Keith Hufnagel

Keith Hufnagel (January 21, 1974 – September 24, 2020) was an American skateboarding professional, entrepreneur, and fashion designer, the founder of the streetwear brand HUF.

Early life

Hufnagel was born in Manhattan, where he grew up in Stuyvesant Town–Peter Cooper Village;[1][2] his father was a vice president of Metropolitan Life Insurance and his mother a nurse.[3] After graduating from high school in 1992, he attended San Francisco State University but dropped out after one semester to become a professional skateboarder.[4][5]

Career

Skateboarding

Hufnagel began his skateboarding career in his teens in New York City, at the Brooklyn Banks, an expanse of steep brick slopes and staircases under the Brooklyn Bridge.[3][6] He turned pro in California in 1993, first joining Fun Skateboards and then signing with Jim Thiebaud of Real Skateboards; he also skated for Thunder Trucks and Spitfire Wheels.[4]

Fashion

After living for a couple of years in Los Angeles,[7] he opened the first HUF Worldwide store in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco in 2002 with his then wife, Anne Freeman,[3][5] at her suggestion using the nickname he had already used on his skateboard decks and T-shirts.[2] A pioneer of streetwear,[7] it carried rare sneakers and clothing by Supreme and other boutique fashion houses, and also art by other skateboarders and artists such as Aaron Rose and Haroshi.[4][8] The boutique expanded into a chain based in Los Angeles and with stores in Texas, New York, and several in Japan,[7] and by 2007 to a lifestyle brand, selling activewear labeled with an "H" plus in some cases an irreverent collection motto such as "Dirtbag Crew" or "Fuck It".[1][4] A sculpture by Haroshi of a raised middle finger, in the company's Los Angeles store, was destroyed in the protests following George Floyd's murder by police; Hufnagel responded by producing a T-shirt to benefit the Black Lives Matter movement.[1]

HUF products included limited-edition apparel related to bands, cartoon characters, and brands.[1][4][9] Hufnagel himself, one of the first skaters to have a shoe with his name on it, from his sponsor DVS,[1] also designed limited-edition shoes including the Nike Dunks and the Nike Air Max 90 HUFquakes.[1][4] HUF footwear included the Classic and a controversial signature shoe for Dylan Rieder.[1]

In late 2017, Hufnagel sold the HUF brand to TSI Holdings; Eddie Miyoshi became CEO the following year.[10] In 2019 Hufnagel decided to focus on apparel,[11][12] producing shoes only in collaboration with other brands.[1]

He revived the 1990s company Metropolitan as a "garage project" in 2017[11] and for it created an Adidas ZX 8000.[1]

Hufnagel skated for the HUF Worldwide team.[4] His career was featured in a three-part series on the Vice Media show Epicly Later'd.[13]

Personal

Hufnagel married Anne Freeman in 2001;[4] the marriage ended in divorce, but she remained involved in the HUF business until 2013.[2] He remarried to Mariellen Hufnagel; they have two children.[5]

He died of brain cancer at his home in Los Angeles in September 2020, at the age of 46.[3][4][5][14][15]

References
  1. Pappalardo, Anthony (2020-09-24). "Keith Hufnagel, Pro Skateboarder and Streetwear Visionary, Dies at 46". Complex. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  2. Salek, Yasi. "Man In His Domain: Keith Hufnagel". Playboy Sweden. Retrieved 2020-10-07 – via Magzter.com.
  3. Marble, Steve (2020-09-29). "Keith Hufnagel, pro skateboarder who launched global streetwear brand Huf, dies at 46". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  4. Slotnik, Daniel E. (2020-09-26). "Keith Hufnagel, Pro Skateboarder and Entrepreneur, Dies at 46". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  5. Bartlett, Amanda (2020-09-27). "Iconic SF skateboarder and HUF founder Keith Hufnagel dies at 46". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  6. "Keith Hufnagel". Lodown Magazine. 2013-12-30. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  7. Hays, Kali (2020-09-24). "Keith Hufnagel, Skater, Huf Brand Founder, Dies". WWD. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  8. Kurtz, Jason. "Keith Hufnagel, skateboarding icon and streetwear founder, dies at 46". CNN. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  9. Gorecki, Jimmy (2020-10-01). "Remembering Keith Hufnagel: A Skater Who Changed the Sneaker Game". Complex. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  10. Hamanaka, Kari (2018-08-26). "Huf Worldwide CEO Eddie Miyoshi's Balancing Act". WWD. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  11. Pappalardo, Anthony (2019-11-06). "From HUF to Metropolitan: Keith Hufnagel Goes Back To Square One". Highsnobiety. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  12. Michna, Ian (2019-04-16). "Keith Hufnagel on the Future of HUF". Jenkem Magazine (interview). Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  13. "Keith Hufnagel". Monster Children. 2014-06-23. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  14. Sparks, Hannah (2020-09-25). "Keith Hufnagel, skateboard legend, dead at 46". New York Post. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  15. Gariano, Francesca (2020-09-26). "Skateboarder and entrepreneur Keith Hufnagel dies from brain cancer at 46". Today. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
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