Razors Skates was once, one of the most dominant brands in aggressive skating but in the last 10-15 years their reputation has taken a fair few knocks as various elite skaters have fallen out with the brand and aired their issues publicly, via podcasts and other social media.
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Recently their reputation has come into question again after Billy O'Neill, owner of Mesmer and ex-Razors rider, claimed Mesmer skates were not being stock in some shop because Andy (Owner of Razors Skates) was threatening to pull his skates if they did. This was then denied by Sunshine Distribution manager (Razors, Reign, GC) Geoff Acers but the post became a catalyst for people to bring up older problems with the brand and their management.
In this video I’m going to cover Razors dominance in the 2000's to all the fall outs and drama around Razors since then - up until more more recent events.
Even just two years ago there was pay dispute with Yandriel Silverio and Razors came under a lot of scrutiny for seemingly not doing enough to help out pro team rider Jeph Howard after he suffered serious injuries during the filming of his Razors Skates promo video.
This has also raised the question how much do Razors Skates do for the culture, especially in comparison to other brands?
From 2001 to 2010 Razors Skates put out some of rollerblading’s best videos Uncloned, Steal this video, Closer, Ego, Icons and Game Theory. They have had some of the most iconic skaters in rollerblading on their team, from the likes of Brian Shima to Brian Aragon, Jon Elliot to Mike Johnson, Jeff Stockwell to Dre Powell and Billy O’Neill plus loads loads more.
They have played a massive part in shaping rollerblading, but not so much recently. People love their skates and they have a loyal following - if the brand were to leave it would have a big impact. Historically when brands leave rollerblading people don’t just typically move onto the next brand, there is always a drop off in numbers, and rollerblading has such a fragile eco system that could have a massive knock on effect - which nobody wants.
What people do want is for Razors skates to do better, to be more responsible for their skaters and add more value to the culture beyond the skates.
We have to consider that there are nuances to all these stories and without actually being there we don’t know what the truth is - so these stories are alleged.
00:00 Why do skaters keeping falling out with Razors Skates?
00:30 Andy Vs Billy O’Neill and Mesmer
02:02 The most dominant force in rollerblading
02:34 Iconic Razors Skaters - Brain Shima, Brian Aragon, Mike Johnson, Sean Kelso
03:30 Pro riders quitting - Dominic Bruce, John Fromm, Howie Bennett
04:45 Derek Henderson has to pay for his own promo video
05:16 Jeph Howard Injured while filming promo skate video
07:57 Pay Disputes with Yandriel Silverio - people leaving the team
08:53 Making team riders pay for skates
09:25 Talented skaters who have left Razors Skates, Ana Julia, Ilia Savosin
09:54 Julian Bah fired Iain McLeod situation
10:40 Jeff Stockwell couldn’t get his pro skate
11:10 Leon Humphries name wrong on pro Razors skate
12:00 Did they block Mesmer Skates
14:15 Starting beef again
14:43 The good things they’ve done - Andrew Broom skate, Ghetto Community Skate
15:34 The old system isn’t working - There is no more mega star skaters
17:18 Julien Cudot Turns down Razors skates
17:48 Do people care about rollerblading and can the brand do better
Fair Use:
Videos from Razors, Mesmer, Them, USD
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