Written and read by Cole Nowicki
Edited Farran Golding
Tyshawn Jones is suing Supreme to the tune of a million dollars (and then some). Cole Nowicki testifies on the details of an unprecedented case around a generational talent and a singular skateboarding brand.
‘Courthouse drop: Tyshawn Jones sues Supreme’ • Written and read by Cole Nowicki and edited by Farran Golding for ‘Ranked & Filed’, a Simple Magic and Skate Bylines co-production.
We have an audio version of the show available on Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can find show notes for this episode below and Cole’s original newsletter entry, ‘Impunity in the name of commercial gain’, at Simple Magic.
Shownotes for ‘Courthouse drop: Tyshawn Jones sues Supreme’
Tyshawn Jones
— “The General” • Hardies Hardware, 2022
— Tyshawn’s ‘Skater of The Year’ 2018 Surprise • Thrasher Magazine
— Tyshawn’s Skater of The Year 2022 Party • Thrasher Magazine
— ‘Tyshawn II: The Way You Walk’ by Greg Hunt • adidas Skateboarding (2024)
— ‘Tyshawn Jones at the Men’s Fall-Winter 2024 Show’ • Louis Vuitton (2024)
— @tyshawn
Supreme
— “buddy” (2012)
— “cherry” (2014)
— “BLESSED” (2018)
— “Play Dead“ (2022)
— ‘Bill & Tyshawn’s Excellent Adventure’ by Farran Golding • GQ (2023)
— ‘New York City’s First Skateboarding Superstar’ by Willy Staley • The New York Times (2019)
Tyshawn Jones versus Supreme lawsuit
— Filing by plantiff, Grind Hard Holdings Corporation
— “Law & Order” by Mike Post
— ‘Tony Hawk sues Helmet Cam Maker’ • ESPN (2010)
— ‘VF Sells Supreme to EssilorLuxxotica’ • Shop Eat Surf (2024)
— ‘It’s not you, it’s our limited syngeries’, Cole Nowicki on Supreme’s sale to Luxxotica • Simple Magic (2024)
VF Corp, Supreme’s former owner
— ‘Vans laying off 82 workers at Costa Mesa headquarters’ • Orange County Business Journal (2025)
— ‘Project Reinvent’, Cole Nowicki’s on VF Corp’s cuts • Simple Magic (2025)
“The precarity of the sponsored skateboarder as independent contractor”
— ‘The Athletes Who Can’t Afford Their Near-Death Experiences’ by Adam Elder • Intelligencer (2023)
— ‘Falling or failing’ by Cole Nowicki • Simple Magic (2025)
Outro
— “The 2022 Skater of the Year is…” — Tyshawn Jones’ subway station backside flip • Thrasher Magazine (2022)
Cole Nowicki is a writer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has written professionally for twelve years and has contributed to Closer Skateboarding, Thrasher Magazine, Quartersnacks, King Skate Mag, SBC Magazine, Neighbourhood; non-skate outlets including The Walrus, Toronto Star and VICE. His book Right, Down + Circle which explores the cultural impact of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was published by ECW Press (2022) was followed by a collection of essays Laser Quit Smoking Massage with Newest Press (2024). Cole also self-publishes Simple Magic, a weekly newsletter about skateboarding and the internet.
Farran Golding is the founding editor of Skate Bylines, a senior correspondent for Quartersnacks and the associate editor at Closer Skateboarding. His writing on skateboarding has also been published in GQ, GQ Sports and Huck.
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More ‘Ranked & Filed’
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Also featuring Cole Nowicki
“You want to be knowledgeable, not just present yourself to be.” — Nowicki offers advice in a roundtable on pitching to magazines and brands, ‘Making The Big Leagues’.
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