27 Apr XVFKI1008:15YearsOfFokaiDistribution
Time flies when you’re having fun–or so they say. But not necessarily.
April 25th,2013…It’s been 15years to the date since fokai first opened for business…or so to speak. April 25th, 1998 marks the fokai’s first day in commerce and fokai logo’s introduction en masse to professional and competitive no holds barred fighting; in many ways the baptism of the fokai oval. It was Superbrawl 7, with Fokai Industries co-founder John Calvo headlining the main event against the UFC Champion@the time Dan Severn. shirts were being sold out of a backpack during the event and the island of Guam was introduced to what they perceived to be “TeamFokai”, the fighting group. Although this mislabeling created some serious differeing of opinions in the community–the small controversy of the adaptation of “Fokai” , which was often digested as vulgarity, and attaching it to any type of fight oriented setting left .it was very easy to be perceived as a fighting group. The truth was, in fact, that Fokai was started originally to be a surf-brand, it was ultimately the lack of surf that led its original founders to Jiujitsu. And it was through Jiujitsu that it’s originators, Patrick Fleming and Roman Dela Cruz, would reconnect with an old friend, John Calvo—and where conversations on the porch led to stickers and stickers led to heat transfers and then months later it was April 25th, 1998.
Fokai had already been years in conversation of starting a surf clothing company and even more years of “fokai” sounding cool and being drawn on bodyboards,surfboards, and skateboard decks. For surfers in their early , its often harder to imagine anything else even remotely close to giving the enjoyment and stoke of surfing . But retrospectively speaking, It was the lack of surf, the pursuit of adventure and self-improvement, and the camaraderie of brothers that gave catalyst to the first stock of tshirts made available for commerce.
The shirts, distributed mostly from backpacks and cardboard boxes inched forward and made it into the trunks of cars . For the limited edition shirts they were stored authentically in “the black box”. It was the growing requests for product cooperating with the goodwill of friends and growing faith for the fokai label, movement, and purpose—that the satellilte distribution program was activated.
First stemming out through as VJ Santos distributed to family members down south and Ted Vida distributed to -workers, friends and family in the north, the program also circulated product through others who were there to help. We will always have gratitude for Kie Susuico, Shawn Camacho, Joe Nauta, Godwyn Quitugua,Tina Calvo, Pete Ungacta, Joe Mansapit, and Melchor Manibusan, and Justin Guzman who have all worked earnestly to circulate product distribution. The growing stems of the Satellite distributors made it possible for the product to get to their friends and families and actually made up the majority of product distribution.
TEAM FOKAI: Despite the humble efforts of the company to campaign fokai as a clothing company with the intention to promotoe perseverance and initation–Controversy continued to loom as the misinterpretation of “Team Fokai’ continued to resonate throughout the community. It was in the course of this time that
Saina Ma’ase from fromtheheart. Everything has been possible from your love and support. 15years and counting. ForLife.Sinceeversince.Fokai