‘Is It Obvious How Much We Love Each Other?’ — An Interview with Aaron Loreth

Intro + Interview by Farran Golding
Photography by Kris Burkhardt & Ryan Mettz

A sense of mystery is not a common facet of today’s professional skateboarder. However, many would be hard-pressed to say much about Aaron Loreth beyond his well-documented attention towards tight transitions and brick manual pads. With his tall figure and light touch, there’s an ethereal feel to Loreth’s skating that furthers the intrigue.

Following our conversation about West Park, the brains of Limosine’s business operation continued to satisfy curiosity by discussing cultivating a career in his hometown of Ventura, California, his day job at Hockey and co-owning a brand with Cyrus Bennett and Max Palmer — a decade on from their halcyon days when Loreth would sleep on their floor during trips to New York.

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Tight transitions and manual pads are an interesting combination of spots that you skate in a unique way. Have you honed in on those deliberately, or are they a product of what Ventura has to offer?

I’d say the latter. Growing up, I was obsessed with manual skaters and Daewon [Song] was a god to me. I got into manuals because they’re one of the only things where I could — I don’t want to say “excel” — but it gave me a sense of value when I would try something. Whereas if I hucked down a three-block for hours, I’d feel like shit physically afterwards and like I’d wasted everybody’s time. Skating whippy transitions was definitely all West Park and the bike path barrier spot on Ventura Avenue, too. It’s like a blank canvas, you know? Throw something at it and it might work.

How did you end up on Alex Olson’s radar and come to ride for Call Me 917?

I didn’t know Alex at all. He was my favorite skater during that time. I loved Bianca Chandon, although I was a little confused because it was kind of radical at the time. I was skating with Logan [Lara — Limosine co-owner, principal videographer and former 917 filmer] and we’d hang out. Sometimes we’d skate in L.A. I was with my friend Nick Bogros one night, hopping a fence to get into a jacuzzi, and when I got out I had a text from Logan that said, “Hey, Alex wants to start sending you boards.” I woke up the next day and thought it was a dream. Then I checked my phone and was, like, “Holy shit, it’s real.”

“So many times I’d have fallen and would have a gash in my hand. I’d have to put a wrist guard on and pretend I rolled my wrist when really there’s an oozing wound under there.”

Considering 917 sponsored Johnny Wilson’s main cast, who had already known each other for a while, were you intimidated? What are your earliest memories of meeting your now business partners Cyrus Bennett and Max Palmer?

When I started getting Bianca boards and it was turning into 917, I straight up didn’t know who Cyrus and Max were. Logan was like, “These dudes are going to come skate with us” — Cyrus, Max, Andrew and Johnny Wilson. At first, I was intimated. Cyrus skated for Polar at the time. I was used to going out with Logan and a couple of people. Then, it was this squad and everyone is ripping. But it took a day to feel like, “These dudes are the sickest.” Then I did my homework and I watched every single one of Johnny’s videos. It’s crazy now, thinking about how long I’ve known these guys.

I grew up with them so much. I hadn’t traveled much before. When we were on 917, Logan convinced Alex’s investment partner at the time to buy me a ticket to New York. I got to become friends with them really quick. I would go out there and think, like, “Oh my god, you guys are always like this” — skating all day, hanging out all night. It was younger times, but I remember Max being so cool to me. Sleeping on his floor in Bushwick — no windows in the kitchen — I did that for a couple of years. Slowly, as everybody got more established and started making a little money, it was nice switching it up from the floor, to a couch, to being more comfortable. It’s the same with me where they can now come to my house. It became like: “Oh, now we’re adults.”

But back then, we were little shrimps. I thought, “Alex is going to carry this team because he’s Alex Olson,” but Logan’s persistence made 917 focus on everyone else. Cyrus, Max, everybody — but not Logan — wanted that first video to come out way sooner. We had a company with graphics but what were we? There had been nothing. Logan had the vision and he was smart. He took his time with that first [917] video and I think it was worth it.

Photo by Kris Burkhardt

Nowadays you work for Hockey, but what were you doing as a job back then?

I lived in L.A. for one year and worked at this sketchy Italian place in West Hollywood. All the staff were Guatemalans and Italians who were over on what seemed like a “mafia visa” where they had to work so many hours.

I was scared there for a bit. I’d work from 11 A.M., have a 3 P.M. lunch break, work the dinner shift and then drive to-go orders until 2 A.M. I swear, it felt like they had me delivering food packed with drugs. One day, their “coffee delivery guy,” who was actually the boss of the place was like, “Maybe you shouldn’t work here. You can do something better.”

“Okay, that’s a good sign to get out now.”

