Collectors Spotlight - April 2008 - OAKLEYZ
So Cal.
OAKLEYZ: MOTO LAB SCIENTIST
How long have you been a collector of Oakley items?
I have been collecting Oakley gear and items since about 1999. I have liked the style for a long time but that is pretty much the year when my addiction started to unravel, and a monster (dog) was created.
How did you get into collecting Oakley?
At the end of 1998, beginning of 1999 I bought a pair of Oakley snowboard pants at our local store. I wore them in our local mountains for the first time, and it just so happens that when we went up snowboarding it was one of the warmest, spring-like days at the resort. The temperature got up to about 70 degrees that day. The snowboard pants I had on had the inner thigh zippers so I opened them up and stayed cool all day long. A couple weeks after that we had a trip planned to go to Mammoth. The first day we were there we took a trip to the Cornice. For those of you who have never been to Mammoth, the Cornice is 11,053 feet in elevation. The wind chill factor was 2 degrees, and there I was rocking my new Oakley snowboard pants as comfortable as I was two weeks prior when I was in 70 degree weather. That’s how my addiction started.
What is the first Oakley item you remember having?
I remember back in elementary school, my dad came home and told my brother and me that he got us some new grips for our bicycles, to help keep our hands from slipping off. Those were the coolest grips I had ever seen. They were the grey/silver ones.
What is your biggest Oakley regret? (if any)
I have a huge Oakley regret in my eyes; that I did not get either of the David Flores Artist Series Gascans. From a collector’s standpoint, I am very disappointed. But, there is nothing I can do about it now. That is the only thing missing from my Artist Collection and probably will be for a while.
What is your next Oakley purchase likely to be?
My next Oakley purchase will probably be a new Crowbar Snow Goggle or replacement lens. My wife got me the Text Crowbar Snow Goggles for Christmas (they are sick!). The Pink Iridium works very well in overcast/snowy conditions, but when it’s sunny it’s all about the Fire Iridium.
What do you consider the "jewel" of your collection?
This is a very tough question. I can’t just pick one. My very first watch; a Polished Timebomb with Carbon Fiber dial and my latest watch; a Diamond Time Tank. My wife loves me. I am also quite fond of my 2006 ‘Winter Olympics’ Shaun White Signature A-Frame Snowboard Goggles, complete with Shaun's autograph on the box. Oakley made six pairs for Shaun & I was fortunate to get one for myself. Obviously, those are pretty special to me.
How do you store/display your Oakley collection?
I have one Doublewide Tower, two Mega Towers, one Stretchline Tower, one Square Tower and a Medicine Cabinet. Luckily for me, I have a great wife who has let me have full reign on the bonus room in our house known as “The Oakley Room”.
Do you have a favorite Oakley retailer?
Yes I do. Luckily for me, I live in Southern Cali so my favorite retailer is the Oakley HQ in Foothill Ranch. There’s just something about pulling up in the parking lot of that place that just puts you in a whole other element. If you’ve never been there, but you get a chance to go, you’ll see what I mean.
Do you customize?
Not a whole lot. I have a couple of OCE pairs, but other than that, not really. I like the configurations they have just as they are.
What other Oakley products do you collect?
You name it - if it has an O on it, I’m rocking it. It is against my religion to walk outside the house without rocking all Oakley gear (head to toe). From socks, underwear, shorts, belt, shoes, watch, glasses, hat, wrist band, business card holder, the list is endless. I have been really drawn to their watches within the last couple years. At this point in time I have 91 pairs of Oakley shoes, so footwear is a big part of my collection as well. I have just about all of the die-cast funny cars from when Scotty Cannon was driving for them to the new Gary Scelzi series. I have a full size Chevy truck with 3D icons on the doors (instead of Chevy logos) and my license plate sys “OAKLEYZ”. Oh yeah, I have the Static O tattooed on the top of my back and an Oakley poster (picture) of Ricky Carmichael tattooed on the inside of my right bicep.
What other hobbies/collections/passions do you have?
I have a couple of hobbies/passions other than Oakley. Passions first. My wife and kids. They are my purpose for living. Without them life would not be for me. Last June was our 10th wedding anniversary, and we just eclipsed our 16th year together. My wife worked her butt off to build a business from home doing weddings and events, and her biggest dream was to get me out of my 10-12 hour a day automotive career to spend more time with our kids and stay home and help her with the business. Now here we are, I have been doing the business with her full time now for almost three years. She gave me a little girl, who is now eight and my baby boy who is now six. I get to walk my kids to school everyday, pick them up, and do their homework with them. Life is good. Every single day I grow closer and closer with them. Both my kids are snowboarding now, and they both ride motorcycles. My son started riding a motorcycle when he was two years old. You’re talking proud papa. As from previous answers you could probably already guess that I love snowboarding but I think that my love for motocross has grown even more in the past three years. We live close to all types of terrain. We also have a boat and go to the river quite frequently during the summer.
What advice do you have for new Oakley collectors?
My advice would be just to collect what you like and what you want. Don’t just go for things that you think other collectors would like. KEEP A TIGHT GRIP ON THAT WALLET. Lastly, it’s a wild ride, have fun with it.
What do others think about your Oakley collection?
I get so many compliments on my collection, especially if someone comes to my house and sees my room! They are dumbfounded when they walk through the doors. They say “The sunglass company makes all this stuff?” I love it. Everyone asks the inevitable “Why?” To which my response is “I don’t drink, not even casually, or smoke so Oakley is my alcohol.” I get a tremendous high from everything they are about.
What's your fondest/most astounding Oakley memory?
I have two. The first one led into the second. In 2006, I met the Director of Sports Marketing and CEO for Oakley at the 2006 Summer X-GAMES. They were just blown away by all the Oakley stuff I was rocking (and that I was not one of their employees). I talked with them for about ½ hour or so and I was telling them about the Oakley Room I was working on at the time. The CEO asked me to e-mail him pictures when I had it finished, so he could see it. I finished the room about two months after that and e-mailed him. He was just speechless. Well then I get an e-mail about 1½ months later commending me on my Oakley style. He’s worked for Oakley for 19 years and had admiration for people loyal to the brand. Well little did I know, but the CEO forwarded my e-mail through the Oakley HQ and the guy that e-mailed me was the Vice President of Worldwide Marketing. I went down to HQ and met him. He personally took me on a 2½ hour tour of the building and scored some one off goodies. I was like a 10 year old kid on Christmas morning.
Any final words?
I would first like to thank everyone responsible for creating this site. It has given me such enjoyment over the past year. Thanks to all of the awesome members that I have met here that share the same demented, twisted passions for the O that I do. I just can’t say enough about how cool this site is. Oakley is such a sickness, and I will be the first to admit I don’t want the cure. Thanks for everything and KEEP COLLECTING!
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