Gino Iannucci is a legendary skateboarder from Long Island, New York. First gaining recognition in the mid-‘90s through his parts in videos from 101 Skateboards. His video parts in Chocolate’s “The Chocolate Tour” and Girl’s “Yeah Right!” are considered all time classics. As one of the original riders for Nike SB, he helped redefine the brand’s place in skateboarding. He has worked alongside Adidas putting out shoes like the Samba ADV, and now rides for ASICS skateboarding. In recent years, Gino has focused on Poets, his personal skate brand rooted in his East Coast roots in Long Island, New York.

Franklin – You’re known for having one of the best styles in skateboarding, Everybody knows that. Is there somebody that influenced your skating coming up, or is it really just naturally the way it is?

Gino – I’d have to say it just came out natural. I’ve never really tried to emulate anybody. I just don’t think that was ever even possible. I don’t think back when I was skating then I was even concerned with my style. It was more about tricks and stuff.

Franklin – So there was nobody that you looked up to as a kid?

Gino – Yeah. I mean, there was a few that I always bring up that were a big influence on myself and probably most skateboarders. Natas Kaupas and Matt Hensley. Those two.

Franklin – What was your first board sponsor and how did that come about?

Gino – First board sponsor was Black Label. That was from just making videos and then sending them to different companies to try to get free product and Black Label was one of them. Sending sponsor me tapes. John Lucero at Black Label called me up and said, “Hey, send me some more tapes and I’ll send you some boards.” And that’s how it started.

Franklin – Sick, and then from Black Label, who was after that?

Gino – After Black Label was 101, which was through World Industries and then after 101 was Chocolate. Wow. Yeah.

Franklin – Who did you go pro for?

Gino – I went pro for Black Label. They turned me pro when I was about 20.

Franklin – Insane. So you were how old when you got on?

Gino – I must have been around 25 when I was on Chocolate.

Franklin – What was it like skating for Nike in the early days of of Nike SB?

Gino – That was cool, that was fun. It was just cool to go to the Nike campus and see what that’s all about and kind of all the stuff that you never even knew or you always wondered about a company that big. Being overwhelmed and going to a college campus, which is where Nike is located in Beaverton, OR. I mean the tours we went on, they would fly us first class overseas and it was just, we were getting treated pretty well.

Franklin – What shoe company did you skate for before Nike?

Gino – A company called Axion. That was Kareem Campbell’s brainchild. And it was cool because at first it was just myself, Kareem and Guy Mariano. So it was just us 3.

Franklin – And how did how did Nike come about? How did that happen?

Gino – Nike came about ‘cause, you know, they were going to start again with their whole SB program.The only thing I remember is that the team manager for Stussy back then was going to become the team manager for Nike. And at that time, Huf and a few guys I knew, Scott Johnson and others, they skated for Stussy. And I guess they were asked who should we set this Nike skateboarding team off with? So they thought it’d be a good idea to ask me to get involved. And then as soon as they did, I was down.

Franklin – Did you ever get shit for being on a corporate company?

Gino – I didn’t personally, but I definitely heard a lot of comments about Nike.

Franklin – Of course, because back then in skating everybody was so anti corporation with skateboarding.

Gino – But I mean, how many pairs of Nikes have I owned in my life before that?

Franklin – Exactly, and the Dunk that you did with Nike, what was the story behind that?

Gino – Yeah, that was just a simple “We want you to do a color way for the Dunk.” So I came up with the materials and colors not knowing at that time that right after that was going to become this whole Dunk phenomenon. I guess it was brewing because when we came out with those four Dunks, myself, Reese, Richard Mulder, and Danny Supa… I had just opened a skate shop at that time and I got those shoes in my shop because I rode for Nike. I wasn’t hip to the Internet or nothing like that, and eBay and all the reselling, people would come into my shop and I noticed they were trying to buy more than one pair of sneakers. I started hearing from guys, “You know, yeah, people are coming in, they’re trying to resell these shoes. They’re worth a lot of money.” And then I was starting to get hip to it, but I was very naive to it at first.