I started doing Uber, then I moved back to Ventura and worked on a farm which was all organic produce. An awesome restaurant they supplied called Paradise Pantry needed a server and I had done bussing there before. I worked there for a solid four years. It was always stressful, but good money. I’d have work at 4 P.M. and I’d be trying a trick until half past three, rushing home, taking a quick shower and changing into my black clothes. So many times I’d have fallen and would have a gash in my hand. I’d have to put a wrist guard on and pretend I rolled my wrist when really there’s an oozing wound under there. When I got the job at Hockey I was like, “Fuck yeah. Now I can fall and eat shit. I can go filming with Benny [Maglinao] on our lunch break.”

“Oh, now we’re adults.”

How did you end up at Hockey?

Benny and I would meet up for coffee every morning for three or four years. We’d talk, catch up, he would show me graphics and I don’t think my opinion mattered much, but I’d be like, “Oh, maybe this?” It got to a point where Benny was having a family, so he would work from home and go to L.A. for other stuff. F.A. was willing to get a little office in Ventura and Benny mentioned that if he’s there, they might as well get someone else, too. He and another guy vouched for me. I was going to be doing tech-packs, which is compiling graphics, getting the sizing and files right for the vendor [who creates the products], so they can pursue samples and go from there. I remember being on Adobe Illustrator like, “Whoa, this is hard.” Benny taught me everything.

The guys at F.A. would train me more on back-end things. I learned how to do the boards, and it was the most intimidating thing I’ve ever had to do. It has to be perfect. They’re ordering thousands of dollars worth of wood and it’s someone’s art I’m messing with or trying to make more dynamic sometimes. Boards ended up being my favorite part of the job and it still is.

Photo by Ryan Mettz

Did seeing the mechanisms of a brand contribute to you wanting to create your own company with Limosine?

Yeah, for sure. It was really complicated when we did it. At the time, BBS [woodshop] was basically king of the castle and nobody was getting in [to the production queue] because they had such high volume [minimums] with the popularity of skateboarding at the time. It was a long time before we got the okay that BBS would take our orders. That gave me time to have enough confidence to do the business side of it. Making t-shirts, boards, and figuring out how to get those delivered; right off the bat out of my house we did, like, sixty skate shops. I knew how to make stuff, but I didn’t know how to ship anything or run a business. All that stuff is scary to me.

“We’re not marketing geniuses. It’s easier to say, ‘Hey, you’ve got footage? We’ve got a drop coming up.'”

Were you nervous about bringing up that you wanted to start your own company at work?

I was a little worried, but Benny was hyped. With Hockey, it was obvious I cared and it wasn’t just a job. There were instances when [Limosine] first started where an owner of F.A. would call me, “How is this working?” I was super honest. Like, “I work my ass off, that’s how it’s possible.” After those conversations, it was always support. Benny was hyped for us, he and [Jason] Dill were excited to see something happen. I think they were a little frustrated with how Alex had – it seemed – abandoned everything, in a way. They wanted to see the full potential. They were stoked and super helpful throughout every little thing.

Photos by Kris Burkhardt

Was there ever talk of Limosine being part of the F.A. and Hockey ecosystem?

I wanted to learn everything myself with my friends. I saw how big F.A. and Hockey were. I wanted to keep Limosine small and grow in time. I didn’t want to just plug into the already working formula. I want to talk to all these skate shop owners and distributions.

I can’t imagine having done it any other way. For the first two years, Max, Cyrus, Hugo [Boserup], Logan, Ryan Mettz and friends came to Ventura for every drop. Out of my house, we would pack all the U.S.A. skate shops within two or three days. It was some extreme team building. We would have mini premiere parties while my house was filled to the ceiling with boxes. Now, we’re a little more legit.

There’s a real draw in the personalities of who rides for Limosine. Watching a video feels like watching a video full of people you’d like to be friends with.

That’s nice. Logan and I always joke around. He’ll make a video and he’s like, “I’ve got to chill out. Is it obvious how much we love each other?” Nelly Morville is the best. On trips, she’s the “boss” sitting shotgun, calling the shots. If she doesn’t get a clip in a day she’s like, “Alright! We’re going to my spot at 10 A.M!” Anytime she’s in my van, I’m hyped.

“When I turned pro, I hated it. I kept being, like, ‘When are we turning Karim pro?'”

It’s impressive you have sustained putting together a video of some form with every new drop. It shows a sincerity, which perhaps also translates as authenticity. Why have videos been such a consistent focus?

I think it snowballed into an expectation. I’m sick of everything I see, no matter if it’s skateboarding or whatever — it’s always some advertisement. “Here’s a clip of a skater you like, but make sure you pay attention to this fucking shoe.” I feel like we’re fighting that a little bit, at least in my head. That’s not why we film, because we have this angst, but it’s nice and way easier for us. We’re not marketing geniuses. It’s easier to say, “Hey, you’ve got footage? We’ve got a drop coming up.”

