At Cerno, we have a soft spot for Laguna Beach based creative start-ups with a unique vision and voice. Roark is a new homegrown brand and their roots are growing fast. Although the company’s identity is enigmatic and somewhat shrouded in mystery, they effectively manage to communicate a theme and story of artistic adventure.
Who and what is Roark?
Who and what is Roark?
Roark is a passionate explorer of the finer things that life has to offer. He is described, “as comfortable at the Sydney Opera House as he is in an Argentinean holding cell...” Their debut line reflects this character. It is minimalist yet stylistic, durable and timeless. They go on to say that, “The Roark Revivalist crew is a fashionable but understated faction, willing to spend 30 hours on an airplane, in a car, or on a train, just to shred alone.”
Roark’s vibe is infectious. The more I learn about the company, the more nostalgic and inspired I become to pick up a Kerouac novel, leave the computer and desk behind for a bit and hit the road on a new adventure.
Roark does not have any team riders, however, they have selected 3 amazingly talented Laguna natives who live the Roark lifestyle. Jon Rose, Mikey Todd and Carl Smith are perfectly suited to be Roark’s first ambassadors.
Mikey and Jon, both surfed professionally for the better part of the last decade before deciding to follow a higher calling. Mikey currently spends the majority of his days and nights studying architecture and design at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design. He still manages to sneak in a few surfs in Rhode Island. Jon is now a full time philanthropist; running his NPO Waves for Water, which provides safe drinking water to underdeveloped and disaster ridden areas around the globe. Jon also still manages to surf a lot; Hence the name, “Waves for Water.”
Carl is an artist and entrepreneur, who splits his time between Laguna and the Czech Republic. He is a painter, industrial designer, graphic artist and collage master.
Roark is currently available at Laguna Surf & Sport as well as select other core shops in California. Keep an eye out for this creative movement.
