Nick Diamond

Los Angeles skate royalty Nick Diamond gives DUB a glimpse of his past accomplishments. As a classic entrepreneur, Nick grew up as a street skater in San Francisco and now designs and runs Diamond Supply Co., a staple skate company he founded in 1998. Even though his skateboard bolt technology patent has been considered by NASA, it’s Diamond’s T-shirts that are seen in every form of sports and entertainment.

Nick Diamond’s grasp of Los Angeles lifestyle and culture is seen throughout his business, and his reach doesn’t stop at skateboarding and T-shirts anymore, expanding to sneakers, denim, wheels, trucks, BMX bikes and iPod stereo systems! After you read this, make sure to stop by his store on Fairfax Avenue in L.A. and add some Diamonds to your wardrobe.

Name: NICK “Diamond” Tershay
Location: Los Angeles, San Francisco
[www.diamondsupplyco.com | www.myspace/nickavelli.com]

DUB: What were you doing before you started Diamond Supply Co.?
Nick: I was doing the same thing I was doing when I was 10 years old…skateboarding.

DUB: What made you go with hardware, when T-shirts, decks and wheels are usually the most commonly branded products?
Nick: I started with hardware, “Skateboard Bolts,” because I came up with an innovative new bolt design that had a lot of potential. To make a long story short, the bolts never ended up working properly, but my T-shirt sales went through the roof. I eventually dropped the new invention idea and put out the same bolts other skateboard companies were making with a Diamond label on them.

DUB: When did your T-shirts really start to take off?
Nick: Diamond T-shirts—from the very first T-shirt I put out—had always done exceptionally well. When they really started to take off and make some noise outside of the skateboard world is when we released our collaboration shoe with Nike SB, the Diamond “Tiffany” Dunk.