FROM THE WORK SITE TO THE SKATE SPOT WITH DICKIES
FROM THE WORK SITE TO THE SKATE SPOT WITH DICKIES
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Dickies
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We all know that Dickies pants are tough as nails, have great style and are very accessible despite their high quality. But what exactly made skateboarders fall in love with the brands garments? For the answer, follow us as we go through Dickies history and its connection to skateboarding.
KNOW YOUR HISTORY
Dickies has been around for a while. 101 years to be precise. Founded in 1922 in Fort Worth Texas by the Williamson-Dickie Mfg. Co, the company started by selling workwear to farm and ranch hands around the Southwest. Mostly bib overalls, pants and shirts. It didn’t take time before Dickies started to push their workwear to a new level with the Match Wear, where workers would have matching top and bottom on the worksite.
Then came the war in the 40s, which was a turning point for the brand as it started to produce military garments in huge quantities for the army. When the war ended, the brand, which was already well established in the USA, went international and penetrated the Middle East and Europe markets in the blink of an eye.
Even though the brand kept growing over the next years, the next major milestone for Dickies came later in 1967 with the introduction of the iconic 874 work pant. The 874 quickly became a favorite at the workplace, but slowly made its way into the mainstream and pop cultures. In the 80s, major rappers and celebrities were wearing the brand, bringing it to a whole new level.
Then came the 90s, the most decisive period for the skateboarding side of the brand. Not long after Dickies took position within the pop culture, skateboarders all over the world started to take notice and to wear the pants as well. Skateboarders liked them for their durability, comfort and sleek style and quickly adopted the Dickies pants as a wardrobe staple.
Following this, the brand built its own skate team and kept a core skate program with elite riders like Vincent Alvarez and Ronnie Sandoval, among others. After a few years, the brand went on to solidify its skate program later in 2021 with the Dickies Skateboarding Division.
The first iteration of the team happened two or three years before I started, I think some-point in 2012 or late 2011, and it was managed completely by an agency, and then the team manager before me. The first team had Greco, Vince, Terps, and I believe Plunkett. The team evolved again from that roster by the time I took the program over in October of 2014, with Vincent being the only original member from that first line up. Proud to have Vince be on the whole time, and it was an honor to help him get his own signature line that launched last spring.
As for the Dickies Skateboard Division, I think it’s a testament to how influential the team and the program have been for the brand and growing awareness to skateboarding and the street culture/fashion it influences. It was always my goal, from the day I started, and it didn’t make sense to not have it come to life; good things take time. We wanted to bring it to life to bring something special for skate shops and accounts. This way you know you’re getting something you can’t get anywhere else, something that has kept the skateboarder in mind in the design, while not sacrificing anything that had you love Dickies in the first place. - Joe Monteleone, Dickies Team Manager
Fast forward to Today, Dickies is 101 years old, can be found in more than 100 countries around the world and is still one of the top selling clothing company in the world.
THE DICKIES SKATEBOARDING DIVISION
From day one Dickies set out to create workwear made to hold up for the hard workers wearing them. It just so happens that skaters are naturally hard workers and usually put their pants through hell. Dickies is known to bring forward products that skaters want, garments that are comfortable and that last a long time.
It comes down to durability, price , and style. We’re a comfortable, durable, and affordable brand that you can look good in when you skate, and because we offer such a variety of silhouettes we appeal to a large genre of skateboarders. We’re not polarizing in who can look and skate naturally in the clothes.- Joe Monteleone, Dickies Skate Team Manager
There are references of skaters wearing Dickies going as far back as the 80s. Since then, Skateboarding’s love for Dickies has grown organically over forty-something years. That’s why the brand thought it was time to launch a specific Dickies Skateboarding brand division to celebrate the culture that they owe so much to. 
Dickies had a great skate team for the past decades, but with its new and official skateboarding division, the brand stepped up and brought together a team consisting of some of the best riders in the biz. With legends such as Guy Mariano, legends in the making like Jamie Foy or Ronnie Sandoval or Franky Villani on their roster, Dickies skate team truly have something special and know how to pick their riders.
Usually everyone who gets on already has a connection to someone on the team, and then we throw it to a vote. If someone says no, you’re not getting on, that simple. The team is still small enough that one bad egg can ruin a trip, and we’ve never had anyone even get into an argument, our trips and sessions are just laughs and ripping. When it comes to adding people, I’ll look for gaps in where we’re being represented and see if I can find someone that meshes and fills the void and gets the thumbs up from everyone. The most important questions are; do you like to skate/ do you rip? Are you going to be cool? Can you do the job you’re signing up for? Yes to all those questions and a thumbs up from the team, and you’re on. My team skates, and they skate a lot. Because we’ve grown really slowly over the last 8 years, every addition or change was a really thought-out decision that everyone wanted to happen. Makes for a fun work environment with everyone.- Joe Monteleone, Dickies Skate Team Manager
Other than a great team, the Dickies skateboarding division features nifty technical product innovations that will help skaters keep their pants for a long time without compromising on that classic Dickies’ look.
The brand’s signature FLEX and Temp-iQ materials can be found throughout the Dickies skateboarding brand division, including the iconic 874 Flex Work Pant. FLEX is a technical fabric that provides enhanced fit and mobility, Temp i-Q technology traps cool air inside the yarn, next to your skin, which in turn cools you down and wicks away sweat. The same great workwear we know and love, but with new technicalities to adapt it to skateboarding even better than before.
THE RONNIE SANDOVAL COLLECTION
To celebrate its skateboarding program, Dickies always brings forward incredible signature collections with their team members. The latest one to hit the shelves is the Ronnie Sandoval collection. This one is great. Inspired by raw, concrete park skateboarding and motorcycle, this collection is a banger.
Featuring a Dickies loose fit work pant with double knee protection, the collection highlights Ronnie Sandoval's love for rough terrain skateboarding with added durability. Along these double knee pants, a classic Dickies Eisenhower jacket featuring a RS anchor embroidery, a nice brushed flannel buttondown shirt, signature sweatshirts, tees and a hat, the collection truly represent the blue collar skaters out there who aren’t afraid to put in work and who really put their gear to the test.
