Stockland Martel

There are people who dress like they know street culture, and then there are those who have been living it their whole lives. Steven Lippman, who’s been skating and surfing since he was a kid, is definitely among the latter. And that authenticity has informed his latest project: ryders, a clothing line he launched with Japanese creative director Kiyofumi Imaizumi that they describe as “skateboarding meets Ivy League.”

Named after Steven’s young son, Ryder, the brand made its debut in Japan earlier this year, where it won raves and promptly sold out. Last week, Steven went to Japan to meet with retailers for next season’s collection. (While he was there, three Japanese magazines—Safari, Surf Trip Journal, and Blue—interviewed Steven at the Ron Herman store for a feature in an upcoming issue.) Using his iPhone and his Canon EOS 1Ds, he casually took photos throughout his trip for a mini-travelogue for this blog. Here’s a look. And to see ryders in action, scroll to the bottom for a short video featuring Steven and some of his pals.

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Day 1: I landed in Japan at 4 PM, checked in to my hotel, and met with some of the boys for a beer. Second from right is my partner in ryders, Kiyofumi Imaizumi.

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Day 2: Today, buyers from all over Tokyo came to this little hip cafe in Aoyama to check out the line and place orders for spring/summer.

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A few shots of the city.

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The view from my room.

Day 3.

Day 4.

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Day 5.

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Day 6. Hitoshi Mizushima of Donna, Inc.—my agent in Japan—making things happen.

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People lined up for the grand opening of the Ron Herman store. The night before, there was a party at the store, and a few designers showed their collections. Ryders was one of the featured brands.

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Here I am with some of the guys from Surf Trip Journal, who interviewed me at Ron Herman.

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My business partner Kiyofumi.

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And some more photos from around the city.

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