Introducing 12AM
12AM started as a group of friends that would go skate the city after 12am into the early hours of the morning and it slowly developed into something more.
Photo: Haruki
What's up guys! How's things in Brisbane at the moment?
Eyyy Casey what’s good? It’s been a minute! Things in Brisbane are good in comparison to the rest of the country so we can’t complain. The weather’s good, skateparks and bars are open. Can’t ask for much more! The rules and restrictions are all still so confusing though. We are all so lucky to have our freedom and really feeling for all our friends in Melbourne and the rest of the world that don’t have the luxuries we have right now.
Tell us about 12AM?
12AM started as a group of friends that would go skate the city after “12AM” into the early hours of the morning and it slowly developed into something more. We are about friendship and keeping that as real as we can. Skateboarding has so many outside influences and intricate details, so the brand is not defined by one certain style, people, or person.
We don’t want to take it too seriously, so focusing on love and encouragement for who we are and what we believe in is something we are passionate about and it’s something people find relatable/worth striving for. Our guy Zach Nolan (@cookedvomit) is behind the lens filming full-length projects and putting out homie clips which is something so important for skateboarding to see. Friendship, laughter, smiling, cracking tinnies and sacrificing some skin. We have Indigo Pesu (@indig8), Mitch Owens (@mitch.owens), and Brent White (@episode.bne) that make visuals for us and many others who contribute in their own way.
What inspires the designs behind 12AM apparel?
Having unlimited access to a small world, international connections and global travel has been a lot of our outside influence to design. Evidently, in earlier ranges there was an Eastern influence which comes from many amazing trips to Japan and all our Japanese friends that have lived in Australia. With the current global situation, it’s been really nice to take a step back and really appreciate what’s right in front of you and what this beautiful country has to offer, so some of our designs are having a homegrown influence.
Photo: Henry Harbeck
Is it true you get fines for skating Brisbane CBD?
Yeah dude, it's kinda crazy. Cops in Brisbane could definitely make better use of their time. I copped one for ollieing up a gutter. I got stopped immediately and fined something like $60 for “improper use of a wheeled recreational device on a public road”. It's probably all changed since the Lime scooter pandemic where you’ve got drunks tearing it up all over the place.
Park skating is huge in Queensland, so it's great to see some raw, underground downtown skating coming out of Brisbane. Are there any skaters, videographers, or brands that inspire your direction?
Man, it’s so nice to see anything street related coming out of Queensland again. There was a bit of a gap between ATL and Mobbn Deep (Shout out Stu Fog and Mitch Byrne RIP). John Green, Zach Nolan and Kane Stewart seemed to be the only guys filming in Brisbane for a minute. Now there are more dudes popping up like Jack Cassidy, Harry Pascoe and Ethan Miller that are getting out there and putting stuff out. It's really refreshing to see the scene flourish. As far as inspiration and influences from others, we’re a huge fan of Colin Reads films and Josh Stewart's installments of Static. Shinpei Ueno Or the Rios crew are always up to something tasteful and Ben Chadournes clips tend to leave a nice after taste too. Skateboarding has so many places to draw influence from so it’s hard to pinpoint where all our inspiration comes from.
Give us 5 reasons to visit Brisbane?
That's a hard one there's so many reasons to come up and soak up the sunshine state,
1. Berry Dust at Paddington Skatepark.
2. The Gap Ressie.
3. Coops Mini.
4. New Farm Park.
5. Parmies not Parmas.
What's in the works for 12AM at the moment?
Right now, we’re Just super hyped on Fast Times and LAATE Supply stocking the brand and we’re striving to make sure that everything that we do from here on in is super clean and we don’t lose our flavor. We’re super keen on trying to plan a launch when we can have more than 10 people in a room, ha-ha. We’re working on another clip and jotting down design ideas when they pop into the brain.
Thanks heaps for your time Callum! Keep crushing it.
Interviewed by Casey Foley
