Keith Hufnagel

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Keith Hufnagel (January 21, 1974 – September 24, 2020) was an American skateboarding professional, entrepreneur, and fashion designer, the founder of the streetwear brand HUF.

Early life[edit]

Hufnagel was born in Manhattan, where he grew up in Stuyvesant Town–Peter Cooper Village;[1][2] his father was a vice president of Metropolitan Life Insurance and his mother a nurse.[3] After graduating from high school in 1992, he attended San Francisco State University but dropped out after one semester to become a professional skateboarder.[4][5]

Career[edit]

Skateboarding[edit]

Hufnagel began his skateboarding career in his teens in New York City, at the Brooklyn Banks, an expanse of steep brick slopes and staircases under the Brooklyn Bridge.[3][6] He turned pro in California in 1993, first joining Fun Skateboards and then signing with Jim Thiebaud of Real Skateboards; he also skated for Thunder Trucks and Spitfire Wheels.[4]

Fashion[edit]

After living for a couple of years in Los Angeles,[7] he opened the first HUF Worldwide store in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco in 2002 with his then wife, Anne Freeman,[3][5] at her suggestion using the nickname he had already used on his skateboard decks and T-shirts.[2] A pioneer of streetwear,[7] it carried rare sneakers and clothing by Supreme and other boutique fashion houses, and also art by other skateboarders and artists such as Aaron Rose and Haroshi.[4][8] The boutique expanded into a chain based in Los Angeles and with stores in Texas, New York, and several in Japan,[7] and by 2007 to a lifestyle brand, selling activewear labeled with an "H" plus in some cases an irreverent collection motto such as "Dirtbag Crew" or "Fuck It".[1][4] A sculpture by Haroshi of a raised middle finger, in the company's Los Angeles store, was destroyed in the protests following George Floyd's murder by police; Hufnagel responded by producing a T-shirt to benefit the Black Lives Matter movement.[1]

HUF products included limited-edition apparel related to bands, cartoon characters, and brands.[1][4][9] Hufnagel himself, one of the first skaters to have a shoe with his name on it, from his sponsor DVS,[1] also designed limited-edition shoes including the Nike Dunks and the Nike Air Max 90 HUFquakes.[1][4] HUF footwear included the Classic and a controversial signature shoe for Dylan Rieder.[1]

In late 2017, Hufnagel sold the HUF brand to TSI Holdings; Eddie Miyoshi became CEO the following year.[10] In 2019 Hufnagel decided to focus on apparel,[11][12] producing shoes only in collaboration with other brands.[1]

He revived the 1990s company Metropolitan as a "garage project" in 2017[11] and for it created an Adidas ZX 8000.[1]

Hufnagel skated for the HUF Worldwide team.[4] His career was featured in a three-part series on the Vice Media show Epicly Later'd.[13]

Personal[edit]

Hufnagel married Anne Freeman in 2001;[4] the marriage ended in divorce, but she remained involved in the HUF business until 2013.[2] He remarried to Mariellen Hufnagel; they have two children.[5]

He died of brain cancer at his home in Los Angeles in September 2020, at the age of 46.[3][4][5][14][15]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Pappalardo, Anthony (2020-09-24). "Keith Hufnagel, Pro Skateboarder and Streetwear Visionary, Dies at 46". Complex. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  2. ^ a b c Salek, Yasi. "Man In His Domain: Keith Hufnagel". Playboy Sweden. Retrieved 2020-10-07 – via Magzter.com.
  3. ^ a b c d Marble, Steve (2020-09-29). "Keith Hufnagel, pro skateboarder who launched global streetwear brand Huf, dies at 46". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Slotnik, Daniel E. (2020-09-26). "Keith Hufnagel, Pro Skateboarder and Entrepreneur, Dies at 46". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  5. ^ a b c d Bartlett, Amanda (2020-09-27). "Iconic SF skateboarder and HUF founder Keith Hufnagel dies at 46". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  6. ^ "Keith Hufnagel". Lodown Magazine. 2013-12-30. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  7. ^ a b c Hays, Kali (2020-09-24). "Keith Hufnagel, Skater, Huf Brand Founder, Dies". WWD. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  8. ^ Kurtz, Jason. "Keith Hufnagel, skateboarding icon and streetwear founder, dies at 46". CNN. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  9. ^ Gorecki, Jimmy (2020-10-01). "Remembering Keith Hufnagel: A Skater Who Changed the Sneaker Game". Complex. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  10. ^ Hamanaka, Kari (2018-08-26). "Huf Worldwide CEO Eddie Miyoshi's Balancing Act". WWD. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  11. ^ a b Pappalardo, Anthony (2019-11-06). "From HUF to Metropolitan: Keith Hufnagel Goes Back To Square One". Highsnobiety. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  12. ^ Michna, Ian (2019-04-16). "Keith Hufnagel on the Future of HUF". Jenkem Magazine (interview). Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  13. ^ "Keith Hufnagel". Monster Children. 2014-06-23. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  14. ^ Sparks, Hannah (2020-09-25). "Keith Hufnagel, skateboard legend, dead at 46". New York Post. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  15. ^ Gariano, Francesca (2020-09-26). "Skateboarder and entrepreneur Keith Hufnagel dies from brain cancer at 46". Today. Retrieved 2020-10-07.

External links[edit]

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