VISION STREET WEAR

In the early 80’s Vision sports released their first pro model skateboard for skater Mark ‘Gator’ Rogowski. This was followed by a release of a pro model deck for skater Mark Gonzales, both designed by Los Angeles-based artist Andy Takakjian. Gonzales went on to release a few more pro models with Vision before departing to form Blind Skateboards, (a play-on words with Vision) with World Industries.

Vision was also one of the first skate brands to connect with the subculture of music, releasing skate decks from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Beastie Boys and Agent Orange. Get your reissue skateboard deck today at SkateTillDeath!

Growing up in Sunny Southern California in an era where skateboarding was just starting to become a reality.  Brad Dorfman first stepped on a skateboard made of a 2x4 with a modified roller skate over 55 years ago. Several years later he took it to another level creating and and elevating skateboard manufacturing with new shapes, art and designs, making a dream become reality.

Meeting and working with people who lived skateboarding as much as he did, working with all types of skateboarding skill levels from entry level all the way to professional from all around the world.  Brad Dorfman has created brands such as Vision Skateboards, Vision Street Wear, Draven Footwear, Schmitt Stix, Palisades Longboards, Psycho products, Magic Skateboards, Smith Safety Gear and others.

Vision skateboards are now manufactured at Select Distribution. They manufacture in house from their very own woodshop, which was given the name "The LumberYard" USA. This gives them the ability to make new shapes, sizes and try things that others can't.

Vision had probably the most iconic design of all time: The Psycho stick and The Gonz. Both were designed by Andy Takakjian. Here is the little story of those designs:

‘Somehow, I guess somebody saw me or found out about me at Vision. I don't know Vision and they tracked me down and said, would you do a skateboard for us? And so I went home and threw a bunch of stuff together that, uh, was laying around and started to draw “The Gonz”. I took it over to VISION and I really didn't know what they were gonna think. I didn't know what I thought. And, uh, they loved it. They said, this is great. Um, and here's your money? And we want you to do another one. The psycho man worked at vision.

He was a real guy cuz Gregory dressed like this all the time. And uh, dark shades the whole bit. And these kids started haunting the, the, the shop. And so Gregory started having to come in the back door in a disguise paper bag on his head the whole bit, you know, fake car, uh, fake nose the whole bit. And um, he hide from these kids. Who'd swamp him and he didn't like kids, kids bogged him. Poor guy lost all his hair. So the Psycho stick ended up getting kind of famous. This ended up on the INXS album cover, which was the last one. I did some modifications with the swirly eyes and the hair and little nasty teeth and stuff slapped down, did some crazy type. And on the front I started actually kind of getting a little more technical with the nuts and bolts, you know, totally nuts. Let's just be stupid here. And um, well I guess the rest is history. It sold.’