Fashion / Bruvver
Doing it for Dom
Bruvver is a new Bristol skate and streetwear brand, founded by Theo Newton and a collective of local creatives. “Skating is a big thing in my family, says 24-year-old Theo. “I skate, my brother Dom skated, my cousins skate, and the well-known Bristol skater, Spex, is my uncle.”
However, the brand was born from a tragic moment for the family. The first Bruvver t-shirt was emblazoned with ‘Dom Forever’ and was designed to raise money for the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), in memory of Theo’s younger brother Dom. In 2016, aged just 21, he died of heart failure whilst training for a basketball game.
“It was a complete shock when Dom died,” Theo continues. “He seemed like the most unlikely person to have a heart attack. He didn’t smoke or drink, he skated a lot and was the captain of the basketball team. We never knew he had a heart condition.”
is needed now More than ever
Dom Newton
By all accounts, Dom Newton had an amazing energy for life. He was athletic, kind-hearted and a passionate skater: as a kid, he raised money to build the half-pipe in Dean Lane skate park. Theo organised a memorial event for Dom at the skate park in October 2017, as a celebration of his love for life.
With the success of the memorial t-shirt, sold in Fifty-Fifty, the Newton family looked to create positivity from such a sad event. “We had an idea to start Bruvver up as a skate brand but didn’t really have the drive,” Theo says. “The name Bruvver meant a lot more after Dom died and gave us the drive to make a go of it.”
Bruvver the Bristol skate brand and collective Photography by Ed shaw
Now, the brand is a real collaborative effort, bringing people together rather than being competitive. “Bruvver is a group of people coming together. It’s a platform that gives local creatives and skaters a chance to showcase their work and collaborate under one name,” Theo says. “It’s mostly friends helping each other out. We have filmmakers, designers and a mate with an embroidery machine.
“Local people who have skate distribution companies are involved, including Rock Solid, and our printing is done by Mike Pearson, who is an old skate photographer. My friend Charlie Purse designed the logo a few years back.”
Bristol skaters Photography by James Griffths
For Theo, it’s about more than just making clothes that other skaters want to wear. “I am not interested in making loads of money: I just want to be able to run Bruvver and make it work, making skate videos and sponsoring local skaters,” he says. “I want it to be about having fun and not taking things too seriously. All the money I have made just goes straight back into Bruvver again so we can continue doing what we do.”
Bruvver is all about inclusivity too. The skate scene has been tough for females to break into, and it has taken a long time for women to gain recognition, but things have changed a lot over the past decade. “Bruvver is for girls too,” Theo says. “There is a big girl skater scene in Bristol. Skaters are now really encouraging to each other, and it works for different ages too: we know teenagers and skaters in their 40s. It’s a unique thing within the skateboarding community, you can go out and skate alone and within five minutes you’ve made a new friend. It’s really positive.”
A Bristol skater wearing Bruvver
Photography by Patrick Merryfield
Bristol fashion has been really influenced by streetwear and skating in recent times, with non-skaters jumping on the bandwagon too. Extortionate prices and fast fashion from the likes of Supreme and Palace appeal to the masses, but what does Theo think about the big brands? “Streetwear is a useful tool in fashion, it’s practical wear. You can’t go out skating in skinny jeans!” he laughs.
“I don’t really buy labels, most of my clothes come from a charity shop: it’s cheap and it doesn’t matter if you rip your clothes, you can just go out and buy some more. I can see why kids fall for the labels like Supreme and Palace but you wouldn’t skate in something that expensive when you know it’s gonna get ripped!
“I think there is a big interest in streetwear and fashion does follow skateboarding. I’m not really into making that type of fashion brand,” Theo continues. “Streetwear has to look good and work functionally. That’s what we want for Bruvver – small lines of t-shirts, warm hoodies and hats. I hope to include a pair of drawstring cargo pants later on – I have seen a few skate labels do them and they really work for skating, as they are comfortable and functional.”
There is so much support and respect for the Newton family in Bristol, especially following a memorial event dubbed ‘Dom Day’ at Dean Lane Skate Park last October, many of the attendees wearing their Dom Forever t-shirts. It was a chance to remember their lost brother, promote a healthy lifestyle and make more people aware of cardiac risk in young people. Bruvver isn’t just a brand but a lifestyle.
Read our Fashion Editor Emma’s blog No Debutante
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