging yet fun process. I’m hoping with time I can reach out and network with more people and use the brand as a voice to connect positively within different skate communities and empower youth.”

“I’m very lucky to have a great support network and be surrounded by very creative friends and my workplace who I can draw inspiration and ideas off every day.”

Starting a small business in your early twenties doesn’t come without challenges, but Dunn, who has run two marathons, competed in professional skating tournaments and is a keen sportsman is generally up for a challenge.

“A lowlight would be the responsibilities and daily stressors of having a business. There’s always self-doubt as sometimes you are your worst inner critique.”

Dunn describes the Sabi style as inspired by Japanese graphic art with designs incorporating contrast and patterned graphics, but as it is still early days, Dunn is still defining the style and design trajectory of the brand.

“The best thing about having your own brand is that you have the freedom to express your own ideas and creations. I’m still at the process of finding the personality and identity for the brand which is exciting.

“I branch a lot of inspiration from Japanese graphic art , philosophy and being in nature. Lately I have been drawn to monochromatic and minimalist graphic designs.

“It’s always a learning process, you grow and evolve everyday and take inspiration anywhere and anytime.”

Looking to the future, Dunn hopes to build Sabi Skateboards in a way that champions youth and the next generation of skaters.

“It’s still early days for me so I’m just learning and taking it as it comes. I’m currently working towards my first drop along with my website launch, which is still in the works.

“My goal is to simply offer apparel and skate hardware that is durable, functional and sourced humanely.

“My intention is to do it simply out of the love of skateboarding and an outlet to express my creativity and passion on and off the board.”

Follow @sabiskateboards on Instagram to keep up to date.