Collection: HOOK-UPS (Jeremy Klein)
RATED SUBCULTURE — THE JAPONISTA CULTURAL ARCHIVE
Illicit Images: Hook-Ups and the Radical Visual Language of 1990s Skateboarding
Anime appropriation, censorship defiance, and skate decks as underground publishing.
Hook-Ups was never designed to be polite, acceptable, or mass-market.
Founded in 1993 by Jeremy Klein, Hook-Ups emerged from the raw core of American skateboarding at a moment when skate graphics became vehicles for provocation rather than branding. Klein, a professional skateboarder and artist, treated decks, apparel, and accessories as print media—a way to circulate imagery that mainstream culture rejected.
The brand is most widely known for its controversial use of anime-inspired female imagery, often eroticized, confrontational, and intentionally unsettling. These visuals were not intended as decoration; they were weapons. By appropriating Japanese anime aesthetics and colliding them with Western skate culture, Hook-Ups challenged censorship norms, moral boundaries, and the commodification of rebellion itself.
Culturally, Hook-Ups occupies a crucial position in skate history:
it represents the moment when skateboarding fully embraced shock as authorship. Boards became posters. Clothing became statements. Distribution was limited, informal, and resistant to institutional approval.
Importantly, Hook-Ups was never aligned with Japanese skate culture directly, yet its heavy use of anime imagery forged a transgressive visual bridge between Japan and the West—long before “Cool Japan” became a soft-power export. This dissonance is precisely what made the brand influential.
For collectors, Hook-Ups items are valued for graphic integrity, original production runs, and unaltered imagery. Wear on decks is expected, but cracks, drilled holes, and graphic fade significantly affect value. Apparel is judged by print clarity and tag authenticity rather than condition alone.
This collection is curated as underground visual history—evidence that skateboarding functioned as an alternative publishing network when other channels were closed.
Concierge & Cultural Sourcing
If you are seeking original Hook-Ups decks or apparel, our Concierge & Cultural Sourcing Service can assist discreetly with verification and sourcing.
Curator’s Note: Hook-Ups defines the provocation axis of skate culture. This collection connects directly to Skateboarding as Counter-Media and the forthcoming essay Anime, Anarchy, and Asphalt: The Hook-Ups Phenomenon .
Frequently Asked Questions
Who founded Hook-Ups?
Jeremy Klein.
Why is the brand controversial?
Its imagery intentionally challenged censorship and norms.
Are decks meant to be skated?
Yes. Use is part of authenticity.
Are Hook-Ups items collectible?
Yes, especially early decks and apparel.