Get abducted by The Sovereign Sect with a selection of Alien Workshop decks at Division 24 Skate Store.

There are few brands in skateboarding with a history as rich as Alien Workshop. For over twenty years, the Workshop has been home to several generations of icons, produced timeless graphics and curated a truly unique aesthetic thanks to the brand’s ‘bi-polar art direction’ which combines traditional graphic design with haunting and whimsical papier-mâché models.

Founded in Dayton, Ohio in 1990 by Mike Hill, Chris Carter and Neil Blender – AWS made their video debut in 1991 with ‘Memory Screen’ which presented an original visual style which has influenced countless skate videos and companies since. Original riders included Rob Dyrdek, Steve Claar, Scott Conklin, John Pryor, Thomas Morgan, Bo Turner and Duane Pitre however the brand has hosted a number of eclectic rosters often underpinned by their video productions. By 1997, Morgan, Conklin and Turner remained the only original riders as the second AWS production, ‘Time-Code’, introduced John Drake, Josh Kalis, Fred Gall and Lennie Kirk who have played a prominent part in the brand’s history.

Alien Workshop enlisted Joe Castrucci to work on their third video, ‘Photosynthesis’, which was released in 2001 and introduced the second company launched under The Sovereign Sect, Habitat Skateboards, which would adopt Fred Gall and carve a unique identity of it’s own over the years.

‘Photosynthesis’ also featured landmark parts from Anthony Van Engelen and Jason Dill - a duo who would become the most prominent faces of the brand in later years. Particularly towards the late 2000s as the brand’s final full-length production was released in 2010, ‘Mind Field’, directed by Greg Hunt and featuring parts from AVE, Dill, Heath Kirchart, Dylan Rieder, Jake Johnson, Arto Saari, Omar Salazar, Tyler Bledsoe and many more.

However, in 2014, the Workshop and it’s parent distribution, DNA, went dark after an outside investment company which held a stake in the brand went out of business. Thankfully, AWS and Habitat Skateboards where bought back by Rob Dyrdek and entrusted to their original founders Mike Hill and Joe Castrucci, respectfully.

Reemerging with ‘Bunker Down in 2016, this production crafted by new cinematographer Miguel Valle maintaining the same vision as their past productions albeit with a new team consisting of Joey Guevara, Paul Lilliani, Frankie Spears, Brandon Nguyen and Max Garson. With Yaje Popson also now on board and pro alongside Joey Guevara, Alien Workshop is once again championing unsung talent with a distinct eye for spots which harkens back to the companies prominence in the 1990s.