We had the good fortune of connecting with Spencer Nikosey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Spencer, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When I first set out to start my own brand and really go for it I had big dreams and aspirations. My thought process as a 25 year old industrial designer was simple. I aspired to be like Yvon Chouinard who started off making climbing tools which became Patagonia and Jake Burton who pioneered the the sport of snowboarding and created Burton Snowboards. I wanted to be a brand that made items at the quality and craftsmanship of Hermes, who started off as a harness workshop and made leather riding gear, and Rimowa who used aircraft aluminum to advance the travel industry with innovation. I wanted to have a studio like Charles and Ray Eames who incorporated their work and life into one playful life long mission. I wanted to work super hard everyday and at the same time to never work again. I wanted to create a brand that was an extension of my desire to create, invent, iterate, design, develop, and manufacture. I wanted to create a business that was setup to build my ideas and get lost in the details. I knew that successful people spent their entire lives building their dreams so I had an urgency that was nagging at me. I needed to get started. My goal was to design and build the best products I could in-house, and do so with a small team of people who cared as much as I did about mastering our craft, and shipping a product that was extraordinary. In 2009 we built a small factory in the downtown Los Angeles Arts district and got started.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
From an early age I was curious about the way something was made, and how it functioned. I’m a problem solver and inventor at my core, and would constantly create things in my head that didn’t exist yet. I originally went to art school to study Graphic Design because I had a passion for typography and communication. While I was in design school in SF I discovered Industrial Design. I quickly transferred to Art Center College of Design to study Product Design, where I worked my ass of and graduated with honors. I loved every aspect of Product Design and found my calling. Luckily I was encouraged by a teacher named Nik Hafermaas to go against the grain and start my own brand. So, instead of going and working at Apple, Nike, or Ideo, I decided to create my own brand and launch at my graduation. That’s how Killspencer® was born.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Icon 4×4, Singer Porsche, JPL, Getty Archives, JPL Archives, Cactus Store, Getty Villa, Angeles Crest Dog Hike, David Wiseman Studio, James Jean studio, Christopher James Alexander, Judson Studios, Kazu Nori, Guisados, Bell Canyon Equestrian Center, Tennis at Racquet Club LA, Heather Cliffs to name a few…

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and foremost my entire family has been in complete support of anything I was passionate about since day one. They got me excited about drawing and design at an early age, with baseball and all that went with years and years of games and practice, and with music. I gravitated toward drums when I was 11 and haven’t stopped. The fact that they encouraged me to go after my dreams is super special, and I cannot thank them enough.

Website: www.Killspencer.com

Instagram: @Killspencer, @KillspencerLabs

Twitter: @Killspencer

Image Credits
Dunja Dumanski, Christopher Night, Aimee Nicolas

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