His competition days might be behind him. But Shaun White’s career in the snowboarding world is far from over, as he announces his very own brand of outdoor gear and apparel.
Shaun White was about to drop into the half-pipe at the Beijing Olympics, for what would be the last run of his professional career. Over 3 decades of competitions, White’s ridden a lot of boards; he’s been sponsored by a lot of companies and had his name on countless signature products. But that was the first time he’d ever used a snowboard from his very own brand.
“I was actually standing on my own name,” he told GearJunkie in a recent interview, “literally.”
It was an incredible moment, he said. It was something he’d envisioned since he was a kid. And it was also a moment that capped his professional career, marking the end of an era in White’s life, and the beginning of his retirement project: Whitespace gear.
Whitespace on the Slopes and in the Streets
Developed in partnership with retailer Backcountry, Whitespace (as you probably could have guessed) is a snowboard gear and apparel company. As a young athlete, seeing idols like Tony Hawk and Tom Sims create Birdhouse and Sims, White always dreamed about having his own namesake brand.
Now at 36, he’s making it happen. And he’s got big plans for where it’s going.
“Obviously, my roots are in winter sports. So, that’s where we’re starting. I hope, and have goals for the brand to build outside of that,” he said. “But I definitely wanted to create something that had that style component as well. So I’m really proud of what we made.“
The idea behind Whitespace is simple enough: create apparel that will perform as well on the slopes as it looks good on the streets.
“[My brother and I] started to create the line around, like, what’s a jacket that’s stylish enough to wear in the city? But then again, that can withstand whatever is going to be thrown at it in the mountains?”
The White brothers got to work and started designing Whitespace.
The Lineup
Beyond the Competition
