Jamie is just a genuinely good dude. Met him in person at a skate shop last week and he just had a conversation with me. Crazy he was my childhood hero
wow, tough business but its global now, especially with the Olympics, in this game the brand matters so much!!! things that don't make money today, make a ton later on!!! keep on doing what you doing chief!!!
I haven’t stepped on a board in around four years at this point. But growing up skating and seeing these brands come and go as well as change over the years. Being a kid not knowing or understanding any reason behind any of it. Now getting to watch all these episodes and interviews as an adult and understand and learn about what was actually going on is one of the my favourite things about what you guys are doing. Thanks so much for keeping skateboarding in my life and giving people the ability to learn all these thing and hear all these stories. Much love
I'm 29 and have just got back into skating to skate/scooter/bike around with my son, you should hop back on fr. I've done team sports, music, all kinds of stuff but skating is the perfect union of physical and artistic skills.
I quit skating when I was in my early 20s because I was going to school and working full-time. Now I'm in my mid 30s listening to a few skate podcasts and wishing I hadn't ever put the board down. It is interesting to get perspective on what was going on behind the scenes.
You can see how much Cole respects the Chief. He sits there and listens/watches everything he does with admiration and respect. He really did a lot for Cole. Jaime is such a solid skater and a very humble/kind person .
mad respect to Chris Cole & Jamie Thomas. love Zero & Fallen, used to wear Fallen shoes back when I skated in middle school, they were my favorite pair of skate shoes I ever owned. I also got a Zero board when I got back into skating a bit during the pandemic. love that both brands are back and going strong. Jamie Thomas and Chris Cole were both some of my favorite skaters back in the 2000s. crazy how that’s like 20 years ago now
always saw Fallen as kind of a poser brand tbh. lots of kids at my school who didn't skate would rock them to "look cool". not hating on the team or the people behind it, but it's just really hard to break that kind of reputation. Ride the Sky was a dope video. I still remember some clips from Gilbert Crockett's part. but there were just so many skate shoes in the early 00's and this brand didn't bring a lot to the table. when I think of Fallen I just think of skate shoes that I would find at Kohl's or something. another reputation failure. on the other end of the spectrum, Nike has done a good job of creating a premium brand and garnered a lot of respect despite being so mainstream. it really defies the laws of "cool", but that just speaks to how well they have executed in such a niche market. despite being a publicly traded company, they managed to assemble one of the best teams and have stayed dialed in to the community and have a good idea of what's hot. say what you will, but janoski's were so iconic when I was growing up. and now we have the dunks with their limited releases and streetwear hype. I don't know. just interesting to ponder how such a bloated corporation with a bunch of different athletic divisions has managed to do so well in the skateboarding industry.
@@mattbob1995as a skater in the 90s, Vans and Airwalks were viewed as the poser/newbie skate shoe - because they were “big” brands. Nike was for basketball. Have a hard time seeing a skate shoe created by an actual skater as a “poser” shoe, especially compared to a big corporate brand like Nike.
You can see why corporate sports companys like Nike, Adidas and NB have got such a foothold on the industry (other than quality product), because they have additional money to weather financial difficulties. It sounds so difficult to make money as a core shoe brand over long term
Half of the problem, and I was guilty of it too, is the skate community thinking anyone is "corporate" or a "sellout" if they tried to actually make a company that prospered. Like my 17 yr old mind couldn't comprehend that trucks, decks, and wheels, shoes and grip tape doesn't come from a magic fairy. Takes a lot of investment, lots of money on marketing, and lots of blood, sweat, and tears for these companies.
I blame local shops not bringing in Fallen in the 2000s. My local shop which I did ride for.. gave me excuses on why they couldn't get Fallen, this was 2005-2008.. I called just recently like a few months ago and still got the same excuse. All local shops wanted was the big name brands. Nothing that was a true core brand. Damage Boardshop, Duluth MN... only care about snowboarding and brand named materialistic stuff. They got Supra in, wanted me to flow those.. rode one pair and said hell no.
@natedawg__7673 also when I tried the pair, they still tried to make me pay half for the pair they wanted to me try lol. Definitely didn't feel like a team shop rider for Damage at that point
Jamie is a born leader, and a very humble one at that !!! He out himself, his fam etc aside and made a choice that he knew would benefit the most people overall...
Awesome interview. Jamie Thomas is the rare polymath modern skateboarding needed. Absolutely kept the straight line and kept it 100% real all the way. Respect and thankyou Jamie. 🙏
as someone who lost their business due to circumstances completely out of my own control, I feel Jamie's pain deep. He should at least be proud of the level he got fallen too
Skate companies are a lot like record labels, there are so many components and eventually it all trickles up into verticals that eat eachother and eachothers lunch.
After the Fallen relaunch I was curious why a South American company owned them this clears that up. I also bought 2 pairs of trooper remakes and although they look similar the cuts, fit, and finish are not the same the worst being the lack of a “gel” heel cup like the originals had.
a lot of ppl took advantage of Jamie's nice-ness and genuine love of skating. MUSKA and Kalis being the 2 biggest ones who used him. fck Kalis as a person ya he built up Love with Stevie but he's not a good friend.
