American skateboarding and apparel company
Zoo York is an American company focused on the skateboarding market. The company currently commercializes skateboards, t-shirts, hoodies, windbreakers, hats, fanny packs.[1]
The company's name was taken from one of NYC's oldest skate crews, Soul Artists of Zoo York.[2]
History
The company was founded in 1993 by skateboarders Rodney Smith, Eli Morgan Gesner, and Adam Schatz, who started their own business after Smith's company, Shut, lost a legal battle over trademark infringement. The company established itself as the major firm in the East Coast due to the adding of graffiti and hip-hop culture to their designs.[3] The company was first sold to Marc Eckō in 2001;[2] four years later, the Zoo York brand sold the rights to use its name to the Iconix Brand Group.[4]
In 2019, the founding partners returned to Zoo York as creative directors with the purposes of bringing strategic, design, and marketing insight to the brand.[5] The directors also focused on new licensees and partnerships. Iconix Brand CEO Bob Galvin state that "partnering with the creators of Zoo York will help us reconnect to the brand's origins in New York City street culture and regain credibility."[6]
