This shirt and deck commemorate the life of our dear friend and fellow skateboarder Sean Motaghedi, who left us on July 11. Sean was one of those rare people who everyone is happy to see, and is happy to see everyone. His incredible generosity of spirit touched countless lives across the Seattle region and beyond, as evidenced by the endless #kickflipsforsmotag we’ve been blessed with in the past few weeks. Many people met him in his role as manager of the late, great North End Skateshop, where he made everyone feel like a part of the scene, even if they were coming in for their first board. Many more met him while doing what he loved the most: skating with friends. He sure had a lot of them, and we’re incredibly proud to have beenamong them.
Now for the tough part: despite bringing so much joy to others, Sean suffered badly from depression, and ultimately took his own life. Skateboarding has been long overdue for a conversation about mental health and suicide prevention, and while it’s starting — witness the great work being done by the Ben Raemers Foundation — we need to do more. To that end, the proceeds from these shirts and boards go to a fund administered by his family and his in-laws, the Alfaros, which will be distributed among organizations working to prevent suicide and combat the stigma around mental health.
