An Alameda father and his 11-year-old son have turned a love of skateboarding into a small brand that gives its profits to celiac disease causes, the Alameda Post reported.
Why it matters: Celiac is an autoimmune disease with no treatment beyond a strict gluten-free diet, and the family wants more people to understand it isn't "just an allergy."
How Devious started
Josh Kamler and his son Carmelo launched Devious about a year and a half ago, according to the Post. It sells skateboard decks, hoodies, mugs and other gear. Kamler said the brand has donated more than $2,000 to groups including Beyond Celiac, the Celiac Disease Foundation and the Celiac Community Foundation of Northern California.
The brand's website says Carmelo was diagnosed with celiac a couple of years ago and came home one day with a drawing, a name and an idea: put it on a skateboard and use the sales to help other kids with celiac.
"I really don't like it when kids say that it's just an allergy," Carmelo told the Post. "It's actually an autoimmune disease that can really hurt me."
Who does what
Carmelo is art director and originally drew all the designs, which his dad digitizes for printing, the Post reported. His favorite is the Devious Splatterbeetle.
The family has lived in Alameda since 2013, and Carmelo learned to skate at the Alameda skatepark. Local skaters, including the Old Dudes crew and KSB Skateboards, have helped spread the word.
People who buy gear but don't skate can send it back to the family to donate to skate nonprofits, the website says.