Well, as it turns out, if you give a mouse a cookie they will in fact keep coming back. In our case, the mouse is skate memorabilia collectors, which would make us… the cookie? Ok, maybe that didn’t make sense, but what I’m trying to say is we’re back with more nerdy skate shit.

Check out his talks with a few memorabilia heavy hitters. We hope this offers you a chance to reminisce about that tee your friend “borrowed” in middle school and potentially inspire you to track down that nostalgia bomb your closet is missing.

What was the first t-shirt you purchased for your collection? Was there one graphic that made you want to start collecting?
My first “real” skate shirt was the Powell-Peralta Bones “Skateboard Skeleton”. I bought it in 1988 in Brighton at Pig City Skate Shop. Back in 1987 when I started skateboarding, we had no skate shop near my hometown, so this trip to the shop was really special.

Those Vernon Courtlandt Johnson skull graphics were so dominant in the 80s and soon after I got the Bones “Ripper” and of course the iconic Ray Bones Rodriguez “Skull and Sword” shirt.

Is there a grail most collectors would agree upon? What’s your holy grail tee?
For the 80s I would say a multi-print Zorlac or Powell shirt. The 90s I’d say the Bob shirts from World, Blind and 101, especially the “fucked up” ones. If you are a mid 90s kid you might go for a Shorty’s Muska or a Hook-Ups tee. What I learned over time is you have to find a direction in your collecting, otherwise you will run out of money, storage space, or both.

As an artist, I’m drawn to the OG artist skater’s graphic shirts like the ones from Neil Blender, Chris Miller and the Gonz of course! If I had to pick one shirt it would be the G&S Blender “Coffee Break”

Are there any shirts that were too inappropriate or not allowed when you were younger that you needed to acquire later on for your collection?

My parents were never too happy with all the skull graphics. The XXXL baggy look didn’t help my case, either. I was once sent home by my teacher to change my shirt – the baby vagina “Ripper”.

To someone like myself who collects decks, not clothing, it seems like companies were putting out a lot of one-off shirt graphics. Did they usually coincide with a board graphic?
The reason why skate brands’ apparel doesn’t always coincide with the actual board graphics is that shirts were way easier to get produced and distributed. Overall, there are more individual graphics on shirts than on boards. Luckily shirts are less heavy and easier to store compared to boards.

It seems like in the 90s, companies were just releasing whatever they wanted and didn’t care about cease & desist orders. Are these shirts usually highly sought after?
Of course, these are some of the best ones – very often short-lived and very rare as the cease and desist letters from the lawyers came in quickly. Even in the early nineties when the skateboard scene was so small and graphics kinda changed weekly. A very special one is the Santa Cruz “Coca-Cola” Jeff Grosso and of course the Jason Lee Burger graphic shirt. Most brands these days play it safe.

What does the scene look like now with a new wave of online flippers coming into the market?
Luckily, all the reselling flippers are more for the hype shit like Supreme or Nike SB Dunks. The world of vintage shirts has always had a special interest with some higher prices. I miss the good old days (the mid-90s) going to a Goodwill and finding 80s Powell shirts for 3 bucks, but now all these are sorted out and resold before anything hits the shelves.

Companies today like Supreme, an NYC skate shop, are now being valued at over 1 billion dollars and have their product lines being auctioned off in Sotheby’s. What does it say about the current state of skateboarding “fashion” and the way it’s viewed in today’s culture?
We’ve seen the big investors investing in skateboard (apparel) companies for quite some time now. With a massive new Asian market opening up to global consumerism corporations like VF Corp acquiring Supreme for a couple of billion dollars – it seems like the new normal. Seeing a Neil Blender X Supreme capsule makes me happy, but I simply do not care about the Prada and Gucci high fashion bullshit. Seeing one of the OG skate footwear brands Vans collaborating with Gucci clearly sucks! It just benefits Gucci and hurts Vans as a “skate” brand.

How does sizing, condition, brand etc. affect the cost or value of a shirt?
I learned in Japan that the larger sizes are more sought after. I’m personally super happy if I can score a ’90s shirt in a medium as I really want to wear the shirts. Also, be aware that in the ‘80s a size Large or even an XL could fit like a Medium today. You need to check the hang tags – those are always an indicator of what era a shirt was made.

As someone who has documented skateboard clothing throughout the decades, what trends have you seen come and go?
The first trend in surf and skate was striped shirts. I never thought I would see my son rocking baggy jeans in 2023! It’s kinda crazy to see this coming back, but the kids of today make it look cool again. Workwear like Carhartt and Dickies were huge in the mid-90s and now this style is a part of streetwear culture today.

After the release of ‘Skateboarding Is Not A Fashion Vol 1’ – I saw a couple of products re-released that we featured in the book. For example, Lance Mountain made a capsule with his DIY leopard pants with Stüssy recently with matching shoes from Nike SB. People will always look to the past to find something for the future.

