Both GRIFFS and I originate from working class towns in Connecticut.
GRIFFS was brought to life by Stanley Arron in Bridgeport (read our History here), while I was born and raised in Wallingford. These two towns are the literal and figurative opposite of the SoCal incubator that launches most motorcycle gear companies. They are rough around the edges, painted with humility, and the people who live there are pathologically direct.
GRIFFS was THE motocross apparel brand of the 70s. First to market with then revolutionary Cordura nylon, first to use Kevlar, first to use Nomex, they caught on with serious motocross and off road riders immediately. The had a roster of world-class MX riders that rivaled any brand, ever. Their gear was designed and made in the USA with a focus on function, durability, and toughness, not fashion. This focus on quality carved out such a well-deserved reputation for durability that it’s possible to find 30-year old pants and jackets still in use today.
Typically, I started as a broom-pusher at a shop. However, I was either lucky or smart enough to actually make a career in the industry, working for Fox Racing and Alpinestars, two of the most professional and damned fun moto brands in the world. I was able to immerse myself in nearly every facet of a sports product brand, from design, development, sourcing, advertising, athlete endorsements, video, to the deep-inside-the-machine stuff, alongside some very talented and genuinely great people. Sincerely, it was better than it sounds.
I crossed paths with GRIFFS many times during all that. I can clearly remember seeing my first GRIFFS enduro jacket, in yellow and blue. The parts manager had ordered one to use on his PE400, and I opened the UPS box. I still remember how the yellow color reflected the light, the crispness of the Cordura, the perfect stitching It just oozed quality, and made an impression on me that carries on to this day.
Later, when doing development of the original 1993 Fox 360 pant, I used an old pair of GRIFFS pants as a quality benchmark. The following year, I developed a jacket and pant set the Fox Classic pant and jacket which were embarrassingly near-copies of GRIFFS. When I look at them now, the similarities are uncomfortably obvious.
After living out just about every professional aspiration I ever imagined, I am completely stoked to do this. I'm not yet sure where it will lead, but working with such an historic and cool brand is thrilling. I have very specific ideas on what and how things should be done, and bitch constantly when it is anything but. This is my chance to shut up, put up, and make it happen.
Thanks for visiting.
Brand Archeologist,
BP