Arcadio: Vegetarianism in skateboarding

1978 (?)

Peggy Oki, original member of the Z-Boys (Dogtown), later became vegan (1), photo by Glen E. Friedman, who later also became vegan (12).

1985

Claus Grabke probably wasn't vegetarian yet.

1986

Adam Yauch used to skate. Mike D and Adam Yauch (MCA) are/were also vegetarians. But surely not back then. (Mike D was vegan for a few years in the late 90s.)

I once read Dave Bergthold, founder of Blockhead, was/is vegetarian.

1987
In the late 90s Claus Grabke posed for a PeTA-Germany "I'd rather go naked..." - poster with his band Thumb.

Rob Roskopp, Gotcha ad - not sure what that was about

I swear I have a copy of Poweredge magazine with a Jim Thiebaud interview and the cover says "Jim Thiebaud, vegetarian, ..., ..." (Jim Thiebaud is the co-founder of Real.)

1988
Dave Bergthold, Blockhead

1989
The infamous World Industries Mike Vallely barnyard graphic. Mike Vallely was vegetarian then, outspokenly, later vegan, then quit vegetarianism for what I would interpret as "health and social/practical reasons" - the two most common reasons it seems... (2), (4)

"Please, don't eat my friends" was the graphic on top of the board.

Mike Vallely Poweredge interview by Christian Kline

1990
Ed Templeton, pre-vegan shoes

Ed Templeton interview in Thrasher

Mike Vallely, Santa Cruz Speed Wheels

1991
and then Jason Lee (the non-vegetarian Ed Templeton)

World Industries' Jason Lee burger board and the "cease and desist" letter by Burger King

Marc McKee (who did both the Jason Lee burger and the Vallely barnyard graphics): "I originally made the Jason Lee Burger King board for Mike V, and that did not go over well. I guess it goes without saying that Mike would not be down with having that kind of graphic, even though the intention was for it to be ironic since it was well known that he was a vegan. In hindsight I think he was right to turn down the graphic since it’s clearly a salute to cow-eating…. Then, when the ad came out with Jason eating a Whopper in front of Burger King—with a shaved head like Mike had at the time—that definitely came across as a vibe. Not cool." (8)

and the answer by Blind with Laban Pheidias (maybe already vegan? not looking his best here though - this ad is from 1993)

A-1 Meats What did it all mean?

(I don't think Bo Ikeda was vegetarian. He was in Vision's Alphabet Soup by the way...)

A-1 Meats Young Riders

Was Sean Sheffey vegetarian during that time?

Zero Two - The All Vegetarian Skate Shoe - Thank You For Not Killing Me.

I remember a Zero Two ad on the back of a Transworld, that showed a skater walking away, wearing Airwalk NTS (Not The Same), leaving behind bloody footprints, with the slogan "Zero Two - There are no souls in our soles." I was far from vegetarian then - and funny enough I had a pair of green NTS.

Ed Templeton

1992

Powell & Peralta Pat Brennen Meat Slick - meaning?

Brian Lotti, Zero Two ad

I'm Sure I once saw a Brian Lotti board with an anti-hunting graphic

blindfolded rabbit, carrot & trap graphic (World Industries)

Ed Templeton and Mike Vallely had a company called TV (Templeton/Vallely), which was later briefly called Televison. I still regret not buying the Ed Templeton "man eats cow" board (right) (When I saw that board in a shop, maybe my subconscious already knew I would become vegan.) The top graphic says “Eat me I’m probably delicious.” (7)

Laban Pheidias, Blockhead

TV, Templeton and Vallely

1993
A-1 Meats ad, note the 43mm wheels are called "meat is murder".

The first Thrasher video (The Truth Hurts) had a short interview with Salman Agah and they asked him "Are you vegetarian?", and he said "No. N-O. I think it's stupid. Well I guess it's not stupid but..." (That's what he said.)

Ed Templeton, Salvage (was a clothing company by Zero Two)

1994
A-1 Meats - the logo in this ad says "environmentally alert".

Note the "environmentally alert friends of animals" below.

Jamie Thomas on a horse! (from horse rider to vegan to meat eater for Christ)

another Invisible ad - Laban Pheidias - the "healthy" alluding to his vegetarianism?

