BUILT FROM THE DIRT UP

Where It All Began

The desert behind our houses

It started in Henderson, Nevada. High school days, JR ROTC brotherhood, and a friend who changed my life in ways I couldn't imagine. We'd take the trail from Race Track Road up to the B on the mountain, chasing dust clouds and freedom in his two seater Jeep. I'd sit in the back with no seat, no seatbelt. Just pure trust and the kind of bond you only get when you're young and fearless.

That friend's name was David Rock.

We'd go out to that desert regularly, living for those moments when nothing existed except the trail ahead and the roar of the engine. The desert wasn't just our playground. It was where we felt most alive.

The Dark Years

I thought that chapter was closed forever

That devastation changed everything. My dirt bike sat unused after my cousin broke the throttle cable and a few other things. I thought my passion for the desert had ended. I thought that chapter of my life was closed forever.

Years later, I was visiting family in So Cal. We were all going camping. My uncle brought the RV, dirt bikes, and 4 wheelers. Everyone loaded up and headed out to Stoddard Valley. While we were there, everyone would get on their bikes and head out on the trails. While waiting for my turn to ride a 4 wheeler for what felt like forever, I looked over at my truck and said f*ck this, got in my truck, and started following them.

Hours later, with two bald tires and scratches along both sides of my truck, I was hooked all over again. The desert had called me home.

The Lightning Strike

November 2008. The name came like lightning.

I was walking through the No Fear store at Meadows Mall, seeing everyone wearing the same cookie cutter designs. First came Mafia Clothing. My friends wore it, my first born even came home in a Mafia Clothing onesie. But it didn't feel right. It was cool, but it wasn't me.

Then came November 2008. I was in my apartment, wanting to start something different, something more fitting to who I was. BAM. Like lightning, the name DIRT ROYALTY came to me.

I taught myself Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. I had shirts made, tank tops for women, and my friends all wore my clothes. I even sold some at a local dirt bike shop called Sam's Cycle Supply.

But here's where it gets crazy. It wasn't until later that I realized the initials for Dirt Royalty were the same as my high school friend's name: D.R. = David Rock. The thought that I didn't do this intentionally still gives me goosebumps.

Building It Right This Time

18 years of waiting. No more.

Life has a way of throwing curveballs. I was dealing with my own personal battles with addiction. The brand came to a stop for 9 years, but I never forgot about DR. It sat and waited for me to bring it back to life.

Fast forward to 2026. My oldest son is now 18, and it hit me like a train. I'd been waiting for the perfect timing to restart this brand for 18 years. The parallel wasn't lost on me.

With an amazingly supportive wife and 6 kids watching, I realized something: there is no perfect time. All I ever wanted was to see random people wearing Dirt Royalty. Something I designed and made myself. I never cared about the money. I was doing it for the love and passion of design and the lifestyle I lived.

I'm designing everything myself. I'm printing everything myself. Quality over quantity. Authenticity over imitation. If it has my name on it, it's going to be done right.