Hopps

Hopps is Jahmal Williams’ company. Williams is one of the East Coast’s long-haul pros — born and raised in Boston, pro in the ’90s for T.V. Skateboards, then Toy Machine and Powell — and since 1998 also a painter and sculptor, having taken a scholarship at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. All of that shows in the brand: he draws the graphics himself, jazz is a constant reference, and the official motto is “Enjoy the Ride.” Theories of Atlantis distributes it out of Brooklyn.

History

Williams started Hopps in the late 2000s while living in Miami with no sponsors, working a nine-to-five and skating purely for himself. He told Chrome Ball the story in 2011: he began writing ideas in a journal and wanted the name to be an action word. Remembering that he came from BMX and used to call ollies “bunny hops” as a kid, Hopps fell out of it. “Enjoy the Ride” came off a birthday card his girlfriend’s mother gave him right as the company was forming. The first shop to take a chance on it was Supreme in New York, after Ryan Hickey looked over his ideas at the counter and told him it could work.

The early commercials — the floating-logo one, the ice cream cart piece directed by Marcus Manoogian, the ones Josh Stewart shot — did more for the brand than any catalogue, and by 2011 Quartersnacks was covering Hopps screening nights on the Bowery. The pace hasn’t changed since: few releases, all of them considered.

The team

One thing that defines Hopps is that it doesn’t sign teenage prodigies. Williams still skates and still films parts; alongside him are Joel Meinholz, Steve Brandi, Dustin Eggeling, Mark Del Negro, Kyler Garrison and Keith Denley. John Baragwanath turned pro in 2026. Jerry Fowler, Williams’ old teammate, was the company’s first rider.

Boards and collaborations

The range is short and mostly pro models carrying graphics Williams drew or painted. Beyond decks there are wheels, caps and apparel, plus a handful of chosen collabs: Converse CONS x Hopps (2018), Hopps x Labor and Hopps x Quartersnacks (both 2021). The videos are just as spaced out: The “Saturday” Project (2016), Into the Sun (2020), Chipper and Keith Denley’s Sure Shot part (2021), Kyler & Friends (2023) and AUTO (2024).

Who it’s for

This is a brand for people who want a deck with an author behind it and don’t care that nobody at the park recognises the logo. Small distribution, short runs, patchy availability in Europe: if you need a specific width today, you may not find it. Check the sizing guide, then compare it against the full deck catalog.