Introduction by Matt Mickey
Interview by Travis Stewart
Edit by Gregory Preston
Photos by Eric Esquivias
Rollerblading was centric to much of Derek's childhood and formative years. And now, his skating remains fundamental as a family man with two daughters and a wife. What drives this working class rollerblader to continue carving out time to create trademark tricks on his blades, while working full time and raising a family?
Blader Union offers you exclusive insight into how Derek Henderson parleys punching a clock into inspiration for the inline ingenuity he has become increasingly known for - and the concept behind his second signature Razors SL boots.
(Travis) Thanks for joining us tonight, Derek. I’m sure you’re busy on the evening your new skate release, too. Both of us worked a full day, and yet here we are. It's like 10 at night we're just now jumping on a Skype call so we can talk about everything. But first and foremost congratulations on your second pro skate. It's really, really dope.
(Derek) Yeah, thanks!
(T) What did you do this time differently than on your first skate?
(D) This one is more inspired by my work boots. I have a favorite work boot from Timberland and I just wanted to have that working man feel, you know? And we put hexagon eyelets on them. I've had a couple work boots that I like with the hexagon eyelets and they just really pop out. It just makes it look tough. That was always something I wanted and I actually wanted that on the first ones too, but they just weren't able to do it at the time. It was just too close to the end of production and they didn't want to mess anything up. So this time we had almost a year to be able to make sure we got the hexagonal eyelets right. That's pretty much the biggest change. I also put my newest daughters name on the insole this time.
(T) That's awesome. No signature from her though? She's probably not old enough to write one down.
(D) Haha. It is my tattoo though, so it's pretty cool.
(T) The the first skate was sick. I mean, what'd you guys sell out in like 3 hours or something like that?
(D) Yeah, this one we sold out two weeks ago. Two weeks ago I got a text message and he said they're gone. I said "fuck yeah".
(T) So what you're saying is you haven't even designed the third skate, but it's already sold out too, right?
(D) Yeah, it's already sold out. Haha, nah, that's just blading right now too. You know the demand is so high by the time they put the order in for the quantities or whatever, I don't think anything would have been able to change that in time. They got it, they they probably had to guess what going to be sold out to by the time they got them and everybody just wants skates right now. It's so hard to get shit right now. But yeah, they sold out two weeks ago.
(T) The skating market has been really tough recently, and things still sell out super fast. But also, it's a Razor SL, like that's basically the best skate on the market. I've skated nearly everything and still to this day I feel strongly that the SL is the best skate that's ever been built.
(D) They really are. That's why I went back to that. I was loving the shift boot. Still do love the Shift boot. That was kind of part of the strategy of selling skates too. It was "hey well now the best skates in the world or what were the best skates in the world are slightly cheaper now because the shifts are out" you know. It's kind of the marketing strategy as well. So yeah, they are the best skates, I love 'em. They're fucking awesome.
(T) So you worked all day before this interview, where you were you working at these days?
(D) Still at the fucking old print shop man. Haha. I had to rebuild a whole unit today, I'm filthy.
(T) Just covered in ink and everything else that you can't see?
(D) Oh man, ink up to my elbows man.
(T) Jeez. I don't envy that. So you and Greg (Preston) are the ones who got together and did the promo for your skate right?
Photo by Matt Mickey
Photo by Matt Mickey
Photo by Matt Mickey
(D) Yes. I asked Greg if he would do #2 and he said he was down. We actually thought we were going to have more time. This skate wasn't actually supposed to be here till the end of summer. So me and Greg thought we had some more time but they sent me a video and all of them had just shown up at the warehouse. So I just hit up Greg was like "yo, let's just get a weekend" and he was like "alright, let's do it". Yeah, we had a fuckin' blast filming.
(T) So that's the one negative thing I've heard throughout the day today is like "oh it looks like he shot that promo over a weekend". My answer has been "yeah, I bet you he did". Haha
(D) I did. I dropped my family off in Bakersfield with their friends and then I met up with met Matt Mickey and Greg and filmed it and then pick them up and went home.
(T) For a weekend though, putting that stuff together was super sick. True top acid was super clean, ao Top Porn drop into the bank was laced. But the two things that stood out to me above everything else was the transfer over the Wall 270 back royale then you 450 back over the wall. And the really big one for me was the royale and like pivot through the whole corner to ao fish stall.
(D) That was easiest trick too. And it's always like that. We just found spot and I think it was like third try, and then I was doing it every single time. Greg wanted multiple angles and I just fucking had it dialed in. It was so easy once I got it. But yeah, I think that's my favorite, too.
(T) I love royale to ao topsoul, or ao fish. When you get it on the pivot and there's basically no lift to the foot, it's so good. Yours was really, really sick.
(D) Thank you.
(T) So what's your new skate come outfitted with? What's the signature setup on it?
(D) They come with the newest Reign liners that are out. They're fucking amazing. I know you think I'm just saying that cause I ride for Reign, but no, they really are. Every time Reign has come out with the liner, they've just made it a little bit better, a little bit better, and they're just fuckin' dialed in right now. So the best Reign liners on the market. They come with the 64mm Ground Control wheels and abec 9 bearings. And you get them fucking hexagon eyelets.
(T) And you get the orange/brown Doom crew cuff on top of it too?
(D) Yeah, yeah.
(T) The Reign liner that comes with it, is it the V3 liner still or is it the high top one?
(D) I don't know if it's just the V3. I think they're calling it the V3, but it's just fixed the little things that I guess people complained about or whatever so it's probably called the V3, but it's the newer version and it's just amazing.
(T) Those 64mm wheels, are they the larger core ones with like the extra plastic around the hub. Or they just the all urethane ones?
(D) The all urethane ones.
(T) Well, besides the skate, and obviously people are going to have trouble getting hands on it since it sold out two weeks ago...
(D) They sold out at the warehouse two weeks ago.
(T) Sorry, should clarify on that, but I'm sure they'll be sold out in skate shops real soon. Literally couldn't get hands on your first skate.
(D) I just gotta make that clear because I guess last time some people were mad at some skate shops. So we actually waited this time for them to cross the seas before we released it. So that way people wouldn't have to, you know, be like waiting for a month for their skates. Like "what the fuck...". Yeah so they are available worldwide. At your local shops right now.
(T) I appreciate that the edit and promo drops, and the skates ship immediately. You're not pre ordering in for something six months from now. It's so dope you did it that way.
(D) I understand if you wanna take your time and make that section you know what I mean. I did that with the first one. But I also had ten months to film for it that, so...I just wanted to put something out, like she's gotta come out with my skates. It's gotta be Greg. Greg's never done me dirty. Dudes fucking amazing.
(T) He's solid and he knows what he's doing behind the lens too.
(D) He can take a weekend and turn it into something people enjoy. Which is fucking awesome for me.
(T) So if anybody isn't picking up your skate, What's another way anybody can support you?
(D) Don't worry about me man, just keep on rollerblading. That's it. I'm a grown ass man, I don't need no one sending me no money. Let's just keep blading. Keep doing your shit. Rollerblading's on the up right now man. Let's just enjoy this wacky ass ride we're about to go on.
(T) Fuck yeah. Well, thank you so much Derek. Thanks for letting us pop in for the evening. I'm gonna let you go hang out with the family and finish that stogie. Let's catch up again soon.
(D) Alright man, thank you.
