Skateboarding
Mirko Mangum started skating at age 12 in El Cajon outside of San Diego, California and, with the help of solid influences and legendary support, he has been a lifer ever since. Naturally, though, after turning pro on the board the breakdown of the body began. He refers to it as when he “retired physically, not financially” as his entrepreneurial spirit took hold. He started working in-house at Planet Earth (after riding for the brand professionally) and received the ultimate first-hand learning experience for how to run a proper business in skateboarding. Mirko took more than notes, though. After seven or so years at Planet Earth he popped off with other friends to create their own clothing brand in ALPHANUMERIC. Then he took a position with C1RCA focused on setting up the ultimate team with the likes of Jamie Thomas and Chad Muska. Next came the Blackbox Days, before Zoo York, and then Univ, Whatever distribution, and a role at Vans… At this point, if you wan’t to hear Mirko’s full story and the origins of his latest skate company, watch this episode of CORE: Opus Footwear’s Mirko Mangum.