Anchored in Montauk: An Interview with Whalebone Founder Jesse Joeckel
In this Spotlight Q&A, we sit down with Jesse Joeckel, the founder of Whalebone—a Montauk-born apparel brand that has, over the past sixteen years, become synonymous with coastal craftsmanship, community spirit, and an authentic “life by the water” ethos.
In this Spotlight Q&A, we sit down with Jesse Joeckel, the founder of Whalebone—a Montauk-born apparel brand that has, over the past sixteen years, become synonymous with coastal craftsmanship, community spirit, and an authentic “life by the water” ethos.
What began in the summer of 2010 as a self-funded passion project—teaching himself to screenprint in an old ice house—has since evolved into a small, tightly-knit team that handcrafts apparel celebrating the traditions and stories of Montauk’s fishing families and shoreline culture.
In this conversation, Jesse reflects on Whalebone’s origin story (“the lightbulb moment” of screenprinting for surf trips), the brand’s mission to create apparel that becomes woven into people’s personal stories, and the practical side of running a modern day “Mom & Pop” operation.
Join us as we explore how a passion for coastal living, community connection, and thoughtful design led Jesse Joeckel to build Whalebone into the beloved regional staple it is today.
What was the lightbulb moment / origin story of Whalebone?
Jesse: I grew up in a family of commercial fishermen (and women!), and my grandfather was a renowned decoy carver - his attention to detail and craftsmanship inspired our namesake and graphics we create.
That mix of tradition, creativity, and a deep connection to the water helped shape Whalebone from the start. Whalebone started by somewhat happenstance in the summer of 2010 when I had a goal to put my designs on t-shirts: but also to fund some winter surf trips!
I taught myself to screenprint out of an old ice house in Montauk, NY and what began as a creative outlet quickly took on a life of its own. People connected with the designs, the story, and the feeling it captured.
It wasn’t just about the shirts, it was about Montauk, the community, and the coastal lifestyle we all love.
Some pocket change and the freedom to chase waves in the offseason has grown into something much bigger over the past 16 years: a brand that people come back to year after year, a reflection of the East End’s tight-knit, hardworking community, and a celebration of life by the water.
Whalebone has become a joy and passion that I’m not sure I would have ever imagined at the start.
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What is the mission and vision of Whalebone?
Jesse: Whalebone has always been about more than just clothing, it’s about capturing a feeling.
I started the brand to reflect the life I knew and loved in Montauk: one rooted in coastal culture, creativity, and community.
From hand-printing every garment in an old ice house for the first 12 years to where we are now, the goal has stayed the same—to make thoughtfully designed, insanely soft apparel that feels like a true extension of life by the water.
We pull inspiration from the natural beauty and authentic community of the East End, the stories passed down through generations, and the spirit of adventure that comes from growing up with freedom to roam and an open ocean as our playground.
As Whalebone continues to grow, the vision is simple: stay true to our roots, share authentic stories from our community and beyond, and connect with people who see a bit of themselves in what we create.
How does Whalebone impact lives and/or the environment in a positive way?
Jesse: At Whalebone, our goal has always been to create more than just clothing - we want to make pieces that last and people feel connected to.
Whether it’s a tee that reminds someone of their first trip to Montauk or a sweatshirt that’s been on every road trip since, we love knowing our designs become part of people’s stories and memories.
When it comes to the environment, we are committed to using materials and fabrics that are recycled, organic and/or are as sustainable as possible, as much as possible.
While we are not a fully sustainable brand yet, we are striving to always improve while never compromising the quality or softness of the tees our customers have come to know and love.
Just like the coastlines that inspire us, we believe good things are worth protecting.
How have you funded the company thus far?
Jesse: To start Whalebone I had saved every penny I earned to get things up and running that first summer. I’ve always been very proud of the fact that for well over a decade, the business was entirely self funded.
More recently as we’ve put a big effort towards scaling the brand, we’ve been able to lean on business loans or lines of credit, which has proven to be incredibly helpful when placing large bulk inventory purchases.
What tools do you use to run Whalebone?
Believe it or not, Whalebone is run by just three full-time employees, including my wife and myself—so the dynamic is definitely unique.
We like to think of it as a modern-day Mom & Pop.
While we don’t rely on tools like Slack or Salesforce to manage daily operations, we do run both our POS and e-commerce through Shopify, which we’re big fans of.
For marketing, we use Klaviyo to support things like keeping our ever-growing email subscribers informed.