@@AstralHiGH oh dude 4 sure the guys who own Girl are 4 sure d-bag ish and way full off themselves. they're from San Francisco though lol so That's probly why 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
JT gave me his barely skated deck at Pacific Drive in ‘99 (unsolicited) it took me a minute to register what just happened. “Live fast” written on the grip and I skated that proudly. Nice guy for sure.
“We can’t sell a skateboard to someone in Wisconsin that lives on a farm. “ You can, I started skateboarding when I lived in a farm, the only concrete we had was the drive way. I remember hours of just flat ground skating after school, the Saturday Trips to town where I’d get dropped off at the park picked up once the errands were done. I was so stocked Fallen came back. They were my shoe growing up. I don’t/can’t skate much anymore, but I still rock Fallen shoes.
When I was a teenager in 2005 I opened a skateboard shop. I was so dedicated to skating back then.. I reached out to blackbox and received a rejection letter. They we're the only supplier that rejected me. The only place that carried Zero or any blackbox brands was Zumiez in the mall 25 miles away. They would have done better than any brand in my shop back then, I could never get myself to purchase any blackbox goods after that. I always wondered the reason why but I doubt the little guy is considered much in these massive brands.
Just wanted to say that I was one of those kids who grew up on Fallen. I had the Chris Cole Rippers in all black as my first pair. To this day I have hoodies socks and an unworn pair of the FA Vibes as well as broken Zero decks and a hoodie. Hearing about how it all went down before I was too young to comprehend is wild to me. Live damn close to the middle of nowhere Wisconsin too😂
You can tell Jamie has been in the trenches, by the way he speaks. Some people criticize him, but business, especially in the skateboarding industry, isn't 1 straight line. It was tough for hundreds of small companies round the country after '08, whatsoever management did or didn't do. It's easy to talk smack, but very few have accomplished what Jamie's done, that is, be a pro skater, and not just any pro, but a legend, and then build several brands that in some form or fashion still exist 20 years after their founding.
I love that Jamie has grown, where we saw him as a king in skateboarding now he is opening up about his struggles and we can understand why things happened. Love you Jaime
@infinitescenarios like what? I am 36 years old an sleep with a Teddy bear an wet my bed still also a virgin ? Who would judge me about that. Respect is what I'll get . Would you respect me if I told you one more thing
I’m 100% certain now Chris Cole is an immortal… he hasn’t visibly aged at all in the many years I’ve been watching him skate he’s a master wood worker which is a lifetime skill in its own. And one of the best skaters alive he must be like 200 years old if not many many more lifetimes older lol
28 now, and all i wore in middle school was Fallen and Adio so to hear the story behind Fallen is pretty surreal, i still miss the shoes i had back then
Skating is competitive. When you’re an up and coming skater it might be uncomfortable taking on a teammate you know could surpass you. Chris ended up being a cool dude, but they didn’t really know how he would turn out back then.
I've always felt Chris Cole's style was suited more to the fresh gear he used to rock. For some reason the hesh look appears incongruous with his style, to my eye. I recently saw an old 411 where he was rocking the fresh gear and was reminded how good I thought his style was when I first became aware of him, and I'm actually a hesh guy. I think it would have been cool to have just the one fresh dude on Zero and Fallen, but I guess they didn't think so.
Big respect on having the foresight to steer clear of corporate ownership. The company I worked over a decade of my life for got bought out by a mega corp a few years back and it just sucked the life out of everything. Decisions get made and orders handed down related to financial issues on the other side of the globe. Despite my region having its busiest and best financial quarters I consistently had to tell my 30+ overworked staff that our operating budget was getting cut again. Corporate sucks.
This video really hit, not sure anyone else can relate, but I never knew this story. Definitely click with what Cole said. Growing up riding Fallen shoes. Then had hids and worked a lot, now my kids skate amd got me back into it, of course the first shoes I bought were Fallens. Couldn't have been easy for Jamie, but this insight of the true story was awesome to see/hear
I started skating in 2009 and rode Troopers and Chiefs most of that first year and a half, hurt to see em go when they did so it feels a bit better to know what happened. Nine Club is killing it rn
Right then admitting he took 1 mil from the company for his own home ( I'm guessing to purchase more property or invest ) dude was the reason the company went down lol
What a wild insight... watched Jamie on chats and tatts and now this interview is so insightful to the early 2000's and the changes... such a cool insight... thanks
Me and my friends lived in Zero, Fallen, Supra, and Enjoi lol. Still love those brands honestly they just made sense to me and you know what you were getting and what you repped.
It's so nice to see Jamie be so humble here. What an absolute Legend! I wonder if he coulda swung a deal with Quicksilver to still do his own creative thing with them? I couldn't imagine seeing what I built be so successful and then crash down. Wow! Great lesson for me as the viewer to take away from his experience. Thanks for sharing.
