Spy Lines Up Ryan Burch And Jared Mell

by The Editors on February 29, 2012

Spy Guys

Spy announced today that they’ve added surfer/shaper Ryan Burch and surfer Jared Mell as “multidimensional surf-sojourning brand ambassadors” for the eyewear company’s new Crosstown Collection.

“Ryan and Jared are super talented and respected at the creative forefront of contemporary surf culture, and they also have classic vibes in what they do that really resonate with what’s happening with SPY now,” says Devon Howard, SPY Marketing Director. “Ryan is a craftsman with a penchant for innovation, tempered by a deep reverence of classic surfing style applied to his board designs inspired by shaping pioneers like Bob Simmons and Carl Ekstrom. With Jared, his approach to nose riding and what he does with his clothing line at Insight are similarly progressive, hedged with deep roots. We’re really stoked to have these guys rounding-out an already stellar team of incredibly creative surfers backing Crosstown.”

The Crosstown Collection is billed as a “limited-edition line of vintage-inspired, handcrafted sunglasses” which sounds like a great market for Spy to paddle into. For the official word, follow the jump.BURCH AND MELL BOARD SPY FOR CROSSTOWN TRIP

For Immediate Release: Feb. 29, 2012

CARLSBAD, Calif. — SPY Inc. (OTCBB:XSPY) today announced the addition of Ryan Burch and Jared Mell to its roster as multidimensional surf-sojourning brand ambassadors. The two join Wade Goodall and Nate Tyler with SPY in advance of the brand’s imminent Crosstown Collection release, which promises a limited-edition line of vintage-inspired, handcrafted sunglasses to an exclusive distribution of top-tier surf and fashion retailers nationwide.

“Ryan and Jared are super talented and respected at the creative forefront of contemporary surf culture, and they also have classic vibes in what they do that really resonate with what’s happening with SPY now,” says Devon Howard, SPY Marketing Director. “Ryan is a craftsman with a penchant for innovation, tempered by a deep reverence of classic surfing style applied to his board designs inspired by shaping pioneers like Bob Simmons and Carl Ekstrom. With Jared, his approach to nose riding and what he does with his clothing line at Insight are similarly progressive, hedged with deep roots. We’re really stoked to have these guys rounding-out an already stellar team of incredibly creative surfers backing Crosstown.”

A recipient of the 2010 Sacred Craft Young Gun of Shaping award, Burch’s “do-it-yourself” approach leaves him at the vanguard of conceptual surf craft as both shaper and test pilot. With a penchant for board design history, he brings every era into his work, invoking signature deviations as he sees fit—most notably, his futuristic, Ekstrom-inspired, asymmetrical rocket sleds. From foam-slab Lord boards to wooden alias, Burch’s passion for retro-innovation also helped fuel the underground finless surfboard charge in San Diego over recent years.

“I’m super excited to be a part of the SPY crew and to be involved with the Crosstown Collection,” says Burch. “It’s inspiring to see how passionate the people at SPY were about creating the new line. There’s a bunch of new styles that I’m really looking forward to wearing.”

Mell’s approach to riding surfboards is best described as modern traditional—or “surfabilly” as he likes to call it. He’s most known for his nimble, cat-like footwork on the front of a 10′ log, but his ability to surf just about any kind of floating object shouldn’t be overlooked—even couches are fair game. This vagabond’s love for traditional surfboards, digging for rare vinyl rock records and messing around with old-fashioned cameras echoes the inspirations for the Crosstown Collection.

“Surfing is like a family that never stops growing,” says Mell. “It’s great to extend my family with the nice people at SPY. I never shy away from a good time, so it’s cool to work with like-minded people that just happen to make pretty killer shades.”

For more information about SPY, log-on at www.spyoptic.com, and www.facebook.com/spyoptic.

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