mike V has a new company "BY THE SWORD" be on the lookout!
Mike Vallely Announces the Creation of By The Sword Skateboards
Los Angeles, CA--July 13, 2010--Legendary professional skateboarder,
Mike Vallely has created a new, independent skateboard company, By The
Sword Skateboards. Vallely has partnered with artist and long-time
skateboarder, Jason Filipow, who will serve as Creative Director for
this start-up brand. The two have worked together on a number of
projects in the past, but this is the first time Vallely and Filipow
have combined their collective talents and passions for skateboarding.
As a co-sponsor of Vallely's upcoming 'Glory Bound Tour', By The Sword
Skateboards is debuting their first product offering, a deck entitled
"DIY or DIE". The graphic, designed by Filipow, speaks to the
inspiring and empowering abilities of authentic, do-it-yourself
initiative. The boards feature a bold, three-color graphic, which have
been manufactured and screenprinted in the USA. The "DIY or DIE" board
will be ridden by Vallely during the tour and will be available for
purchase at each of the tour stops.
The 'Glory Bound Tour', which is also sponsored by Good Fight
Entertainment, Landshark Wheels, Fuel TV and ShredorDie.com, features
Vallely skateboarding alongside Duane Peters, Bill Danforth, Kristian
Svitak and Cyril Jackson. It is scheduled to make more than 25 stops
at skateparks across the United States from July 18, 2010 through
August 18, 2010.
Mike Vallely, also known as Mike V, has been an active and relevant
professional skateboarder since 1987. He has played a defining role in
the evolution of street skating, skateboard tricks, shapes and
graphics. He has traveled the world as an ambassador for
skateboarding, asserting the authenticity of skateboarding as a
creative pursuit and a form of self expression. He sees this new brand
as an extension of his work as a professional skater.
Vallely states, "The DIY spirit that has driven me as a skateboarder
and as a professional skater hasn't always lined up through the years
with the reality of who my sponsors happen to be. It's always been
something that has weighed heavily on my mind. My own independence in
skateboarding has been crippled at times by the demands and whims of
my sponsors. I'm just not interested in that game anymore. It's simply
time for me to put my money where my mouth is and to truly do my own
thing."
"Once I decided I had to do this brand, and that I had to do it
independently, it was important for me to find the right artist and
designer to help shape this vision. I had to look no further than
Jason Filipow."
"Through my years of knowing and working with Jason, he and I have
really connected. In many ways, By The Sword is just an actualization
of the conversations Jason and I have had about skateboarding and how
much we love and value it. To us, skateboarding is still a sacred,
ritual act. We want our products to speak of and represent these
ideals."
Jason Filipow, also known as JRF, has been an underground creative
force within the art and design world for many years. With a long
history of involvement in creative pursuits, Filipow began designing
and making his own stickers, t-shirts, stencils and 'zines as early as
1985. A passionate and dedicated skateboarder himself, Filipow has
followed Vallely's career from the moment Vallely burst onto the scene
by appearing on the August 1986 cover of Thrasher Magazine.
Filipow recalls, "When Mike appeared on the cover of Thrasher, I
identified with him immediately. Here was a fellow East Coast kid, who
was boldly pioneering his own type of skating; one that didn't rely
upon the inaccessible, and sometimes nonexistent, terrain of backyard
ramps and pools. His skating thrived within the sprawling, suburban
wasteland of shopping mall parking lots, curbs and walls so familiar
to the skateboarders outside of California."
As Creative Director, Filipow employs a variety of aesthetics and
techniques to help bring the brand to life visually. The "DIY or DIE"
deck is his first completely independent, and widely-distributed,
skateboard design. He states, "Skateboard graphics are such a crucial
ingredient to the act of skateboarding. They must possess that unique
visual and visceral punch that gets you stoked and begs to be
sessioned."
"Working together with Mike to forge the foundation of By The Sword
has been an amazing experience. Starting it completely on our own has
been challenging, but the reward of retaining complete creative
control makes it all worthwhile. We have the freedom to guide our
brand and our products in any direction we wish. It's that kind of
freedom that really speaks to the spirit of skateboarding."
Since 2004, Filipow has lived and worked in Los Angeles, balancing a
workload of commercial design and fine art. As former Creative at
Studio Number One, Filipow's client list included Honda, Adidas, Nike/
Air Jordan, Fox Pictures, Swindle Magazine, Obey Clothing, Independent
Film Channel, Dangerbird Records and Fender Guitars Custom Shop.
Currently working as a freelance designer, Filipow has most recently
worked with House Industries, Six Stair Productions, Royal Elastics,
Obey Giant Art, Poster Child Prints, Hurley International, and RRock
Enterprises.