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DAMON WAY - DC Shoes Co-Founder

[ german version of this article you'll find exclusive in the printed issue 2 / 05 of stw2d! ]

Damon Way, Executive Vice President and Co-Founder of DC Shoes Inc., started skateboarding with his brother Danny Way in 1982. Three years later he gained sponsorship from the Pacific Drive Skate Shop. However, by 1986 his dream of moving into the pro ranks was over when he suffered a head injury. After his accident, Way moved on to other areas of the skating world, and by 1991 he had teamed up with snowboarder Ken Block to set up the Eightball and Circus distribution companies. A year later Damon had added Droors clothing to the list, and in 1993 he launched Dub Brand outerwear and Blunt magazine. The list grew with the addition of DC Shoes, a brand now synonymous with skating. Damon had created an empire and by 2003 DC had reached an amazing $100 million in yearly revenue. Even by looking at amazing facts above one still cannot fathom the sheer influence Damon and Ken Bloc had with DC over the last decade, not just in the world of skateboarding but in outh culture. DC has always stood for athletic perfection, which has always been more than reflected in their team and the products. With rider legends such as his brother, who has just won the illustrious Skater of the Year Award for the second time, Colin McKay, Rob Dyrdek, Josh Kalis and Anthony van Engelen to name but a few and products to match their excellence it is no wonder that DC have become what they have. Apart from their contribution to the core of skateboarding, DC has also been a quiet, but major player in the now ever so big and hyped sneaker collaboration industry. The difference is though, under the careful direction of Damon, that DC’s Artist Projects and collaborations have been nothing short of amazing each and every time. Collaborations with skate-holy-grail-company Supreme, Michael Leon, Kaws, Obey, Eric So, Andy Howell, Arktip, Kinsey and numerous further music partnerships with Blink 182 drummer Travis Parker, for example, have proven that quality, rather than quantity is where it’s at. In 2004, Damon and Ken sold DC to Quicksilver for a rumoured 100 Million US Dollars. stw2d had the opportunity to ask Damon a few questions since we’ve all been more than curious what someone does with all that money, and if he is going to continue his good work.

stw2d: Damon, what did you with all the money?

Damon Way: Buried it in my back yard... In all seriousness, not much has changed for me since we sold DC. The brand was pretty successful when we owned it, so it is notas if I had zero money and then hit the lottery. I work hard to live a pretty low key and consistent life... So you will probably never see me driving around exotic cars and drowning myself with jewellery and luxury apparel. The only thing that I would like to do is build a house at some point with a modernist architect named Wallace Cunningham... Something very open and in complete synergy with nature and its elements.

I know that you are a bit of a scooter fan. How many scooters have you bought then?

None... I have a beautiful fully restored 1965 SX150 Lambretta that I bought in Bristol England about 7 years ago. This goes along way to satisfying any scooter urges that might arise. Now if an SX200 or TV200 finds its way in front of me that was for sale I would probably have to buy one of them due to the scarcity of these models.

What’s your involvement with DC now? Has much changed since the sale?

My primary role in DC is what it has always been... To work with and help direct the various product teams that are driving and assembling our seasonal collections. I also head up a special projects product category that involves the collaborative efforts between artists, toy makers, designers, musicians, magazines, other companies, etc, and DC. This is what excites me the most about working on DC.