One of the most exciting new brands to appear recently is Evisen Skateboards from Japan. Amazing graphics, talented team, and soon to be available in the United States.

Katsumi has this to say about Evisen’s latest collaboration with Sadam for Maru’s homie, Shota Kikuchi: “Evisen Skateboards will be releasing a first ever guest model for a skateboarder from Sendai Japan, Shota Kikuchi.  The art work is done by SADAM an artist also from Sendai who has offered to design for the previous collaboration board.  The graphic is not just a Bouquet but there is a Gimmick in the graphics. Kotobuki means felicitation.

“The reason why we made a guest board for Shota is that we have huge respect to him but its not only about that.  Our team rider MARU has been skating with Shota from a young age up till now. MARU strongly wanted to give back to his lifetime brother so that is why we have decided to give a Bouquet designed in the board. Thank you skateboarding.”

In 1872 a human-sized gold nugget weighing more than 600 lbs was unearthed from a dusty hill in New South Whales. Rumor has it that when the prospectors were chiseling away at this shiny mother lode, a future-historic skateboard was found deep within the core of the gigantic chunk of cheddar. Not knowing whether it was extraterrestrial, celestial, or just plain pugilistic, the archeologists decided to bury the skateboard and never speak of it again.
From the land down under comes a brand that you should certainly be paying attention to. PASS PORT is making premium skateboard decks and a range of apparel that confirms this is more than just another garage project… and quite possibly connected to the aforementioned true story. They recently dropped a new collection on their website, and fret not: you will soon be able to get your passport stamped, as there are rumors that Pass~Port will be available in the US soon. For more information visit passportal.com.au

FTCSF will be hosting a special event on Saturday July 21st in conjunction with the release of Jack Curtin’s new Pro Model shoe, The Capitol by Fallen Footwear. If you’re in the area, stop by FTC for free bubbly beverages and good vibes. If you’re not in the area, check here for photos afterwards. Live music set by Cellski!

No longer a part of the Comune camp, Michael Quinones is now involved with a pretty exciting new label called We Are Runts. I’ll let them do the explaining:

“We Are Runts [or WAAR] is a creative lifestyle brand built with a product assortment of repurposed vintage military surplus and or short run/deadstock fabrics.  Each piece has been updated, reconstructed and adapted with a modern silhouette while keeping the color palette and utilitarian details of military garb, in addition to being manufactured domestically.  Essentially, it is a collection and identity of kids that grew up, but never stopped loving their youth and what has shaped their lives now as adults (well, sort of adults).
Conceived on the decision to rely on each other, not work for others, the idea of RUNTS and the history of the name really began a while back for us.  We’d constantly refer to each other and our larger group of close friends as ‘RUNTS’ in the industry.  We were always the little guys in the office as far as ownership, and were constantly looking out for each other.  That is the same mentality that we’ve tried to bring here; a group of friends working together and looking out for each other.”

For more information, stay updated at WeAreRunts.com

UPDATE: Congratulations to the winner, Nick! Please email me your address and i’ll have this stuff sent out!

I’m going to give away some free shiz today! The craftsmen at Armourdillo make a buttload of leather goods. Literally, I think their catalog has like 75 pages of belts and wallets. They sent me some new product that is ultra luxe, and I want to give it away to one lucky person this week. To be eligible to win a Chad Bartie Signature Belt & Wallet pack, just respond to this question in the comments below. A winner will be randomly selected from those who participated by answering the question correctly. Make sense?

Free product trivia: In what skate video does Chad Bartie star alongside teammates Rob Gonzalez and Ricky Oyola? Remember, even if someone beat you to it, you still need to post the correct answer to be included in the randumb drawing. The winner will be notified via email after end date of 11/22/11.

Part 2/2 of the video document on Broadcast was just posted on The Berrics the other day. You can catch up with the first segment here. Thanks to Brock Mitchell and everyone at The Berrics for making this happen!

Science Skateboards has just unveiled their new website and a video promo. It’s pretty frickin’ righteous! Science is available in the US thru Permanent.

14 years ago, Zero released the instant hit video Thrill Of It All (1997). Despite a great team lineup, the comparatively unknown Aaron Harrison had one of the most talked-about parts in the whole video. If you’ve seen it, you know exactly what we’re referring to. The munificent BS 180s, the high speed bank bombs, the cranium-bonk-to-viewer-cringe, and of course the notorious 14 attempts at the shipping container ollie to bank. The Who turned down the volume on their serenading amps just enough to allow the sound of Aarons fortitude push him to the 15th try and make. Call the doctor…

Bruisers is the latest visual treat from Richard Mulder and Camp Heel Bruise. Featuring Victor Mendoza and former Broadcast Correspondent Billy Davenport, this mini motion picture is just a sneak peek of good things to come. Support the Bruisers.

This handsome cranium cap is the five panel Bergschrund Camp Hat by Broadcast. Lightweight ripstop canvas lid with adjustable strap and tonal logo embroidery. Available at El Mercado in Los Angeles.