Getting to do a deck for the legendary Jeff Grosso is one thing…but to celebrate a Live And Let Live mentality with a pro-gay rights graphic, and at the same time knowing you might be alienating much of Grosso’s fan base….well, it adds up to be one of the more meaningful board graphics i’ve done in my sweet, short life, and it went over big. The Gross Gay Pride decks sold out remarkably fast, and got a lot of people very stoked.
Fun fact: the inspiration for the graphic was via Grosso’s instagram feed, where people were arguing back and forth whether or not some shimmery, iridescent foil on the bottom of a custom deck for Grosso was “gay.” Our response was to go full blown, to spotlight and celebrate gay love and gay pride in a way never before seen on a skate deck. Success!
For more Grosso stoke, look up his ongoing video series “Love Letters to Skateboarding” via Vans. Its so damn good.