The London Issue will be distributed exclusively to Living Proof Members. Sent to our members for June, 2026.
Karim Bakhtaoui is a longtime member of the Palace Skateboards crew, and a staple figure within London’s Southbank scene.
Bakhtaoui joined the Palace team during the company’s early days, making regular appearances in videos including Endless Bummer, Paramount, and their debut full-length Palasonic.
Outside of skateboarding, Bakhtaoi manages Supreme’s London storefront, and has been creating intricate, one-off pieces of jewelry inspired by British history and culture for more than a decade.
For Living Proof’s London Issue, Franklin Carbonatti speaks with Karim Bakhtaoui on the process of creating jewelry, visiting the United States, riding for Palace, and raising a family.
First off, thank you, brother. I really appreciate you doing this, man. I’m excited. It’s a crazy full-circle moment for me. I’m not actually sure if you remember this, but I think it was maybe 10 years ago or so when you were doing the jewelry thing. I bought a ring from you.
Yeah, you did. I remember.
And I reached out to you on Instagram, and I was like, “Yo, I want to buy this ring.” I still have it to this day. I wear it almost every day. Stood with me, and I never lost it somehow. I remember reaching out to you and saying, “I want to buy it, but the shipping is too expensive.” And you realized I knew Sean Powers, and you were like, “Yo, I’m going to be in New York, let’s just link up.” And I met you behind the Palace store.
That’s right. Yeah. That was some crazy, dodgy deal.
So how did you get into making jewelry?