Girl Skateboards- behind the brand
Founded back in August of '93, born from a secret mutiny of select members of the then all conquering Plan B squad, Girl Skateboards has been considered the cultural zenith of skateboarding for nearly 30 years.
The joint endeavour of Mike Carroll and Rick Howard at the front, Megan Baltimore and Spike Jonze behind the scenes, Girl remains the epoch defining brand of the street era. From the early days of Goldfish and Mouse, still considered by many the greatest video of all time, to Pretty Sweet and Doll in the last decade, the company has been at the forefront of skate cinema since day one and has only ever sponsored the very best of the best.
With a past roster of legends and a current line up to excite even the most ardent of retrospective fanboys, Girl skateboards continues to push the boundaries with only the most beautiful of skateboarding and highest quality hard good; put simply Girl is the pinnacle and that's all there is to it.
Mike Carroll
The true OG when it comes to style, nobody steps to Mike Carroll to this day. Though he's been in the (joint) owner seat for nearly 30 years his ability on the board is still the primary source of his fame. Whether you fell in love with his skating in his days as a corn row sporting tearaway teen at San Francisco's legendary Embarcadero, over that line in Transworld's Modus Operandi or even as late as his Fully Flared swansong, nobody has it like Mike Carroll and we doubt anybody ever will.
Rick Howard
Born and raised in Vancouver, BC and easily the best skateboarder in the world in his day, Rick Howard's apparent laid back demeanour and perma grin belies a brilliant business mind as well as an ability to spot and nurture talent that has turned Girl into the absolute pinnacle of skateboarding enterprise. Factor in his timeless style that can still cause grown men to go weak at the knees and it's no hyperbole to say Rick Howard is a certified GOAT.
Sean Malto
Kansas City's finest and one of the nicest guys to ever ride a skateboard, names simply don't come any bigger than Sean Malto. He's been part of the Girl family for more than half his life and even a near career ending ankle break wasn't enough to dampen his skate rat spirits. As much a SLS superstar as a homie of the Atlantic Drift crew, it's virtually impossible not to be a fan of the man and that's even before you consider just how talented he is on his board!
Simon Bannerot
Certified skate wizard and the ying to Manchild's yang, Simon Bannerot is the perfect example of a man who lets his skateboarding do the talking. Equally at home wallriding roofs as he is attacking the kinkiest of rails, the young man from Seattle really can skate it all. When people mention Girl it's easy to hark back to the golden era of Mouse but skater's like Simon will drag your thoughts right into the present.
Manchild
The black sheep, the party animal, the comedy drunk. There's no denying Tyler 'Manchild' Pacheco's class clown shtick is what has made him famous but look beyond the outlandish behaviour and you'll find one hell of a talented skateboarder. As part of the new breed alongside Simon Bannerot and Griffin Gass, the fortunes of the company rest squarely on his shoulders and he's more than up to the task.
Rick McCrank
Canadian skate royalty and undoubtedly one of the greatest to ever ride a board, Rick McCrank joined Girl back in the nineties and has repped the brand hard for the past two decades. From stand out parts in Menikmati and Yeah Right in the early 2000's, right through to Viceland's Abandoned and Gnarhunters, Rick McCrank's name is synonymous with only the very best skateboarding. Whether it's nollie hardflipping handrails in lines or skating the parking lots of deserted factories in middle America, Rick rightly remains a generational icon to this day.