Current culture is largely being formed through nostalgia. Nostalgia for the symbols and songs stirring long-dormant and almost forgotten emotions. And why not? The pandemic forced the vast majority of us to slow to a crawl last seen when all we could do was crawl. Enter Retrokid. The brand has cemented itself as the best example of how love can become a brand. The cartoons and children’s specials they bring together to create their products could only have been chosen by someone who grew up in a very specific time and place during the ’80s and ’90s.
Who are you?
I’m Steve Gaskin, owner and co-founder of Retrokid. I’m a father of two, and an aspiring basement DJ. The other half of Retrokid is Eric Bauza. He’s the voice of Bugs Bunny!
What was the strain that was smoked to come up with this level of genius?
No strains required – 100% pure childhood memories with deep cuts of feel-good nostalgia. We saw a huge gap in the Canadian streetwear space for a slightly older demographic. We wanted designs that spoke to ’80s and ’90s kids.
Describe what you do?
We celebrate and pay homage to all of the forgotten memories buried deep in your childhood and bring them to life with digitally remastered, hand-drawn artwork on premium apparel. We work directly with the original show creators, designers, and artists to relive our childhood memories growing up in Canada and the US.
Favourite show in your library of goodyness?
Ghostwriter is up there for sure. Reading Rainbow will never be forgotten, especially with that intro music. Mr. Dressup was our version of Mr. Rogers – did you know they were homies and worked together? My Pet Monster and Heathcliffe also hold a special place in my heart.
Did you expect people to embrace you as they have?
Not at all. This was supposed to be a side hustle – we weren’t supposed to buy any inventory and only print-on-demand. I had another flourishing business, but something deep inside always caught my attention and time with Retrokid. We’re entirely grateful and humbled to see the response and support we’ve gotten from celebrities like Kardinal Offishall, Russell Peters, Andrew Phung, Devo Brown, Morgan Hoff, Jessi Cruikshank, Shad, DJ Starting From Scratch, and Complex Canada. We try our best to see everyone and never lose our small business sense – 1,000x appreciate all of the love and shares we’ve received.
When is the next drop?
Inspector Gadget Season 2 is on deck for an April launch, featuring the return of our much loved, sold-out Dr. Claw hoodie. After that, we have a full Care Bears Family capsule dropping just in time for Spring/Summer, and then we may hit up a Degrassi drop just to keep the feel-good vibes rolling. ReBoot is coming soon as part of our Season 2 YTV Keep It Weird collab. You’ve been warned: incoming nostalgia.
Favourite shows that you don’t have?
We’d love to get back with TVO to celebrate Today’s Special and Polka Dot Door for all the ’80s babies. An official collab with Bobby’s World or Dexter’s Laboratory would be crazy too!
Favourite Meal?
Goat curry with rice and peas, two sides of coleslaw, and a comfy couch to sleep on afterwards.
Nike or adidas?
As I get older with my Pat Ewing knees, adidas with the Boost is everything these days.
