Jamie Thomas #6.

Rise with the Fallen.

This week Vert Is Dead takes a quick look back Fallen Footwear. Jamie Thomas started the company in 2003 when he left Circa. It was originally backed by DC Shoes. DC was in the process of being sold at some point a year or two later, but Jamie kept Fallen independent and was not included in the acquisition. He operated the brand out of his Black Box Distribution. There was a lot of team overlap with riders from Zero, but they also sponsored guys with other board sponsors. Over the years Fallen gave shoes to Chris Cole, Josh Harmony, Tony Cervantes, Brian "Slash" Hanson, Tommy Sandoval, Billy Marks, Tom Asta, Gilbert Crockett, and more.

The company had a pretty good run, but unfortunately due to declining sales caused by big athletic footwear companies, Jamie put an end to Fallen as of this April. All the kids at the local skateboard park wore Fallen back in the mid 2000s. I sort of wasn't into their shoes at that time, but I decided to try a pair instead of being a grumpy old guy about things. I wound up liking them so I stuck with Fallen for quite a few years. Mainly they were making solid cupsoles with a decent amount of padding on the upper, which is what I prefer in my skate shoes. It's a bummer to see the company go.

I got my copy of Pontus Alv's "I like it here inside my mind, don't wake me this time" on Saturday. That's how you make a skateboard video.

The photos are by Daniel Harold Sturt.

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