My Top 5 with Daniel Castillo

Name: Daniel Castillo

Sponsors:
Chocolate Skateboards
DVS Shoes
King Stampede Clothing
Diamond Supply Co.
ValSurf Rideshop

Top 5 Skate Shoes of all time Past or Present:

DVS Munition CT's

DVS Gavin CT's

DVS Chico Brenes "Mayan" 

DVS Daewon 10

DVS Keenan Milton Pro Model with the clear Blue soles

Video:



Linkage:

twitter.com/dlakastan

Kenny Anderson leaves Adio

Well from what we are hearing Kenny Anderson has left Adio and is now back skating for Converse. This change was said to have happened a week or so ago, but it has been something Kenny has been thinking about for quite some time. It was an amicable split, it looks as though Kenny just needed something fresh and new.
At Converse Kenny joins, Pops, Ethan Fowler, Sammy Baca, Raymond Molinar, Nick Trapasso Rune, and Eli Reed! Visit Converse Skateboarding for more information on Converse and their newly formed team. Good luck with Converse Kenny!

Company Spotlight: REBEL8

Started in 2003 REBEL8 is a San Francisco based clothing brand with roots in the skateboarding, tattoos, graffiti cultures. The company is run by Joshy D, and Mike Giant. The two met in the early 90s during the bustling San Francisco Graffiti scene. Josh at the time ran the popular website HiFiArt, while Mike was one of San Francisco's prolific writers.

The company is the definition of grinding and hustling your way to the top. The company was started with a measly $500 USD! After convincing Mike, Josh would pedal the streets to sell the wares while Mike would supply the graphics. A short seven year later REBEL8 is now an internationally recognized brand which has done collaborations with Vans, and another up and coming San Francisco brand Benny Gold.

One of the more unique aspects of REBEL8 is that ALL of their graphics are hand drawn by Mike Giant. In this day of Photoshop and Illustrator, that's almost unheard of. So what you ultimately get is a unique reproduction of an original Mike Giant art piece. This was probably one of the more interesting detail about REBEL8 and its one of the main reasons I have been a fan of their work.

Someone once told me "Your clothes define you." I guess if it really did A kid that grew up listening to metal, dabbled in rap, went to art school, immersed himself in the 77 Punk Rock revival, has a love for Skinhead Reggae would fit perfectly in REBEL8.

When you look at a REBEL8 design there is a rawness to it that is quite appealing. Their work and designs also crosses genre lines. You can be Hip Hop or Punk Rock and not get second looks from would be "purists" when wearing a tee like the the Muerte Tee (pictured above) Most of the designs remind me of the old Suicidal Tendencies days with a little bit of Sailor Jerry sprinkled in. Two things that I have always been a fan off growing up in both San Francisco and Los Angeles. So, Yes, I'm a fan of REBEL8 and you should be too!


For more information on REBEL8 visit their site here or follow their Twitter at twitter.com/rebel8 

Also visit MikeGiant.com for more information on Mike Giant and a sampling of his work.



These amazing posters are available on http://shop.rebel8.com/

 

My Top 5 with Brandon Biebel

Name: Brandon Biebel

Sponsors:
Girl Skateboards
Lakai
Matix
Silver
FKD
Dakine
FTC
The Berrics
Diamond
Redbull
Neff
Mobb
Momentum

Top 5 Skateboard footwear:

Lakai Shoes, Lakai Sox

Bonus Question: Name your favorite basketball shoe(s) of all time!

Jordans All Day! Lebrons, Kobes, Carmelos


Linkage:

www.twitter.com/bbiebel
www.BiebelsWorld.com ( Coming Soon )

Jamie Palmore now on Osiris Shoes

Well its official! Sk8Mafia's own Jamie Palmore is now riding for Osiris! We feel this is a very good move by Osiris. Adding Jamie to the team brings them one more notch up in getting "back into the game." Now with Jamie skating along side Corey Duffel and Shuriken Shannon we can only dream and wait for the next Osiris video.

Congrats Jamie!

Adio licensed to AL&S Footwear

We received word today that Adio Footwear has been licensed over from K2 to New York based AL&S Footwear. This agreement includes the production of footwear, clothing and accessories with the Adio brand name. AL & S current brands include Britishers, Coogi, US Polo Association, Cadillac, FUBU, Mountain Gear and Smiths.

News on the agreement recently came during the holidays so a lot of stuff is still yet to be know or has yet to be announced to the Adio sales team or the general public. From a retailer standpoint all orders for Spring and Summer 2010 will be produced and shipped as planned.

Theres really two ways you can look at this deal. 1.) its the death of Adio, to some the licensing over to a company without any direct ties to the skateboarding industry is a sign of bad things to come. OR 2.) It may breathe some life into Adio and bring in new styles and new outside of the box designs.

I personally hope its #2. I, for one, think the industry needs a little kick in the ass design wise. Recently all I have been seeing are rehashed designs covered up in new colorways. All the same Mid and Outsoles, with different uppers. Sure, its a way to save money and the way that skaters go through shoes its understandable that companies want to find every way possible to lower price points and make the MSRP much more attractive to the buyer. While the price is right in most cases, however, it does nothing to the evolution of skateboard footwear. Less R&D and overall less innovation. So lets hope for the best in regards to this new agreement.


We will update you as we learn more about this deal and what it means to Adio and its future collections.

My Top 5 with Willy Santos

Name: Willy Manaloto Santos


Sponsors:
Birdhouse Skateboards
Satori Wheels
Ninja Bearings
Ironhorse Griptape
Arnette
Willys Workshop
Happy Sushi

My Top 5 skate shoes Past or Present

1. Vans Era

My mom promised me if I scored a goal she would get me a pair vans. So, I scored!
(Note: We are guessing Soccer, since we highly doubt Willy has ever played Hockey! hah! )

2. Nike Air Jordan 1

These were obvious made for basketball but they were super durable for skateboarding & very comfortable.

  




3. Airwalk Enigma 

I got sponsored by Airwalk & these were the 1st shoes they sent me. I was so happy when I got that package.

  




4. Vans Steve Caballero Full & Half Cab

Not much to say here... Just simply the best.

  




5. Vans Willy Santos 1


It was an honor to have a signature shoe with vans & I'm super thankful for that & the way the shoe turned out.

Linkage!

Twitter.com/WillySantos

www.WillySantos.com 


Note: If youre ever in the San Diego area make sure to visit Willys two skateshops in Rancho Penasquitos and Mira Mesa! For all shoe heads the Mira Mesa store is currently have a 60% OFF sale on ALL shoes.. Cant beat that!