As soon as a new product lands at the dist, the first thing I do is put aside one of each color just to have and look back at later on. I wish I started doing that from the beginning but I definitely have a majority of everything. When I look at the assortment of previous merchandise branded with Karuma, I remember what inspired me to make that and what I had to go through to get it done. Some were as easy as looking it up and sending your logo over but others were a pain in the ass. Some products I made because I needed that item and would rather have one with Karuma on it. I didn’t have a belt so I made some belts, and security at Disneyland took my keychain knife so I made a keychain knife. Its funny how it comes about but I thought if I needed it, someone else probably needs one too. The products that don’t have anything to do with a car are usually the coolest ones to me. Since we stick to the name “Limited” we never remake it again unless it is an upgraded version or different colorway. It made me realize, that to a Karuma LIFER, these are all collectible items. At the beginning maybe only 25 – 50 pieces were produced of a certain item since thats all the money we had. But now since the resources are growing, gives me the urge to make even cooler stuff and collect them myself.
This item took 2 years to complete and of course I wanted a steering wheel with Karuma on it. Kevin at Greddy gave the idea of this whole project and the wheels were produced in the same factory that Greddy uses. We went back and forth with the factory because at first the materials weren’t up to par with Kevin, like the stitchings were uneven and the red line at the top was crooked on the samples. Originally we wanted leather wheels but had to switch to suede since the leather folded an ugly way in some places that just couldnt seem to get fixed. From the beginning I thought they looked great, but working with Kevin has now made me pay closer attention to detail and make sure the product is perfect, no matter how many emails and how much time it will take. Each wheel was carefully inspected to meet the requirements and laser engraved with its own number out of 300, Boost Brigade and Karuma logos, DEMON RIDAH script, and date of release. The top of the wheel is embroidered in Kanji that reads “Destroy all Terrain” and the bottom combining the BB Drift Demons with the KL Team Ridahs, reads “DEMON RIDAHS.” There are more pieces to the collaboration but just this piece alone, knowing it was produced in the same factory alongside such an influential brand to the car scene, feels like an acheivement on it’s own. Another thing we can check off the list! This and the whole collection will be available this Sunday at our 8th Anniversary event. If you have the chance, come by and grab one! This is one of those that were a pain in the ass, but a Karuma collectable I will hold on to forever. Thank you Kevin and the Greddy guys! ~TU
STEERING WHEEL √
