The Skinny...

Skinny Water Culture began in the Spring of 2008. At that time Co-Founder, Vince Stegura, was a new Father of a couple months, and his fishing time was cut down to almost nothing. Just prior to that, his wife Jennifer, while pregnant, would bite her tongue, and see him head off in his little Sabalo flat's skiff, 6 or 7 afternoon's a week, as soon as he got home from his day job. She knew that his happiness was in part due to the fact that fishing was such a major part in his life.

Once little Bevin Mei was born on October 5th 2007, Vince sold the skiff, and dedicated his time towards the newborn. It was a major change in his life, but he knew he would regret not spending every minute he could with his new "future fishing buddy". About 2 week's into the new world of fatherhood, it was apparent that it was impossible to not be involved in fishing in some way. Vince would spend his time reading books, participating on fishing forums on the internet, and talking to his friends, who were able to get on the water that day. It was obvious that fishing was more than just a hobby, and on his wife Jennifer's suggestion, Vinces' conversations with long time friend Ray Slattery started to change from advice on being a new Dad, to how much he needed to be involved in the "culture" of fishing. Ray was a freelance artist, and the two of them discussed idea's about how they could make a difference in the fishing culture. There was one glaring aspect that needed attention; Clothing!

The apparel at the time was very largely dominated by 2 companies, of which will not be named here. One was a t shirt company designed by a marine artist, of which Vince owned about every shirt they ever made. He loved the fact that he could show the world that his life revolved around the sport he loved by wearing the art of the culture.

The second company focused on the performance, and functionality of fishing apparel. They made shirt's that wicked moisture, and provided protection from the harsh sun. They had ton's of pocket's and button's and while they may not look like something that one would wear without having a purpose, they became "the way" a fisherman, especially a Guide, looked when they were on, or off of the water. They had made a shirt that was a staple of fishing culture everywhere you looked!

Sure there were a few other companies out there, but for the most part they were either copycats of the two aforementioned, or they were a hybrid of golf, sailing, and fishing, and they seemed to be created more as a way to make money off of the rich lifestyle that they catered to than a true product for fishermen needed in their arsenal.

After many conversation's between Vince, Jennifer, Ray, and Melinda (Ray's wife), they knew what was missing; an apparel company geared toward fisher people, that was a blend of the two, and that was actually affordable on a budget! One that made clothes for people to wear on, and off of the water. One that didn't try to copy something that was already out there, and also stayed on the cutting edge with their designs so that it wasn't the same thing, year in, year out. We decided that there was room for someone else, and Skinny Water Culture was created.

Why "Skinny Water Culture"? Simple, because it's what we are. We grew up fishing, and surfing the shallow waters of West Central Florida, as well as being fans of the local artist's, restaurants, bands, business', vernacular, and swagger of those that were just like us! There needed to be a company that catered to this lifestyle, and that is why we didn't want to just come up with the same "gimmicky" clothing line name. We want people to be proud that they are wearing a name that describes their culture!

Since the beginning, Skinny Water Culture has stayed true to their plan of being different and original. Vince and Ray came up with all of the design ideas for the 1st generation of Skinny Water Culture t-shirts and they were so far from the norm, that many people didn't give them much attention. The thing was, the people that did, were the people that we cared about! It was exactly the audience that we wanted. We never wanted to be just a trend. The first customer's all appreciated it, and stayed very loyal. Skinny Water Culture started appearing on fishing forums everywhere with their new line of microfiber shirts displaying a huge skull (Skinny) on the front. It wasn't a button down collard shirt that looked like you had to iron to wear, but rather a cutting edge microfiber, moisture wicking, sun protecting t-shirt. There was plenty of reaction on the forum's and it was apparent that Skinny Water Culture was filling the void.

Not even one year into the start of the company Skinny Water Culture has made a name for themselves as an "original" company, and we are already on our 3rd line of designs. All of the past designs were "retired" after they were sold out, so that we can keep it fresh. Spring of 09 is the 1st installment by an artist other than Ray. We decided using different artist conceptions on our shirts is going to be an on going theme with the company. This Spring we introduce Chase Hancock, a freelance artist from Jacksonville who is a perfect fit for Skinny Water Culture. He dedicated an unmentioned (hundreds) amount of hours towards Skinny Water Culture, and I am sure he will dedicate many more. He is a stand up person, and fishing guide, and we are sure that he is going to become a household name as a marine artist.

We also want to mention that there are MANY other players that have helped us get this thing going. First off, Matt Chandler, who designed, and still maintains our website, while trying to juggle our needs with his own company, a real estate career, and his full time college obligations. Also, many, many guides and fisher people, who have helped us buy purchasing, and rocking our gear everywhere they go. And lastly Captain Skip, and his wife Amanda Miller, who have become part of the Skinny Water Culture "Family", and do more for us than we could ever begin to try and mention here. We are grateful for their devotion, and happy to have them as part of us!

The last thing I will mention is that Skinny Water Culture is still growing and will continue to use higher quality garments, and stay innovative as we develop new products, including moisture wicking hats, and visors (coming soon!), board shorts for fisher people, and fishing pants and utility products. There have already been many companies that have started in the last year that have tried in some way to duplicate, and there is no doubt that there will be more, but there will never be another Skinny Water Culture! Come back to the site often, as it changes all the time, and if you like something, buy it now, because something new will be replacing it soon!