AN HOMAGE TO
SK8CRAFT, UTAH + YOU
When I first started this little boutique board biz, I quite seriously wanted to call it “PLANK” (like, "I'm gonna go ride my Plank, BRO")... I was 19 and too self-concious to want to put my name on anything. Of course it was my dad who said "no way boy- put our name on it with pride. You got this." I begrudgingly did so...
I then spent the next 7 years or so learning how to hold the weight of my name being plastered on arguably overpriced pieces of plywood to be relentlessly judged on both form and function. It would keep me up some nights stressing about a next Losee creation... "Does this new shape suck?", "Is the new graphic lame?", "Man, I shoulda hid in the anonymity of friggin ‘PLANK'!"
It’s a bit of an emotional rollercoaster being a creative and entrepreneur- especially when you’re young and still care too much about what people think…
First, the high of creating a new product– “people will love this!”. Next, the self-doubt when you somehow sell a batch of them to the skateshop– all the shiny competitor boards just laughing at you from the racks as you present what suddenly feels like an amateur arts and crafts project. Then, the relief and stoke when that shop calls you a week later to re-order! Ah but now you gotta figure out how to get a good manufacturer to produce more. And back to the high of the creation again. It’s as exhausting as it energizing.
What I liked about non-standard skateboards is how creative you can get with the designs. It’s a funky shaped canvas on wheels. Not all form, not all function. The $ isn’t great in boutique hard good businesses like this until you can reach economies of scale, so it’s probably only worth doing if you love the craft and sport.
The great SL,UT was the promised land for this crafty/ sporty endeavor. We love to try to scare people away- “beware of the ZOOBIES!” but only because we want it all for ourselves. The Trax at the U works like a ski lift for skaters on warm summer nights. In the winter, the cold pow is the best in the world. And all year long, Utah is home to some of the most wonderful people…
Here’s to that fellow ski-bum helping mount thirty pairs of Randals at midnight in the Little Cottonwood workshop, still wearing ski pants. To uncles hot-tub-brainstorming schemes to sling more boards. To my dad who was the ultimate genesis of it all. To the kid who won a free deck in a contest and literally looked like he had won the lotto. To that rando dirtbag with a grin on his face and a Will’s pitstop slurpy in his hand bombing by on drop-through we conceived, designed, built, sold and everything in between. And to YOU for poking around this site even long after board biz death.
I am forever grateful to everyone that rolled with me on this thing as I figured out who I was.
Thanks for the ride,
-Max
The OG Losee Sk8er (My Dad)
CREDITS
fans like you
Maximiliano Losee
Cap’n Don・Jonny・Mikey
Brandi・Lex・Matt・Suzy・Lloyds
Watson Laminates・Madrid Skateboards
thelongboardstore.com・TGR・Eastern Supply
Abec11・Chris Chaput・Randal・Emily Hart Wood
the boys at the Little Cottonwood Cyn UPS store
Nikki McClure ・Board of Provo・ Milosport
CR Graphics・Rusty・Jerin・Nick・Liam
The Pow Plant・Jim Williams・Blain
Adam・Rick・Mom・Lasers
TRAX University Line
& many more
LOSEE CLASSICS
So bad they’re good or so good they’re good… Films to get a glimpse into the heart of a Losee.