Franklin – You still have some pairs of them?

Gino – I think I have a pair of samples, but I don’t… I don’t have stacks of shoes anymore.

Franklin – What is your favorite video part that you’ve put out?

Gino – I really like “Trilogy” from 101. I feel like that was when I was kind of in my best prime. And then I like “Yeah Right!” A lot through Chocolate because that was an interesting period of time when I kind of thought I was done with skating. And then I kind of came back and put together a video part with a friend of mine and we skated a lot of Long Island spots. It was very organic and cool. So those two.

Franklin – That’s great, Yeah. What differences do you see with skateboarding now versus back in the day?

Gino – Well, well. The level of skateboarding is ridiculously better, more consistent and the kids are just better. What’s that from? I don’t know, probably a lot of skate parks and an extreme abundance of content. I think it’s kind of sad that you can get sick of it. You can get sick of seeing it. That’s the 51 year old opinion of it.

Franklin – I agree.

Gino – Before, it was like a relic to get a photo or a video. When you did, you were excited. It’s just too much now, so much content that it’s easy to just get, boring.

Franklin – There’s no shock.

Gino – Which is a shame because there’s so much shock value in all the shit you’re seeing. From my perspective, i’m an older dude. I remember what it was like coming up skating and how hard skateboarding was and to see what the kids are doing now, it’s shocking. There were way less skateboarders. Way less companies. Way less videos.

Franklin – Yeah, I feel that’s why skateboarders stood out so much back then because now you go on Instagram, there’s like a million fucked up skaters, but they all kind of dress and look the same. You know what I mean? Not trying to be a hater, but it’s too much… Can you tell me about making the transition to skating for FA?

Gino – So I was riding for Chocolate for a long time. I felt like I kind of wore out my welcome there. It wasn’t feeling too good anymore. And then I know I saw that Jason and Anthony started FA. I love that first ad campaign. I thought it was amazing. I’ve always been cool with Jason since we rode for 101, even Black Label back in the day. FA was a fresh new look on skateboarding. And if I was going to do anything and continue trying to skate, I would want to be riding with those guys. So I reached out to Jason and he was fully down. So was Anthony and then that’s that.

Franklin – How has it been working with Asics?

Gino – Asics has been cool. I love the team, I love all the guys involved. I don’t know, they’re putting out good shoes with good content and their approach to skateboarding is pretty laid back. They’re doing a good job so far at keeping it kind of tight. They’ve had a lot of offers from from guys that want to get down, I believe, you know, and they just are keeping it tight and safe. So yeah, I’m happy with it. It’s just been a good ride so far.

Angel – Let’s talk about Poets. You’re making the clothes and designing, how’s the passion feel?

Gino – Depends on what what I’m doing with Poets. If I’m making a line, I want to have it be something I believe in. I guess it just depends. It could be a specific graphic that hits home with me and it means something to me. It’s always nice to have graphics that mean something to you but also kind of come across in a different way to someone else. I just had two kids, so it’s been extremely difficult to come up with graphics and lines. I’m always trying to squeeze Poets into my life schedule now with the kids. So yeah, I don’t know. I like coming up with an idea or graphic that moves me, and I’m not really concerned whether it does to anyone else. As long as it moves me.

Angel – How many people are involved?

Gino – It’s just myself, my sales guy, and we have the people who produce the stuff. The warehouse is in upstate New York.

Angel – How’s it been raising the family?

Gino – It’s been a complete life change. You know, I grew up my whole life, even into adulthood, just living my life come and go as I please with my own schedule being a skateboarder. Having kids now got me grounded. I can’t just drop things and do what I want to do. The kids are amazing. It’s tough. I mean the relationship gets tested. It’s not easy, man. But in the end, if I step away and I go on a trip by myself and I’m away, the minute I leave, I miss the kids. I miss the family.

Full interview, featured in Issue 9, Living Proof Magazine.

Photos and Interview by Franklin Carbonatti