Between Two Beers Podcast: Steve Dunstan: How Huffer Became an Iconic NZ Brand

On this episode of Between Two Beers, we talk to Steve Dunstan.

Steve is the brand director and founder of Huffa, one of New Zealand's most loved fashion

brands.

He started the company 26 years ago as a 21-year-old and has grown it into a multi-faceted business

with 12 stores across New Zealand and one in Melbourne.

In this episode, we talk about the humble beginnings of the Huffa story, snowboard stunts and

starring in million-dollar ads, sponsoring Hailey Halt in the Huffa House of Horrors,

the Orlando Blue Moment in front of 200,000 people in Wellington, taking on America, hitting

rock bottom and nearly losing it all, and the 10-year salvage mission that got the brand

back to where it is today.

Steve is a Kiwi icon, a thoughtful, humble, optimistic winner whose epic story of business

success is as entertaining as it is inspiring.

Listen on iHeart or wherever you get your podcasts from or watch the video on YouTube.

A huge thanks to those supporting the show on Patreon for the cost of a cup of coffee

a month to get involved head to www.betweentwobeers.com.

Also follow us on Instagram and TikTok where we cut up all the best video clips from each

episode and join our private Facebook group Ambassadors to chat with our community about

the show.

This episode was brought to you from the Export Beer Garden Studio.

Enjoy!

Steve Dunstan, welcome to Between Two Beers.

Hey yeah, great to be here, thank you.

Very excited to have you in the Export Beer Garden Studio, it's our first step into the

world of fashion, probably a much-needed one.

I've been getting a little bit of stick lately for my skinny jeans and I think Shae's been

getting a bit of feedback on his jorts.

I don't think there's anything wrong with jorts, I've got a lot of heat for jean shorts.

That reaction tells me that maybe I've made a fashion faux-pasti.

Well yeah, it's so hard to keep up, it really does change.

So the best just to be yourself, you know?

Yeah, it does change.

My wife made mention that I should go for the baggy pants because the 90s style is in

the moment, the 90s style is back.

Is that it?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's mind-blowing actually, obviously I suppose I'm going to give away my age, but growing

up high school, coming out of high school in the 90s, that's the, you know, had massive

influence on myself and yeah, good to see it back in fashion, you know?

We can really, as you know, my age group, I can be a leader because I know it well,

well the 90s, Huffer's a 90s child, right?

What was so good, in your opinion, what was so good about the 90s?

You know, it's interesting, we talked about Huffer's starting in 97, but really a massive

part of who we are today and how we even started was the influence from the 90s, like what

was happening in pre-97, I suppose, and exactly that.

What is in fashion right now?

And beyond the fashion and the clothing, the culture, the music, the people, the sense

of building a community and how you did that back then, very tactile and real, but yeah,

for me that meant skateboarding, you know, I went to a school that you could skateboard

at school and I made my decision to go to that school because of that and the fact that

you didn't have to wear a uniform, so some really important decisions along the way

that sort of set me up to where I am now, but yeah, 90s, you know, like, I thought when

you were saying, what did you say Jays?

I thought you were talking about Jordans.

No, no, no, Gene Shorts.

Oh, Gene Shorts.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

If I was wearing Jordans that would be fine.

I wouldn't get any H-shirts.

They're not hardcore Gene Shorts, they are Gene Shorts though.

Yeah, but like, if you're talking about Jordans, like, I remember coming out of high school

in the early 90s, the Jordan twos, threes and fours, fives, wow, and we just saw Darcy out there

a pair of Jordan sixes, but that, because they're, you know, they're trending right now, but that was

like, huge Michael Jordan basketball, the movement of what he was doing with the sneaker culture

back then, and now seeing it today is just, yeah, it's quite mind-blowing how, you know, you see

like 16-year-old kids, 13-year-old kids going, you know, we're going to get some Jordan fours,

I was like, what? Did you rock a Reebok pump back in those days as well?

Yeah, I did have a pair of those, you know, pretty cool, a bit of a gimmick, I suppose.

Yeah, I had some at Hilltop Primary School in 94. Did you rock a Reebok pump, Steve?

Man, never got into the Reeboks. I should have said this at the start, actually. Excited to

have you on, because Huffer played a major role in my wardrobe through my teenage years. Huffer

and Volcom were pretty much my go-to brands, but you mentioned Darcy, like we just saw him

out there wearing a Huffer puffer. That's right. Does that still give you a real kick,

like you walking into a building and you're seeing someone and they're wearing your clothes?

Yeah, and I came out of the lift and he gave me a massive hug in our jacket, and yeah, it does,

you know, like it really, you know, still the same effect today, or the experience you have of,

yeah, it was very touching and humbling, I suppose, to see it like that.

I think I rocked the, it was the Digi-T? The Digi-Map, yeah.

Yeah, and it had, because I'm from Topol, I was born in Topol as a hometown, so the Huffer,

the three circles were like Topol, so that was kind of real cool for me, and that was,

that was my uni days back in the University of Waikato.

Yeah, nice, man, nice. Yeah, that's getting into the early 2000s, I think.

Yeah, that's dated me, there you go, you know, you know my generation now.

So, yeah, but the 90s, still on there? Yeah, yeah, yeah, please.

Yeah, because as I said, I think it is an important thing, you know, I've

talked a little bit about Huffer, I suppose, the build-up to 97, and what we were experienced

from that gap from high school, well, during high school, and then to Huffer, and like,

what was happening is really shaped the tone of voice, our values, our sense of

the way we explore, it's all part of who we are, and it's such a golden time, you know, like,

anybody out there that wasn't born, go and do some research on it, because it is training now,

but you need to know your facts. There are many sides to Steve Dunstan, and we were kind of

thinking about where we should start this year, you know, professional snowboarder,

business owner, fashion pioneer, surfer, but I actually wanted to start with a little story

we heard about you being a stunt double, and it goes back to, I think 95, I think you were a

professional snowboarder at the time, living in Queenstown or around that area, and Sprite decided

to film $35 million commercial nearby, and you got the call-up. Yeah, well, to start,

there were quite big titles, you say professional snowboarder, and yeah, I sponsored, and I managed

to make a living, I suppose, to go back to lead up to Sprite, you know, from skateboarding in the

90s, and then, you know, snowboarding emerging is like the skateboarding of the mountain,

there was this real world drawn to the mountains, and then got good at it, got sponsored, and then,

there was this, yeah, in the 90s, there was a big movement of American pros coming down, and, you

get to meet them, when you're good, they want to meet the local riders, you show them the way,

you make friends, you go to the bar, have some beers with them, and then, some of them had quite

a few beers, broke some windows and things, but yeah, it was crazy, but anyway, so there was a

like a true professional snowboarder, American super pro, top five, top 10 in the world at the

time, Mike Rankwit, so he, I actually idolized him, and he influenced me and my snowboarding,

and that, you know, I got to meet him, my hero, in a social way, we got to ride with him, but then,

he was down here filming the Sprite commercial, they were using his profile, so because I knew him,

and you know, with skateboarding, snowboarding surfing, you stand goofy or regular, I was goofy,

Mike Rankwit was goofy, that's, you know, there's less of them, and I'd been riding with them,

and I think there was a bit of an emergency meeting, I think in those big, you know,

film, 35 mil film, you say 35 million, because I think, 35 million dollar operation,

are you saying 35 millimeter, millimeter, I think there was in the millions, I don't know if it's,

I think the 35 mil was the, you know, old school, it's like what they used to film movies on,

sometimes the research will go awry.

I thought it was shitty.

No, it was in the millions though.

35 million dollar production in 95, it's a hell of a commission.

That's why I was like, it's a fucking blockbuster movie back in the day.

Anyway, you got Mike Rankwit, this is like, he's like a global superhero pro, coming down,

Sprite wanted to use his profile, and they wanted, it was basically a Sprite commercial,

like flying around the mountain, you know, doing this thing, and he,

you know, does this run, comes down, and then this, what seemed to be a learner,

crashes into a Sprite machine on the snow, and it's like, what did the best snowboarders in

the world drink, same as the, every snowboard or something.

So anyway, he, they wanted to shoot his face, like sitting there by the guy crashing the

machine, and that's called the first unit.

So you have the first unit, second unit, second unit, it's like action in a movie,

you know, and it was movie spec.

It was like, helicopters and shit, you know.

$35 million worth.

Yeah, $35 million.

It was $35 million.

Big budget, big, big budget.

Anyway, because it was costing, you know, it was costing millions a day, because that's

what it cost back then.

They wanted to film the first and the second unit on the same day, but, you know,

Mike's face was the most important thing.

So they panicked, and then somehow tracked me down.

I think I had a cell phone back then, and I got a call at like six in the morning,

who knows how I answered it, and like, how quick can you get to Kadrona for so and so

thousand dollars a day?

And I was like, pretty bloody quick.

And, and we used to like driving over the Crown Range.

It was a gravel road and was like, pretty much like a rally stage.

So yeah, we raced over there, turned up, didn't really know what was going on.

Someone goes, right, there's your trailer to get changed, wardrobe.

I was like, wardrobe.

And then that's your helicopter.

Now you just got to go and jump.

That's going to fly up there.

You're going to jump out of there and come fly down here.

I was like, what the?

Anyway, so yeah, he chose me to be his stunt double for like one of the best

waters in the world, which I couldn't actually comprehend at the time.

But had you done anything like that before?

The jumping out of the helicopter?

I did it.

I was part of a Toyota commission.

We had to jump over moving cars and things, but that's pretty.

I was in a Japanese feature film as a stuntman as well.

Light blue.

So, hey, ice blue.

Ice blue.

Geez, your notes are all over the place.

I'm off today.

I mean, it's early stuff.

But, you know, it's sort of supported my lifestyle at the time.

You know, I had sponsorship.

You'd do some of these jobs and ads and things.

And, you know, you say stuntman, it was like combined that with professional

snowboarding, I suppose.

And then you can make a, you know, make a bit of a hack at it

and get, you know, live the dream of doing a couple hundred days a year snowboarding.

But yeah, what a crazy experience to be in a Sprite commercial.

So was the, was the concern that Mike might damage his face in the action,

in the second unit sequence, which would affect the first unit shot?

No, no, no.

It was more so a budget thing because, because it was in the millions per day.

Maybe a million, I don't know.

They couldn't afford to do another day.

So they were like, well, we've got the whole crew here.

We can have first and second unit working at the same time.

Got it.

So, so big trust from Mike, man.

Shout out to Mike.

Like, let me do your stunts, you know, because like he's, I don't know.

It was cool.

Oh yeah, I had to jump out of a helicopter into a chute, you know, like in a,

in the Arcadia chutes above the main chairlift at Kodrona.

