INNES Clothing was founded in 1996 by Matt & Chris Hensley. The company was successful in the beginning, but by 2002 a majority-interest had been sold to investors who did more harm than good for over 2 years. It was mismanaged with a lot of debt and not a lot of sales, the people who were in control didn’t care.

Founder Matt Hensley could’ve closed the doors in 2005/2006 after regaining control of the company he and his brother Chris created in a garage 10 years ago. He could have filed for bankruptcy and walked away, but the Hensley’s wouldn’t let it go down like that. It’s not who they are as people.

INNES survived the worst, and is back on track. Here’s the full story, starting in 1996 through today - the company’s past, present, and future.

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Where does the name INNES come from?
Matt Hensley [MH]: INNES is the Scottish clan name of my family. The Family Crest motto is "Be Traist". It simply means to be Trustworthy. The Swallow logo comes from early sailors tattoos worn by me. It's a very old design worn to signify their commitment to loyalty, family and always to return home. These are the foundations at INNES clothing.

When & how did INNES start?
MH: We started with $30K, and thought that was a lot of money! It was in late 1995 when we really got into the idea of creating a clothing company, and by 1996 we were official. My brother Chris and I started out in the garage making Ts and stickers. We bought t-shirt bags and a heat laminator to seal the bags - we still have that original heat laminator today. We put together a team, we couldn’t offer the riders money but we could offer them something cool. I called friends, talked to them and got guys to ride, Kris Markovich was one of the first guys on the team.

We saved up all our money and tried to get in to ASR in Long Beach, 1996. I’d been going to the shows my whole life as a sponsored skater and it was weird to be on the other side for the first time. The reaction was good and I got to see a lot of shop owners who I’d done demos for in the past. They were into it and we were off to a good start.

How was INNES positioned in 1996?
MH: We had a path going. Stylistically speaking I’m a skater and wanted to make skateboarding clothes, and some not so standard pieces. Sort of 75% skate clothes and 25% clothes like check button ups, mod-style, scooter-boy. I had visions of making 3 & 4 button suits and crombies. I just decided I was going to do this on who I was. I never wanted to loose the skateboarding roots, but I also wanted to make things that represented my style. It kind of backfired on me right off the bat.

How did it backfire?
MH: I was trying to make button ups that were affordable so you didn’t have to spend $75 on an import. We’d make a sample, try it on and my size (medium) would fit perfect so I said go with it. But it turned out the small wouldn’t fit your dog. XL was like a potato sack. I was horribly mistaken. Fat guys were pissed and girls couldn’t wear a small. Everyone who wore a medium was ok though. I made jeans like 501s pegged & flooded the way I like to wear’em but everyone else was going the opposite direction making huge baggies. We were going upstream. Only a few shops liked it and everyone else didn’t. I’m either retarded or ahead of my time because that style of jean is making a killing today.

I learned how to compromise. At some point you have to give in a little bit. We worked through the fit issue and some others. All the other stuff we were making was really good. Shorts, basic jeans, t-shirt designs and we were growing.

At what point did your day to day involvement with the company start to decline?
MH: I was playing in a band called Flogging Molly and I was having late nights practicing in LA. Mid way through 98 I had my son, so I promised my wife I'd be home at night to help out. Our band started doing better & better and it came to the point where I couldn't be at INNES everyday. We were going out into the world to see if people would listen to our music. We didn't get paid shit, and we actually lost money. We had to do it. So, being gone on tour I had to find someone to help with INNES. I talked to Todd Swank about helping out with day to day operations and I would stay involved with the creative. One of our riders at the time, Jamie Thomas, talked about becoming a partner with me. That building became Black Box Distribution and INNES was run out of there while I was on tour. It ran smooth like that for about a year. At some point with all the stuff going on at Black Box Jamie told me it was too much to deal with. That put me in a situation where I’m in a full time band and I’ve got a partner who’s on the way out. What the hell was I going to do. A lot of crazy cell phone calls with my brother while we were in a tour bus going through the Rockies to figure out what to do - this was our company, our family name.

What happened next?
MH: We brought in a new partner that didn’t work out...

In 2005, I decided I needed to take the company back. When I walked back through those doors after re-taking control of the company, it was on. One last chance. Keep it real. Right the wrongs. It’s been a couple of years now and we’ve been steadily improving. We brought in a senior level consultant to help clean up the disaster, and we’re set to do it right this time. This time around I’m not loosing track of who we are and why we got here. This way everyone involved with us is happy to work with us and it’s a positive situation. The basics, good product, delivered on time, and good support for our accounts, team, and everyone else involved. We’ve taken it back from a mud-reputation to one of our best years. It feels good. It feels really good.

Now that I have some good people to lean on, it frees me up to be who I am. Now we have people and management that are a really solid foundation. We’re running on all cylinders now. We have really good solid people.

When was INNES in its prime with regard to team, product, and sales?
MH: Other than right now, the time we were with Jamie Thomas was probably our best. It was right at the beginning.

How long was the company headed in the wrong direction?
MH: About three years.

Most companies would go belly up in that amount of time.
MH: When I took it over it was a matter of announcing the doors are closed... I had a decision to make - either file for bankruptcy and fuck people over or dig in and bring the company back. We made it work. We’re on the way back. We’ve turned it around and instead of everyone being irritated enemies; they’re supporting and want to see us succeed. Not just to get money back.

What inspired recent sweeping changes to the company?
MH: Reputation and the desire to bring this company back to where it should be. To do it right, in a good positive way.

What is the current state of the company?
MH: There are still things that we have to deal with. There is still money that we owe to people. Every month we get closer to bringing everyone up to current. If we continue with our recipe as it is now then we’ll be successful. Sure it’s always a struggle but when I’m out skating or playing music and I meet people in the street the feeling of the brand is good. People are stoked. We’re the most organized we have ever been.

Are there any professional teams assembled?
MH: We’re a skateboarding company. Generally that’s most of my interest. We also sponsor bands. I think we’re just going to stick with a skateboarding team. Other than that we’ll have a roster of bands that we support.

What are your plans to bring INNES back to popularity?
MH: Some of it we’ve already discussed. We’re going to get the feeling back from when we first started. Build a kick ass skateboarding company with a tinge of 60s mod - something going down. We’re going to bring Flogging Molly into it as well. When I’m in a town on a tour, I’ll visit some of the shops that carry INNES. Flogging Molly tours around the world so we’re able to help build INNES through our tours.

We’ll keep our ads in the mags looking good. We’ll expand our team as we find new talent. Anything to support skateboarding. We’re also sponsoring bands that match up with our situation; two are Street Dogs and Aggrolites. Anything that fits our situation, we’ll try to support it and be a part of it. Things that make sense to us and our style.