Grosso Forever: Japan Love Note: Street Skating | Skate | VANS
The crazy thing about street skating in Japan is that in most cities it is not legal. Despite that jam up Tokyo, Osaka, etc have produced some of the best street skaters on the planet. This Love Note is an expanded version of the interview Jeff Grosso did with Tokyo legend Shin Okada and the T19 crew.
Japan has a long and radical skate history. With so many eyes focused on Tokyo in 2021 Vans wanted to make sure that the rich skate culture and storied history didn’t get lost in the hype of The Games. Japan has a great skate scene that should championed and celebrated long after this moment in history.
This is the last trip the Loveletters crew took with our beloved Jeff Grosso before his passing. Jeff and the crew had a blast meeting the many Japanese skaters from every generation.
Grosso Forever: Japan Love Note: FESN | Skate | VANS
The Far East Skate Network is the brainchild of Japanese skater Takahiro Morita. FESN is a series of influential skate videos spanning 15 years, it’s a board company and a skate shop. Jeff Grosso sat down with Morita to get the history behind FESN.
Japan has a long and radical skate history. With so many eyes focused on Tokyo in 2021 Vans wanted to make sure that the rich skate culture and storied history didn’t get lost in the hype of The Games. Japan has a great skate scene that should championed and celebrated long after this moment in history.
This is the last trip the Loveletters crew took with our beloved Jeff Grosso before his passing. Jeff and the crew had a blast meeting the many Japanese skaters from every generation.
Grosso Forever: Japan Love Note: Aki Akiyama/ Nishi | Skate | VANS
Two of the pioneers of the Japanese skate scene are Aki Akiyama and Nishi. Aki represented the clean, contest wholesome skater while Nishi was the wild man who skated, took photos, made art and published magazines.
Together these two laid the foundation for the Japanese skate scene and their impact can still be felt today.
Japan has a long and radical skate history. With so many eyes focused on Tokyo in 2021 Vans wanted to make sure that the rich skate culture and storied history didn’t get lost in the hype of The Games. Japan has a great skate scene that should championed and celebrated long after this moment in history.
This is the last trip the Loveletters crew took with our beloved Jeff Grosso before his passing. Jeff and the crew had a blast meeting the many Japanese skaters from every generation.
LGBTQ+ Love Note: A Conversation With ChandlerBurton | Jeff Grosso’s Loveletters to Skateboarding
Chandler Burton played a huge part in the making the LGBTQ+ episode of Loveletters to Skateboarding. Burton introduced Grosso to many of the skaters featured in the piece and remains an encouraging voice for the queer skate community. Burton tells his story of coming out as a queer skater, how he battled societal norms, and the importance of allyship.
Vans is thankful to everyone who shared their story, strengthening the community of skateboarding. If you are a person in crisis or in need of a safe and judgement free place to talk, call the TrevorLifeline now at 1-866-488-7386.
LGBTQ+ Love Note: A Conversation With Cher Strauberry | Jeff Grosso’s Loveletters to Skateboarding
This was the last interview Grosso did for the Loveletters to Skateboarding series. He and Cher exchange emotional stories about life, love, skateboarding and the LGBTQ+ scene.
Vans is thankful to everyone who shared their story, strengthening the community of skateboarding. If you are a person in crisis or in need of a safe and judgement free place to talk, call the TrevorLifeline now at 1-866-488-7386.
Loveletters Season 10: Hawaii | Jeff Grosso’s Loveletters to Skateboarding | VANS
If skating was born from surfing and surfing originated in Hawaii then Hawaii is skateboarding’s mecca. Jeff Grosso ends Season 10 with a deep dive into the roots of what we talk about when we talk about love.
Loveletters Season 10: Aggro Zone | Jeff Grosso’s Loveletters to Skateboarding | VANS
The AGGRO ZONE by Neil Blender was, “The best thing Transworld ever did,” according to Grosso. In Six Stair’s ongoing effort to archive all things skateboarding, they’ve just completed scanning the first 10 years of Transworld Skateboarding. This is for those who never knew or need a reminder.
Loveletters Season 10: Love Note to Copers | Jeff Grosso’s Loveletters to Skateboarding | VANS
Back in the late 1970s/early 1980s copers were cool… and then they weren’t. Learn the brief history of one of the more useful gimmicks in skateboarding.
Loveletters Season 10: Anthony Van Engelen | Jeff Grosso’s Loveletters to Skateboarding | VANS
Grosso sits down with FA’s Anthony Van Engelen to talk about the early 90s, big pants, small wheels, school yards, influences and life going full circle in this Loveletter to AVE.
Loveletters Season 10: Geoff Rowley | Jeff Grosso’s Loveletters to Skateboarding | VANS
Geoff Rowley has been pushing the limits of what is possible on a skateboard for more than two decades. In this episode Grosso sits down with Geoff to talk about “Going Big”, getting hurt, being scared, consistently pushing the boundaries and who and what gets him fired up to skate.
Loveletters Season 10: France | Jeff Grosso’s Loveletters to Skateboarding | VANS
The Loveletters crew took a trip from Paris to Lyon to Marseille, meeting up with skaters from every generation of French skaters along the way. We interviewed as many as we could and made this episode from their stories. This episode is NOT a history of France’s skate scene! This is a Loveletter to some of the many great French skaters who have killed it over the years. Watch this and then put your phone down and book a flight to France immediately.
Loveletters Season 10: Og De Souza Love Note | Jeff Grosso’s Loveletters to Skateboarding | VANS
Og De Souza is a big part of Brazilian skate history . His story IS skateboarding to its core… then, now and everywhere.