And then another one was like set up a jump to a backside 360 and land on the downslope,

but that cut a hole, put this massive $35 million camera, no, millimeter camera under the snow

with a, a perspex sheet over it.

And I had to do this 360 and land on the perspex sheet and go bam.

And every time I did it, they go, well, you better get it right, man.

This sheet of perspex is like three grand a pop or something.

Wow.

How many, how many takes for, for all of their sequences?

I was like four or five or something on that one.

And then the helicopter was, oh man, the helicopter, that was the best because

he had to jump out of the helicopter.

The first time I did it, I was like, all right, man, the door's off the helicopter.

You know, they got the ski thing and they duct tape, like some sponge on the top of the ski.

And I'm, I've got the handle and a bit of rope.

And I'm like, we've got my ass in the helicopter.

We fly up over the, over the, over the chutes, looking down like 40 feet or something.

Going, what the Jesus?

And there's a film crew in the chutes, like, you know, 35 million dollar camera.

Big, there's like four people and, and they go, action.

And the helicopter's moving around.

There's wind and, oh man, it was like, it was pretty, pretty sketchy because I knew

was a rolling, it's costing like a million dollars a minute.

I was a second or something.

It's like when you filming on that 35 million dollar film.

So I just had to jump.

I was like, oh my God, the pressure.

And then I just jumped.

Because when you, when you drop a big cliff or like a big drop like that, you use,

you got forward momentum.

So you can, you know, you, you go off, you land, you put your back foot down and

you sort of power out of it.

But I was just coming straight down and first time, you know, didn't really adjust for that.

And then just cartwheel down the chute, off a cliff.

And then they're like, right, okay, retake.

I was like, Jesus.

Anyway, but the good thing was we did it, we had to shoot it from in the snow,

in the helicopter, all these different angles.

So I was in the helicopter all day going up and down.

And we had to, you know, at the, once I did the stunt, you had to ride down to the bottom

where the helicopter was.

So you get a, like a free heli ski run.

So I was just riding heli skiing all day and paid for it.

Yeah.

We'll be right back after this short break.

We've got a lot of ground to cover.

Like I'm so, I'm so looking forward to everywhere we're going to go to.

But I wanted to actually start with a quote.

So the way we do things where you sort of canvass your friends and colleagues and family to get

sort of inside lines.

And I got a quote from Alex Chapman, who's a friend of yours and a friend of the show.

Got up.

And he said, Dunstow has this uncanny ability of making you feel like your conversation

is the most important to him right now.

And in that moment, you're the most important person to him.

It's a skill a lot of people don't have and shows how enormous his heart is.

He's fiercely loyal and once you're in his corner, he'll back you for life.

You wouldn't know he's created such a behemoth of a brand.

We all have egos, but his might be the smallest I've ever seen.

He's so low key.

His belief in mental health and determination to align not only the Huffer brand,

but his own life with it, is a credit to his willingness to be vulnerable as a person.

A lot of people and companies can learn a lot from him.

As he would say, he's the fucking man.

Wow, man.

Jeez, let's go on a cry.

It's really nice words, but I just want to reflect on that.

Like the loyalty piece of that.

Does that ring true?

Like, is that really important to you?

Yeah, 100%.

Yeah, I don't know why it's just built into me.

And hey, I totally don't get it right either.

So a disclaimer there, like it is important,

but if you believe in things like that, it doesn't mean you're always the master.

But yeah, man, loyalty.

Like I think I don't really know how to answer that.

It's amazing when you get a journalist to bloody say something about you.

It's pretty well written.

But yeah, your loyalty is really important.

I think I don't really know what to say there, but I just appreciate, I don't know.

Yeah, I don't know how to answer, really.

I think it would be natural for everyone to be loyal to some degree.

And when you're not, if you make a mistake,

just recognize it and learn from it, I suppose.

It's a tricky one when you say something really nice to someone.

Say, react to that.

Like, I don't know, it makes me feel nice

and it's something nice to say.

Now, let's start building into the Huffer story,

because we're sort of touched on the snowboarding background.

But what did life look like in those very foundational years,

maybe before you started the business,

and what was the inspiration for getting into it?

Yeah, I suppose, maybe over the past five years,

I tried to do some mind work.

I'm sort of studying it over here to come back to here.

But I think just being carefree and having, I suppose,

separating your thinking from your mind,

your mind is like your intuition, your gut feeling.

To me, your mind is your gut, right?

Your mind's here.

Your thinking's up here.

When you go up here, it's up in your head.

It's like, usually hurts when you think, or,

and that's, your thoughts can go out of control.

They just come and you need to stand back from them

and actually be in tune with your mind, your gut, right?

So I think in the younger years,

you know, I suppose shout out to my dad,

because he was, you know, he was like Canterbury Boys High,

Canterbury B Rugby team or something.

Like really into rugby and all that stuff.

And I started playing rugby and he wanted,

you know, it seemed like he may have wanted me to go down a path

that he could identify with.

But, you know, a big break was coming to Auckland

and him giving me the ability to make my own decisions.

I suppose when I was like 14, coming to Auckland

from down country and making the choice of where I went to school

and to not play rugby, to play basketball for a moment,

and to just explore me and what I wanted to do.

And it gave me some freedom to some degree.

Although it was always a bit of pressure, you know,

but yeah, being able to follow your spirit, I suppose.

And that was part of, you know, my schooling.

I really shout out to Salon College, I think too,

because it's, you know, I lived in Grammar Zone

and I made the choice, not my dad,

he would love to meet for me to go to Grammar

and nothing against Grammar.

But I think I made a choice based on who I thought I was

and what would work for me.

And I made a choice to go to Salon College at the time.

And, you know, it was like, it was Coler, it was Mufti,

it was, yeah, you could skate at school.

And the subjects you could study at the time

were aligned with my interests.

And, you know, I think by having the ability to let me,

yeah, follow my spirit at a young age,

helped shape the foundations of who I am, I think,

if that makes sense.

The great, it's a great piece.

It's a great piece.

JD, is that your dad?

JD.

Yeah.

You haven't talked to him, have you?

No, well, we couldn't get him.

I thought I'd make him a pay for your mum on Instagram.

Is it Val?

Yeah, Val.

Yeah, I was going to go down that line.

But yeah, it's great.

It's quite often we find that successful people,

their success is rooted in their foundation.

So to have that freedom of spirit, it's at such a young age,

must have been incredibly empowering for someone

making sense of the world as well.

Yeah, yeah.

I mean, I think my dad at the time was like,

oh, God, bloody hell, what's he doing?

You know, I didn't go to uni

because I felt like I wasn't ready to make a decision.

There was nothing like coming at me

that I really wanted a pathway through university.

So I decided to go to Queenstown, never been there.

But that was through the gravitation

to snowboarding through.

So yeah, just being able to make those decisions.

I suppose maybe a learning here for parenting,

and support your children's spirit

and don't try and force them into a box.

Not that I'm a shining example,

but I think, yeah, I really appreciate that from my past

and having that ability to live and follow my gut instinct

and not get caught up in overthinking things.

And so through school, did you always have an eye on fashion?

Like, did you witness that people were using what they were

to sort of explain themselves or present themselves?

And like, did you remember looking back

that that was a fundamental part?

I haven't really thought about it until just right now,

and thank you for bringing that up,

because I think going to Salomon College,

and all of a sudden at the age of 14, I think,

going, right, I've got to turn up to school

and I can actually express myself with what I wear.

And then going into this, you know,

it's quite an alternative school at the time,

but I think it still is to some degree.

But yeah, all of a sudden you're thinking

about how you project yourself and like how,

not that I think clothing makes you a certain person,

but it's an ability to be yourself and be comfortable,

rather than being uniformed.

So I think, yeah, I think that was a massive impact

to then help you also connect with people.

And I think, you know, if we think about how I've started,

like that providing the opportunity for someone

to self-express and like give themselves their own identity

to then be able to tell the story

before you even meet someone of who you might be.

So I think that's a learning that I got from that age.

Paint a little picture of Steve, age 15, 16,

going to Salomon College day to day.

What are you rocking in school, then?

Well, yeah, I remember dying my own shoes,

like the poor man's version of a van slip on.

Like I remember two different colors for each shoes and,

you know, like I had bright colored, you know, 90s vibe,

you know, then we'd get into the Jordan,

so if you could save up to get some Jordan skating,

skate shoes, like following skate brands

and understanding, you know, the riders that influence you

and how they live their lives

and what they look like influence the story you might want

to tell about you at the time through, yeah,

like silhouettes, colors and brands

and what they stood for and their values

and what you subconsciously may have taken from brands

and what they stood for.

You know, skate brands were rebellious

and but it was like courageous, you know,

and so you like, you'd put on a brand

that was all over Thrasher magazine and you were like, yeah.

Thrasher magazine, that's the one I was trying to remember.

Yeah, Thrasher and Transville skateboarding and snowboarding.

But yeah, it's just being able to like explore

through clothing, I suppose, to help project your identity

and express yourself as an important part

of the makeup of the starter hopper.

So first of April, 1997, you were 21 and started

with a fax machine and a cutting table.

But before that, like if you just rewind,

like what were the inspirations or what was the,

like how did it start?

Like that's when the company started,

but like how did it start before that?

Okay, so yeah, all the 90s that were talked about,

the culture, the music, the people,

the connections through those interests,

the freedom to explore through skateboarding.

You know, skateboarding was about meeting

RTL Square in Auckland, no phones,

you just go down there and meet up with people.

Yeah, meet at three o'clock and you were there at three o'clock.

Yeah, yeah, you had a bus pass, you cruise around.

So people come in together and then,

yeah, exactly what we just talked about as well,

like that sense of identity and expression

exploration, which then transferred to snowboarding.

Snowboarding emerged through the 90s and again,

being an outcast, like snowboarding was like kind of,

yeah, you're looked down on, you know,

it was like a very sort of conservative ski situation

at the time and, you know, they just thought we're ratbags,

you know, but I was just looking at,

I didn't really care about skiers,

but you just wanted to translate what you'd learn

in skateboarding on the mountain.

It was just this new amazing thing.

So that sense of courageous exploration.

So by going through that, you know, by having an interest,

so whatever you do in life, if you have an interest,

then it attracts you to people, right?

If you're outgoing and positive and open to meeting people

through an interest can draw you in, right?

So you play rugby, you get the rugby club,

you meet people at rugby.

So whatever it may be, but then, so that happened.

And then through that period in the 90s,

I met Dan who was an extremely good skateboarder

and I skateboarded as well,

but I was doing more snowboarding at the time

and I really looked up to,

I think he won the Nationals in 97 when we started,

but they're coming together of the two of us

and then, yeah, and all the community around it

and then they want to make something that we could own

or as a collective that was helped sort of put a stamp

on what we stood for.

So it was like, you know, like skate,

you know, you got to think 97 when it did start.

Yes, you could buy stuff in mail order

from some of the skate supply stuff

and there was some sense of availability, but not much.

So we made our own stuff to help give us our identity

for what we stood for, you know, what we really believed in,

you know, like that was our life, you know, a lifestyle.

And to be able to have a tangible thing

that a flag you could fly essentially

to shout out to the world that I represent this

was just what was all about really.

Was it, did you start by making stuff for the two of you

or did you have a little kind of crew

and you two just happened to be the, quote unquote,

the leaders of the gang, that kind of...

Oh, yeah, no, there is a bit more to it.

Dan was studying like a fashion course at AUT

and he decided to want to make outerwear

as a challenge like snowboard outerwear.

So he started with jackets like waterproof,

breathable jackets for snowboarding.

So we wanted to be, we wanted to go to the mountains,

look like skateboarders, but keep warm and dry.

So, well, sorry, he started

because he wanted to challenge himself

on making something that was, you know,

like harder than a t-shirt.

And it was a good challenge.

And because I snowboarded, we got together

and then co-created, well, yeah,

because I snowboarded with him, I came in and, you know,

it got help, advice on, you know,

some of the functionality features

from, you know, spending all the time in the snow.

And then it was just like, well, what are we doing?

Let's just put everything together.

And we should make this like stuff AUT,

let's make it a business, you know,

or more than a business, a brand, sorry.

A business came from it, you know,

that brand was everything.

So that's how it emerged through the,

I don't know, the trenches of the streets,

of skateboarding, you know, the music,

the culture, the people and how we interacted

and then the emergence of snowboarding

and the want to make some outerwear.

And we did.

And is that, is that how words spread?

Because bear in mind, this is 97.

So this is pre-social media.

Yeah.

This is kind of infancy of internet

and internet marketing.

So was it, is it word of mouth?

Is it those mags that you were talking about?

Like, is there a buzz on the scene of like,

where the fuck did they, where'd you get that jacket from?

Yeah, what you're saying, you think skateboarding

and snowboarding, you're influenced,

you know, magazines are a thing.

But the amount of content you saw, you'd study.

I remember looking at snowboard magazines and just like,

you'd look at one photo for like hours, just go, wow.

But now, you know, you're on TikTok.

So everything's getting spat at you.

And you sort of look past some of the important aspects,

you know, like how often do you look at a still image

of these things?

So everything's moving, which is cool.

But, you know, so you're hugely influenced.

The magazines had massive influence

and actually just been there, you know, like,

if you snowboard at a skate park,

if you went to a skate park, you turn up

and there's someone ripping and you haven't,

you get a thing.

There's no social media, nothing.

There's some skate vids that you had to go

to the skate store to watch because you couldn't afford

to buy them.

Yeah, you see that in person.

It has massive impact on you.

So yeah, I think the people, all our friends

were really good at it.

So we naturally, we didn't have this marketing plan,

like we'll go and buy these pro riders and we're just like,

hey, man, you want to wear some of this and that.

And it naturally, we naturally formed a team

because we, the people we knew were excited to wear it

and to potentially, you know, show their identity

or who they are and what they stood for.

And, you know, you think about values and things that we

didn't, you know, I've only probably written down

our company values like recently, but they're built in

but getting them out is hard.

But so subconsciously we had values and people gravitated

because they could feel it and they could see it.

How, when you reflect on those early months or years,

how long was it until you realised you had something

special and you were like, shit, things are starting to come

together here.

Like we're starting to build a bit of momentum.

Oh, before we started, like straight away.

Just seeing, making some samples and just the excitement

of having the ability to produce something that stood

for what we're, what we're living and just seeing it.

And then I remember like, we managed to somehow put a sample

range together.

Then I jumped in the, I jumped in the car and went around

the country to skate, skate in snow stores to go and convince

them and, you know, to sell our product.

But, you know, we used our profiles in the industry.

It was like, oh, Steven, Dan and we know them through the

industry.

They're good at what they do.

And so we got our foot in the door and then that was our

opportunity.

Then we had to follow up.

But yeah, just that moment of going, going on the road with

these physical things that stood for everything that would

experience through the 90s.

That was it, man.

So in those early days, you're not making a lot of money.

Any money you do, mate, you're investing back into the company.

You're working weekends.

Was there a time when you were working in a retail store and

they were selling Huffer gear and you'd like watch people come

in and buy stuff as you were working as a retail worker?

Yeah, yeah.

So, yeah, so we did get that sample range created.

We did sell it in.

I think we got six or seven stockists.

Like Cheapskates probably recognize that name.

You know, they were around at the time and some other sort of

independent snow and skate stores.

And then, yeah, so we did that when I thought we were really

smart and we were like, wow, we managed to actually make, we

got orders and we made it.

And we actually, we actually made it.

We're cutting the fabric.

Dan was sewing some of the samples up.

We're trying to, we just hustled to try and get it over the line.

So we delivered it and then we're like, oh, we've got that done.

And Dan went over to the States to go skating.

And then I went to Queenstown.

I was, I moved to Queenstown to do another season there.

Yeah, of course.

And then, yeah, I worked in part time in a snowboard store that

just actually celebrated 30 years, a couple of weeks ago.

Quest, which was called BOA, Board of Authority.

Went down there and worked part time in snowboarded.

And yeah, they stocked our product.

And, yeah, I sold it and it was amazing.

And the Japanese used to come in the off season.

It was pretty cool.

They do now, but they used to come in clans, like just hundreds of them.

And they're so passionate, like so into it, so into it.

They just come in and live in these like backpackers and

just snowboard every day.

But they'll come in and they just, they wanted a piece of it because

there was, you know, in the small town of Queenstown, the Wanaka area,

there was a few of us riding and that we influenced them.

Plus it was from New Zealand.

And that's where the New Zealand part comes in.

But, yeah, just seeing the excitement and selling it out in front of me.

Like, I was actually selling it.

It was like, yeah, that was a cool experience.

That was really, really cool.

Are you slipping in like, oh, by the way, guys, I actually made this.

As you're completing the transaction.

So are you like, genuinely, are you flying under the radar a little bit

kind of as the brand is growing?

Or are people aware that you and Dana behind this?

We did our talking by living the lifestyle, I suppose.

Like, we did our talking on the mountain or skating or, you know,

and just living the culture.

You didn't have to say anything.

It was just like, yeah, yeah, we are part of it and we are the creators.

But you just do it by living it, you know, you don't have to say it.

One of the articles I read had a line which I wanted to talk about.

And I'm not sure where in the journey, how many years in this was,

but it was when the Huffa Puffa came out.

And the first line of it sold 400 units.

And then the next order was for 2,500.

And it seemed like this was like a big leap of faith.

You really went for it.

Is that, was that a really courageous move?

Yeah, it was.

That's a big jump in timeline.

But yeah, I think, so we did start with to back up to give that point some background,

I suppose.

We did start out making snowboard out of where and then we some,

you know, we moved to Queenstown down to America.

We came back, holy smokes.

We've got some is happening here.

Like, our PO boss was Phillip Bills and we had to pay them.

And they were like, oh, what are we doing?

No, we're going to keep going.

And then we made a summer range and it was like, you know,

predominantly skate clothing to some degree.

And then we grew, went through.

We just keep persevering.

Yes, we didn't pay ourselves and we worked other jobs and it didn't matter.

We're just in it and it grew and grew and grew.

And yes, the Huffer Puffer or, you know, the Huffer Down jacket came very early in the seat.

I think it was the second winter we made our first,

because we were sitting around like a studio, so freaking cold.

And we're like, oh, we've got to make a, you know, make a warm jacket as well.

Not that snowboard jacket is not, but we wanted a really cozy jacket.

So we made a Huffer jacket and then, yeah, I suppose over those years,

it was always part of our ranges and collections and it grew to,

you know, to those levels that you're talking about in those numbers.

But there was a point in the business where it was like,

what are we really doing here, you know?

So, yeah, we boosted, we boosted.

So after playing around, well, not playing around,

but like building the brand organically, it was time to,

you know, develop some business sustainability to some degree.

And to like the challenge of like, you know, coming from that really

core collective or community or subculture and the challenges of going out was

into a bigger world was, it's quite hard, you know?

Because unfortunately, as great as that world was,

it could be quite closed-minded, you know?

If you skated skateboarders, everything else sucked, you know?

So that was a challenge.

But once we negotiated our way to grow through that, rather than change,

we grew, which was hard, but we lived our values to get through it.

Then it was like, right, what can we really do?

And then, yeah, there was, you know, with the growth, there was, you know,

more people in the business that had some experience, you know?

I suppose the biggest learning, I suppose, is like, you're as good as you are.

And to grow, and if you want to grow,

you need to grow with people that have different skills.

So we had some great people come in that had the confidence to build a plan around,

yeah, boosting, like some of those numbers you're talking about.

And it's boosted beyond what you're talking about.

But there was a point.

I think it was maybe around sort of the 2013-14 sort of era.

And then, yeah, we got serious about that category.

As you see, you can see half a puff is everywhere, right?

In a good way.

Totally, totally.

That's the one today.

I'm off my game today.

That timeline is way out of whack.

We'll be right back after this short break.

The marketing side of it, because this is fascinating.

There'll be listeners listening who've only grown up with the internet

and they know social media and things.

But this time, like before YouTube, there was the Snowboard Magazine, right?

And if you got ads and you've got your marketing in there, you're all right.

But there were big gaps.

There might only be a few additions a year.

So the rest of it, you had to start sort of getting creative.

And then you created the Huffer House of Horrors.

Oh, the Huffer House of Horrors, yeah.

Yeah, we did.

Yeah, we did.

Before the Huffer House of Horrors, we actually did the Huffer World Tour of New Zealand.

And that was essentially a skate tour.

We had the most amazing skateboard team of these.

The best in the country.

It was amazing.

We sponsored them and we got a camper van and a couple other vehicles.

And I think we made handmade posters that we sent out to the skate stores.

So we went to Whakatane, Rotorua, Taupo, Palmerston North, Wellington.

We just cruised around and turned up to these skate parks.

Because the American skate teams had started coming down.

And we're like, you know what?

We're as good as them.

If not better, let's go.

And we stick it up a camper van.

And you can imagine I was pretty chaotic, but I had to drive the camper.

But wow, yeah, it was nuts.

But like hometown heroes turning up to these towns and just seeing the excitement.

You know, like actually having the motivation to do that.

And it was like, it was cool because we could take all our skaters and go skate some cool stuff.

But then every single town showed up.

And it was like, you know, it was, yeah, it was such a cool thing.

And that just, we didn't even think about it.

It just felt natural to want to explore that.

And then that, yeah, that translated to later on the Huffer House of Horrors.