Are there any current companies out now that have your attention?
Strangelove is one of those I really like – with amazing graphics by Sean Cliver, Marc McKee and Todd Bratrud. Also, Damon Ways brainchild FACT that he is doing together with photographer Ryan Allan. It has a cool new wave 80s BW vibe. On the euro side (fuck the Brexit) it’s definitely Loven Skate by Stu in London – the master of silk-screening boards and shirts.

What was the first t-shirt you purchased for your collection?
The first tee I ever purchased for the collection was a Vision “No Code of Conduct” tee as I had it back in the 80s. I am wearing one in my 8th grade yearbook photo.

Is there a grail most collectors would agree upon? What’s your holy grail tee?
Any Bob Shirt with the tag still in it. Any of the one-off blind tees. Anything from the World Industries camp. When it comes to skate tees, the pro model tees seem to be where it’s at. But mostly It’s about nostalgia. Did I wear it? Did one of my homies wear it? If the answer is yes, I probably want it for the collection. If something is so vague nobody had it, then it’s less desirable now.

Anything you are currently on the hunt for that someone reading may have?
I want ALL of your BOB shirts.

Do you wear your tees?
Yeah, I occasionally wear the ones that fit. Now and again I’ll bust out the football-shaped board with the 38mm wheels and throw on a Bob shirt for a big pants small wheels sesh. I can’t really pull that look off at 47 so I’m not wearing those unless I run the full kit and I’m skating. I know I look ridiculous [laughs].

What does the scene look like now with a new wave of online flippers coming into the market?
We’ve seen it happen with old boards. Prices are crazy. With anything old, everyone thinks if it’s vintage they can get a ton of money. You see a lot of shit sitting on eBay forever at crazy prices. Most of the rad skate tees I find are from trades with other collectors. Every once in a while, someone will reach out who found a box of old skate tees. That’s the best.

Was there a turning point where you saw the public perception of skate culture change? Do you think it’s more accepted now than it was two or three decades ago?
If you grew up skating in the 80s, you know how hated skateboarders were. When Green Day became popular in the early 90s, that seemed to be when all of the cheerleaders wanted to date a skater [laughs]. It’s definitely more accepted now. My son has homies he skates with that are on the football team. Whole different world.

How do you feel about companies pulling from skate culture?
Skateboarders have always been ahead of the fashion curve. Everyone has been biting our style since the 80s. I’m not worried about what other people are doing though. I pay it no mind.

Any dos and don’ts you’d like to share with newer collectors?
Don’t be a kook. Don’t send Venmo or friends and family payments to a stranger. Just pay the PayPal fees if the seller is worried about them. Anyone who refuses to take a protected payment is scamming. Do get to know as many collectors as possible. Networking is crucial.

What was the first t-shirt you purchased for your collection?
The first shirt I purchased was a Sean Sheffy Plan B at the beginning of collecting. I remember not buying it at the shop and I regretted it since.

Is there a grail most collectors would agree upon? What’s your holy grail tee?
Jason Lee’s 666 pentagram model of Blind which ended up being the Natas 101 graphic. Anything political-themed seems to sell at a high price and is highly sought after these days. Anything one-off or cease and desist is usually the hardest to come by.

Is there a theme or a specific focus to your collection? Specific brands or eras?
I like companies from the World Industries camp starting in 91. Early Bitch and 101 are some of my favorites. Any of the BOB shirts really.

How hard is it to find tees in Japan?
Finding shirts in Japan can be really hard to come by. I have to watch the market all over to track them down. A lot of the time I am having them shipped to me from overseas.

Was there a turning point where you saw the public perception of skate culture change?
There was very little information on skateboard culture in Japan 30 years ago. It was very underground. By 2000, the internet really opened that up, but the companies became soft and the good graphics started to disappear.

Companies today like Supreme, a NYC skate shop, are being valued at over 1 billion dollars and are having their product lines being auctioned off in Sotheby’s. What does it say about the current state of skateboarding “fashion” and the way it’s viewed in today’s culture?
“Skateboard fashion” was created purposely by these brands only for a money grab. Young people buy it up with not much knowledge of where it came from. Collabs are just another money grab, the more random, the worse it is. Resellers are just capitalizing on it. There really is no skate fashion. It’s important to wear what you like. I hope the new generation isn’t deceived by it all. You’re wasting your money.

How do you go about pricing clothing?
I have been watching the market for a while on most of the apps out there. I gather most of my pricing info that way. There are a lot of new sellers that don’t understand value, resulting in the market being blown out by overpricing. In Japan, Mercari has sellers getting top dollar without even revealing the condition. You have to be careful.

In the old days, we were all buying, selling and trading to each other at normal prices. Now it’s blown up and finding things at those prices is hard.

Are there any current companies out now that have your attention?
I’m really into FUCT. I think the political message is excellent and has a good feel of the 90’s companies.

Interviews by: Zac Tait
Header by: Wilson Lucas
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