Words & Video By Nick Shields, Photos By Reuben Barrack
Growing up in San Diego, CA Josh Stafford found himself skating in the vert contest circuit at a young age. Accumulating sponsors quickly, he soon had more clothes than he knew what do with. Not wanting them to go to waste, Josh started cutting up his thrashed old t-shirts and recycling their graphics as pockets onto newer tees. His friends took notice and wanted in on the custom garments and thus, Pick Pocket MFG was born. Starting out with a trusty needle and thread, Josh’s first attempts at custom-made clothing were self-proclaimed as “super shitty.” Fine-tuning his skills, Stafford eventually bumped up to a standard sewing machine and kept cranking out gear for his friends. Nowadays, Josh has a flagship store in Vista where patrons can bring in their retired garments and have them chopped and sewn onto fresh shirts and hoodies, breathing new life into the exhausted items.
It’s rad seeing someone pursue something truly unique. Skateboarder or not, anyone can appreciate what Josh is doing with Pick Pocket. We’ve all had those shirts we just never want to throw out. Creating custom gear for everyone from Tony Hawk to Jeff Grosso, Josh continues to grow his customer base day by day. Even outside of the pocket t-shirts and custom patchwork, Josh uses his company for good as well, like making custom masks when the pandemic hit. Or earlier this year when Grosso passed away, he put out a special “Grosso Forever” shirt with all the profits going to Jeff’s son Oliver. Most recently, Pick Pocket made a “Fuck Hate” t-shirt with all the profits being donated to the Black Lives Matter movement. All in all, it’s amazing to see skaters like Josh think outside the box and do cool shit, it’s even cooler to see them succeed. So grab that shirt you’ve been holding onto for years and head down to Vista to give it new life.
Check out the Pick Pocket flagship store in Vista, CA at: 637 S Santa Fe Ave, Suite A, Vista, CA 92083
Shop Pick Pocket MFG online at: pickpocketmfg.com
Keep up on Instagram @pickpocketmfg and @jahstafford
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