Lipstick

Just prior to entering global skate festival season (just the existence of which is fantastic, led by the likes of Vladimir, Roundabout or Summit of the Non-Aligned), our Brazilian connection Pedro Damasio (interviewed here regarding his own local initiative of such an event: Mimpi) coincidentally hit us up with some news regarding his recent work with Lipstick Skateboards. More than a hard goods company, Lipstick is a non-profit organization which "with your donation, [is] helping connect kids with skateboarding across borders, encouraging education, meaningful friendships, and the power to dream", and this video offering of theirs, handicrafted during quarantine, is one of the many manifestations of the project.

For more, we'll leave it up to words directly from Pedro, below, as well as a photo gallery by Marcelo Duarte and Pedro, too, since he just won't stop.

"Lipstick Skateboards is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in New Jersey - U.S. The brand changed its focus last year to empower children living in vulnerable situations through skateboarding. We have many volunteers and other brands supporting our mission, as you can see at our website.

In 2019, we started to work with two skate projects in the South of Brazil: one in Porto Alegre and the other one in Florianopolis. A large team of riders and volunteers came down here and we had some amazing times with the kids, skating with them, sharing stories and life experiences. In addition, we are supporting their projects by providing boards and other skate parts.

"The idea is to connect kids
from different countries and
realities and open
a portal for them
to dream"

Last March, we were supposed to do the same in Puerto Rico - had all the tickets and everything planned, but quarantine started one week before our trip and we had to postpone it. It was a giant bummer but since then, we’ve been planning and organizing our next moves, receiving donations and contacting other skate projects around the world. The video is more or less about these times.

To encourage education and camaraderie, we started SK8 PALS, a program that aims to connect kids from projects we partner through writing. We’ll provide them a kit with a notebook, pens, pencils, postcards and stamps. The idea is to connect kids from different countries and realities and open a portal for them to dream, make new friendships, travel, skate together someday, etc.

As official riders/volunteers, we have John Wells from Wyoming, Aaron Roney from Portland and just introduced Marlon Silva from Brazil. We have other volunteers and riders that usually join us on the trips. Company is founded by Josh Beaudry, a pro skater from Portland in the nineties and it's run by him, Brazilian skater and photographer based in N.Y.C. Marcelo Duarte and myself." - Pedro Damasio