Action sports brand, ilabb, has chalked up ten years of being in operation and set its eyes on steady expansion across the ditch.

The Kiwi retailer now has over 250 SKUs, three retail stores and 90 stockists across ANZ.

The founders of New Zealand’s action sports lifestyle brand, ilabb, announced the brand is in its strongest position yet as they celebrate their tenth year of business.

“We’ve had some gnarly years and learning curves but we are in good stead for the next decade,” said co-founder and creative director Matt Saunders.

“We’re steadily expanding into Australia, have just opened a new store in Queenstown and have a strong family of world-class athletes representing the brand – we feel like we’ve hit our stride and will make some big gains in this next chapter.”

When ilabb became an official business 10 years ago, founders Saunders and Seadon Baker were “working ridiculous hours, often hunkering down in the office overnight because there was no point in returning home at such a late hour” and “learnt to live on Weetbix for breakfast, lunch and dinner” with any extra money made going straight back into the development of their action sports streetwear brand. The first time they picked up a major account was cause for celebration – followed by a mad scramble to find the cash necessary to produce the stock for this first major deal. “The company started in a recession so we learnt how to operate in lean times,” recounted Saunders.

The launch of Syndicate, the retailer’s athletic-wear line which is the fastest growing line in the ilabb business is a personal highlight over the last ten years for Saunders, who also counted working with action sports stars in various partnerships as important.