Remember buying some fallen Billy marks revolver shoes from Ross. One of the best shoes I skated with. Also skated with Chris coles trooper shoes, they where great and enjoyed his DC shoes as well
Jamie brought zero tour to every city in Canada when they started. I was young but it was amazing. They skated through the streets with the whole crowd after and all gave away multiple boards after 15 mins of use
Thank you guys thank you guys for getting the coolest and most awesome personalities and skateboarders and everything else into the building and into the interviews and content. You guys are like the ESPN FOX ABC NBC for skateboarding but way better... This interview hits so special and is super legit!! It's always offer to hear from Action Sports athletes that become entrepreneurs!! HAPPY SKATING from VB/VIRGINIA BEACH, Kyle
@@anthonynunyabizness9989jamie said that John literally said he didn't want him on zero but knew Jamie wanted him but once he got on fallen John said he didn't want to be on 2 teams with Cole. They literally DID say that. Pay attention.
Why the fuck do people keep thinking they cant tell the entire story and have to tell it quickly. I wanna hear the whole thing. I dont care how long it will take. Ill watch hole thing
I remember Jamie signing my arm with some fake tattoos to look like him. Was at a fallen demo, I have a print out of a picture they had of all us lined up outside the shop on their website. Great memories
I had the very first pair of of FALLENS. The black w/ gum sole. I set a trend in high school with those bad boys! ZERO & Fallen were my absolute FAVORITE skate brands!
Who owns the logo rights for Fallen, this Argentinian group? The Hyflyers LIV golf team uses the exact same logo. Very weird. Seems like there must be a conversation going on somewhere there.
I wanna know that too. I couldnt find anything. Side note: theres a small landscaping company here in my small city of 300k people and it has the fallen footwear logo....it bothers me when I see it haha
This was a great video, so many things I wondered about. Also Chris, your comment about Wisconsin farmers not wanting a zero board... I just thought you should know I grew up on a small farm in Northern Indiana and Zero was my favorite skateboard company haha.
About 17 years ago I was at my skateboarding peak, which was my late 20’s. I only wore black ZERO, FALLEN and MYSTERY tshirts without realising they were all Jamie. I just liked the energy of the design. Jamie is a smart dude. And an amazing skater.
I patiently sat through the video waiting for Jamie to say the word "Argentina". So effing proud of the people behind the licensee and how they bought Fallen back from the dead. I'm from there obviously and they have some of the nicest looking shoes, I have to try a pair of them myself. Pure love. 💙🇦🇷
Great Insight with these convos,I always wondered why in a space of a few years, so many shoe brands fell off. Osiris shoes? Fallen obviously, ogio, God knows what else really. But like you said all these shoes gone and replaced with Nike and Adidas and dc. Crazy to see the market was rising and crashing so hard. To simple sonsumer and skater like me it was just ohi can't get my shoes any more, gotta try another one haha, crazy man
Big shout out to Jamie for doing a sick custom graphic for my buddy Scott Stevens the pro snowboarders last pro model snowboard. Real recognize real. Dude is dedicated to sideways board fanaticism.
It’s crazy how Jon Allie hated cole for some reason lmao Hopefully allie gets a 9club or a bunt interview so he can explain his distain for cole so heavy lol
Can we just talk about after the World Industries lawsuit, that they went under, but Zero managed to stay alive? That is ONE MAN pulling a show through an absolute corporate clusterfuck to stay alive, and WINNING. It's incredible.
I met Jamie and Steve Berra at MAW in Houston at south side skatepark they put me on the list. I was hella young and new to the sk8 scene but he will always be the first guy I remember being all about Christ and god. No matter what anyone said. Cool to see him still a big part of the skate world.
Its A lot of Work when your particular about what you like. trying to source all your gear to the particular specifications I know I like these things: Emerica Slip on shoes Or Emerica Shoes in General. work for me Decks anything made by Ps STIX or BBS. Heroin Decks razor edge is great. or WKND Boards mellow concave decks Deck widths 8.375 & 8.5 wheelbase 14.25 or 14.4 length 32 Independent Trucks Forged Hollows or Forged Titanium's Bronson G3 Bearings or Bones Big Ball Bearings Jessup Ultra Grip or Mob Classic Independent Bolts
Had bought a pair of Fallens at a mom and pop skate shop that they had laying around for years. They were “Dicksons” model. Original box and shoe. Nostalgic!
When I was in my early to mid teens I was all about Zero and had a few pairs of fallen early on. My first complete was a barely skated complete with a zero deck, phantom trucks, quickies bearings and spitfires. With all due respect I thought the zero graphics were cooler back then. Idk if anyone remembers but they had a board series in 03 or 04 that was like a rabid animals series and for Christmas I'd gotten a John Rattray deck from that series...it was a rat (of course lol) with a chain link fence in the background. It was cool as hell. All these years later I don't think I've bought more boards from any other companies aside from shop decks
man, i feel for jamie, what a story. my next pair of shoes will be from a skater-owned brand. not converse, not vans, adidas, nike or now - out of respect for jamie - fallen. i feel like, as skaters and ex-skaters, we have the power to keep this kind of thing from repeatedly happening. keep skater-owned companies in business!
