Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Sutton.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I wanted to create something more than just another brand chasing margins, profits, and likes. I wanted to build something that actually feeds the future — the community. Without community, brands lose meaning. Without people, culture, and connection, apparel is just fabric. Choke Stoke was founded on one principle: purpose over profit. From day one, the mission has been simple — give back more than we take.
The heart of Choke Stoke is rooted in community impact. Every month, we spotlight a local organization, share their mission, amplify their voice, and return that month’s sales back to the nomination. It’s not a marketing tactic — it’s a responsibility. We exist to help build awareness, visibility, and appreciation for the incredible organizations doing real work in our neighborhoods.
This idea didn’t come from a boardroom. It came from growing up on Maui, where community isn’t a buzzword — it’s a lifeline. On the islands, you learn early that you’re only as strong as the people around you. Moving to California didn’t change that belief; it expanded it. Now based in Santa Cruz, we’re a local apparel company with island roots and a California heartbeat, committed to building community wherever the waves take us.
Every piece of Choke Stoke apparel is hand‑designed by one person who cares more about impact than margins. Each product worn stands for something bigger. Every design represents support, connection, and the belief that surf culture can be a force for good. We stand for making a positive impact beyond the surf break. We live for chasing the STOKE — not the profit.
The name itself carries the story. Choke comes from Hawaiian Pidgin, meaning a lot. Stoke is the energy, the hype, the good vibes we all chase. Together, Choke Stoke means a lot of stoke — a lot of positivity, a lot of community, a lot of giving back.
That’s who we are.
That’s what we stand for.
We are CHOKE STOKE.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Building Choke Stoke has never been a polished, corporate operation. It’s a one‑person mission held together by late nights, early mornings, and a whole lot of stubborn belief in community. Running a brand while working a full‑time job means every hour becomes a trade‑off. Lunch breaks turn into design sessions. Evenings become fulfillment windows. Weekends disappear into pop‑ups, outreach, and community events. There’s no team to hand things off to — every task lands on one set of shoulders.
Product development isn’t just sketching ideas; it’s sourcing materials, testing samples, coordinating production, and making sure every piece reflects the mission. Marketing isn’t just posting a photo; it’s storytelling, building trust, and making sure the message stays authentic. Finance means tracking every dollar, stretching every margin, and making sure the brand can keep giving back. Social media becomes a constant balancing act — staying visible without losing the soul of the mission.
And then there’s life outside the brand. Coaching soccer. Volunteering. Showing up for the community in ways that don’t generate revenue but absolutely matter. These aren’t side hobbies — they’re part of the heartbeat of Choke Stoke. They’re reminders of why the brand exists in the first place.
All of this happens out of a garage — the unofficial headquarters, warehouse, design studio, fulfillment center, and creative lab. It’s not glamorous. It’s boxes stacked next to surfboards. It’s heat in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s printing shirts with the garage door cracked open for airflow. It’s building something real from a space that represents exactly what the brand stands for: grassroots, community-driven, no shortcuts.
The challenge isn’t just the workload — it’s the mental weight of believing in something bigger than yourself and pushing it forward without a safety net. It’s knowing that every sale, every design, every donation, every partnership is the result of personal effort, personal time, and personal sacrifice. It’s exhausting, but it’s meaningful.
Choke Stoke isn’t powered by a team of executives. It’s powered by one person who refuses to let the mission slip. One person who believes that a surf brand can be more than apparel — it can be a vehicle for awareness, connection, and giving back. One person who knows that community is worth the grind.
This is the reality behind the stoke.
This is the work behind the purpose.
This is what it means to build Choke Stoke from the garage up.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
At Choke Stoke, our designs are created with complete freedom — no barriers, no trends to chase, no pressure to fit into the same design language everyone else is copying. Every piece starts with meaning, not marketing. We design with intention, with purpose, and with the belief that apparel should stand for something bigger than aesthetics. While other brands follow the same patterns, palettes, and formulas, we choose to break away. Our creativity isn’t boxed in by what sells fastest or what’s trending this week. It’s driven by community, culture, and the stoke that inspires us to make something real. Every design is a reminder that originality still matters — and that purpose will always outweigh imitation.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The future of Choke Stoke is rooted in one goal: grow so we can give back more. Whether we stay small and grassroots or expand into something bigger, our mission never changes. We’re building a future where every purchase fuels something meaningful — where the things you buy directly support the services, organizations, and communities you rely on. Choke Stoke isn’t just an apparel brand; it’s a model for how business should work. More impact, more support, more stoke. No matter how far we go, purpose stays at the center, and giving back stays the reason we exist.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chokestoke.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/choke_stoke/
