Since Paul Rodriguez originally founded Primitive as a boutique store in 2008, the success of its apparel became almost immediately apparent. It didn’t take long for the Primitive brand to spread like fire in the San Fernando Valley and then Southern California and beyond. P-Rod’s popularity and the brand’s aesthetic appealed to fans everywhere.
The decision was made to sell skateboard decks in 2014, when Paul was just 29 years old. At the time, it may have seemed that 29 was an old age for a skater to be actively Pro, but most also might not have thought that Paul would start one of the most successful board brands ever. With names like Carlos Ribeiro, Bastien Salabanzi, Devine Calloway, Franky Villani and JB Gillet, Primitive’s skate team quickly rose to the top.
The team has worked with very talented videographers and editors to release some of the most iconic modern full-length skate videos, form “Opal” and “Testing” to “Encore” and “Never“. Now, we have seen the most recent full project, “DEFINE.” In this opus, the man Paul Rodriguez himself has a part before the intro even begins, starting it off with a bang! Just after, Wade Desarmo and Tiago Lemos bring the video the heavy-hitting energy we all have come to expect from Primitive Skateboarding. The video is brought to a close by Franky Villani and finally Carlos Ribeiro. French, Spanish, Canadian, Japanese, American and Brazilian skaters are all recognized in this team while not sacrificing quality in any nuanced form. These skaters each represent Primitive in their unique genres and concentrations of skateboarding. And the end result is like a buffet of everyone’s favorite foods.
Of course, in their lavish fashion, they premiered the video at the wonderful Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, even taking over the adjacent restaurant and enacting an open tab for those in the know. The film was elevated to a stage where all could appreciate and revel in its impressive moment. These premieres will come and go, but they never lose their excitement.
Just as people thought that the full-length skateboarding video was dying, Primitive has shown the skateboarding world that that is not the case for them. Some of their squad will change, adding and subtracting to the dream team. But nothing can take away from what they are doing for the craft. “DEFINE.” was one of their best full-length videos, and it was VERY full.. at almost 110 minutes.
We look forward to their next one, perhaps titled: “CONTINUE.” ??