I'm from the 80s and 90s and I went to a local skate shop in the late 00s and I was disgusted by the shoe selection, they were all Nike and adidas and whatnot. I grew up in the 90s and I want skate shoes from skateboard brands not Nike. I hate that these big companies pushed out smaller shoe companies.
or eS Creager? I mean shit they re-did the Koston 1 ruined it, they re did the Muskas and killed it. WILL THEY RUIN THE #3 BEST PRO MODEL eS EVER DID????
I was literally just looking for some Fallen Rival's a couple days ago-- they were my all-time favorite shoe. I bought 2 pairs in a row, rode them for >3 years. Crazy to hear the behind-the-scenes on them. I hope the new company can remake the Rival.
Great interview, love the insight from Jamie's side, we were designing in the Sole tech camp at that time. Does company naming , reflect on the companies level of success ? be careful what you wish for...
Omg I always wanted to know what happened. I love Zero and Fallen so much I still have my posters up from when i was really young. A couple are signed 😎 I'll never get rid of em I put them up everywhere i go. idk they feel like home to me Helps keep me grounded lol 💪 Hearing it from Jaime Thomas himself is kinda crazy . I saw Jaime Thomas at Alga Norte skatepark one time. I had my zero beanie and fallens on I couldn't even get out of the car i was so nervous. I just stayed in the car and then went home 😂 I met him a few times after that though at some signings nstuff. My buddy who was with me still laughs about it that i made us go back home cause Jaime Thomas was at the skatepark lmao so weird
Jamie's honesty, humility and lack of bravado is refreshing these days and makes for a really compelling listen.
A real stand up dude
Jamie is just a genuinely good dude. Met him in person at a skate shop last week and he just had a conversation with me. Crazy he was my childhood hero
Too bad he had to lose it all to get to this point. Admitting the failings were largely on him is not something 99% of businessmen ever would admit
It’s just his perspective. He’s a little biiiiiiithc
wow, tough business but its global now, especially with the Olympics, in this game the brand matters so much!!! things that don't make money today, make a ton later on!!! keep on doing what you doing chief!!!
Jamie is a smart, well spoken, excellent story teller. Lived a hell of a life in this industry.
I could listen to this guy talk all day long man, the combo of him and Cole made this my favourite episode so far.
100 percent agree!! Dude should write a book about business or even about his life.
Yeah, this was a great conversation. Most skaters would've glossed over all the business details and told a half-assed story to save face.
@@migueljimenez5165yeah maybe he should write a book about Ed Templeton, and then Templeton should write a book about Steve Rocco.
I haven’t stepped on a board in around four years at this point. But growing up skating and seeing these brands come and go as well as change over the years. Being a kid not knowing or understanding any reason behind any of it. Now getting to watch all these episodes and interviews as an adult and understand and learn about what was actually going on is one of the my favourite things about what you guys are doing. Thanks so much for keeping skateboarding in my life and giving people the ability to learn all these thing and hear all these stories. Much love
I'm 29 and have just got back into skating to skate/scooter/bike around with my son, you should hop back on fr. I've done team sports, music, all kinds of stuff but skating is the perfect union of physical and artistic skills.
Dude for real
I quit skating when I was in my early 20s because I was going to school and working full-time. Now I'm in my mid 30s listening to a few skate podcasts and wishing I hadn't ever put the board down. It is interesting to get perspective on what was going on behind the scenes.
@@jacobsims8307same, 29 getting back into it. Teaching my kid a little. Just got treflips back
I second this!! Thank you!
You can see how much Cole respects the Chief. He sits there and listens/watches everything he does with admiration and respect. He really did a lot for Cole. Jaime is such a solid skater and a very humble/kind person .
He’s learning a bunch of stuff that could’ve changed his life completely.
mad respect to Chris Cole & Jamie Thomas. love Zero & Fallen, used to wear Fallen shoes back when I skated in middle school, they were my favorite pair of skate shoes I ever owned. I also got a Zero board when I got back into skating a bit during the pandemic. love that both brands are back and going strong. Jamie Thomas and Chris Cole were both some of my favorite skaters back in the 2000s. crazy how that’s like 20 years ago now
Same, fallens we’re really good and they had super grippy flick 👌🏽
Same+snowboarding
always saw Fallen as kind of a poser brand tbh. lots of kids at my school who didn't skate would rock them to "look cool". not hating on the team or the people behind it, but it's just really hard to break that kind of reputation. Ride the Sky was a dope video. I still remember some clips from Gilbert Crockett's part. but there were just so many skate shoes in the early 00's and this brand didn't bring a lot to the table. when I think of Fallen I just think of skate shoes that I would find at Kohl's or something. another reputation failure. on the other end of the spectrum, Nike has done a good job of creating a premium brand and garnered a lot of respect despite being so mainstream. it really defies the laws of "cool", but that just speaks to how well they have executed in such a niche market. despite being a publicly traded company, they managed to assemble one of the best teams and have stayed dialed in to the community and have a good idea of what's hot. say what you will, but janoski's were so iconic when I was growing up. and now we have the dunks with their limited releases and streetwear hype. I don't know. just interesting to ponder how such a bloated corporation with a bunch of different athletic divisions has managed to do so well in the skateboarding industry.
I had the purple Chris Cole Fallens back in the day, shouts to my mom lol.
