Founded in 2003, REBEL8 is a San Francisco based clothing company deeply rooted in the skateboard, graffiti, and tattoo cultures. The REBEL8 brand is one of the last authentic streetwear brands left that incorporate original artistic works within their pieces. Most graphics within the REBEL8 product line are hand illustrated, with no computer generated enhancements or manipulations. The man behind this original art work at REBEL8 is the legendary tattoo and graffiti artist Mike Giant.
Joshy D. and Mike Giant met in the late 1990’s in San Francisco’s then bustling graffiti scene. Josh ran the popular graffiti website, HiFiArt, and Mike was one of the city’s most notorious writers. Years later, and having had some experience with a previous clothing venture, Josh approached Mike about creating a handful of t-shirt graphics. Mike agreed, and with $500 a small batch of shirts was made. Josh sold those shirts out of a messenger bag around the city, and REBEL8 was born. Today, Joshy D. runs the business and Mike Giant sees to the art as REBEL8 finds itself growing in many creative directions at once. Now an internationally recognizable brand, REBEL8 is still committed to the communities from which it comes, and strives to reinforce its unique lifestyle with every product.