New Deal

New Deal didn’t last long as a major brand — roughly 1990 to 1992 — and it’s still one of the most influential companies of its era. Three people started it, each with a clear job: Paul Schmitt, the engineer pressing wood for half the industry; Andy Howell, the artist who brought graffiti, hip hop and hand-drawn art onto decks; and Steve Douglas, the Englishman who handled the team, the marketing and above all the videos. The brand exists again today, but as a reissue project built on its own early-90s catalog.

History

New Deal came out of the end of Schmitt Stix: Douglas had been a pro there since 1987 and it was him who talked Schmitt into folding it and starting over with a new name, a new team and a new focus. New Deal’s first Thrasher ad ran in the June 1990 issue. Howell drew the logo in a hotel room during an NSA contest in Del Mar, and the first ad ended with a line from their lawyer — “as long as we’re not a rock-n-roll band and we don’t make coffee” — which was what let them register the name.

The move that put them on the map was a video move: they put out a promo before the product ever hit shops, which nobody was doing. Between 1990 and 1991 they released three films — the 15 Minute Promo, *Useless Wooden Toys and 1281 — that set the tone for early-90s street and turned Ed Templeton pro. The same core went on to found Giant Distribution, Mad Circle, and the video magazines 411VM and On Video. In 1992 Howell left to start Underworld Element, later shortened to Element.

In 2019 the three founders restarted the brand by reissuing the 1990–1992 catalog, after recovering the master tapes of those first three videos. Jenkem covered the news that March, and in November Thrasher covered the “1990” show at Subliminal Projects, Shepard Fairey’s gallery.

The team

The 1990–1992 roster is what the brand still stands on: Andy Howell, Ed Templeton, Danny Sargent, Steve Douglas, Andrew Morrison, Ron Knigge, John Montesi, Chris Hall, Rick Ibaseta, Justin Girard, Armando Barajas, Rene Matthyssen, Fred Olande, Hazze Lindgren and Mike Vallely. There is no current pro team: the house runs on those names.

The boards

The current catalog is reissued shapes and graphics from 1990 to 1992, with original artwork dug up by Howell and, where it was missing, redrawn by the same artists from back then (Ed Templeton, Chris Miller, Jose Gomez, Gorm Boberg). The house artist list includes Shepard Fairey, Marc McKee, Steve Caballero, Buff Monster, DALEK and The Odd Numbers. These are old-shape decks — wider, with noses and tails from another era — not modern popsicles.

Who it’s for

This is a heritage brand. If you collect, cruise, or just want a deck that looks like 1991, it fits perfectly. If you want an active pro team, new videos and contemporary street shapes, you won’t find them here. Check the measurements carefully before buying, because shapes from that era don’t map onto today’s sizing: use the deck size guide and the deck catalog to compare.