Inside KCDC With Amy Gunther

Located in Willamsburg, Brooklyn, KCDC has become a mainstay of NYC’s skate culture. Unlike so many other stylish so-called skate shops, the store actually sells skateboards, as opposed to just hanging them on the wall to match a Nike SB account. While the shop caters to skate fans with an indoor mini-ramp, its owner Amy Gunther keeps KCDC stocked with a wide range of footwear and clothing by NYC brands like Verte, Hops, and Amongst Friends, as well as product from bigger companies like Vans, Insight, and WeSC. This weekend, the shop is launching its first signature shoe: a Chukka Low collaboration between KCDC, artist Neckface, and Vans. Amy recently sat down with Complex to talk about the shoe release, her shop and projects she has on tap for the rest of the summer.

Complex: This is KCDC’s first shoe, right?

Amy Gunther: Well, this is the first KCDC shoe that is actually making it to production! We’ve had a few “almosts” with other skate brands, but nothing ever made its way to the shelves.

Complex: How did the relationships with Vans and Neckface develop?

Amy Gunther: I’ve been working on a marketing level between the shop and Vans for a while, doing a lot of events with the brand. We just did a shoe release party for Steve Olson’s new shoe, and we’ve always done demos with the team. We helped promote Neckface’s first round of shoes last year. As far as Neckface being part of this new project, we used to get all of his mail sent over here to the shop. So we’re tight.

Complex: What’s his real name?

Amy Gunther: [Laughs] I’m not telling you, but it’s in my phone if you want to look when I’m not paying attention.

Complex: Okay…So what made you want to design a Chukka Low?

A: I think it was a good choice for us. I mean, we designed this shoe over a year ago. At the time, the Chukka Low hadn’t even really been on shelves, so we weren’t sure the response it was going to get. Right now, it’s one of our top selling styles, but at the time we kind of took a shot on a new silhouette. We originally wanted to do a Half Cab, but Vans pushed us to do this one. I’m psyched that they did.

Complex: How many pairs of these are there?

Amy Gunther: 100

Complex: You mention that Neckface used to get his mail sent to your shop. How come?

Amy Gunther: For a while, Neckface was living in Brooklyn, and we were receiving all of his personal stuff here at the shop because he was always traveling. He doesn’t live in Brooklyn anymore, but for a while, KCDC was his mailbox.

Complex: How did you meet him in the first place?

Amy Gunther: [Pro Skateboarder] Tony Trujillo was staying at my house, maybe five years ago, and Neckface came by and hung out and we just kind of were friends from there. He was still bombing a lot then and just starting to really gain some popularity. But he was traveling all over the place, so we let him have all his stuff sent to KCDC.

Complex: Samples and stuff?

Amy Gunther: Yes. Neckface would get all of his samples sent to KCDC, and all the things that he was working on would come through our shop. It was kind of a joke at the shop, you know, like, “What is all this stuff in the back?” All of these “Neckface c/o KCDC packages.” We got to see a lot of his samples, like boards for Baker and his first series of Vans shoes that came out last year. He would open up sample packages while we were there, and we would go back and forth like, “Oh, maybe change this, lighten this up.” So when it came to this project, it made a lot of sense to work together.

Complex: Who did you deal with at Vans?

Amy Gunther: The main person that [Neckface] was working with at Vans was Robin Flemming, and she used to be the team manager at Baker. We were friends from back then, and then when she moved to Vans, it was awesome for us to have someone “on the inside” in a big company like that. She really spearheaded this project, as kind of like a thank you for us being the go-between with Neck. The box the shoes come in is based on us getting Neckface’s mail. It’s made to look like a package that’s getting sent to KCDC.

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