@@mattbob1995as a skater in the 90s, Vans and Airwalks were viewed as the poser/newbie skate shoe - because they were “big” brands. Nike was for basketball. Have a hard time seeing a skate shoe created by an actual skater as a “poser” shoe, especially compared to a big corporate brand like Nike.
Loving this format with the 2 guests it brings in a whole new dynamic.
You can see why corporate sports companys like Nike, Adidas and NB have got such a foothold on the industry (other than quality product), because they have additional money to weather financial difficulties. It sounds so difficult to make money as a core shoe brand over long term
It is that’s the problem and the community doesn’t support the companies enough
Half of the problem, and I was guilty of it too, is the skate community thinking anyone is "corporate" or a "sellout" if they tried to actually make a company that prospered. Like my 17 yr old mind couldn't comprehend that trucks, decks, and wheels, shoes and grip tape doesn't come from a magic fairy. Takes a lot of investment, lots of money on marketing, and lots of blood, sweat, and tears for these companies.
@@BrettStubbs exactly! Can’t talk shit then don’t wear core companies that’s how i think about it
@BonesDMS4life and even Danny Way's I think it's his brother Damon who works at DC. Without a CCS and Zumiez, a shoe company cannot survive
@@Relentlezz41 yep and that’s the truth especially the small companies
skate industry is so interesting to hear about
crazy businesss
I blame local shops not bringing in Fallen in the 2000s. My local shop which I did ride for.. gave me excuses on why they couldn't get Fallen, this was 2005-2008.. I called just recently like a few months ago and still got the same excuse. All local shops wanted was the big name brands. Nothing that was a true core brand. Damage Boardshop, Duluth MN... only care about snowboarding and brand named materialistic stuff. They got Supra in, wanted me to flow those.. rode one pair and said hell no.
got offered flow of supras and said no hahahahaha shut up
@natedawg__7673 I really did. Wasn't my style let alone I had a leather pair. Didn't fit my style or skating
@natedawg__7673 also when I tried the pair, they still tried to make me pay half for the pair they wanted to me try lol. Definitely didn't feel like a team shop rider for Damage at that point
I liked Supra because of Muska, but their durability and build quality was trash.
I always had to get my fallens off the internet/catalogs, the shops never had them.
Jamie is a born leader, and a very humble one at that !!! He out himself, his fam etc aside and made a choice that he knew would benefit the most people overall...
Awesome interview. Jamie Thomas is the rare polymath modern skateboarding needed. Absolutely kept the straight line and kept it 100% real all the way.
Respect and thankyou Jamie. 🙏
as someone who lost their business due to circumstances completely out of my own control, I feel Jamie's pain deep. He should at least be proud of the level he got fallen too
I swear half the interview Cole is sitting there going "wrap it up please". Half-expected him to start blinking morse code signals John McCain style.
What the fuck are you talking about?
Skate companies are a lot like record labels, there are so many components and eventually it all trickles up into verticals that eat eachother and eachothers lunch.
After the Fallen relaunch I was curious why a South American company owned them this clears that up. I also bought 2 pairs of trooper remakes and although they look similar the cuts, fit, and finish are not the same the worst being the lack of a “gel” heel cup like the originals had.
Oh the new Fallens are garbage…
Jamie really is cold. Real matter of fact. Respect it though
Jamie and Chris have to be 2 of the most genuine and honestly nice seeming people in skating. Serious legends by the definition of the word
a lot of ppl took advantage of Jamie's nice-ness and genuine love of skating.
MUSKA and Kalis being the 2 biggest ones who used him.
fck Kalis as a person ya he built up Love with Stevie but he's not a good friend.
@@eatassonthefirstdate Mike Carroll seems kinda douchey too, cant people be cool and good at something as well? is that not possible lol
@@eatassonthefirstdate why what happened?
@@AstralHiGH oh dude 4 sure the guys who own Girl are 4 sure d-bag ish and way full off themselves. they're from San Francisco though lol so That's probly why 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
JT gave me his barely skated deck at Pacific Drive in ‘99 (unsolicited) it took me a minute to register what just happened. “Live fast” written on the grip and I skated that proudly. Nice guy for sure.
“We can’t sell a skateboard to someone in Wisconsin that lives on a farm. “
You can, I started skateboarding when I lived in a farm, the only concrete we had was the drive way. I remember hours of just flat ground skating after school, the Saturday Trips to town where I’d get dropped off at the park picked up once the errands were done.
I was so stocked Fallen came back. They were my shoe growing up. I don’t/can’t skate much anymore, but I still rock Fallen shoes.
When I was a teenager in 2005 I opened a skateboard shop. I was so dedicated to skating back then.. I reached out to blackbox and received a rejection letter. They we're the only supplier that rejected me. The only place that carried Zero or any blackbox brands was Zumiez in the mall 25 miles away. They would have done better than any brand in my shop back then, I could never get myself to purchase any blackbox goods after that. I always wondered the reason why but I doubt the little guy is considered much in these massive brands.