So within the snowboarding, it was like, I think the internet had started to kick in to some,

I think broadband was a new thing and YouTube had just come about.

And I was like, imagine if we could film our snow team and like somehow broadcast it within a day or two.

So people get the sense of like, I was there, you know, because like you think about, you know,

early internet and very early, if not, not much social media, you know,

people want to know what's happening in the scene.

So it was like, it was a sense of like, it's alive.

So we made these like episodes, we got a house, put our team in the house,

and then gave ourselves the challenge to make three episodes over 10 days.

It sounds so dumb now, but at the time it was quite groundbreaking.

And a lot of fun.

And it's so hard, man.

Editing videos back then was just like, well, now you can do it on your phone,

like five seconds up, put on TikTok.

But now, you know, it took like, we'd just stay up all night editing and try and get these episodes

and try and upload to YouTube and then.

Were you doing the editing?

No, no, no, we'd have a film or an editor.

But yeah, it was so clunky back then.

I mean, he didn't even sleep.

And I'm like, come on, we're off to the next place, let's go.

So yeah, it was cool getting people together.

But then, you know, we had parties around it.

So we'll go to Queenstown and then Pee Money came down.

We had a party at like some culture and like turn it into like a bit of a festival and an event.

So yeah, I suppose the biggest part of it was just trying to broadcast and,

and, you know, have an open door policy to some degree.

You know, the skate tours was like, everybody come along and half a house of horrors,

come to the party, come be part of it and like come ride with us.

And yeah, just try and beyond what was the standard magazines and like,

what could we do on a tactile real level in the community?

You know.

So yeah, skate tours and house of horrors.

So I guess a way of marketing is you're sponsoring athletes, right?

You want people to see someone on the slopes who is amazing wearing your gear.

Yeah.

And one of the names that popped up was Haley Holt.

You guys sponsored Haley Holt.

Was she in the house of horrors?

Oh man.

Yeah.

She, wow.

She's amazing.

Wow.

What a snowboarder.

Yeah.

Yeah.

She was.

She's, she was awesome.

We sponsored her and she was so good to have on the team.

Like just dominated her.

Just so.

Did you know that she was a top dancer at that point as well?

Yeah.

Yeah.

I did know that.

I did know that.

It's such a, it's such a crazy combo, by the way, of snowboarder slash board dancer.

Well, not really.

It actually works.

I mean, she's got the, she's got, she's got the like confidence and like, she's not scared.

But then you put the finesse of dancing.

And if you look at skateboarding and snowboarding, it's, it's all, you know, very

gymnastical if there's such a word, but it's, you know, it's the art of flight.

You know, it's, you know, so I could see how they would play into her hands.

Very controlled.

Yeah.

But then very confident.

Like she was dropping big handrails down, going downstairs and like, oh man, she was awesome.

Were you quite selective of who, obviously you were selective, but how did you choose

which snowboarders and athletes to go after?

Yeah.

It's funny, we talked about athletes.

That was never a word for us back then.

You know, it's, I think Red Bull made that a thing.

I think Red Bull athletes, action sports and, you know, the riders or team or never athletes.

But yeah, they were again, just, you know, it was about a style as well, because it's

subjective.

And I suppose the flavor of who we were, you know, we're progressive freestyle snowboard.

So we probably wouldn't go and sponsor like a racer that goes through the gates.

So then there was a certain style, how you did it, how you carried yourself.

And there was no right or wrong.

It was just a flavor that, you know, and Haley, Haley had, she was, had a really good style

and like just appreciated her like courageous courage of just being able to do anything,

you know, and that, that just identified with us along with our other amazing team riders that

we had.

So yeah, and then we knew you just went on the mountain, went riding with people and you're

like, you know, in the magazines and then you approach people and talk.

And yeah, it was, it was very organic.

Yeah, we didn't ever, didn't sit down and like write a plan.

To use your words, I guess that's the gut thinking versus the head thinking.

Yes, exactly.

You spoke about, you didn't have your values maybe articulated as a mission statement on the wall.

Yeah.

But you had a sense and you knew what would align with what you wanted to do through those

through those people.

Yeah, exactly right.

Which is a real skill.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, yeah, I mean, when you're living in the moment, it's, yeah, we developed a collective,

I suppose, more so than, you know, that's a great word.

Yeah, collective is such a good word in terms of describing sounds better than athlete.

Because, you know, like, and it's subjective as an art form to me, like,

just a man to sidetrack a little bit, seeing what's happening in snowboarding now, you know,

went through the Olympics and there's NZ sports, whatever, sponsor, also support the athletes

through their journey to the Olympics.

But it seems like snowboarding has been sucked up by that and people get trapped in that bubble

and they lose their want, you know, they get a coach goes, you need to learn this trick,

you got to go and do it, you got to hike it, you got to go up and down this jump and practice,

practice, practice, and they get extremely good.

But they lose their expression.

But there's a movement of some of those athletes going back to being a collective and doing it,

going, you know what, I'm not going down the competition route.

I'm going to go down a route of expression and create and influence people into why snowboarding

is good and make it more accessible.

And that's, that's pretty cool.

Is that something that you're actively getting behind or does it happen organically?

No, we were right behind it.

Like, I suppose now reigniting snow because we're left for a moment at, you know, the industry

changed and, you know, we celebrated 25 years, as I said, and we reignited our old original

first range, which is out of where now we're continuing with it, because I think it's an

important story to tell.

Yeah, the people were getting behind again, rebuilding that collective is like the people

that are going on that journey.

And it's so cool to support them because they feel left out because shout out to Mitchie

Darwin.

He's like a, he went junior Olympics and then he was on that program and he bounced out of it

because he didn't enjoy it.

And it was so much pressure.

He's just like waiting to express himself and going to creative projects and like,

you're a guy.

This is awesome.

So instead of trying, you know, we could go to it and like try and jump on the Olympians

and and every respect to them.

I'm not, it's not a bad thing, but I just like the spirit of like, again, you know,

and someone like Mitchie, he's following his gut and he's doing what he feels is right.

And they'll take him on his journey.

Who knows where I'll go.

But yeah, the Olympic journey is very different.

And it's very foreign to why we started snowboarding.

I'm not against it.

I watch it.

It's amazing.

And it's really progressed nobody.

But yeah, it's quite, it's quite a weird thing.

It's an interesting thing because surfing is probably going through that as well with it

being included in the Olympics too.

It's a, it's a, yeah, you're right.

It's an interesting thing when movement sort of become funneled into

a spectator kind of a lens to watch it.

Yeah.

It's funny.

It's a funny relationship, especially the surfing.

You're like, does it suit?

But it's kind of cool to watch and you get into it.

But yeah, I don't, yeah.

Yeah, it's interesting.

To follow the storyline.

So about five years after you've launched, you make these digi,

you call them digi tees with the digi mat.

Digi mat.

Yeah.

With the Aya Ha Ha New Zealand, Aya Ha New Zealand.

And before, so we'll get to the Orlando bloom thing.

But before that, these were hot property, right?

Like the everyone, one of them, they were the shirt that you wanted to wear.

And you were already trying to sort of limit the reach of them because it was getting too big.

Yeah, yeah.

So yeah, that's actually a good backstory to that too.

Because as we talked about growing outside of our tight-knit community of quite close-minded

at times, people, it was hard.

We didn't want to turn our back on them.

But I think one thing that, from the beginning, becoming and immersing ourselves in a culture

which was really created by American culture, skating and snowboarding.

It's very American driven and led by the Americans.

Because New Zealand was always a part of what we did.

And I think if you were to, you know, if someone was giving you business advice,

it's like mimic what they're doing and, you know, do what they're doing and follow the leaders.

But we're like, New Zealand from day one always being part of, you know, it was physically on our

products that we had to many maps and even our main logo had a New Zealand map on it.

But so that was quite trailblazing because there were other New Zealand skate companies

and they were mimicking.

But we had the confidence to put New Zealand part of it as part of, like, you know,

projecting who we were.

And that fell right.

And then I think that was seen as leadership.

And then that's when there was interest outside of this community.

Because we stood up for what we believed in and where we're from.

At a time when I think maybe New Zealand was a bit suppressed

and we were like, you know what, this is who we are.

Again, leading from our gut, not overthinking it.

And then so we basically put New Zealand on a t-shirt.

And because it was, it was in some of our labeling, like New Zealand maps and NZ.

And then we basically put on a t-shirt.

And at the time, you say that now, you go, oh, man, there's some weird tourist tee or something.

But I remember the DigiMap t-shirt you're talking about.

I was at Grayland at some party wearing a t-shirt, rolling in and going, man,

this is like the coolest t-shirt.

But now we're in it now.

I was like, OK, being down at the tourist shop.

But that's because without claiming it, I feel like we were the only ones to do it.

We're the first to do it.

And it was a big moment in our culture, I reckon, to really celebrate who we are and where we're from.

Well, we obviously had New Zealand sports and all blacks and things like that.

But yeah, especially in our culture, to really in street culture and fashion, to really back,

you know, to, you know, when I say typically your mimic in American culture, to stand up as

Kiwis or New Zealanders or whatever you want to call it, that was quite a movement.

And that's what helped create this massive groundswell of interest

from the outside world of this bubble to wanting to get product.

So do you remember the the actual design process?

Like was that you like who came up with the idea?

Or was it like a group thing?

Or was it like I don't just sort of I actually don't even know.

Like we suppose t-shirt prints are part of skate culture.

And you always, you know, like you always releasing new prints.

And yeah, just felt right because New Zealand was always part of our visual identity since

day one, not to the point of a t-shirt print, but it just somehow snuck up on a t-shirt and

just felt good.

So then 2003 comes along Lord of the Rings premiere in Wellington.

It's like there's like 200,000 people lining the streets.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Wow.

And Orlando Bloom, who's one of the biggest, if not the biggest movie star in the world at that point,

wears your shirt.

And you get a message from someone saying, mate, you might need to check this out.

Yeah, yeah, that's basically what happened.

But yeah, so we've got this groundswell of like everybody wanted that t-shirt.

So it's in hot demand, right?

And we're like limiting the supply.

We're going, wow, we're growing outside the bubble.

We're going to protect the bubble.

We want to grow, but we want to control it.

So that was happening, right?

And then, yeah, this 2003 event rolls up.

Biggest thing in Wellington.

And then, yeah, I was just at work or something.

I think it was on a Wednesday or something.

Can't remember that.

Yeah, someone says you got to check this out.

So Orlando rolled up in the red carpet wearing the I Huffer t-shirt.

So we put our logo upside down to resemble a heart.

I love New Zealand.

Ripped off of the, you know, the I Love New York t-shirt to some degree.

And he, I think that's just really quite representative of what was happening.

Like because it was limited.

