Sixteen years ago, in northeast Long Beach, a 13-year-old skateboarder named Terry Kennedy was recruited by Vans, his first sponsor, during a skating session at Cherry Park.
This was the beginning of Kennedy’s pro-skater career. He now has his own clothing and music brand that originated in Long Beach called Fly Society.
Fly Society was founded seven years ago by Kennedy; his cousin, lyricist Michael Tyler (also known as H.I.T.); and music producer Fuzzyfe, a lifelong friend.
Summer friendly raglans shirts with splattered, patterned sleeves, crew necks with a block-lettered logo and asymmetrical camouflage shorts with a splash of orange are just some items featured under “Fresh Styles.” Hats are also included in the series, mixing neutral canvas textures with vibrant, tropical designs.
Fly Society clothing follows a theme of international jet-setting. “It definitely has a double meaning,” Kennedy said. “It’s for people who travel, and for those who fly.”
Kennedy said he refuses to stop at just clothing.
“We want to give people a culture,” Kennedy said. “The clothes aren’t flying until you put them on.”
He considers Fly Society a movement because of its open arms to the multi-cultured and multi-faceted. He said the brand reaches out to artists of all genres from skaters to musicians; from style gurus to globetrotters; from fashion designers to emcees.
Kennedy mentioned one of the largest hurdles at first was to convey the identity of Fly Society to stores and companies. He said that, now, it’s a matter of pushing the envelope.
As head owner, he is often in and out of business meetings, sitting down with clients, brainstorming for what’s to come and pushing creative boundaries.
Kennedy attributes his youth as the original instigator to his success.
“Seeing Tony Hawk, seeing [Andrew] Reynolds, seeing Pharrell Williams and how they operate— I didn’t go to college, but I still studied,” he said.
It is no longer rare to see the modern mogul with a deck in hand. Tony Hawk did not only pioneer vertical skating in the late ‘90s, but he also built an enterprise on four wheels. More recently, Rob Dyrdek has followed suit, branching out through his reality MTV series “Rob & Big,” “Fantasy Factory” and now “Ridiculousness” as well as other mediums.
Fly Society accepts footage that showcases the talents of young artists to consider for sponsorship.
“[Skating] always brought me joy,” Kennedy said, “In the sense that I impressed myself with getting better at something time after time.”
Fly Society clothing is being featured in skate-style stores like Zumiez and Tilly’s, however, their latest pitch was picked up by major department retailer Macy’s. Kennedy said that the next step is releasing an exclusive line for women.