In 2003, Josh D, a native San Franciscan, started making graphic t-shirts with a focus on original artwork by Mike Giant. He wanted to deliver the punk DIY attitude shared among his friends to the world through unique products. REBEL8 incorporates subcultures into workwear-inspired apparel, through the lens of San Francisco in the 90s.

REBEL8 began at 833 Divisadero Street, a less than two hundred square foot studio apartment in central San Francisco. On the wall was the art for the first catalog. And just below that, a warehouse listing used for daily inspiration. Three years later, REBEL8 moved in. Beneath the loft bed was all the inventory. Each morning the boxes went outside into the alley to ship orders. The bike with basket was used to slang tees around the city. The kitchen was mainly used for box storage. This is what starting a brand in 2003 with five-hundred bucks looks like.

REBEL8 remains independently owned and operated. Our reach is global.

CORE VALUES

These are the REBEL8 Core Values: the rules that we live by and are prepared to die for. We are sharing them so you have a deeper understanding of who we are as a brand. Some of these values are not unique to REBEL8. Any company can copy this list or share values, but it's not really about that. It's about committing to a value system always, in all ways, and never folding.

DESIGN: REBEL8 is a design-driven company, not a sales-driven company. We care more about what we put out versus what money we bring in.

ORIGINALITY: While being “original” is greatly subjective, we should strive to produce new products: think and act independently.

QUALITY: Dedication to quality: quality of product, quality of service, quality of relationships, quality of communications, and quality of promises. It's about infusing quality into every aspect of the REBEL8 brand.

INTEGRITY: Commitment to integrity: being honest and having strong moral principles. In the clothing industry, this is not very popular. Many other companies operate with a lack of integrity. This core value only really shines over time and is proven when word is bond, decade after decade.

RESPECT: Respect for the individual: customers, employees, people in our supply chain, et al. Respect for our people at all levels, and from all backgrounds. Simply put, treat others the way you’d like to be treated.

TAKE NO SHIT: Do no harm but take no shit.

PROFIT: Charge a fair price for our products and achieve sufficient profit to cover the risks of economic activity. Profit is not the sole goal of our lives but must be a result of our contribution.