Raised in Venice, CA, founders Jake Shockley and Oliver Sun grew up surfing, skating, and causing mischief. Their parents introduced them before they even understood English. Both grew up side by side bonding over similar interests, hobbies and passions. "We both were artists in our own right, I loved ceramics and sculpture and Oliver loved painting," Jake says. The two overlapped in one artistic love, however: fashion. Crazy enough, they both applied to college as art majors facing their own complications. Jake went to UCSB as a College of Creative Studies Sculpture major, while Oliver traveled to the east coast attending Syracuse as an Art major.
Taku, named after Jake's family cabin in British Columbia, Canada, originally started as Jake's surfboard shaping company from the years 2022 - 2024 (Taku Surfboards). Oliver often got dragged along to photo shoots as both the subject and the photographer. "One of my favorite boards I own to this day is a crescent tail grey quad that Jake shaped me during our Junior year of high school," Oliver says.
Taku, located 6 miles by boat from Atlin, BC, is a remote cabin in the middle of dense Yukon forest. Originally purchased by my grandpa, this remote cabin now sits on protected land. Without cell service, electricity or running water, you are forced to both look inward and connect with the people around you.
Growing up in Venice gives you an interesting look into adulthood because most adults here have strange jobs and are creative self-starters who actually made it. We learned early that the weird and non-traditional path is a real one. A culture of someone always making something out of nothing. Don't get it confused; it's loud, crowded, strange, and a little lawless, but that's the whole point.
After a long phone call about their future, Jake and Oliver discovered a common thread: they both missed the joy of creating and making. So they bonded over what they lost and began to build something together. A full rebrand of a project they both spent hours working on: Taku. "We wanted a place to create art and build community, whether that is ceramics, paintings, clothing, surfboards, pottery, or even videos," Jake says. "We couldn't find these creative outlets in our day-to-day lives, so we built them into Taku and adjusted our lives and made it our central focus," Oliver says.
Now, as a brand and collective, Taku serves as a collaborative journey to grow their love of making; it is also an homage to two places. Blending the Dogtown-inspired gritty surf, skate and artist culture of Venice, CA with the love of life and community centered nature of the Taku cabin.