Unemployable: 30 Years of Hardcore, Skate and Street follows the story of three brothers – Stephen, Peter and Matt Hill – who revolutionised the underground skate scene in Melbourne during the 80s when they set up the world’s largest skate, street and surf company, Globe International.
Growing up skating around the suburbs of Melbourne, the three brothers founded Globe International on a whim, without any formal training in business management. They just wanted to have fun, and they were bored of all the skate products on offer at the time. “Clearly we were unemployable,” says Matt Hill, the youngest brother and company CEO, “To the outside that meant we were losers with juvenile hobbies and no future. To us it meant not following a conventional life path. We wanted a grown up life that would match our teen lives: optimistic, innovative and fun. Turns out that when you band people together with that “fuck convention” mentality, it’s a powerful, creative and inspiring force.”
A creator and distributor of leading streetwear labels, including Stüssy, Mossimo, Obey and Mooks, as well as being responsible for some of the world’s finest skate and surf movies, they created a whole subculture on the Australian streets. Indeed, from the shadows to the spotlight, the brothers put skating onto the mainstream map. But after taking the company public, in the 90s, when more corporate figures came in, the brothers lost sight of their roots, and essentially stopped having fun. Fast-forward to today, though, and Globe International’s products are sold in more than 100 countries. The brothers have once more injected their passion and flare back into the brand.
“We’ve tried hard to gravitate back to it being subculturally relevant not a company story. Hence the title,” said Matt Hill, speaking to i-D earlier this year. “We were also really keen to express how many people had been involved and that they were all really diverse. The one thing connecting everyone who worked with us was their dedication to work hard. Many of them didn’t have formal training but we all had a unifying drive to make a difference. The title really became the anchor. If people see it as sentimental that’s great too.”
Featuring more than 190 exclusive contributions from Globe insiders over the past three decades, including an old contact sheet from Blind skateboards of an iconic ad featuring Mark Gonzales and shot by Spike Jonze, interviews with the Chairman of BHP, and Paul Keating as well as sit downs with Tony Hawk and Rodney Mullins, the book celebrates their brand’s 30th anniversary.
Jason Boulter’s Unemployable: 30 Years of Hardcore, Skate and Street is published by Thames & Hudson and will be out next month.
Credits
Text Tish Weinstock