Just wanted to say that I was one of those kids who grew up on Fallen. I had the Chris Cole Rippers in all black as my first pair. To this day I have hoodies socks and an unworn pair of the FA Vibes as well as broken Zero decks and a hoodie. Hearing about how it all went down before I was too young to comprehend is wild to me. Live damn close to the middle of nowhere Wisconsin too😂
You can tell Jamie has been in the trenches, by the way he speaks. Some people criticize him, but business, especially in the skateboarding industry, isn't 1 straight line. It was tough for hundreds of small companies round the country after '08, whatsoever management did or didn't do. It's easy to talk smack, but very few have accomplished what Jamie's done, that is, be a pro skater, and not just any pro, but a legend, and then build several brands that in some form or fashion still exist 20 years after their founding.
I love that Jamie has grown, where we saw him as a king in skateboarding now he is opening up about his struggles and we can understand why things happened.
Love you Jaime
Mad respect he opened up about this.
I'll open up about stuff if you respect me bro?
@user-qj9dw6tn8y I wouldn't take that chance. I can think of a few things one could open up about that would yield the opposite effect.
@infinitescenarios like what? I am 36 years old an sleep with a Teddy bear an wet my bed still also a virgin ? Who would judge me about that. Respect is what I'll get . Would you respect me if I told you one more thing
@@JaceLandon-s8o That's all fine and dandy so far.
I’m 100% certain now Chris Cole is an immortal… he hasn’t visibly aged at all in the many years I’ve been watching him skate he’s a master wood worker which is a lifetime skill in its own. And one of the best skaters alive he must be like 200 years old if not many many more lifetimes older lol
And he got that pop!
He's been 32 for 20 years
Totally a vampire
28 now, and all i wore in middle school was Fallen and Adio so to hear the story behind Fallen is pretty surreal, i still miss the shoes i had back then
Wild that anyone was against Cole being on the team, even with his style you could tell he was going to be something special
Skating is competitive. When you’re an up and coming skater it might be uncomfortable taking on a teammate you know could surpass you. Chris ended up being a cool dude, but they didn’t really know how he would turn out back then.
I've always felt Chris Cole's style was suited more to the fresh gear he used to rock. For some reason the hesh look appears incongruous with his style, to my eye. I recently saw an old 411 where he was rocking the fresh gear and was reminded how good I thought his style was when I first became aware of him, and I'm actually a hesh guy. I think it would have been cool to have just the one fresh dude on Zero and Fallen, but I guess they didn't think so.
Big respect on having the foresight to steer clear of corporate ownership. The company I worked over a decade of my life for got bought out by a mega corp a few years back and it just sucked the life out of everything. Decisions get made and orders handed down related to financial issues on the other side of the globe. Despite my region having its busiest and best financial quarters I consistently had to tell my 30+ overworked staff that our operating budget was getting cut again. Corporate sucks.
This is crazy. Grew up watching these guys skate in the early 2000s and now in my 30s watching them in podcasts 😢😅
This video really hit, not sure anyone else can relate, but I never knew this story. Definitely click with what Cole said. Growing up riding Fallen shoes. Then had hids and worked a lot, now my kids skate amd got me back into it, of course the first shoes I bought were Fallens. Couldn't have been easy for Jamie, but this insight of the true story was awesome to see/hear
Hearing a story about entrepreneurial failure and seeing him alright and healthy and doing okay today is very inspiring.
I started skating in 2009 and rode Troopers and Chiefs most of that first year and a half, hurt to see em go when they did so it feels a bit better to know what happened. Nine Club is killing it rn
Same here man I really want to get some troopers again, hated seeing big brands take over the market and push out all my favorite skater brands.
Dam Jamie throwing John Alley under the bus immediately was ruthless lol
Gaps huge
Right then admitting he took 1 mil from the company for his own home ( I'm guessing to purchase more property or invest ) dude was the reason the company went down lol
What a wild insight... watched Jamie on chats and tatts and now this interview is so insightful to the early 2000's and the changes... such a cool insight... thanks
Me and my friends lived in Zero, Fallen, Supra, and Enjoi lol. Still love those brands honestly they just made sense to me and you know what you were getting and what you repped.
It's so nice to see Jamie be so humble here. What an absolute Legend! I wonder if he coulda swung a deal with Quicksilver to still do his own creative thing with them? I couldn't imagine seeing what I built be so successful and then crash down. Wow! Great lesson for me as the viewer to take away from his experience. Thanks for sharing.
Been wearing Fallen for over 15 years now. Was very disappointed when they went bankrupt and happy as shit when they came back.
It's so cool that they got Owen Wilson to play Jamie Thomas
Jamie brought some of the biggest players to brands he made!!! That’s lengend
Remember buying some fallen Billy marks revolver shoes from Ross. One of the best shoes I skated with. Also skated with Chris coles trooper shoes, they where great and enjoyed his DC shoes as well
Jamie brought zero tour to every city in Canada when they started. I was young but it was amazing. They skated through the streets with the whole crowd after and all gave away multiple boards after 15 mins of use
I love hearing about Jon Allie, Hopefully one day he agrees to do a nine club interview!!