It was and the timing and the sentiments.

Like it was everybody wanted to get that t-shirt.

And that was the t-shirt to have, right?

And I think the story goes that I may not be right and someone can correct me.

But they're wrapping the show Lord of the Rings.

And then I believe, I don't know.

Well, it sounds good.

But the wardrobe person that had a relationship with Orlando was, you know,

oh, well, Orlando, I'm not going to see you every day and dress you.

But I'm going to get your gift and it's going to get you that t-shirt.

Because they're so hottest t-shirt in the country right now.

There's the coolest t-shirt and the message on it's perfect.

Have the t-shirt.

So he goes, oh, cool.

I'll wear it on the red carpet.

And then because he had a suit blazer, which wasn't really our style at the time

with the t-shirt underneath.

A bit Miami Vice, but he put his chest out and basically say to the crowd,

I love New Zealand and point at the t-shirt.

And then the crowd would love the fact that Orlando loves New Zealand.

And then so he kept doing it.

So all the media photos of him pointing at our logo basically just going, whoo.

So I was like, whoa, that's crazy.

So yeah, I mean, people pay a lot of money for those events to try and happen.

But we just did it with our head down and it was just a result of like a situation

was going on.

So yeah, I don't like to claim that one because it is a milestone to some degree

because what happened next is a really important part of the story.

I suppose that, you know, the media attention came to us.

I suppose he was on the front page of the New Zealand Herald.

And, you know, there's not much media around at the time.

So everything's very focused.

So the whole world saw it because everybody read the paper back then.

And then so they come to us.

The media comes to us and say, wow, this is an amazing opportunity.

What are you going to do?

Like, I didn't even, I didn't think.

So this is coming back to your gut again.

I didn't have to think.

I was like, well, I'm not going to make that because we're already, you know,

staying true to who we were and protecting our, you know,

you know, loyal supporters.

And we don't want to over-commercialize this opportunity and jump on the bandwagon because,

you know, we got, we actually got a, I don't know how valid it was,

but we've got an inquiry to buy a container load for Germany or something.

I was like, what the?

What's a container load?

How many shirts are in a container load?

Yeah, exactly.

What a weird order.

Yeah, so, I mean, and that was a big thing.

Then we ended up, I think I was on the front page of the Herald the next day,

sitting there on outside of the office going, you know,

Hufford declines the opportunity to make it.

And we said, we said, no, we're not going to make that.

And it became a main story, you know, like I think it ended up in the news as well.

I think, you know, there's student radios celebrating and they didn't sell it.

Woohoo.

And then I think, you know, and talk back, I think maybe even pull homes or something.

He's like, what is this New Zealand opportunity turned down or something?

So, you know, you know how stories become a story for a few hours in the media?

That was the story.

And then, but what it did, it sort of communicated to the mainstream audience

of New Zealand, you know, how we make decisions.

So it gave them a look into our business to get them to understand

a sense of values that we had.

So, yeah, I mean, it was just one of the things that happens, right?

It's a good problem to have, right?

There's two situations are you make the shirt and you make shitloads of money

or you don't do anything and you're the same.

But you've got this sort of good public goodwill that comes on board.

I mean, any company would love that situation, I feel like.

Hollywood star promoting a thing.

But you've stuck strong to your morals and your beliefs and your conviction.

And long run, like looking back now, like you must think that it wasn't a hard decision,

but it was a genius decision.

I don't know how many others.

It wasn't even a decision.

It just happened, right?

And that's a good thing.

If you can shoot into that, then it's good.

And then, you know, and what happened from that was there's massive groundswell

of interest for the brand rather than the t-shirt, which is genius.

Yeah, you know, it was celebrated.

And then, yeah, we saw the next three or four years just put us on the map

in the right tone too, you know, just as a quick interlude, fast forward about 15 years

and post, I might have the timeline wrong.

Post Malone puts a shot on his Instagram in a bright yellow.

Yep, bright yellow super down.

Huffer, yep.

Did those two instances kind of compare in terms of the reaction

or is the Orlando Bloom light years ahead of where Post Malone was?

Post Malone, yeah, so he put, yeah, he just put on his head a Rolls Royce.

What are the SUV Rolls Royce?

Yeah, I feel like that's a little bit out of reach of most people.

They had yellow interior, so he used that jacket to create an interesting photo

with the yellow Rolls Royce leather in his yellow jacket.

Anyway, that happened.

But yeah, I mean, that was, yeah, that stuff doesn't have the impact that what happened back then.

You know, like that stuff happens now all the time, you know, and like would, you know,

would celebrate that and go, yeah, cool.

But I think, you know, like real, like hysteria, is that all right?

Oh, I mean, that's just a show off reel, you know?

Whereas if you can create an opportunity to live your values through an event,

then I think you can make more impact, you know?

Whereas like, oh, some cool dude just wore his stuff and that's cool and that's gonna,

I think that's wearing thin these days, especially I think people seeing through all that.

I mean, we didn't, we did give him a jacket as a gift when he came to New Zealand

through the Universal Music Plaza.

Just drop off a gift, had her and know, hey man, have a good time.

And then, you know, it eventually, I mean, it was cool.

But so it's a different story to Orlando.

But there's a lot of brands that are paying for that, like a lot of money.

Well, it were.

But I think people see through that and what's it really doing?

This is a show off reel.

But where's the depth and where's the influence of like, why am I attracted to this brand?

Where's the realness, you know?

I think you'll see over the next few years that stuff will just sort of fizzle away to some degree.

So as the snowball continues to build, after 2003, things are going great, you know,

you make some wins off the back of that decision.

And I want to take you to 2010, because I've heard you describe it that 2010 to 2012 period

is really difficult years.

And I think it was in conjunction with trying to get into the US market and your experiences there.

Was that the hardest time?

And was it all kind of, was it all moving in a direction and then you hit that sort of speed bump?

Yeah, yeah, I mean, there's many challenging hard times along the way.

But yeah, I mean, it's that was, I suppose we had that groundswell of interest and we became

a household name to some degree.

I think Kevin Roberts did a book called The Love Marks.

Well, I remember that.

I studied at uni.

Well, did you?

Yeah.

So he put us down.

I think we're in the book or we're an official love mark, which, you know, it was cool.

We're a love brand.

So and that was true, like people supported it.

And yeah, we got to the business to a point where as I suppose we didn't know what's next.

We're like, how do we, where do we go from here?

Like, and I suppose that was we started listening to others for direction.

This is when we started thinking, you know, over the mind.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And not well lost, but it was, you know, it was a challenge period.

We were successful, you know, it seemed like every other brand wanted to work with us.

And it was cool meeting all these people.

And, you know, I think we started even doing New Zealand Fashion Week and doing these like

shows that turn into parties.

And it was all cool.

But then it was like, we're, we started taking lead from others about our direction.

And one of them was to go to the U.S.

And so we're like, okay, good idea.

And then we, you know, we put the work in that Mahi went up to the U.S.

A few times that the research met people, built a range and got out there successfully.

I mean, being up in Las Vegas, we're partnered with Vice Magazine did a party.

At one of the hotels, they managed to get it sponsored.

So it was like, I think we did an ad in Vice.

And then they're like, okay, you're in the crew, we'll get some big other sponsors.

We'll do a massive party.

And then I was like, well, hold in a vice party.

And it was, it was crazy.

We were doing some of the right stuff.

Like, I think, you know, what was, we knew how to connect at that level and meet the right people to some degree.

But then the execution of the business was the hard bit.

I suppose we managed to take orders at the trade show.

And then the partner that wanted to drag us into that pulled out.

We're like, we'd tasted, we got a little taste of the U.S.

We're like, ooh, you know, it's quite exciting.

But it's such a big beast.

And then we, we tried to replace the resource that was that partner that was going to be our partner just for the U.S.

And we kept going and delivered lead and struggled.

Then the thing called the GFC hit and we were at the bottom of the pile.

And we're shipping to these cool stores in New York and LA and San Diego.

And, you know, like, hey, where's the money?

I was like, dude, you're long gone, man.

All the stores got wiped out.

Like the GFC was more extreme in the U.S. than it was here.

Like the lows were lower.

And we just, yeah, we, I don't know.

Not only the financial side of it, but also our focus was spread so wide.

You know, we're still, our New Zealand business was so important to us.

Some production things were changing.

All these big, quite serious things were going on.

And it was just, our focus was so wide and it just got really hard, really hard.

We're just spread too thin.

How close were you to losing it all?

Pretty close.

Really close.

And it's, yeah, wow.

Sunny, it's like when you, when you, when you, you can worry about things that haven't happened, right?

You can go, oh, this could happen or that.

But when it's actually happening, you, I don't know if this is right,

but when it's actually happening, you somehow have, it's sort of easier to get through.

I mean, it was hard, but just the stress and the worry,

if you worry about things that haven't happened, but when you're actually in it,

there can always be a way, you know?

And, yeah, it was really hard.

And, you know, when you, when it's real, it kicks in and you do everything you can to get through.

And that was, that was big.

It took years to rebuild and recover.

And then, yeah, that's part of the next sort of step in the journey, I suppose.

We're going to talk a bit about your connection to mental health down the line,

but reflecting on that period, I don't mean to judge up the worst period of your life,

but how was your mental health?

How did you cope through that time?

Yeah, support from friends and family.

And it had some very kind people in my life that have helped out.

I'm not sure of the motivation, but maybe for the fact that to not see an iconic New

Zealand brand go down like that, maybe.

But, yeah, through, through maybe some loyalties or it was just as amazing, like,

once you're vulnerable and you put it out and it's actually really happening.

If I think I've got a bit of a theory in life, but don't ask, don't get politely.

You know, hey, what's fast?

Can you help, please?

You know, I like that you can hold it in and just hide it, but no one's going to help.

So you've got to, yeah, you've got to communicate and be vulnerable to some degree.

Was it difficult for you to show those vulnerabilities?

In a business sense or in a personal sense, if you can separate the two?

Yeah, yeah, it was hard.

It was, it was weird through that period.

I slept really well because you could go away from it.

So when it was really stressful and hard, you just go to sleep and everything was good

and then wake up and be rested and get into it.

You know, but it was, it was really, that was a really weird thing.

I had really good sleeps, but I think I was just hiding from the stress.

But, but, yeah, I think it's, yeah, I don't know.

It just getting support from people really helped and just talking to people,

communicating, connecting, all the simple stuff just helped you build the courage to push through.

So is it fair to say the community you had built helped Huffer survive the support of

those around you?

Yeah, in so many ways.

From our end customer all the way through to mentors, people in the business, stakeholders.

Like, yeah, that was, yeah, they turned up.

The next part in my notes has the beginning of a 10-year salvage mission.

Because after this, you've hit rock bottom.

You're wondering whether you're going to be able to survive.

