Volcom Launches First Youth Signature And First BMX Collection With 11-Year-Old YouTube Star Caiden Cernius

Action sports mainstay Volcom has never signed a BMX rider, so, one might imagine, the first one to partner with the brand would have to be pretty special.

And that’s a great way to describe 11-year-old Caiden Cernius, a YouTube sensation with 1.4 million subscribers and a future Olympic hopeful.

Not only is Cernius—or “Caiden BMX”—the first BMX rider to sign with Volcom, but the Las Vegas native is the first to ever work with the brand on a youth signature collection.

The Caiden BMX Send Mode capsule features hoodies, tees, shorts and accessories. Standout items include Cernius’ signature “Caiden Dye” fleece pants and coordinating hoodie.

“I’ve been wearing Volcom since I was two years old, before I started riding bikes, before YouTube, before it all,” Cernius told me. “When I first walked through the Volcom factory door and saw everything laid out, my jaw hit the floor!”

Volcom’s roster of influential action sports athletes is formidable; in the past, the brand has worked with snowboarder Shaun White and skateboarder Ryan Sheckler. Current team athletes who have had apparel and outerwear collections include skateboarder Louie Lopez, surfer Jack Robinson and snowboarder Arthur Longo.

However, Volcom’s history has been undeniably rooted in board sports, and its signature collections have not extended to its youth line.

But the youth movement in action sports is unmistakable, especially now that freestyle BMX, skateboarding and surfing have all been added to the Olympic program. Athletes as young as 11, 12 and 13 have signed with major sponsors, like skateboarders Sky Brown with Nike (13 when she competed in the Tokyo Games) and Momiji Nishiya with adidas (also 13 at the Tokyo Games and the gold-medal winner in women’s street).

“Since day one, Volcom’s brand vision has been rooted in supporting world class talent across our culture. That being said, throughout the past three decades we have never done a signature collection in our boys’ line, which is why we are so excited to be working with Caiden BMX on our first,” said Ryan Immegart, Volcom CMO.

The collection has already gotten a “great response across the board” and there will be a second drop coming this month ahead of the holiday shopping season.

“To see a company rooted in board sports put a BMX bike and my name on a kids line means the world to me and my family,” Cernius said.

Cernius landed his first 360 at the age of five and his first backflip at seven. (He also became the youngest person in history to land a double backflip.) After riding essentially anything with two wheels, he homed in on BMX as his true passion and began entering freestyle competitions.

Cernius is undefeated in competition in 2022, including first-place finishes at three USA BMX Freestyle competitions for the 11-14 age group and winning the USA BMX digital competition.

Between 2018 and 2019 he earned six wins in the Hot Wheels Junior Series competitions and never finished outside podium position. And last year, he took first place at the Nitro Junior Games in BMX Park for 16 and under.

Cernius started his YouTube channel at age six—his mom, Lisa, handles filming and editing, and his dad, Brian, helps “Caiden BMX” bring his ideas to life. Brian is a former BMX and motocross racer who helped inspire Caiden to get on his first bike.

Cernius’ goal is to become the platform’s biggest channel for kids as well as action sports enthusiasts. One of his favorite videos to make—and a heavy-hitter, with 1.2 million views—was filming with his idol Travis Pastrana at the motocross legend’s Pastranaland complex, where Cernius had the chance to jump the infamous mega ramp.

Given that Cernius also rides scooters and dirt bikes, it’s no surprise that he looks up to the Nitro Circus crew, including BMX and scooter superstar Ryan Williams (RWilly).

By no means a rising star—Cernius has already arrived, with a who’s-who of action sports sponsors including DC Shoes, Fit Bike Co. and Bell Sports helmets—the 11-year-old is still looking forward to upping the ante when it comes to competitions.

Cernius’ immediate goal is to earn an invite to X Games—after that, he’s got his eye on the Olympics, where freestyle BMX made its debut at the Tokyo Games. There will be more qualification spots up for grabs at Paris 2024; the discipline is expanding from 18 athlete spots to 24, 12 men and 12 women.