Fallen blew dogs. I had a Jamie Thomas signature shoe and the heel blew out on like day 3 straight garbage
The rivals? Huge disagree. My leather version lasted forever.
Jon Allie is a beast... Circa "its time" dropped some madness that still kills!! One of my fav videos ever.
Owned a pair of troopers and my only complaint was they wore the back of my Achilles raw when walking. Skating the were amazing! So comfy
The ripper and the Es square one were the only shoes I bought for years.
Cole was my favorite skater for a while because he wore Falllen. I was the only skater in my group that wore Fallen shoes. I loved them.
What is that digital picture frame with the guy skating. In the background?? Is that for sale anywhere
Thank you guys thank you guys for getting the coolest and most awesome personalities and skateboarders and everything else into the building and into the interviews and content. You guys are like the ESPN FOX ABC NBC for skateboarding but way better...
This interview hits so special and is super legit!! It's always offer to hear from Action Sports athletes that become entrepreneurs!!
HAPPY SKATING from VB/VIRGINIA BEACH,
Kyle
Mad respect to the both of them
Damn didn’t know Allie was a little salty about Cole back in the day!
And you still don't. No one said it was true just what they thought, pay attention.
@@anthonynunyabizness9989jamie said that John literally said he didn't want him on zero but knew Jamie wanted him but once he got on fallen John said he didn't want to be on 2 teams with Cole. They literally DID say that. Pay attention.
Are they talking about alley Boulala
@@TheJdog18 John Allie.
@@TheJdog18 no, its Allie..Jon Allie.
Why the fuck do people keep thinking they cant tell the entire story and have to tell it quickly. I wanna hear the whole thing. I dont care how long it will take. Ill watch hole thing
To me, it sounds like business absolutely destroys one's love for skateboarding.
I remember Jamie signing my arm with some fake tattoos to look like him. Was at a fallen demo, I have a print out of a picture they had of all us lined up outside the shop on their website. Great memories
Jamie is such a honest and humble person.....admitting the ego involved is difficult. Btw the 06 fallen Jamie model was the best skate shoe ever.
Threw Jon Allie under the bus fast af
How did the lawsuit over the trademark for the Fallen logo not get brought up?
Eldy wasn't there to talk golf haha
as a teenager i loved to skateboard now as a adult i love hearing/talking about skateboarding
Was so sad when fallen closed! Awesome they are back! Bought 3 pairs last month
I had the very first pair of of FALLENS. The black w/ gum sole. I set a trend in high school with those bad boys! ZERO & Fallen were my absolute FAVORITE skate brands!
This interview was fascinating. Jamie was the hero growing up. He recruited the leader / head guy of our skate crew in 2003. The chief!
Who was?!😊
Who was?
I remember wearing Fallens in 2007, they were some of my favorite shoes.
not me getting all the info years later... worked shops 2002-2010 and more but all the distributors changes and everything... ugh so rough
Almost all my shoes are fallen. The trooper is the best by far! Huge respect to Jamie and Chris. New Blood
The first time I bought my first Fallen shoe, Cole debuted on DC the next day. Literally the ad got uploaded. 😂
Who owns the logo rights for Fallen, this Argentinian group? The Hyflyers LIV golf team uses the exact same logo. Very weird. Seems like there must be a conversation going on somewhere there.
I wanna know that too. I couldnt find anything. Side note: theres a small landscaping company here in my small city of 300k people and it has the fallen footwear logo....it bothers me when I see it haha
There's also a trucking/shipping company that had the eagle outline graphic like 20 years before Jamie used it for Zero.
This was a great video, so many things I wondered about. Also Chris, your comment about Wisconsin farmers not wanting a zero board... I just thought you should know I grew up on a small farm in Northern Indiana and Zero was my favorite skateboard company haha.
Met Jon Allie back in 05 with sierra fellers. Jon had a sick muscle car and was cool af. Played me skate.
About 17 years ago I was at my skateboarding peak, which was my late 20’s. I only wore black ZERO, FALLEN and MYSTERY tshirts without realising they were all Jamie. I just liked the energy of the design.
Jamie is a smart dude. And an amazing skater.
Man I used to love Fallen skate shoes back in my skater youth days lol, really dug the logo back then
The logo was awesome
I patiently sat through the video waiting for Jamie to say the word "Argentina". So effing proud of the people behind the licensee and how they bought Fallen back from the dead. I'm from there obviously and they have some of the nicest looking shoes, I have to try a pair of them myself. Pure love. 💙🇦🇷
I literally grew up on a farm in Wisconsin and bought a Chris Cole Reaper deck when I was like 13 or 14. Didn't think I existed did ya Chris Roberts!
Great Insight with these convos,I always wondered why in a space of a few years, so many shoe brands fell off. Osiris shoes? Fallen obviously, ogio, God knows what else really. But like you said all these shoes gone and replaced with Nike and Adidas and dc. Crazy to see the market was rising and crashing so hard. To simple sonsumer and skater like me it was just ohi can't get my shoes any more, gotta try another one haha, crazy man
Big shout out to Jamie for doing a sick custom graphic for my buddy Scott Stevens the pro snowboarders last pro model snowboard. Real recognize real. Dude is dedicated to sideways board fanaticism.
