Goods: LKI (Loosekid Industries)
LKI is a youthful action sports and lifestyle clothing brand inspired by Motocross, Bmx, Mtb, Wake & Surf. Proudly owned and operated in Australia, We promote, develop and embrace the culture of action sports. Our drive to create and innovate style and performace is reflected in each product. Live your lifestyle!
The Story So Far
It’s been a whirlwind ride for Loosekid Industries (LKI) since 2007, when founder Jason Daniel turned a hobby into a clothing brand that’s now a household name in Australia. The name Loosekid Industries began as a Nickname when Daniel used to ride BMX with Corey Bohan, Brad Taylor and the like. “One day I kept casing this jump at some trails and they were like ‘man, you’re riding loose’. I guess the name stuck and soon everyone at school and at the track was calling me loosekid. “I was talking to mates And they said I should turn it into a brand-name. I told mum I wanted to register loosekid and she arranged forms to make it happen in 2002. I wouldn’t have done it if mum hadn’t organised it for me. She still plays a huge part in LKI.”
Around the same time Daniel discovered motocross and progressed through the juniors, then moved from intermediate, to expert and pro in quick succession at a State level. Daniel combined his love for racing and new brand by buying 50 blank caps, printing logos on them, then selling the caps, a few tees and stickers at the motocross track while he raced. The main turning point came in 2007 when Daniel decided To give LKI a concerted effort and see where it went. Daniel’s mother, Marisa, contacted a designer on the Gold Coast, who knocked up five new logo designs to get them started. “One of the designs stood out to me, but he was like ‘yeah I’m not pumped on it – you can have it for $40’. As it turns out that $40 logo is The main LKI logo and the mainstay design we use today,” Daniel laughs. At the same time Daniel trialled a tee with a hot-pink LKI logo on it. It was unheard of for an action-sports brand to use bright pop colours “Pink worked well, so we did more colours. A good friend of mine, Matt Silvestro, helped steer LKI into a brand that became known for putting bright, punchy logos on black tees.”
As LKI started gaining a head of steam, the Daniel’s house turned into a full-scale production line. In 2009 they bought a shipping container to help store our stock at home, then soon bought two more. Daniel recalls: “our line was growing fast into shorts and accessories. We’d pack orders in mum’s room Then she’d have to put it all back on the shelf at night so she could sleep. Our phone was ringing non-stop with shops wanting to stock our clothing.” At the same time he bought a sticker machine and learnt how to cut vinyl stickers. They soon outgrew the home base and Daniel bought a warehouse between Brisbane and the Gold Coast in May 2010; the same warehouse where the brand continues to be based.
Until mid-2010 Daniel was still working as a chippy part-time and racing on weekends, but he broke his wrist while practising supercross. The injury forced him to leave his trade and commit to LKI 100 per cent. Daniel gave himself a big pay-cut to apprenticeship wages in order for both he and his brand to survive and focused on building the brand. With more space to expand and more time to do it, the brand continued growing and Daniel began employing staff to help with the design work, packing orders and Sales. The company now employs nine staff, but Daniel says one of the keys to their growth was sponsoring riders at the top of their game and working creative advertising around them. “Sponsoring riders like Matt and Jake Moss was definitely a big thing for us, and they’ve been with us for four years,” Daniel describes. “We also try and come up with cool advertising ideas, like Mossy riding a 50cc bike through the supermarket. The Skittles ad with Kirk Gibbs and Harley Quinlan also got a lot of people talking.”
LKI continues to exceed expectations. They’re now selling into New Zealand and New Caledonia and have set up an online store for the growing number of UK and US sales. As well as securing a three-year deal as a major sponsor of the Monster Energy MX Nationals, LKI also sponsors high-profile athletes across Motocross, FMX, offroad, BMX racing and dirt, wakeboarding and mountain-biking. The brand is also heavily involved with junior motocross. “It’s definitely busy times for us, but I love it,” Daniel grins. “To see my dream and passion continuing to grow is one of the most rewarding things ever. To have people believe in the brand as much as I do is both humbling and motivating at the same time. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
For more information check out: www.loosekid.com
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