Here we take a look at the popular skateboarding/streetwear brand; Fucking Awesome. We will be talking about how they started, the where the name and logo came from, the team, their sister company Hockey Skateboards, and more.
JASON DILL:
You can't talk about Fucking Awesome without talking about Jason Dill. Dill was born in Huntington Beach California which has always been a hub for skateboarding, however he had a rough and turbulent childhood due to him constantly moving around with his mom and having an abusive relationship with his father.
Similar to many professional skaters, Jason Dills hardships in life only brought him closer to skateboarding, and due to him living in Huntington Beach he got noticed by sponsors at a very young age. Dill had dropped out if school to pursue his skateboarding and went on a 2 week long trip to Japan with DC.
Jason Dill has had standout parts in Mind Field, Skate More, Cherry, Photosynthesis, and Mosaic.
Jason Dill is on Transworld's list of the 30 most influential skateboarders of all time. Dill has also been credited for helping William Strobeck build the skateboarding team for Supreme.
MIKE PISCITELLI:
Mike is sort of a silent partner in the FA company ladder, but has been there from the start, and might even be the reason the brand exists today.
Mike had grown up skateboarding and started doing photography at a young age initially shooting hardcore shows and putting the photos together to make zines. Mike would hand out a fake resume to land odd-jobs, claiming he assisted the legendary photographer Herb Ritts, funny enough mike was signed on to Herbs production company three years later.
Mike shot the famous portraits of Dill in front of the Twin Towers, one in the 90’s and one Sept, 11 2001
In the late 2000’s Mike moves to LA to pursue more work in his film career. Mike is currently an award winning director and photographer. He’s done music videos for celebrities from Drake, to Ozzy Osbourne, and had done commercials for brands like Nike, Adidas, Beats by Dre, Nike, Google, and Starbucks.
BEFORE FUCKING AWESOME:
Mike had moved to New York at the age of 18 and become close with his roommate Jason Dill, Mikey had the idea to start a brand. He mentions to dill how Shawn Stussy made a ton of money on his brand Stussy, and talked Dill into starting a company with him called "Dill".
The Dill brand was picked up by James Jebbia and sold in Supreme New York and Japan. James loved the brand.
THE NAME AND LOGO:
After a short period Dill tells Mikey that he wants to change cause he doesn’t like it being his name. When Mikey asks what he wants to name it, he says Fucking Awesome, Mikey apperently said to him “that’s so stupid”. Needless to say, they switched the name and the rest is history. Mikey sketched the logo on a napkin, taking some of it’s DNA (inspiration) from Hulkamani and the Misfits.
The prints and gear was just whatever they pulled from the mind of Jason Dill at the time, the early brand being backed by Supreme lead to them gaining attention and becoming popular quickly, being worn by many celebrities at the time. Many of the designs come from Jason Dills mind and his artwork.
When Controversial figure Kanye West was seen sporting the brand in the 2000’s which led for them to blow up and take a step back. Dill often citing that he hates streetwear and doesn’t want Fa to ever become a streetwear brand.
Dill takes a few years off and Mikey moves back to LA to follow his film career, the company goes dormant for a while. Dill falls into a bad place during this time with heavy drug use and constant partying. Eventually, Dill starts puking up blood and is rushed to hospital where is stabilized, saving his life.
Dill was left with only two choices; sober up or die.
DILL & AVE:
Dill moves back to California to save his own life and sober up, Dill ends up moving in with his long time friend AVE (Anthony Van Englen) who was further along with the steps of sobriety.
Dill and AVE both end up having parts in Alien Workshops "Mind Field" video, and Dill eventually gets a thrasher cover in 2011.
AVE:
AVE needs no introduction, with standout parts in The DC Video, Photosynthesis, Mind Field, and later winning Thrashers Skater Of The Year in for his Vans Propeller Part.
AVE has since become the head pro for Vans and currently has one of the most technically advanced skate shoes ever made: The Vans AVE Pro.
2013 - The Second Coming of Fucking Awesome:
Dill and AVE decide that they don't like the direction Alien Workshop has been headed, because of this they both were thinking of leaving the brand, this was a huge deal because they have been the DNA of the brand for longer than the last decade. They have a meeting with Dyrdek and aren’t really on board with the direction of the company at the time, they decide to leave and start their own thing, Fucking Awesome skateboards is born out of the long running clothing company Dill has been running for years.
At this time the workshop kind of crumbles. Grant Taylor leaves for Anti Hero, Heath retires (2010), Berra and Mikey Taylor get the boot, and Dylan leaves for FA.
Fucking Awesome Skateboards:
At the start; Fucking Awesome only had two pro riders Dill and AVE, they go on to release the iconic "Class Photo" deck series that has since became a staple for the Fucking Awesome brand.
Fucking Awesome decks stood out on board walls because of the unique "Shovel Nose" shape they are now known for as well as interesting graphics and premium finishes. These Premium finishes are more pricey than average decks and include embossed decks, split dye veneers, dipped tails, and even never before seen Holographic skateboard graphics.
THE ORIGINAL TEAM:
The Fucking Awesome team was an explosive ensemble of young skaters; including Tyshawn Jones, Na-Kel Smith, Sage Elsesser, Kevin Terpening, Sean Pablo, Kevin Bradley, Dylan Rieder, and Aidan Mackey.
JASON DILLS ART:
Jason Dill has become well known for his art and is well recognized, he even spoke at Arizona State University.
DYLAN RIEDER:
Dylan was an extremely influential skateboard that was reaching the peak pf his career around the time he joined Fucking Awesome, having standout parts in Dylan Gravis, Mind Field, The Cinematographer Project, and had the best part in Supreme Cherry.
Dylan Had been a massive part of the brand. Sadly, in 2016 Dylan tragically passed due to complications from Leukemia while surrounded with family and friends.
Cherry had Standout parts from Tyshawn Jones, Nakel Smith, Sean Pablo, Sage Elsesser, and Dylan Rieder. Cherry put many of these skaters on the map while they were very young.
Supreme Cherry (2014):
In 2014, the iconic skate video "Cherry" Dropped; this video featured and introduced many of the team members of Fucking Awesome.
Cherry had Standout parts from Tyshawn Jones, Nakel Smith, Sean Pablo, Sage Elsesser, and Dylan Rieder.
HOCKEY Is Born:
In April of 2015, because of the popularity of Fucking Awesome, they launch HOCKEY skateboards. Check out the launch video here.
Hockey started with Donovon Piscopo and John Fitzgerald, since then they have added Andrew Allen, Ben Kadow, Caleb Barnett, Kevin Rodrigues, Nik Stain, Joseph Campos, & most recently Diego Todd. They recently relates their latest video called HOCKEY X:
FUCKING AWESOME HOLLYWOOD:
In 2019, Fucking Awesome opens their first flagship store in Hollywood. It's a big step for the brand that was always very "in bed" with Supreme.
The store is beautifully designed, with art from Jason Dill all over the place. You can't talk about this store without talking about the hanging LAPD car complete with sirens. To hang up the car they had to dig up the ground to create the proper support system to be able to hold the weight of the cop car.
Modern Fucking Awesome/Hockey:
The FA/Hockey Team is still growing to this day, most recently adding Louie Lopez and Diego Todd respectively.
Tyshawn & Nakel leave:
In 2022, two long-time team riders for FA; Tyshawn Jones and Nakel Smith leave FA to do their own thing, both showed love fro the brand as they went off to greener pastures. Check out our blog post for more.
They have since announced their new skateboard company King Skateboards.