Give Jamie the podcast. The rest are guests.
It’s crazy how Jon Allie hated cole for some reason lmao
Hopefully allie gets a 9club or a bunt interview so he can explain his distain for cole so heavy lol
I still have fallen paint pen on my skateboard from 2008
Can we just talk about after the World Industries lawsuit, that they went under, but Zero managed to stay alive? That is ONE MAN pulling a show through an absolute corporate clusterfuck to stay alive, and WINNING. It's incredible.
Everybody had Etnies and DCs but man I liked me some Fallens back in the day
I met Jamie and Steve Berra at MAW in Houston at south side skatepark they put me on the list. I was hella young and new to the sk8 scene but he will always be the first guy I remember being all about Christ and god. No matter what anyone said. Cool to see him still a big part of the skate world.
Its A lot of Work when your particular about what you like.
trying to source all your gear to the particular specifications
I know I like these things:
Emerica Slip on shoes Or Emerica Shoes in General. work for me
Decks anything made by Ps STIX or BBS.
Heroin Decks razor edge is great. or WKND Boards mellow concave decks
Deck widths 8.375 & 8.5
wheelbase 14.25 or 14.4
length 32
Independent Trucks Forged Hollows or Forged Titanium's
Bronson G3 Bearings or Bones Big Ball Bearings
Jessup Ultra Grip or Mob Classic
Independent Bolts
Had bought a pair of Fallens at a mom and pop skate shop that they had laying around for years. They were “Dicksons” model. Original box and shoe. Nostalgic!
Love how real Jamie is. No bulls*^t
Zero bullshit
When I was in my early to mid teens I was all about Zero and had a few pairs of fallen early on. My first complete was a barely skated complete with a zero deck, phantom trucks, quickies bearings and spitfires. With all due respect I thought the zero graphics were cooler back then. Idk if anyone remembers but they had a board series in 03 or 04 that was like a rabid animals series and for Christmas I'd gotten a John Rattray deck from that series...it was a rat (of course lol) with a chain link fence in the background. It was cool as hell. All these years later I don't think I've bought more boards from any other companies aside from shop decks
Very cool story. So cool being a consumer of these products and then years later hearing what was going on behind the scenes.
The AB blend feature is so AMAZING. So many creative uses for it. I use it so much 🙌🙌
man, i feel for jamie, what a story. my next pair of shoes will be from a skater-owned brand. not converse, not vans, adidas, nike or now - out of respect for jamie - fallen. i feel like, as skaters and ex-skaters, we have the power to keep this kind of thing from repeatedly happening. keep skater-owned companies in business!
brb gotta go comb thru ramondetta footy to figure out which circa model is based on cole’s design…
I'm from the 80s and 90s and I went to a local skate shop in the late 00s and I was disgusted by the shoe selection, they were all Nike and adidas and whatnot. I grew up in the 90s and I want skate shoes from skateboard brands not Nike. I hate that these big companies pushed out smaller shoe companies.
never had any of the shoes, but the symbol was dope and rocked like 3 fallen hoodies during my teens good gear.
Me no hoodie🥲
Just shord
Chris Cole's reaction is like....
" Really? "
So crazy that they jus traded skaters like trading a player in pro sports
Can y'all please ask Etnies if they will ever re release the ARTO!!?!?!?!? We all want to know.
or eS Creager? I mean shit they re-did the Koston 1 ruined it, they re did the Muskas and killed it.
WILL THEY RUIN THE #3 BEST PRO MODEL eS EVER DID????
No that's facts tho, I loved the artos they were some of the best shoes I've ever skated
Please do more of the business side of the industry. This is incredibly interesting.
I was literally just looking for some Fallen Rival's a couple days ago-- they were my all-time favorite shoe. I bought 2 pairs in a row, rode them for >3 years. Crazy to hear the behind-the-scenes on them. I hope the new company can remake the Rival.
I'm going to look up Jon Allie footy from this time on. I'm familiar, but I'm WAY MORE FAMILIAR with CC's career.
Allie is good, his footage in the Slave videos is sick. But yeah Cole is just on another level entirely
Great interview, love the insight from Jamie's side, we were designing in the Sole tech camp at that time.
Does company naming , reflect on the companies level of success ? be careful what you wish for...
I had so many purple fallen joints. 😢
Omg I always wanted to know what happened. I love Zero and Fallen so much I still have my posters up from when i was really young. A couple are signed 😎 I'll never get rid of em I put them up everywhere i go. idk they feel like home to me Helps keep me grounded lol 💪 Hearing it from Jaime Thomas himself is kinda crazy .
I saw Jaime Thomas at Alga Norte skatepark one time. I had my zero beanie and fallens on I couldn't even get out of the car i was so nervous. I just stayed in the car and then went home 😂 I met him a few times after that though at some signings nstuff. My buddy who was with me still laughs about it that i made us go back home cause Jaime Thomas was at the skatepark lmao so weird
i didnt skate for long as i have healthy issues but my first board was jamie’s. just a rad humble dude. figured he’d be a good role model.
it’s also cool to see people from different teams interact