1992-2002: FIRE WALK WITH ME

It all started in the underworld, back when skateboarding was in the underbelly of even the underground. Following the huge boom of the 1980s, the mega-companies and the fanfare, it all hit a wall. With classic concrete skateparks closing down en masse in California due to insurance concerns, a domino effect spread the world like wildfire, and a whole industry crumbled down. At least, an old way did.

In its wake, the empty space allowed smaller, skater-owned companies to flourish - this is how Element, initially called Underworld Element, started in Atlanta GA, back in 1992. Following a couple of masterpiece videos, the company dropped "Underworld" from its name to grow towards the light.

Expanding from its skateboarding roots, Element ventured into other environments than the mean streets. An initial attraction to the great outdoors manifested in 1995 by a new logo. This Element, singular, was going to be about the elements, plural : Wind, Water, Fire, Earth. While the first decade of Element was still very much focused on skateboarding, the intent was already there to do something different.

Joining the ship in 1998, legendary pro skater Donny Barley was blown away by the wind of change, too. Now a brand ambassador and handling the US Northeast sales, the former East Coast skate rat reminisces about the fire that Element lit in skateboarding.

When you turned pro for Element, did you already feel it was trying to do something different than other companies?

Donny Barley: I did. At the time It seemed like an athletic and earthy skateboard brand. But honestly, the team was the main attraction for me. It was a young brand with young ideas, new flavor, with a Bi-coastal feel. Being from the Northeast I really liked that it didn't feel like another California company. It was encouraged that we play a role in shaping the brand's future. I loved that; it drove me to invest myself deeper into the brand. That ecofriendly aspect of the brand was slowly being introduced around the time I was becoming involved.

In the late 90s, vibing was still an art form in skateboarding, and Element would sometimes be described as this tree-hugging hippie company, did you feel that at the time?

I may have heard some whispers of that. But we had a very tough team of guys. Kenny Hughes, Reese Forbes, Billy Pepper, Tim O'Connor and then the team grew bigger. Nobody ever disrespected us. We came with the East coast vibes, we beat up skate spots everywhere we went, and we happily made friends everywhere.