You do.

And then you're slowly building up again.

Yes.

So what, can you talk us through that period?

Like, what's the thing, what's the strategic thinking of getting back on your feet?

Well, it was cleaning things up.

As I mentioned, we're very wide.

So it was time to get focused.

Dan, who had started the company with, had left through that period.

And no right or wrong.

But I think it was time for a singular leadership with Brand and what we're doing.

And as I think at the time in the lead up to those events of just, you know, expansion,

GFC and tough times and maybe listening to others for advice.

It was like time to come back internal and take a singular direction.

It could have been anyone, but a direction was needed.

And at the time I was the sole director and I was like, this is what we're doing.

And we just built, it was, yeah, it was cleaning up, clean the yard.

You know, we had to pull out of the US, we had to self-stock and we were just doing these sales.

I was like, I was going to kill the brand.

And it just showed how resilient the brand really was.

So we just had to clear stuff and move out and improve things and just go on a mission.

And then we found our way.

And then by having a, you know, again, either right or wrong, by having a singular direction

for the brand gave us the ability to create a pathway so we could go down and execute

and then bring people along for the journey as well.

So was part of that like a national consolidation and focusing here in Aotearoa, New Zealand?

Yes, also part of that was also having a closer connection with our customer.

And we opened a retail store, our first half of store, which was mind-blowing.

Like again, take me back to that Queenstown moment when we were right there

with the customer and seeing it and feeling it.

And I remember, you know, we had to store a new market in Nuffield Street there.

We've moved with a new market since, but that was a time when I think the brand

was like maybe 14, 15 years old and there was these schoolgirls coming in and they're like,

oh my God, you can just see them.

We had new campaign imagery on the walls and there was their product.

And I was just like, wow, you guys weren't even born when we'd started.

So there was a moment there when I was like, wow, we've got through that hard period.

Now we've survived a generation and there was this new, engaged, you know,

that couldn't even fit the clothes, but they're inspired to it.

They're like, I was like, wow, I could see this by having a store.

I was in the store.

I could see that happening.

And it was like, that was a moment where we became intergenerational to some degree.

We'd survived a generation.

And then from there on in, we just keep building our strength.

Turned the down jackets 400 to 2000.

And then build that sustainability.

It wasn't about making money.

It was about building, I mean, it was part of it because that's, you know,

you need to provide, but it was about sustainability of the business to provide for,

you know, the growing part of it with retouch and more people and layers.

And, and there was a responsibility.

And then to further ourselves and to improve our products.

And it was cool.

Was it?

And as we started building momentum through the, the O's, is that we call it?

Yeah, the naughties.

The naughties, yeah.

It sounds to me as well, like the creation of those physical spaces was really healing in

terms of, of that regeneration and, and physically bringing people together.

And is that where free coffee Fridays and those sort of concepts started to, to take flight?

Yeah.

So retail, um, yeah, important, important, because if you go to the sort of the business

side of it, it changed our cash flow because, you know, you're getting on a wholesale level,

we sell to a, you know, the old cheapskates, whatever, you know, you ship it, they pay,

but we saw you had this cash flow and then it changed the dynamic of our business on a,

on a business commercial sense.

But yeah, it also gave the opportunity to people, for people to come and hang out and

be close to our brand.

Like, so we had these stores and people were gravitated into the stores and it came back to,

sorry to go way back, but back to the nineties where I used to go and hang out in a skate store

and dream about all the boards on the wall and watch the skate videos.

And that was like an important role in the culture of skateboarding.

But I was seeing that happening within our retail.

And then, so we, I think our second retail store was in our office on Queen Street in

Grey's Ave there.

We had this old 1930s theater and then we had the space at the front, we could sort of have

this sort of underground shop.

And then we did and then we knew someone, they had a coffee machine, they go,

we should put a coffee machine there so you can have coffee.

And I was like, oh, should we invite some people down on a Friday on the way to work,

come get a coffee and try and practice my skills.

And then it just naturally, this is cool.

People come into our office, our retail store to see and be part of it.

So let's just organically grew and built.

And so, although, yeah, it was an era of free coffee Friday that we had,

you know, like Lord came down to make pancakes and made pancakes around.

And we had music showcases and all these things that turned into

your free coffee Friday was the label, but it was what it represented as open door policy.

Like, how do you mind?

Everybody come on in, hang out.

Coffee's free.

We're not, you know, it was about connecting and people coming together.

We use our retail to do it, which has shaped some of the,

yeah, it's shaped where we are today with our Huffa House and pretty much all.

Coffee, coffee plays a big part in your life, right?

Yeah, yeah, it's addictive.

Not only as a drink itself, but also guess as a concept,

because we throw that around so much.

Hey, let's go and have a coffee.

It's code for let's go and connect and catch up.

Is that an important part of your personal makeup and how you conduct yourself?

Yeah, yeah, I think, yeah, as you say, the cups of conversation.

Why, how long does it take to drink a coffee?

You know, you've the eight minutes or it's enough to see how someone's going,

check in or just have a basic connection.

You might just talk shit the whole time, but that's still important.

So, yeah, coffee.

So you took us for a coffee before we started recording.

That's it.

Yeah, yeah, you know, chill the nerves down, get to know you guys.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, the coffee.

Yeah, it's bigger than coffee.

Yeah.

And it always has been it's just an excuse to stop.

Like we still we still serve coffee in a retail store in Britain,

but the idea is to get people to stop in the store for over eight minutes

so you can get to know them, say hi.

And, you know, maybe take something away from our retail,

not necessarily buying something that could come later, but it's just like,

soak it in, meet someone, meet, chat to someone else.

You know, because a lot of socializing, a lot of it happens in bars,

which is good to have a couple beers for sure.

But it's also good to do it in an environment.

It's, you know, those three coffee Fridays felt like you're at a bar,

but it was Friday morning.

It was cool.

It was as if you're bouncing off people and oh, hey, over here.

Yeah.

So just that sense of community building and connection and it's awesome.

How many coffees are you rocking a day just out of curiosity?

Oh, probably about two to three.

Yeah, depends.

I got some I got my pushes.

I go to the peahouse store.

I get a little pad out there and then Pete there just gives you another one

before you you don't have your first one.

Yeah.

There's some good baristas around that do that.

They know how to get you hooked.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I know what you mean.

I've I've now set it on two and then a decaf if anything after that.

Now you gotta be careful.

It is it is it can can build anxiety.

Yeah.

Steven gets a bit silly after a second.

You're second long black.

I get a bit silly after my second.

Yeah.

Don't be scared to get a decaf.

Yeah.

I've just come to I've just made my peace with that literally in the last three weeks

that a decaf is actually okay.

I was I was like I was like I was like firmly.

No, I can't get a decaf.

No, like a like a zero beer.

Right.

Yeah.

Same same concept.

You can yeah.

It just slows things down.

Like I think you know you've got something to do and then which helps create the conversation.

It's just it's a vehicle and a tool to you know help people connect.

We'll be right back after this short break.

So the salvage mission was successful.

The snowball is is building back up again.

Huffer celebrated 25 years last year.

Yes.

Which is just is so amazing.

I'm so stoked that we get to share this story with you because it's such a Kiwi success story

with its trails and tribulations and its success at the other end.

Yes.

But I know that you took some time in the last few years to really define what Huffer is.

Yeah.

And you went on a bit of a personal journey.

Can you talk to us about what what you found?

Yeah, yeah.

I suppose you know with that growth we took in retail and more retail more opportunities

for people come hang out and then you know more sustainability in our business came layers

and more people and you know once you open a few stores you have bar timers and managers

then you have a retail manager and so there was more people involved in our business and

you know the the values and the tone of voice that we intuitively lived

um and in the early days we just knew what to do you know when you do a skate tours that we

didn't have to write it down or we didn't have to draw it from our strategic plan it was just

that's what you do but when there's more people you need you need to be able to communicate

some of the core fundamentals of of your mission and your vision and your values and

so it was about yeah we got I was like we decided that it was time to do that and to

actually redefine the DNA because a lot of it um I suppose been the longest standing member a lot

of it was not that's all about me at all but a lot of it was stuck in me I knew it and if you're

around someone a long time you know I think it was like three or four of us in the office we

were skating around we all knew what to do but when there's like 30 is you know and then retail and

then there's a lot of people so it's like how can we build the tools um to give them the opportunity

to live huff you know um because they want to they've signed up they want to work with us and be

part of it so so yeah we pulled the brand to bits it was like went on a three to four months

journey to redefine and just really pull it to bits it was like it was so emotional it was like

all the stories like it's like this for three months like sitting here intensely talking about

the brain the history and and what's you know imagery and garments and stories and writing

things down and like had a breakout room and and then we put it back together with some really

clever people um that didn't really dictate what we were about but they just had they had

really good skills and being able to put what was the essence of who we actually were into a

really helpful format um to then use to communicate and live by and yeah that was that was amazing

that was that was sort of in 2019 just pre-pandemic actually and part of that on that journey

was you know I suppose through that growth period of getting out of way from the hard period um

we didn't lose I think we lost sight of where we're from a bit we're just caught up in the

busyness we're just doing what we needed to do because like that place over there was scary and

like we'll do anything to get away from that but then I was like okay we're going to reconnect

with who we are and like by going through that process we just realized like you know I remember

shooting campaigns in york and japan and LA and like around the world it was so cool it was so

exciting it was like you know we I think we were trying to um it felt like we were trying to be

global and look global but it was like ah man we're it's all about us we're here at Te Oroa you

know like this is us and um and we did that and then we you know we found our voice again

by building the tools and um and what a great time but pre-pandemic I think I shot the next

couple campaigns after that and went to Partia and Taranaki and Central North Island and like these raw

you know emotional imagery from back here rather than the streets in New York and then you know

look if you showed someone like what's Huffer about and we showed him a campaign you go to

New York and go here's Huffer and it's like oh that was just a shot or some imagery around the

corner like what what but you show them Partia wow but it's powerful you know so yeah yeah it just

