Alien Workshop is a staple brand in the world of skateboarding. It functions as a good memory for some, a way of life for others, and a board sponsor for a current select few. Since its foundation in 1990, Alien Workshop has been at the highest of highs in the industry and as low as “out of business.” Nevertheless, the iconography of the company is almost impossible to match. Shortly after the company was founded in 1990, its first film “Memory Screen” set the tone for imagery it would eventually burn into all skaters minds for over a decade. At that time, skaters like Bo Turner, Scott Conklin, and Rob Dyrdek made up the pro roster for the Workshop. In the later 1990s, the company release “Timecode” and was home to some that would later grow into legends: Josh Kalis, Lennie Kirk, & Fred Gall.
The Commodity Deck from AWS
After the turn of the century, Joe Castrucci came on board with the ‘Shop to help with creative direction and continued with what had already become an icon in the industry. Shortly afterward, one of the most influential skateboarding videos – “Photosynthesis” – was released, introducing the Habitat Skateboards brand and leaving a mark on skateboarding forever.
The company later made some turns, for better and for worse. Unfortunately, a company that had set precedent for so much of what street skateboarding later became was sold and had accrued outside interest that eventually tainted the culture of the brand. In 2009, “Mindfield” was released, which was a phenomenal skate video with one of the best teams in history. But after several years of uncertainty as a company, the team was shaved off, one skater at a time. Some lost interest or couldn’t afford delayed checks, and Alien eventually went under the radar, out of sight and mind.
Just last year, Alien Workshop came back under the guidance of Mike Hill and within distribution at Tum Yeto, where it is as of today (04/22/2016). The brand stayed true to its design principles and visual appeal from the first iteration. Check out their product on our site for a better idea of what they look like now, but they’ve done well in keeping it true to what we know Alien Workshop is and should be. It would be impossible to replicate the super team of 2009, but the new group of skaters representing the brand are all new. A fresh slate, as many magazines have touted, the skaters on the current Alien Workshop team are pretty new faces to the industry with unique styles on and off the board.
The iconic logo of Alien Workshop
Joey Guevara, Paul Liliani, Yaje Popson, Frankie Spears, Max Garson and Brandon Nguyen make up the current team, but none of those skaters are pro. Alien Workshop currently doesn’t have any pro riders, claiming that it’s intentional and that they’re bringing up their current roster to truly rebuild a quality brand in Alien Workshop.
The graphics and art direction, still under Chris Carter as ringmaster, are consistent with themes of yesteryear’s Workshop. We’re stoked to see what’s in the future! But we’re really stoked on what we’ve got already. Alien’s Commodity Deck can be found here at 8.25” wide.
Watch out for all things Alien Workshop in the near future. We definitely will be.
