Converse Team 2000.

All Stars.

This was the Converse team in the fall of 2000. They would declare for bankruptcy in January of 2001 so this was essentially the end of the line. The crew was Jerry Fowler, Chany Jeanguenin, Will Harmon, Joel Meinholz, Kenny Anderson, Ricky Oyola, Felix Arguelles, and Danny Supa. Jayme Fortune and Stéphane Larance were also on the team, but missed photo day. I like how they brought back the early 90s tradition of running small sequences in the ads.

The photos are by Ben Colen, Ryan Gee, Geo Reda, and Jeff Taylor

Transworld - October 2000 Volume 18 Number 10

Converse.

With the recent talk about brands such as enjoi and Madness being resurrected from the dead company wasteland, Converse is a forgotten entity in this category. They went bankrupt in 2001 and were bought by Nike in 2003. The skateboard team was revived in 2008. Kenny Anderson was the lone holdover from the first go round. I have no idea how accurate the gossip is, but there are rumors floating around that Nike might be making cuts and looking to sell Converse. I'd imagine they would keep some semblance of a skate team since they are fairly well entrenched in skateboarding at this point, but you never know how anything will turn out these days.

Thrasher - June 1999 Volume 19 Number 6

Kevin Taylor #7.

Pittsburgh Razorback.

KT was putting in some serious work for Aesthetics in 1999. I dig the Arkansas Razorback graphic. I don't recall if the Fayetteville crew was stoked on the board. I imagine they were. They were still telling stories about when the 1994 Foundation tour came by the Skate Station and got a couple photos in Transworld. Kevin had so many cool ads in 1999 that I couldn't pick one so I went with the triple shot. As the years roll by, Aesthetics keeps on looking better and better. They're like a good band that broke up before they made a bunch of crappy albums so their legacy remains intact.

Things have been about the same lately and I don't have all that much going on. Have a good weekend out there and maybe it will warm up a little.

Ryan Gee took at least one of the photos.

Razorback: Transworld - February 1999 Volume 17 Number 2

Race car: Transworld - September 1999 Volume 17 Number 9

FDR: Transworld - November 1999 Volume 17 Number 11

Rob Welsh #10.

Forbidden 14.

Rob ruins the graphics in his debut for Aesthetics. His previous sponsor was Mad Circle, which closed up shop around this time. He's riding Kevin Taylor's Razorback deck and wearing the DC Rick Howard shoe with the velcro straps. You don't think of Rob as a handrail skater, but he did have a few pics on them over the years. I thought this was a unique ad that I didn't really remember from when it was published.

Transworld - October 1999 Volume 17 Number 10

Sal Barbier #9.

Eppic.

You sort of don't know much about Sal as he seldom had interviews and moved over to the industry side of skateboarding, but at the same time, it feels like you know who he is. He's from Louisiana and was a big part of H-Street before riding for Plan B. He would later start Twenty Three Skateboards which led to Aesthetics. Sal had an iconic pro model shoe on Etnies and éS, which further adds to his legacy. He always comes off in interviews as caring about skateboarding while not being afraid to say if something is wack or crack a joke about things. I think that's what makes him relatable and a favorite.

Transworld - August 1999 Volume 17 Number 8

Clyde Singleton #8.

Soul Train.

Clyde does a nose bluntslide down a picnic table for Aesthetics. Aesthetics was Sal Barbier's company in the late 1990s that he started after the clock hit zero on Twenty Three Skateboards. The initial team was Sal, Clyde, Kevin Taylor, and Rob Welsh. Clyde recently scored a guest model on Birdhouse and was the emcee for New Balance's Running The Numbers tour in the fall of 2025. It's good to see he's still out there doing his thing.

Transworld - July 1999 Volume 17 Number 7

Keith Hufnagel #18.

Horns up.

The late Keith Hufnagel takes a crooked grind up a rail for Elwood. Elwood was Sal Barbier's clothing company. He started the brand in the late 1990s at the same time he started Aesthetics Skateboards. They were firmly on the fresh side of the fashion aisle. Some team riders over the years included Anthony Van Engelen, Rob Welsh, Shiloh Greathouse, Jahmal Williams, Clyde Singleton, and Gino Iannucci.

It just keeps on being too windy for skateboarding to be fun outside lately. I set up a new deck yesterday and did skate a little, but the breeze was a factor. My ollies seemed to be popping better so that was cool. Ah the perks of living next to a Great Lake.

Transworld - May 1999 Volume 17 Number 5