“We were kind of a freak to everyone, and when there’s so much judgment on you for not being cool, you're going to be inclusive and you're going to build a community.” That’s how Atiba Jefferson looks back on what brought skaters together when he came up at the end of the eighties. It’s hours before the launch of his Vans United Through Skateboarding collection launch and photo show, at Nova studios in LA on September 25, and we’re sitting with the photographer and skateboarder as he reflects on the past thirty years of capturing some of the most iconic skate shots in history. 

Since Jefferson started skating, skateboarding has well and truly permeated popular culture. Skateboarders are no longer seen as “outcasts”, but that sense of community is still there. “Now, everyone has skated and everyone is a skater,” says Jefferson. “I’m not into gatekeeping, I'm psyched that everybody's a skater; it opens up more people to this thing that I love and I feel like I owe everything to.”

Jefferson may credit skateboarding with where he is today, but it’s also clear that he has put as much into the scene as he has personally received from it. It’s his focus on bringing people together through skateboarding that is the basis of his new ATIBA X VANS: United Through Skateboarding Collection, available now with a second drop to follow on October 16. 

The Vans United Through Skateboarding Collection celebrates how skateboarding brings people together – so that’s exactly what the photographer did for one perfect night in LA. Below, we break down everything that happened at the collection launch party.

EVERYONE GOT SCHOOLED IN SKATE PHOTOGRAPHY 

Before the collection launch, there was an hour-long photo workshop where Jefferson lent his camera to everyone involved, giving them a shot at taking possibly their first skate photo of Nick Michel performing a trick. “The biggest reason why I like doing this is to hopefully inspire people to look at photography different, to be inspired by photography, but also to realise there's a special relationship between the photographer and the skater,” he says. “Timing is everything, and you don’t get that many times to mess up.” 

This was a lesson I quickly learned on my first try, when I pressed the button far too early. Thankfully, Jefferson gave me another shot. “No matter how good people think you are, you're still going to make mistakes in photography and you’ll never be perfect,” he said. When I asked him if he had any tips for young photographers, he simply said, “Be nice, cool and don’t have an ego”. (Words to live by.)

IT WAS A FAMILY AFFAIR

Just as the exhibition was filled with photos and moments with Jefferson’s friends and fellow skateboarders, including John Cardiel, Efron Danzig, Curren Caples, Christian Hosoi and Rowan Zorilla, the collection launch brought out some skate legends, like Tony Alva and John Cardiel (who also DJ’d). It was a true family affair – Jefferson’s twin Ako was there, and everyone was enjoying Villa’s Tacos under the stars. Later in the evening, the rock duo Battles performed surrounded by framed photos and the new shoes. It was as if Jefferson had gathered all of his favourite people and things into one room to look back on the last 30 years. “It’s a very zen place, getting old, and I feel lucky,” he says. “There are a lot of friends who are no longer here, and you realise how valuable each day is.”

PHOTOS WERE ON (AND OFF) THE WALLS

The United Through Skateboarding collection itself – which includes a Skate Half Cab Wafflecup, Skate Old Skool 36+ and skate-ready apparel – is embedded with Jefferson’s visual language. It features some of his most iconic archival images, never-before-seen moments, and original artwork by Jefferson’s friend and graffiti legend HAZE, celebrating the cultural connections forged by skateboarding. The campaign brings together skaters, artists, musicians and athletes like Adam Devine, Franz Lyons and Curren Caples. 

“In my designs, I wanted everything to have a photo reference if possible, so all the shoes specifically have something different in the insole,” says Jefferson. “I didn't want this to come off like a signature line; I wanted art with it as well, so that’s why I had Eric Haze do my name.” Every detail of the collection references someone of something that Jefferson loves – like his favourite Stone Island pants or the first time photographing Cardiel before his accident. “That photo is special to me,” says Jefferson, talking about his new OTW collaboration with Vans. 

ATIBA X VANS: United Through Skateboarding Collection is available now, with a second drop to follow on October 16.