If you have been following this blog for some time now, you know that this is a place where we frequently make fun of all the quirks and peculiarities of fashion, skateboarding and everything in-between. It’s just really, really easy to poke fun at an industry which is, more often than not, so deprived of glee and light-heartedness and yet so full of itself it’s hard not to confuse it with a stuffed turkey on Thanksgiving.
However, the new drop from Fucking Awesome and Hockey doesn’t offer much to joke about, for two reasons. First, it’s just a pretty solid and dope-looking collection overall. It seems that FA and Hockey have gotten to a point where mindless provocation and obtrusive designs won’t do the trick anymore and have instead decided to focus on clever details (such is the case, for example, with one of their hoodies that has the FA lettering stitched not across the chest but across the hood). Secondly, the drop features two important decks. One’s Sean Pablo’s Class Photo pro deck. The other is a re-release of Dylan Rieder’s famous Class Photo deck.
Look, before you think we’re getting’ soft or anything, let us assure you that we still love making inappropriate jokes about serious topics as much as the next person. But not about Dylan. There’s nothing to gain from being sarcastic or witty about an untimely and tragic death that sent shockwaves way beyond the skateboarding community. We didn’t know Dylan personally, but we knew what he could do on a skateboard and what he meant to a whole lotta people. We saw him grow up by watching his parts in A Time To Shine, Mind Field and, ultimately, Cherry. Time and again, he inspired us to go out skating and to wear wife beaters tucked away into our pants. Unpacking his Class Photo deck, we all had lumps in our throats. So here’s to you, Dylan. We’ll see you on the other side.
For anyone who wants to remember Dylan by his pro deck, we still have a couple in stock. You can get them both online or in store in Frankfurt.