I also think it’s a little bit of FOMO, for me at least. For the past year, I’ve been wanting to film a part. Cyrus, Max and I want to film a full-length video. But as soon as Logan is going to make a video, I’ll give him all my footage. If all of our friends are in it, we want to be in that, too. We’re all in love with Logan and hyped on what he’s doing, even if you’ve got other shit going on. I trip out on Cyrus and Max. They have a lot of stuff they’ve got to do and they’ll still come through so heavily with our videos.

Photos by Ryan Mettz

What’s the dynamic between yourself, Cyrus, Max and Logan when it comes to running Limosine?

They put a lot of trust in me with the business. I’m super transparent with anything new or letting them know about what we’re doing money-wise. Like, “Hey guys, we’re about to spend X amount of dollars on boards. Don’t worry, it’s going to be fine. We pre-booked great. We’ll have this at this time.”

I’ve heard horror stories of companies where one guy is running it, and all of a sudden, he fucked everybody over and then it’s just not a company. Because I run the business side, I run everything by them, but we have a really good set-up with distributors and our online shop. Cyrus works so hard; he works on graphics every day and sends them to Logan and I. There will be graphics to work with and we’ll all talk about which ones we want to go with. If there’s anything outside of those I want to make, they’re usually cool about it. It’s honesty and having fun with it.

“The way I skate in Ventura is I have to be obsessed with this one thing I want to do, and I’m going to try it until I do it. I won’t skate anything else and I probably won’t warm up.”

I asked Cyrus this when we spoke, so I’m interested in your take on it a couple of years down the line. How does it feel turning pro for your own company compared to turning someone else pro?

Turning Hugo pro felt so good, it was pure joy. It was right in the beginning and so exciting we could even do it. For Karim [Callender], it was so fun because it was a whirlwind. Logan and I flew out to New York for three days, organized a party, Genesis [Evans] and his friends DJ’d that night. It was the coolest. It was at this Ukrainian restaurant that has a banquet hall in the bottom. It was this big party, all of his family came, we had fifty boards to give out, and it was special. It was a joy. Karim is so jubilant and loving. On that night, I was thankful that skating allowed it to happen, but it’s not the skating, it’s the people.

When I turned pro, I hated it. I kept being, like, “When are we turning Karim pro? It has to happen. We’ve got to get on the ball.” Cyrus, Logan and Max were like, “Dude, we can’t do that unless you go pro first. You’ve put in the work.”

I didn’t want the long term responsibilities. I’m happy co-running this thing. Then I was like, “I guess if I’m going to be making graphics, my dream would be to make my own.” Cyrus helps with that, but they still managed to surprise me. I was dead shook. I knew we were pre-booking the boards, and I made it, but I didn’t think there was any way they could surprise me. My girlfriend at the time had a lot to do with it. We planned to go on this hike that’s pretty far, probably 1,200 feet of elevation and it was in June. She somehow organized everyone to the top of this mountain, hiding behind these rocks before we got there. We’re getting to the top and I see my brother.

“That’s weird, I must have told him about this spot.”

Then I turn and see the whole gang pop out of a rock. I broke down, shaking. Cyrus and Max had been talking to her. It was something else.

Photo by Kris Burkhardt

You’re a pro skateboarder, you work for a skateboard company, and you co-own a skateboard company. Being involved in various ways, do you have to disconnect from skating every so often to have a healthy relationship with it?

I never thought I’d be “in” it like this. I’m fortunate to be sponsored, but the way I skate in Ventura is I have to be obsessed with this one thing I want to do, and I’m going to try it until I do it. I won’t skate anything else and I probably won’t warm up. I’ll just go there and start trying.

I’ll find myself going on longer trips, like with Stüssy, where these guys want to skate from 10 A.M. until 9 P.M. every day. I’ll come back and I won’t skate for two weeks sometimes. I think that’s part of it. On the weekends, I could be skating, but I’m like, “I’m gonna go hiking.” I used to watch everything, critique it, and be so interested in anything. Now, I wait until there’s [a skate video] I need to see, like a good movie, you know?

Working in skating is way different than actually skating. That’s why the Limosine trips are so special to me. We all get together and you’re like, “This is why it’s so fun.”

Related: “Sitting Around Hurts My Body” — An Interview with Cyrus Bennett, Favorite Spot with Cyrus Bennett on the Sombrero, Favorite Spot with Max Palmer on the Canal Fountain, )A Brief History of Max Palmer’s Worst Spots