Checking In with Jake Hayes

In anticipation of the release of the newest Jake Hayes Dickies collection, we took the opportunity to chat with Jake about life, skateboarding, visiting New York City, and what it's like to be 100% hands on with the creation of your own clothes. Scroll down to read the whole conversation and unlock the secret to high pop!

Questions by: Eddie Post-Gutierrez

Photos by: Sam Muller and Oliver Barton

Hey Jake, thanks for taking the time to interview with us. We’re stoked about your new Dickies collab, and we appreciate you taking time out of your day to answer some of our questions!

Likewise! Thanks for taking the time! I’m excited to have a chat about what we’ve been working on!

This collection looks fantastic. I’m digging the corduroy shorts. How much design input do you get into a collab? Do you get to design the cut and fit from the ground up?

Thank you! I had 100% of the design input with the collection. It was pretty much a blank canvas so I just submitted some ideas I had and it went from there. Obviously everyone I’m working with knows more about clothes design than myself, so they led me in the right direction!

What influenced you with this collab? Do you have any artists or fashion styles you’re into right now that you drew inspiration from?

I’ve been on a heavy Wu Tang kick for a while now and so I drew a lot of inspiration from Wu tang/Wu Wear and my overall love for New York City, especially during during the 90s!

Do these pants help you with your pop? I’m trying to get my ollies on your level. What Dickies products would you recommend to help me get there?

All of the items in my collection have been designed with comfortability in mind, and being comfortable is the secret!

We just watched your new “Dollar Slice” part that went up on Thrasher, it’s a really fun part, congrats! What did you think of NYC? How long were you out here for?

NYC is magical. I’ll take any chance I can get to be out there. Overall, we filmed ‘Dollar Slice’ on a 3 week trip! Being from Australia, there’s something so nostalgic about being in the city!

You hit some pretty iconic spots while you were here. Flushing Meadows, Monument, and plenty of insane handrails in between. What was your favorite spot you skated while you were here?

Honestly it’s hard to pin point a specific favorite. Blue park is always a good warm up spot and flushing is mandatory on every trip!

What about food spots, places to chill, or your favorite nightlife spot? We want the deep cuts from your trip - where’d you go, and what’d you do?

PO Bagel in BK is a must for breakfast. Obviously Scars for pizza, but if you’re feeling it, the dollar slice is the go to! Little Frankie’s for dinner, for the pasta and music selection. Special shout-out to Highline Deli on Canal and Eldridge, best deli hands down! The schedule was pretty hectic because we had so much shit to do, so we were strictly on that eat/skate only tip, which I’m down for because I love the food in NY.

Looking through the Dickies team, the list is pretty stacked! You’ve got guys like Foy, Franky, and Ronnie on the team who absolutely kill it, and then there are legends like Guy Mariano too. What’s it like being on a trip hanging out with such a heavy crew?

It’s definitely wild. I trip out on Guy all the time. He’s seen and done so much amazing skateboarding in his life and is still so immersed in it, it’s inspiring.

Are there any other Aussie skaters you’d like to shout out? Any up-and-comers you think we should be watching?

Nik and Steve Stipanovic, Billy Lukins. They’re some of the many Australian’s putting out quality footage constantly!

Looking back, who were some of your most significant Australian influences in skateboarding? Is there anybody that helped shape who you were as a skater while you were growing up?

I looked up to people like Chima Ferguson, Dane Burman, Jai Smith and their crew who were skating in Sydney city around 2008. Dane is actually a huge reason why I’m in the position I am today. He looked out for me and gave me as many opportunities as he could while I was coming up!