I suppose in the busyness of everything it gave us the confidence to be ourselves

reconnect with the um with the mind the gut the instinct are you in a good place now it seems

yeah yeah yeah yeah I mean you know pandemics um horrendous to some degree it was like a

roller coaster and um but um everybody's got their story and everybody's got their sense of trauma to

some degree um some worse than others but um you know we we have an extremely good team

work through that um and I think through that we sort of we created um a plan to

transform what we're doing based from that work we ordered on the brand and it was like

let's not try and dominate the world and go into all these new markets let's fall into ourselves

and live ourselves and transform what we do with connecting with people through retail creating

the opportunities for people to come and hang out let's reconnect and really turn up product and

let's really work on community and what that actually means so that's been our journey which

we managed to do between between trying to survive in a pandemic then we're back on we're back off

we're back on but uh yeah so we've been through this most amazing period and I'm really proud like

the product right now is just it's where it needs to be it's on the right pathway I suppose I can see

that you know we can I can see the future um from product more than you guys can because we we're

sort of working in it but yeah it's really it's amazing to be able to have the brand live in

the products in the retail to serve its purpose and then community building being what it needs to be

when you go through an incredibly that sounds incredibly powerful like an incredibly powerful

journey professionally I imagine it's hard to not feel the same thing personally yeah so how much

of half of the brand or half of the business mirrors Steve Dunstan the person yeah um

you know it's it's been it's been like 26 years of my life um and you know going from the early days

of living it doing it like change your husband's handwriting and voices delivering it sewing it

you know um to being into the position where you know that brand project we did really unlocked

a lot and it's actually attracted its leadership and it's attracted better talent better people

working for us better culture and then higher achievement um which then you know gives you

you know these great talented people coming into your business and then you get the chance to

not step back but um yeah it's like you need to step away to get closer to some degree so you

know like yeah the things sometimes I battle with like you know if um say you know I was talking

about photo shoots I used to sort of be in producing create most of the photo shoots you know and then

you go you get a van you load it up you do the production you get there and you pack all the

things up and you do this thing you come back and it's midnight and you pull the stuff down you

might have a cold beer and go whoo that was some tasks I feel like you know my contribution but um

when you provide the tools for great people to come and do that within to be in line on brand and then

not up up sounds like the wrong word but you you get the space to be able to um do more impactful

work so the journey from that can be yeah it can be challenging like learning to let go but then

to put yourself in a space to be able to look at you know providing a leadership from a different

level that's growth but it's hard growth is hard and hurt sometimes and yeah we're into the section

now labeled uh Steve Dunstan the person she's just uh got us into that that zone and I've got a uh

we reached out to your wife uh Nahuia and she's given us a few little bits and pieces and I want

to read what she said um we asked you know what what's Steve like what what insights can you give

and she said he's really wonderful at listening to others and his approach to people comes from

a very optimistic place his glass is always half full and he thrives off of other people's energy

in that way how Steve thinks and where he chooses to put his thought space is quite interesting

not sure if it will come up but he has a wonderful way of thinking does that sound

right to you is is your life full of optimism and where does that sort of way of thinking

and approaching life come from? Yeah yeah I'm definitely optimistic um I don't think that's

a strength to be honest you know like sometimes you gotta face the hard stuff you know you could um

over at times wash it with some optimism but um but yeah no it is a good thing um and that would

be true to some degree it's very nice that she said that well shout out that's pretty nice um

um yeah I mean yeah I mean I just I love I love connecting I love people I love I'm quite social

I love being around people I get energy from people um I like collaborating um I think um

yeah and it's a beautiful thing when that works when you collaborate whether it be

a social collaboration or a project you're working on or you know from more personal thing

yeah I'm sorry um yeah ask me another question I'm a bit lost that's all right when when when

did that genuine love for people when did you really hone in on that as being almost like a

superpower because I feel like I've got elements of that in my own personality the same thing I

give energy I take energy from people and when you come to terms with it as being something

that you can harness and use to your I won't say advantage because that feels manipulative but

when you realize it it's quite powerful to unlock when did you did you have a moment or

when did you realize that was a a thing yeah I'm not sure yeah

maybe it's just this low realization um and hey I don't always get it right you know um

I think but yeah it's something to think about this is good I'm gonna go away from this and like

do some reach reach into the mind what I know I know I know I know you answer them I don't want

to jump in but like your your IG game like some of the captions and stuff that you come up with

your thoughts that you put forward to the world if anyone doesn't follow like jump on jump on

Steve's IG it's good there's some amazing takes and reflective um pieces of of your observations

and things on life like it's yeah it's incredibly it's incredibly powerful and really admirable as

well to kind of view no one's ever said that I mean yeah those thoughts uh you know I suppose

you know their communication like that is just coming from my my gut and what's what's happening

right now um yeah sometimes it's funny when you write things like not not just that but when you

write something at the time it's like taking a photo you take a photo and then you look at it

but then you come back to it and then that's that's that's when it's magic you know you go wow I've

written some stuff and come back to it and go what what did I write that and then the same

was photography you take you know it's a creative process and you take a photo and then yeah in the

moment it doesn't really make sense but it takes time to then come back to it to then put everything

into perspective so yeah I mean oh geez too much attention on me at the moment

what about you no no I don't I don't mind but yeah I saw a bit of loss for answers there but um

yeah the mental health foundation element of it um you're using your platform the people presence

can you explain talk to us about the concept of social sustainability yeah like I suppose it came

from I suppose you know when we um launched on the scene and we became this love mark and this you

know a lot of people want to work with us and we we want to give always so you know so many charities

approach us like the west westpac rescue helicopter or the breast cancer awareness or doing these

fashion shows and get involved with this and this we always want to give right but I was like

got to a point instead of waiting for people to approach us and saying yes and being generous

like what could we front for and what means what means something to us and it's not about me it's

it's some of the key players in our team what what do we identify with that really has um

impacts and like what what's something that we could yeah stand for and it was like

obviously was mental health and um um we all have a mental health and uh the state of it changes

at times um and yeah I mean don't get me wrong no expert on this but um if there's anything

the way I see it is if we can create awareness and use our platform responsibly or our connection

with people you know we do have a connection to some degree or or voice um how can we use it and we

use it with uh we invite other people to tell their stories and much like this podcast it's a

platform for communication but through the lens of mental health um and it came up with the idea

of people presence it's like people being present but being also being present for people so just

the idea of um yeah building a platform for awareness and to you know create positive

conversations around mental health yeah I like that does um yeah so we do that in various forms

it's like we have a internal staff people presence plan and we have um yeah like uh we make products

where funds go to the mental health foundation we have a good relationship with them when you come

we get a coffee down a pretty much store you can tap to donate um funds there but all those actions

and you know products and whatever it's still bringing the conversation to the to the light

and I think that's really important and I think it's for us it's such a journey it's like we we are

far from any expert at all but at least standing for it I think is a good start yeah it's such an

important direction to channel your your your power and your platform yeah yeah um for you personally

does surfing does that help with your mental health is that your space where you can sort of

find yourself yeah surfing um coming from a you know a skateboard a closed-minded skateboard

we used to hate surfers they're bloody surfers um so I was never really interested in surfing I had

skateboarding and snowboarding but then when Huffer started I stopped doing to stop becoming a

you know the responsibilities of business landlocked us to Auckland which it was you know it's harder to

snowboard skateboarding as you get older the concrete hurts a bit don't bounce like you used to

and I'm not going to board um but anyway then uh so I needed the outlet to do something uh at a

level of progression like I think skateboarding you learn how to ollie that unlocks the next

trick which is the kickflip and then then all your tricks come and then you can ollie down

some stairs and hand write you know so that progression that's the exciting part about

those spots the progression um so it's like well I can't you know I was still snowboarding I'll

go to the mountain I was like I'm not as good as I used to be although I did say before I was

nearly no but you know you you know you're sort of not progressing so it was like what can I do

that will give me that same um it's one accessible and then two gives you that sense of progress

progression and that sense of learning I suppose and then being new to surfing

Auckland, Pihar Beach was only you know 40 minutes away and it's something you could do

sort of frequently so I discovered surfing and and then I was doing it for the progression but

now over time I've learned that it's um I mean there's the whole community side of it and you

know there's people and you can serve with people and you can go on journeys and stuff but

when you're out there by yourself um which I did not do in lockdown because some people did

until the helicopter came out and busted them um but um yeah when you're out there if you can get

those rare moments when you're out there by yourself and there's not many people around you

that's yeah it's different world you know like you have to like it's the adrenaline's there

and you need a when it's big and you challenge yourself it's you you haven't got time to think

and surfing is really again coming back to your mind and like how do you know just a pedal over

here and a set's going to come here and and it's flow and it's like it's everything that I suppose

skateboarding and snowboarding represented but there's a there's a nature side of it as well

man you go to the most beautiful places and you're connected to a new world which is the water

you know there's plenty of things under the water and you I was always so scared of the water I

could swim and pools and stuff I was scared of fish and I was like what are these jellyfish and

like and then you know say it just say it sharks just say sharks and then building up sharks and

now you know like I was I was lucky enough to get a Fiji in November and I was out on restaurants

which is part of cloud break another break I was out it was small but I just out there by

myself the boys in the boat and there's shark rolls up to the edge of the reef I just sat there

I was like I just I was calm to some degree but you know if that was me pre surfing I would have

you know because it's it's nature you know it's like I wasn't going to go and poke it in product

but I was just like right it's just a shark that's its home just be calm put out calm vibes you do

put out calm vibes though you practice that right like of almost absorb like I've heard this spoken

of you I haven't experienced it other than today but like not pushing your mood on to other people

that come into your space like in terms of friendships and connections right yeah yeah

you tell me this I don't I don't know yeah I've heard I've heard it spoken of you that you're

and it's your it's your low key I guess your low key vibes is that you're you might there might be

stresses going on in life but rather than putting it on to kind of somebody else it's to I guess it's

part of that being that people presence is being present for other people yeah when they're in your

space and I've noticed that as we've gone through here like if you don't know the answer to something

you're not going to throw something out yeah just for the sake of it you'd rather stop

pause reflect on it and say actually you know what guys I can't reflect on that right now yeah

well needs more people like that totally don't just shoot from the hip and say something and then

yeah I really like that when you get interview subjects and they're not they're not afraid to

just take a minute and think about what they're going to say instead of just firing something off

yeah really good observation oh that's cool yeah yeah that's um I'm learning so much from this podcast

this is cool guys thank you like uh yeah you're welcome that's yeah so I mean I feel grateful

to be here and to be able to have a conversation like this you I'm learning it's good thank you

do you do you do actively practice stuff like mindfulness or or gratitude uh to some degree yeah

not not as much as you can always do better right but um yeah I think and I'm coming back to your

question about surfing I think it's part of it you know you have a new appreciation and gratitude for

nature life um and yeah you you just don't have time to think about silly things that can worry you

you know because they do and then you just start overthinking things and you know you can worry

as yeah I have worry at times which is uh it's a vulnerability of mine I don't know

and then when you get out of it you can snap yourself out of it you're like why am I worried

about that where's that actually coming from you know um and and to um to surf can calm that down

um you know like light pieces of meditation whatever that means it could be a ritual or

it could be getting a coffee or connecting with someone so yeah just trying to go on my own journey

to work out how to look after myself and the people around me like yeah it's a good thing to

explore and some some things I'd probably do subconsciously which you know hence why I can't

answer and what is it about piha the place can you articulate how special that is because we've

