The Vex Interview

Vex is making some serious moves, and one of them got everyone's attention recently, which was the announcement of the newest addition to their Team, Matt McKeen. I recently caught up with the guys from Vex to find out what the big deal is. Let's see what they had to say.

(James Bull slaying the Botanical Gardens Rail)



IS: What's going on guys, first off, tell me a little bit about the people behind the Vex Brand?

FLEA: Well, VEX Brand is run by myself (Chris, but everyone callse me Flea) and Angus Russell. Our team includes James Bull, Ben Duncan, Kane Hunt, Zak Frazer and Jeremy Petropoulos, and as you all saw, Matt McKeen.

(Jeremy Petropoulos with a Fingerwhip)

 

IS: Super stacked! Now I could have sworn I've heard of Vex before? But this was years ago...am I thinking of something else?

 

 

FLEA: Yeah, that would have been us. We've been around as a company since 2006. Back then we were doing one-piece bars. I'm pretty sure we were the first ones doing one-piece bars in Australia and I think second in the world. RAD was doing them just before us. Through time and circumstance we stopped doing bars and relaunched as an apparel company.


IS: That would explain that. So, as most people have seen on Inside, your logo is showcasing a shoe. When did you guys decide on making a shoe?

 

FLEA: The idea for a shoe has been in my mind for ages. Maybe five years or so. We decided to actually go after the dream about two years ago and have been working on the VT1 since then. I originally saw a gap in the market because there were no scooter specific shoes but since then that gap has been somewhat filled. We believe we can improve on the current scooter shoes available.

IS: Awesome man, So break it down, what makes this shoe different from other shoes in the skating or even scootering industry?

 

FLEA: We have been testing our shoes for a fair while. We went through a couple designs that weren't up to our standard so we scrapped them and went back to the drawing board. Our R&D has been very thorough. We approached the whole thing with a view to functionality and style. We want something that you're not going to be shy about wearing in public but also performs well and stands up to the punishment that you are going to throw at it while riding.

IS:  That's good to hear man. So, we're based in the US, will people be able to get their hands on them over here, or is this an AUS only thing?

 

FLEA: For sure. We have TGE distributing them in the U.S. So if your local shop doesn't have them get them to call TGE and they'll hook it up. We also have distribution throughout Europe and the UK via Greenover (UK), NextWheelsDistribution / 9Transport (Spain) and Centrano (the rest of Europe).


IS:  Damn, you guys are going hard! What colorways will be available when they launch?

 

FLEA: We'll have them in black, navy and red for a start. We’ve released photos of the black and navy models before, but not the red. So here it is!

                              (Vex VT1 in Red)

IS: Looking good man! So, speaking of launch...when can we expect these bad boys to drop?

 

FLEA: We’re looking at a June drop worldwide.

IS:  And I KNOW ISB will be getting that homie hook up! Right?! Well, I appreciate you guys taking the time to sit down with us and give everyone some more info on the upcoming shoes. Stoked to check em out when they release! Any last words, or shout outs, let em go now!

 

FLEA: No worries man.

Keep your eyes peeled for some new vids dropping on our YouTube channel, and if you want more details on the shoe, head to http://vexbrand.com/VT1.

Shout outs to Gus for putting up with me, the whole team for shredding so hard, Ben our Videographer, our distro dudes, the scooter community and IS for the interview!

Thanks again!