Dylan Rieder

I feel as if it’s only right that the first skater I talk about is none other than the late Dylan Rieder. The entire skating community took a blow on October 12th, 2016 with the passing of the 28 year old professional skater originally from Westminster, California. Dylan began skating at the age of nine and became pro at age eighteen when he was Skateboard magazines amateur skater of the year in 2006. Dylan spent his early career inspiring skaters to compete and perfect their craft. Dylan performed for the US in many x games and constantly released skate videos with companies like Alien Workshop to inspire. However in 2014 Dylan starred in a video called “Cherry” made by the clothing company Supreme.  As Rieder began to skate for supreme he started to take off outside skateboarding. Due in large part to Dylan and the Cherry video Supreme became one of if not the top street wear fashion brand in the United States. He then went on to appear in Vogue, GQ, and DKNY as a fashion model. People began to see someone who is normally frowned upon in a more positive and powerful light. Skateboarders are usually looked at as slackers or delinquents and when Dylan was able to inspire not only the skating world but also the fashion world people began to see skaters as the artists they are. Whether it was setting trends by skating in them or by modeling directly for the companies themselves Rieder, had become an icon. Where skating is normally looked as if it is meant for outcasts and weirdos because of people like Dylan skaters are beginning to looked at as people with a signature style whether its something simple like a pair of old beat up vans or if its the newest box logo hoodie. Dylan was always confident in himself and it showed, while being interviewed about fashion he said “Fuck, you’re asking the wrong person. What does fashionable even mean?” Dylan showed skateboarders and people of many different backgrounds that its better to just be yourself. Dylan got an opportunity to inspire in a different way than most and he faced it head on. He was diagnosed with leukemia in July of 2014. He was not only a skateboarding legend or a fashion icon, but now he had become a symbol of strength. The skating community watched as his cancer went into remission twice over two years, however as it came back the third time Dylan’s body couldn’t handle the treatments as well as the cancer and ultimately he passed away on the 12th of October. Despite having left this Earth Dylan’s impact will last forever, as he helped shape the skating community and left a huge mark on the fashion world.