Zoo York
Zoo York began in 1993 but the history of the name Zoo York goes back much further.
In the mid-'70s, Zoo York was the name for a crew of artists and skaters who were instrumental in developing the hip-hop scene in New York. The name then faded to the background in the '80s before resurfacing in '93 when Rodney Smith teamed up with with friends Eli Gesner and Adam Schatz to found the East Coast’s first true skateboarding-inspired lifestyle brand - Zoo York.
The trio siphoned creative inspiration from NYC’s rapidly evolving skateboarding, hip-hop, and graffiti scenes to produce a variety of culturally relevant, authentic products that were dark and gritty like New York City. What started off as a simple line of decks and T-Shirts steadily grew into a full blown streetwear collection marked by military surplus, urban-athletic styling that was designed to withstand the city’s rugged terrain.
Today, Zoo York is a highly evolved, globally recognized brand with unbreakable East Coast attitude and dialect. As it has since day one, The Institute’s product line continues to be heavily influenced by skateboarding, graf-writing, hip-hop, punk and various creative off-shoots. The Manhattan-based brand proudly serves up a wide range of casual, utilitarian looks for men, women, and youths that fuse authentic military-influenced overtones with iconic Zoo York City imagery to capture the raw essence of NYC. The Zoo Crew includes original NYC graffiti artists, designers, musicians, new and old school skateboarders, and some of the biggest names in surf, snow, bmx, and motocross communities.
Look for Zoo York’s collections in ONE WAY department in
Stockmann Mega Mall Tepliy Stan, Mega Mall Belaya Dacha and
Stockmann in Metropolis.