The Beastie Boys/Spike Jonze/Girl connection, at around this time Mike D and MCA were both vegetarians (Ill Communication era). In the Beastie Boys DVD "I Fuckin' Shot That!" fom 2006 Adam Yauch seems to be eating meat - in a BBQ contest they had organized (!) - Mike D was the vegetarian judge. More recently (2009) Yauch, suffering from cancer (of the parotid gland - in the mouth), wrote "i'm taking tibetan medicine and at the recommendation of the tibetan doctors i've been eating a vegan/organic diet ". (5) (6)

1995
Ed Templeton went through a "skating canvas Vans" phase...

Matt Rodriguez has been vegetarian (according to mathematics) since 1995. (11) Deluxe ad.

Sergei Trudnowski - rumored to be vegan

1996
Is this a joke by Foundation? Or was Alyoop an actual company? Note Ed Templeton saying, "I respect them because they're vegans."

canvas Vans and Dickies

Sheep, the mystery

Sheep was a shoe company by Sole Tech (Etnies etc.), and I have read that Sheep only made vegetarian shoes, but I don't think this is true.

vegan shoes? (Frank Hirata)

vegan or leather? (Mike Manzoori)

Laban Pheidias probably skating in leather free shoes.

it says "these shoes are either canvas or suede"

1997

Acme - cow and hamburger graphic. Does anyone have a better picture?

This shoe ("Clocker 3") came with a "100% synthetic - no animal products" tag and it came in different kinds of vegan materials. (But Scott Johnston or anyone else on DC, except Moses Itkonen, wasn't vegetarian, I think.)

Brian Anderson, probably still meat-free at that time, but started eating meat again during an Anti-Hero Australia tour.

Already vegetarian back then? Rick McCrank Vegan Shoes?

vegan shoes and blunt slides: Ed Templeton (You know it's true.)

Ed Templeton's vegan signature shoe on Sheep, that was just about to come out, when Sheep closed down (I'm not sure iof it was ever produced.).

And Laban Pheidias had a vegan signature shoe on Reef. (Was the shoe only available in vegan? I don't know.)

I remember this ad, note it says "vegan leather" (red section, first bullet point).

The Adil Dyani shoe (the black one below) by Reef was also vegan.

Jamie Thomas' heyday - before the fall

Emerica ad "I'm gonna skate barefoot until you guys make a canvas shoe."

This shoe was available in real (animal) suede (black or white) or in vegan (navy canvas with rubber ollie pad). The rubber cap and sole looked slightly different than in the ad.

He was vegan then.

Invisible - Laban Pheidias (There was an interview with him at around this time in Transworld, in which he talked about being vegetarian.)

Moses Itkonen - Independent

There was an interview with Moses Itkonen in Big Brother at around this time, in which he talked about animal rights and being vegan.

Steve Olson (the younger Steve Olson with glasses) was/is a vegetarian.

unconfirmed rumors

1998
Templeton's most popular shoe ever (probably). This shoe was everywhere you went. Emerica Templeton (all vegan)
The biggest German skateboard mailorder had this listed as leather (this is when I should have become more careful about believing the things that I read.)

One of the most popular vegan shoes at the time. DC "Syntax" (always vegan)

I didn't know then, that Moses Itkonen was vegan.

Rowley's vegetarian, pre-vegan, pre-ex-vegan era, skating for Airwalk. I thought (then) Geoff Rowley was French.

Steve Olson's vegan signature shoe on Kastel

Even Duffs came out with a vegan shoe in 1998 (called "Veggie Sub"). They even made a T-shirt promoting the shoe (no photo atm).

1999
Still Ed Templeton 1 (Emerica)

In a 2009 interview Mike Vallely says: "I've been eating meat since 1999. I would say I have a pretty well balanced diet at this point in my life and that although I eat animal products I'm still a very conscientious eater, maybe even more so then when I was a vegetarian. I was a vegetarian since 1988 and a vegan for several years but those dietary choices were more like religious subscriptions than dietary or health decisions. When the hold of the cult of vegetarianism got old for me my diet changed and I think and feel in many ways it's personally for the better. The vegetarian diet never actually agreed with me physically so it was a very hard thing to maintain for nearly 11 years." (2)

If you feel the same way and think a vegan diet doesn't agree with you health wise, please know that you do not have to give up veganism. There are several experienced longtime vegan dietitians who can tweak a vegan diet to suit you. VeganHealth.org (by Jack Norris, RD) is probably the most complete source of vegan nutrition info. Animal products do not contain "magical" nutrients - it seems all essential nutrients can be obtained from non-animal sources, luckily.

And I thought (then) Mike Vallely was (still) vegan (well maybe he was when the shoe was designed) - his very popular shoe on Etnies was vegan.

Etnies Mike Vallely signature shoe (same as above)

An ad promoting vegetarianism by PCRM (with Ed Templeton and Jamie Thomas - both vegan at the time).

