Danny wainwright

We recently sat down with our good friend Danny Wainwright in his loft in Barcelona. Danny, amongst being a sensational human that smells great - is the founder of ‘Ahead Clothing’, co-founder of ‘Fifty-Fifty Bristol’, grassroots marketing coordinator for ‘Vans Europe’ and respected creative and skater. Bristolian now thriving in Barcelona, Spain.

1. B : Could you tell us which doors skateboarding has opened for you?

D: All of the doors, every door there is.

2. B : Spot on. So you still feel like you eat, sleep and breathe skateboarding?

D: No definitely not. I love skateboarding but after 35 years of full-time doing it, you kind of drift off a bit you know. I still enjoy going skating, but in my head I’m still that 18 year old guy that wants to skate the same as I used to, but that’s just not happening anymore. Still loving pushing around on the skateboard and cruising though, and once I get my own mini ramp sorted I’ll be back on the board all the time.

3. B : So the idea of going to Macba, sit around and skate the same spot over and over doesn’t really interest you anymore nowadays?

D : The idea of going to Macba 30 years ago didn’t entertain me, so that hasn’t really changed. Me personally, I am a fan of street skating, not spot skating. The idea of going to a spot and skating a ledge over and over again has always been very boring to me, than I might as well go and join ballet school somewhere. But hey, everyone has his own way of skating in the end, and there’s no right or wrong. I’m all about getting out there, discovering weird obscure things to skate and thinking about how I can make it work in the end. Skating spots that no one wants to skate, finding new things and being out and about has always been my approach towards skating.

4. B : So how did growing up in England influence you in that way of skating?

D : Growing up in England is more a way like ‘this is here, but it’s kind of shit, and there’s a drain cover in the way, and this bit is rough, and there’s a pothole’, which makes you more creative in a way. I love the cars roaring, the rough streets, the life in the city where you submerge yourself in while skateboarding on those streets. Barcelona for example is just so perfect for everything, which defines your approach to skating different.

5. B : Recently you started your very own brand ‘Ahead’ as well here in Barcelona. So tell us, how did that go? It was an idea that has been in your mind for quite some time already so what ended up giving the final push?

D : So yes, it’s been definitely something that I wanted to do for a while, even if I was living in a little box in the arctic somewhere, Barcelona didn’t have much to do with that. It all started with wanting to just set up a good, honest brand, nothing crazy, just something that I’d be able to hold in my hands and be proud of. The final push was being in lockdown, sitting around at home while all this crazy shit was happening. For me, as a creative who is always up and about, suddenly having to stay at home, that fucked with me a lot. Having all this time though made me realize that I really wanted to get stuck into something, and I mean, that was the moment I really had to do it. So I ended up stacking a bit of cash, no money on the bank, just cash, and it just happened.

6. B : And what’s the future for Ahead? Any trips in mind, any additions to the skate team?

D : To move ahead. I mean there’s a lot of shit I want to do, but at the end of the day, it’s just a one-man band. It still is a bedroom company, which means I am doing everything by myself which is pretty new for me so very excited. At the moment we are working on some new products, planning a big skate trip upcoming spring, planning on getting a few more riders on the team, sort of organically moving forward. The focus is to make good products, and the rest will all flow eventually.

Did we mention that he’s a beast behind the lense too? Some of his shots below: