The Killing Floor

The Killing Floor

The Killing Floor is a young skate company hailing from Portland, Oregon. They are known for impressive graphic designs influenced mainly by old blues, classic rock and jazz. But if you love art and self-expression, The Killing Floor skate decks are considered forms of creative expression of the artists behind them. If you love skating and have a penchant for artsy skate deck graphics, it's time to get the latest skateboards from The Killing Floor. Order here at Yakwax and enjoy our superb FREE UK delivery service!

The Killing Floor Skateboards UK Shop

When you're looking for a more artsy skateboard, one of today's brands that stand out is The Killing Floor. They are an independent brand known internationally for abstract graphics printed on their skate decks. They are more refined in terms of how the designs are put together as a sort of concept art, rather than just a design on decks. They also produce cool snapback caps, t-shirts, jackets and accessories to accompany their core market's repertoire of skate products.

The brand was founded in 2009 by John Vitale. He is also the creative director of the brand, so majority of the artwork are his creations, unless a guest artist is mentioned specifically. With heavy influences from jazz, old blues and classic rock music, abstract art and impressionism, The Killing Floor's decks are as good as framed artwork you can hang on your wall.

The brand is distributed all over the USA by Love Child Inc., and represented by professional team riders including Lance Chapin, Nate Guest, Andrew Gray, Mark Gutterman and Josh Anderson.

The Killing Floor - From an Old Blues Song

The brand was named after an old blues song by Howlin Wolf. John Vitale associated the skateboarding experience he's had as something difficult like a 'killing floor', while needing to do such things at the same time.

Since skateboarding is ever-evolving - from rider-built ramps and skate obstacles to purely street skating due to the lack of parks, to well-built skate parks complete with built-to-skate terrain - John felt that some of the 'soul and blues' of the sport have gone. To him, the brand is a conceptualisation of the things which heavily impacted his personal experience of skateboarding, and also a sort of nod to the past with the choice of brand name.

Skating as a Form of Art

As mentioned earlier, the founder is also the creative director of the company. As a skater, he grew up understanding that the sport is not just a fun activity, but a form of art in many ways. Sadly, the mainstream has brought everything with it into the limelight, taking away the 'subculture' feel and essence of skateboarding.

As an artist, John Vitale incorporated both passions into an industry that's saturated with brands, big and small, with similar approaches and core market. Though he believes, according to one interview, that the younger skaters may not appreciate the design aesthetic of The Killing Floor decks. He knew there are skaters like him who are looking for something different and more artsy design prints rather than the usual cartoonish designs and vector-laden artwork on mainstream skateboards.

Aside from appearance and appeal, skating is a form of art as it involves self-expression through movement and style. These were captivated in the brand's first full-length film "Prism" which showcased some of their team riders as they street skate and perform various tricks.

In the many years they have existed in the industry, The Killing Floor has opened up a different area that mainstream brands forgot about - the artistry of the sport in terms of design aesthetic and as a form of self-expression and doing things your own way to create your own scene.

Whether you are an avid fan of the arts or you simply appreciate tasteful designs on skate products, The Killing Floor is one brand to go for. Get their latest skate decks and other products here at the Yakwax store and enjoy our incredible FREE UK delivery service!