NEW EASTERN LOGIC DROP
Photo of Jordan Taylor shot by Tim Hickman
If your a newer fan of our store, Eastern Logic is our house brand started by me (store owner) Jordan Taylor a year before Union opened. The brand was my first attempt at trying to execute all of my creative energy into a project that could last. I saved up $500 of tip money from a sub shop (Philly Originals) I was working at. Made a handful of shirts than created an instagram account. I wanted the brand to represent skateboarding in a very niche way that my area didn’t really focus on to fill a different void in our local skate scene of the mid west territory of Pittsburgh, Ohio, and West Virginia.
Jordan Taylor ollie into door shot by Tim Hickman
For example skateboarding was always focused on hesh vs fresh while I was growing up. You either were into big gaps and rails or techy flat ground and ledges only. I always loved the one odd guy in videos when they came out. I would like to believe I have more of an artistic brain when I view skateboarding for myself. Don’t get me wrong I can appreciate the contest circuit, and I love the traditional way of street skateboarding but it gets to a point where we have to push the limits and break the rules and keep reinventing the way we do tricks and explore for new rare spots. I think its beautiful that skateboarding is in a place where there seems to be plenty of sub genres of style alone.
I felt our area was pretty dry on promoting skaters with newer progressive styles and were all kind of doing the same thing for the most part. So I started putting small video projects out with my friends that were stoked on the movement I wanted to push for our area. Its really crazy how it has impacted a small pocket of skaters out here to look at spots differently. That really means a lot. I want to keep being the home for “the other guys” if that makes sense.
Jordan Taylor shot by Tim Hickman
After years of making stuff for the brand, I have decided to start making the product even better and feel even better. We live in a world where almost anyone can make a brand selling anything. It goes beyond the love and passion for skateboarding and doing it with your friends. So lately I have put the brand on the back burner to do my homework on creating something that has much more value on an emotional and physical level before I kept releasing product.
These new short sleeve T - shirts are printed in house by my friend who would prefer to remain anonymous on 100% American Grown SUPIMA® Cotton. American grown cotton in California under strict, quality-controlled guidelines, the hand and feel of these shirts are extraordinary. SUPIMA® Cotton is the worlds finest cotton and these new shirts are produced in a wind mill powered, Fair Trade Certified™ facility. That means they were grown, harvested, crafted and traded in ways that improve lives and protect the environment.
Jake & Maddie shot by Tim Hickman
Going further than offering higher quality and just representing niche skateboarding styles. I have been shy on executing other ideas outside of skateboarding when it comes to graphics, the story behind the graphic and the sort of things within history, culture, life experiences and philosophical approach towards everything that inspires me to keep doing Eastern Logic.
Jake Fox shot by Jordan Taylor
This new 91’ font was hand drawn by my good friend Chandler Klein who had started Union with me back in 2015. This design got its name from Chandlers 90s graffiti style he has and the fact that I was born in 1991. I also love a lot of the sub culture from the 90s with skateboarding, hip hop, punk rock, pop punk, art and graffiti. That era has really impacted what is going on right now.
Delta Daley shot by Aiden Perez
The lonely cat design is a cat that was drawn by famous artist Jean Bernard from the early 1800s along with another great font hand drawn by Chandler Klein. If you know me on a personal level I absolutely love cats and everything about them especially the stuff people complain about. Such a great creature to share a bond with. I really enjoy seeing street cats and getting a chance to meet them. I also love old fine art, so it was perfect to grab Jean Bernard’s sketch of a black cat that relates to the intimidating superstitious stereotype they have in our mainstream culture as well as your average street skater is usually an intimidating individual that people tend to avoid the path of due to stereotypes.
Liam Butler shot by Jake Fox
The Cowboy graphic was drawn by shop rider Christian Solis. I personally love his art, I would like to say its very genuine to him and it is unpolished in such an intentional way and has such a good feeling every time there is new art by him. I also have an appreciation for nice minimalistic art and design that has a perfect polished feeling. I felt we needed a graphic similar to how Polo Ralph Lauren has the design of the polo player and represents more of an elite preppy country club house. I was never the country club type and I come from more of a working class country minded area and I enjoy me some rad folk music such as Woody Guthrie. So here we have the Eastern Logic Cowboy.
Reese Hughes shot by Jake Fox
The SICK tee was also hand drawn by Christian Solis. When he sent me this graphic I did not recognize it from anything and thought that was so sick. This is probably the most unique graphic we have ever printed on a shirt over the years. Hope you enjoyed this article and excited to release more collections in the near future.