Thrasher video

Jamie Thomas then had a few all vegan models on Adio.

just like Jeremy Wray (but Jeremy Wray was never vegetarian as far as I know)

2000
I once read that all Savier shoes were synthetic. I don't think this is true.
Brian Anderson (then a vegetarian)

There must have been a lot more anti-animal graphics by Birdhouse.

Tony Hawk promoting the Got Milk pro-dairy campaign. Glen E. Friedman sent him a truly idealistic letter (that was much too long) urging him to withdraw his support for such a damaging industry. Tony Hawk, of course, didn't care. Tony Hawk is wearing Jamie Thomas' vegan signature shoe in the ad.

Bob Burnquist, a vegetarian (then? now?), also supported the campaign.

2001
Brad Staba is/was a non-flesh-eater.

The beginning of the vegan Rowley shoes era (all vegan). Rowley was more or less vegan then.

Emerica Ed Templeton 2

2002
Emerica Ed Templeton 2

Emerica Ed Templeton 2

2003
Emerica Ed Templeton 2

2004
Emerica Ed Templeton 3

Ed Templeton interview (in which he talks about veganism, from around 2004) on the ¿Confusion? Magazine site.

Beastie Boys To the Five Boroughs deck by 5Boro

In 2005 Rick McCrank said he's vegetarian, for health reasons, not vegan, but some of his shoes are available in vegan. (10)

2006
Emerica limited edition Templeton pack (vegan)

Charlie Thomas, a longtime, but not so well known pro had this graphic on Hollywood. PeTA says he is vegan (but PeTa says a lot of things.).

2007
Emerica Ed Templeton Transist (all vegan)

Truly Fallen (say the kids)

Jamie Thomas, flagged and Chick-fil-A eating

Some of his signature shoes, somewhere, are sometimes available in synthetic at least (this one, too - but the shoe pictured is leather probably).

Argentinian vegetarian would have been cool. Now ex-vegetarian (Diego Bucchieri, Toy Machine).

From a Thrasher interview (2009) "So are you still the vegetarian butcher, or are you eating meat now?

Fuck no, it's been so long since I stated eating meat again. I'm actually into trying all kind of different meats. Argentinean asado; that's still my favorite one. I even slaughtered three lambs and a pig. They taste so much better if you do it yourself. I'm not into killing them, but I love butchering them." (13)

Michael Sieben's anti-vivisection T-Shirt (Michael Sieben has something to do with skateboarding.)

Scott Bourne's peta2 poster. He said in an interview with peta2 that he's vegan.

Were his signature Puma shoes vegan?

maybe not

Nyjah Huston (2006): "I've been a vegan my whole life, and eating right in these times is important." Not sure if he wore/wears leather, these (below) look like they could be vegan (2007 ad). (9)

2008
The end of Rowley's vegan Vans era. These shoes are leather (but there sometimes might be some colors that might be vegan.)

Glen E Friedman, vegan since '88 (13), with his son and wife.

2009
Emerica vegan logo of Ed Templeton's signature shoe "The Archer". This was on the inside of the tongue of the shoe.

2010
An eco-friendly skateboard company? Shred for Life, Laban Pheidias. (3)
Laban Pheidas also made a pro-vegetarian video clip for peta2.

Matt Rodriguez (2010): "I have been vegetarian for 15 years. I prefer not to wear leather shoes. However, until people stop eating meat, there is no use in letting the rest of the animals resources go to waste that could be used to its fullness, such as shoes. Unfortunately, most of the time when manufacturing synthetic leather and suede, it creates more harm to the environment than just using the natural hide that would otherwise go to waste if not used." (11)

I can see why maybe Matt Rodriguez would want to believe this, not using leather would make his job much harder. The main reason for farmed animals being killed is the production of eggs, meat and dairy. Fish and other sea dwelling animals are often caught in the wild (still) and killed in unimaginable numbers - with a huge percentage of "by-catch". The most animals are probably killed for fish, eggs, and chicken.

I agree with him that the more something is a by-product, the less important it is to consider (e.g. casein in glue/car tyres/bike tyres/condoms/rubber gloves). Leather, however, is either one of the most profitable by-products - you could also call liver, brain, heart, or stomach by-products. They are all products making raising and killing animals profitable. Leather often comes from India, where cattle are killed specifically for leather, not for meat.

Third, the idea of leather as "natural hide" is romanticized. The tanning of leather is extremely toxic - a health disaster for the workers and for the environment - and all life in it.

There are synthetic materials and plant fibers, that are more environmentally friendly than others, like rubber, plant leather (made from rubber), PVC-free microfibers, etc.