had a few people that call piha home that we've had on the podcast at various stages west is best

and it just seems to be this place that that that draws people in but is there something about

the natural landscape there as well that gives people energy I've never been there's a full

disclosure oh really yeah true story I'm waiting for an invite oh two beers on my deck hello um yeah

there's a couple things like for one you know that was my discovery of transitioning we're not out of

snowboarding skateboarding but having my new um my new interest of that progressive thing I could

do my release and then that connection to nature but then you know it's a dead end road so when

you get there there's a sense of calm there's no there's not transient there's not people coming

through it they come and they stop but the social side of me 40 minutes to town so you don't feel

it's calm but not isolated like if you're out there um and I'm very lucky to have a place there

it's been a lot of time there but if you need to connect or you want to go to the movies or go and

see someone in town or get a coffee you can just shoot over the hill so you don't feel isolated

and trapped but calm and very dramatic like it's very dramatic it's like big cliffs and rocks and

it's got this raw beauty which I can imagine a lot of listeners have been there it's unbelievable

but it does it does have energy like sometimes it can not go dark but you just it's powerful so you

just got to know tread carefully and have respect for it and I think um you'll love it so we're

starting a movement as well and it sounds very similar to Hamilton right sounds very similar

to a ambassador movement that it's close enough it's connected enough to Auckland it's there's a

vibe and an energy about it and we're just trying to stop people shit-bagging it all right I mean

if you look at it optimistically Hamilton is a dream spot you know closer to the mountain

half an hour of raglan you got the east coast on the other side like really we cheaper property

yeah we got him we got ambassador got him hold on Hamilton I was thinking when you were talking

about um you know Huffa being the first to sort of promote New Zealand and be proud of it and put

on a shirt I feel like that's you know we're doing what with Hamilton Hamilton we're ambassadors

this is cool we're ambassadors um just on Pia I went out to Dave Wood I'm not sure if you know

Dave yeah I'm under pressure workshop and I did two days out there um a few months ago it was amazing

it was so good so well run such a great workshop anyone listening I can't recommend it highly enough

but they lead like a cut of care on the lookout over the ocean and then like beach activities and

space for vulnerability and it was just the perfect surrounding for it yeah I spent a night and Dave's

dad's uh lodge out the back that he'd hand me oh yeah I know the one yeah just yeah such a special

time so yeah get out to yeah that's actually that's something I need to do my wife Nahua she has done

that as well and um yeah that's all I lost I need to um do that that sounds amazing yeah you you

definitely should so it should everyone listening um just a few little bits to it before we wrap up

I sort of wanted to reflect um you know 25 years if you could have if someone could have told you

when you were 21 and you were embarking on the suffer journey that this is when you end up

it would be I imagine beyond your wildest dreams but looking back like are you just filled with

so much pride for the journey you've been on or how do you think about the journey

yeah um yeah I think it has been a journey and it's been a journey that's

you know things have gone in the way but coming back to the first thing we talked about is your

gut instincts and following your passion your dream like pretty cheesy stuff that people

think follow your dreams but um it's so true but don't yeah I mean I just had maybe I just had

this subconscious sort of knowing that it'll be okay and like this is the pathway and don't fight

it too much um so no I didn't really know that it'd be here but I knew I'd be all good um which is

it comes back to your mental health right just having that confidence to believe that things will

be okay if you you know I've got the saying it's another token saying but you go where you look

right and I learn it through skateboarding snowboarding snowboarding right you do a 180 you

know when you switch around that you don't do it with your arms it starts with your eyes your eyes

turn your head turns your shoulders turn your body turns right but you can apply that to life

you can um you you really go where you look you know visualization um you know doing diaries and

life mood boards and just you know whatever tool you need to create the vision um to send you down

a pathway that you don't know necessarily where it's going to take you but you just have this

ultimate trust and it's going to be okay yeah it's strong yeah no it does it really does and that

goes back to the optimism thing I think yeah yeah that you just you know you're secure that things

are going to work out and oh don't give me I have my days you have anxiety you have worry I have that

all the time I think it's only normal to have that but um it's about how you deal with it recognizing

and um getting back to that space of just the trust if you know maybe it's part karma just

be good do good go good and uh last one from me again back to that sort of vision when you're

21 could you have ever imagined Huffer would do an Audi car you did a collab with Audi right

yeah wow yeah yeah no way man that yeah that is crazy wow what an opportunity to work with

a global design brand you know sort of represents progression like that was you know we we we like

to think that we innovate through you know that was always one thing we didn't talk about like the

innovation you know snowboard outerwear technology and like waterproof breathable seam sealed you

know gortex fabrics and things that we've worked with you know that that it comes back to um what

we talked about the progression with um snowboarding skateboard and then transitioning to surfing and

then progression within our brand and then you know to work with a global leader in that in the

area like you know Audi like I mean the fancy fancy nice cars obviously but just what they stand for

and the I love the design aspects and technology it's really quite intriguing so yeah to be able

to put our brand on and collaborate on a car and design a car wow that's a massive take yeah

does that pop up in your inbox is it Audi emailing you saying hey Steve would you like to

design a car together yeah well yeah it's about it's about again that collaboration like um nurturing

relationships um working out you know just having that optimistic outlook and and and proactively

seeking positive collaborations then there must be just to jump on the innovation point that you

made before there must be an amazing sense of freedom when you are designing functional items

for your sport yeah to be like just blue sky thinking in a room going man when I was up on

the slopes last time like I actually got wet or I got this or well fuck it we'll just do it yeah

and to then actually do it like that satisfaction and bringing the collaboration something working

something working yeah but bringing other people in to kind of solve that problem too yes yes

innovation and collaboration kind of seem to be at the heart of everything that you guys have done

yeah yeah I mean that's built into us through I think skateboarding because that's all about

progression yeah what does your day to day look like now because you've stepped away from the

the managing director side of business right what's your title and what do you actually do for Huffer

so I'm I'm the brand director and founder um yeah we have um Kate Berry um she is our managing

director um who does the most amazing job at like um just so much detail on that job I like

a feel for her as you're doing spreadsheets at midnight and like I mean I mean she yeah very

hard working very very capable and very complimentary so um she yeah she is our managing director

which has put me into a space of you know it's it's naturally happened over time being our brand

director and as I said earlier like whereas hands on on some things to be able to grow into a place

where you can look you work on the holistic health of the brand and you know but it's harder

because when you do a task you know you've finished it and you can celebrate give yourself a high

five but when you get into that zone and just caring about the health and the organic um

organic health of the brand it's the tangibility is like harder to um measure so then you know

and then your your sense of purpose and what you do it's all based on a feeling

so that that gets hard you know like but yeah yeah so my day today it's like um

I'm split between our offices in central Auckland and Ponsonby um I'm lucky to have this house at

Pihar I get to spend a bit of time out there but at the office most days if not every day um and if

not um my job is not really to be at the office it's uh to be out there and you know building

connections and exploring um yeah so yeah it's it's interesting hard one to answer part of your

job to be um talking on podcasts and communicating the story which is so cool I'm so yeah I started

my research with a question and I've waited to the end now to ask the question um and it may seem

like a like a really blasé one but what is Huffa? Right what is Huffa? That's a great question

so the name the name came from nowhere and I think it's really played well for us because

it came out of pure creativity and um it doesn't mean anything else um so it's got a sense of

purity um a sense of malleability um it's grown into Huffa being if you're talking about the um

the name Huffa uh probably got on a shallow level here but um yeah it just came out of pure

creativity and uh our logo you know the the three balls as we call them the three dots um

they represent um if uh if I can say uh it's triangular in shape right which uh represents

strengths right triangles are strong structures um there's no hard edges so you know if you look at

the logo there's three round balls or dots and then the spacing between so there's no hard edges

it represents approachability and inclusivity you can come and be part of it and get in the middle

of it and then the fact I don't know if you know but it sits on a tilt never flat that sense that's

our sense of character and um a unique personality so that's what the logo means Huffa is out of

creativity but what we are what we are is um we we are here to earn the respect of the community

and to create products that can help people express themselves with their identity and to

build a safe safe place that people can trust and when they do that they know they're representing

um a brand or a product or a look that represents strong good wholesome values

that's a good answer that's a really good answer great question at the end

uh all right I'm gonna I'm gonna start the wrap up before I throw to the professional outro guy

I was just thinking about this as we were talking uh Huffa is one of these rare brands which

transcends generations my dad came around he's 65 and retired and a football administrator

he was wearing a Huffa jersey good I wore a Huffa shorts for about 10 years straight

I've still got a Huffa jacket like it's something which has been through my life as you know 25

years and the uh the public perception you say the community's behind it it certainly is like

I feel like everyone though we saw Darcy wearing a Huffa like it's just everywhere and it's such a

good vibe to it I'm so stoked that you came in and found the time to chat with us and tell us the

the Huffa story uh the ups and downs the adversity you've pushed through to get where it is today

is exciting so many cool years to come uh but throw it over the show um I'll try I scribble

stuff down and I've made some notes I'll try and kind of be as succinct as I can but this might be

quite poetic so oh jeez I'll see I'll see how we go don't make me cry I might I might I might

make myself cry I never really know what this but it is it's a Kiwi success story um it's it's

amazing and I love the notion of you following um your spirit and I love that that was unlocked at

an early age and the storytelling element of the Huffa journey and I can see I've seen you come to

life when you reflect on specific moments and it's amazing to to personify that journey but the

the presentness and the I made the point before the the peace of mind and the strength and character

to reflect and pause on things and not shoot from the hip and that comes through in in your words

and I mentioned earlier you do have a beautiful mind your IG captions are fantastic I pulled two

things which spoke to me one was around the the concept of New Zealand and the other one is around

people and the concept New Zealand it goes like this it says a departure from home expanded his

world but more importantly has solidified the appreciation of who we are and where we're from

and then after a recent visit to Southland I think it was last year actually I say recent but it was

last year oh yeah yeah yeah I think it was um refreshing to remind myself that people make

places and if you don't take time you don't meet what is the most important part of the recipe

community and building community is a big thing of what Steven and I are trying to do with this

podcast and you said before you go where you look and we've been lucky today to look at an example

of a really inspirational person that has created an amazing thing and if we can go to places that

you've been we'll be in a really good place after 25 years of doing this and maybe beyond

so amazing amazing wisdoms in that thank you so much for sharing I can't wait for people to

to hear some of this and to to share in that journey oh wow thank you and yeah you guys

doing exactly that so keep up the good work it's um yeah it's an amazing new format to

do exactly that and you guys do a great job so thank you I'm very proud to be here and

it's been very good cheers Steve we've loved it

also being the first 100 to get there and get a complimentary bus ride to the game for you

and a mate cheers to that

Machine-generated transcript that may contain inaccuracies.