HUF Celebrates Its New York Store Opening and Keenan Milton's Birthday

It’s been a busy summer for HUF — the respected skate and streetwear label recently teamed up with LA-Artist Cleon Peterson for a capsule collection, connected with Chocolate to commemorate the legacy of the late Keenan Milton, and is now on the heels of celebrating the first year of its Tokyo, Japan outpost. Adding to this impressive list is founder Keith Hufnagel’s sights on New York with the opening of a shop location in the city’s SoHo neighborhood. “New York City is my home, it’s where I grew up,” Keith explains. “For me having a retail store in New York has always been a dream and it’s also one of the capitals of skateboarding and fashion in the world. This is why I want to be here.”

The pre-opening celebration took place this past Thursday with some of the brand’s closest friends and New York’s skate personalities in attendance. As for the store itself, beautiful woodwork align the walls and the middle display in a symmetrically-sound manner with a giant apple sculpture being the shop’s grand centerpiece. The massive artwork was done by Japan-born artist Haroshi, who is renowned for transforming skate decks into covetable pieces of art. “I’m just a big fan of Haroshi’s sculptures,” Keith says. “For me being able to support the artist and putting that piece of art to show the world is something that’s great. Product is going to come and go, but the apple will be there forever.”

Also aligned with the pre-opening party was a celebration for Keith Hufnagel’s close friend and Chocolate skater Keenan Milton, who unfortunately passed in 2001. The brand, alongside Chocolate honored his day by having a skate jam before the party. Also included in the store are the special HUF x Chocolate products that pay tribute to his legacy. As for New York exclusive items, “There will be things exclusive to the New York store,” Keith responds. “We’re doing a Skate NYC project that has some exclusivity to New York. It’s an old skate shop in the ’80s so we partnered with them to do something cool here. Plus there will always be exclusive stuff here because of the weather.”

If you’re ever in town or just passing by the neighborhood, make sure to stop by HUF’s new digs to check out the modern space and shop the veritable mix of skate decks, clothes and accessories.

HUF
125 Crosby St
New York, NY 10012