The DC Story: Chapter 3: Vision for the Future
Sponsored StoryIn the final part of our docuseries exploring how DC broke the boundaries of skate in the early ‘90s and continues to push the sport forward today, we get a glimpse at what the brand has in store for the future as DC experiences a rebirth.
As skateboarding has adapted to the digital age of the last two decades, DC brings its rich skate DNA with it. Today’s insatiable appetite for brands to collaborate means DC’s able to spread its skate expertise to not just a new generation of designers, but esteemed DC alumni as well, merging the fashion world’s obsession with the sport while being a true skate pioneer.RETURN TO FORM
When co-founder Damon Way returned to DC in 2016 after after an eight year break from the company, it was a strategic maneuver to bring the brand back to its roots and strip away the corporate glitz that appeared during the wake of his departure. “I actually kinda like sitting in the background now, working a little bit more from a distance,” explains Way. “My role is really to keep the brand authentic to what it was built on.”
THE DC TEAM TODAY
Part of returning DC back to rare form is investing in its global skate team and consistently recruiting some of the best skate athletes in the world to represent the brand. While OG heavyweights like Josh Kalis, Danny Way, and Wes Kremer still ride or die for DC, young blood from the likes of fiery 21-year-old Tristan Funkhouser aka T-Funk, Brazilian sensation Tiago Lemos, and up-and-coming Nordic skater Jaakko Ojanen have reenergized the DC squad. With fresh talent on the roster who never had a chance to skate some of the iconic sneakers that DC was built on in the ’90s, all the right pieces were in place for a comeback. Thanks to the brand’s gambit of reissuing the bulky yet much-loved Lynx early this year—the first time in its 20 year existence, the shoes sold out almost instantly and served as another reminder that the market was ripe for a DC resurrection. Case in point: In 2017 they collaborated with Montreal skate brand Dime on the Legacy OG, another storied icon in the DC catalogue which also ended up selling out.
Tristan Funkhouser (T-Funk)
Although he’s only 21, Tristan Funkhouser has been skating with the DC team since 2014 and hails from the San Fernando Valley. TFunk may be young, but his fiery and energetic demeanor is exactly what DC’s been looking for.
John Shanahan
While Shanahan’s always loved DC’s chunky classics, the style savvy 23-year-old recently collaborated on his own version of the streamlined E. Tribeka early this summer.
Evan Smith
Recruited by DC alum & Supreme Brooklyn store manager Jefferson Pang in 2011, when Evan Smith isn’t skating he’s busy making music and developing a music venue in his hometown of Pittsburgh.
Tiago Lemos
Hailing from São Paulo, Brazil, Tiago Lemos caught the eye of DC Brazil in 2008, which helped the 27-year-old skater travel to places like Barcelona where he started to make a name for himself.
“My role is really to keep the brand authentic to what it was built on.”
Damon Way
A NEW CHAPTER AT DC
With proven demand for DC’s heritage models at an all-time high, the time was right for a new slate of collaborators to join the fray that would reinvigorate the brand the way it did when it first came to market. Cult clothing label FTP recently collaborated with DC on a capsule collection of both new and OG styles that drove thousands of rabid fans to camp out days just for a shot at purchasing.
FORGING AHEAD
For DC alum Sung Choi who’s also working with the brand again, it’s another opportunity to return DC back to its glory days. “They invited me back to work on a new shoe that sort of reflects the energy and mindset [from] when I first came in,” Choi says. “You want the product to have some sort of emotional response. I want to share a glimpse of what DC can be in the future.” Catch chapter one and two if you missed out, and watch the final part of our docuseries above to see what DC has in store for the future of skate.
