NUMBSKULL

What began as a casual group of roommates watching ski movies and having fun led to the creation of a growing extreme sports brand that wasn't originally meant to be a business.

It started with simple, humorous Instagram posts and a doodle by one of the roommates, Jeff Preble. They printed a few shirts of Preble’s doodle for their friends, but as the snow melted and roommates moved on, the brand faded into obscurity. However, the seed for something bigger had been planted.

The following winter, Numbskull founder Mark Cook encountered a stranger wearing one of those original shirts, and the genuine excitement they expressed sparked something in him. This moment motivated Mark to take the brand seriously and turn it into a legitimate business.  

Now, Numbskull is building a community around their shared love of sports and the outdoors. With a commitment to serving this community, the brand focuses on creating high-quality products that inspire adventure, encourage personal expression, and foster a sense of belonging.

“We want to help people to feel free,” says Mark on the set of tmrw’s photoshoot with motocross athlete Bam Bridges, whom Numbskull sponsors. 

That last point – not taking things too seriously – is what Numbskull excels at. One of their first viral clothing hits was their “Skiing Fucks” and “Boarding Fucks” lines. The phrase took the word “fuck” – once one of the most vulgar and offensive words in the English language – and employed it bluntly and visibly in the way Gen Z uses it today. If something “fucks,” it’s positive. On first glance, the fact that it’s the F word and rhymes with “sucks” catches people off guard. Upon closer inspection, this initially divisive and in-your-face expression actually becomes an inclusive in-joke of sorts.

“It’s like playful anarchy,” Mark laughs. “As a means of motivation to overcome our fears and to find progression and meaning in the things that we do.” 

Mark enjoys using language in ways that provoke genuine, critical thought. He was once almost thrown off a Delta flight for his Skiing Fucks T-shirt. The flight attendant told him it was offensive and that he couldn’t wear it. When he asked how it was offensive, the attendant couldn’t explain why, and the people around Mark came to his aid. “I think it’s funny,” one passenger said aloud. Another said, “Honestly, I’m going to buy one once I get off this flight.”

“I don't like being told I can't do something just because,” he says seriously. 

“I fucking hated that. My parents were super religious and always told me, ‘You can't do this.’ Why? ‘Because I said so.’ You can't say hell, but we can say heck? That doesn’t make sense. I hate rules for the sake of being rules.”

Mark’s clothing breaks rules while building community. While now far more than one viral joke, the Skiing Fucks line is a perfect example of how Numbskull builds community through a series of punk in-jokes that seem harsh, but are actually built on inclusion. Far from elitist, the brand intentionally holds events that welcome novice skiers and snowboarders to join the scene and improve. 

In five years, Mark hopes the brand will have enough disposable money to throw exciting Red Bull-esque extreme sporting events. “Like put a half pipe between two hot air balloons,” he laughs. “I don't want money to buy a mansion. I want money to build a community. I want to still throw those backyard rail jams. I want it to be like a house party, but I want to figure out how to scale house parties and still have them feel inclusive. The ski community can be very cliquey, and that’s something I don’t fuck with. So I want to figure out how to make people feel secure in an unknown environment where they have to be vulnerable in front of people biffing it all day.”

No matter where Numbskull goes from here, the brand will always be an edgy, alternative symbol of bravery, rulebreaking, and radical inclusivity.

You can shop Numbskull’s snow, moto, climbing, and running gear at Numbskull.co.