A Short Interview with Fabiana Delfino

CCS Pro Fabiana Delfino has had a lot going on this summer. Between appearing on billboards for Vans, dropping two page ads in Thrasher for her new pro Spitfire wheel, competing in the X-Games, and filming for multiple upcoming video parts, Fabi made time to shoot some photos and talk with us about being recognized in public, her roots with Hoopla skateboards, and Led Zepplin.

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CCS: Hey Fabiana. Let’s start with the usual “What’s your name? Who are your sponsors?” kind of questions.

Fabiana: I’m Fabiana Delfino. I was born in Miami and raised in Boca Raton, Florida. My sponsors are CCS, Monster Energy, Vans, Santa Cruz, Spitfire Wheels, Indy, Mob, Bones Swiss, Arcade belts… I think that’s it. And Island Water Sports.

CCS: So what is your favorite style of shoes to skate in right now?

F: My go-tos are the Vans Old Skools or Sk8-His... the new Skate Classics with the checkered flags on them. I’d say those.

CCS: Speaking of Vans, you’re on some of their billboards now. What’s it like to be on a billboard?

F: It’s kind of ridiculous. It’s insane cause at that point it’s like random people are looking at you. Like people that don’t even skate are looking at you on a billboard and you’re a ‘main character’. It’s trippy. I’m happy with the Vans store in New York that has a billboard so high up that no one can draw bad shit on my face. Those types of things I’m hyped on. It’s really cool and a crazy opportunity. I’ll remember it forever.

CCS: What is it for specifically? The Vans Authentic Chinos?

F: I don’t know. I think that photo was from a few years ago and they’ve just been running with it. You know, Lizzie had that huge billboard of her doing the loop and that was up for a little bit and now me. I don’t know exactly what the tactic was but I’m stoked.

CCS: So when you took the photo you had no idea how wide and public it was gonna go?

F: I had no idea. Someone actually sent me a photo on Instagram months ago and that’s how I found out I was on a fucking billboard. When I went last week, I Facetimed my parents and we saw it together and it was just insane, dude.

CCS: So, in that vein of thinking, are people starting to recognize you either in skateparks or even in a non-skateboarding context?

F: Yeah. People recognize me at skateparks and things like that. What’s weird is with Covid I’ve had to wear my mask everywhere, so I’m wearing a mask all the time and when I’m not skating I don’t necessarily wear a hat and I don’t really wear my ‘skate attire’ and people will still notice me. And for me that’s a little weird. It’s like I’m almost taking off a uniform and I don’t really rock skate clothes when I’m not skating. So I’ve noticed more people noticing me outside skateparks and it’s really strange. I don’t know. I get awkward.

CCS: I have heard that your brother Deathwish pro Pedro Delfino mentioned he got his first skateboard from CCS. Do you remember your first skateboard?

F: My first board was from K-Mart. I had an astronaut with an alien in the background. But my first real skateboard, from a skate shop, I believe was an all hot pink set-up. Hot pink Pig Wheels and hot pink Royal trucks. That was my first set-up and I immediately got hot chocolate on it the week I got it. I was so bummed.

CCS: So, jumping quite a bit ahead here, you were hooked up with Hoopla at one time, which feels like it must have been a milestone for your career.

F: Yeah. See, that’s the thing; I viewed being on Hoopla and that time period as exactly what you said, a milestone. For me, being a part of Hoopla was one of the greatest, most satisfying things. How that came about? I might’ve just reached out to Mimi . I might’ve just emailed her and stuck my hand out. I wanted to see what was up and how I could be part of it. My local skateshop, IWS , started carrying Hoopla boards and through that I got on shop flow. And then I met Mimi at an event and things got a bit more serious and I kinda joined the team and was alongside Samarria and Nicole . And that was insane. I was such a big fan of all of those girls and to be a part of a team with them. Dude, I was the biggest fan and I just tripping out that they knew who I was and that Mimi wanted to give me boards. It was my dream sponsor.

CCS: How did you feel when they shut down? I know Mimi had stated that the need for a company like Hoopla had diminished and that was a positive thing. That the need for a company to fill a gap in representing women in the industry wasn’t needed as much, but that must be bittersweet.

F: You know, it is one of those things that has a silver lining and is bittersweet. I was upset, obviously, cause it wasn’t gonna be a team anymore. There weren't gonna be Hoopla boards. But I knew that the reason that Mimi and Cara-Beth had started it and the idea would always stay. So the Hoopla energy is still alive. I remember I called Mimi after Santa Cruz hit me up about giving me some boards and I was like, “Santa Cruz wants me to ride for them. I want to talk to you and see what you think.”
She told me some things like, “We started Hoopla so that we could have a platform for us and it’s really cool to see it not necessarily having to be there.” And she gave me her blessing. And that stuck really hard because it showed that their whole concept was so selfless. Hoopla really did give all of us a platform to make it to the next level. And it’s true that we don’t necessarily need an all gendered company anymore. That the playing field is more even. There was a time and a place where it was needed.

CCS: It’s exciting that women are getting some genuine representation, and that young girl skaters are being regarded as a valuable demographic to market to. This year especially with the Olympics, and I’m sure you’ve seen Breana on the recent Thrasher cover and Nicole getting an ad from Real, it seems like a significant time for women is skating.

F: Just being recognized. Being seen and heard. For companies to do something about it and recognize that there is a whole audience for this. It does wonders.

CCS: On that note, you just had a wheel come out for Spitfire! Is this your first pro wheel?

F: Yeah. It’s my first pro wheel.

CCS: So what size wheels do you ride? Do you experiment with different sizes and shapes? Do you think the subtle differences really make an impact?

F: I’ve always ridden 54mm wheels, regardless of what brand they were. Recently I’ve been trying to strategize to have a set up that is more in proportion with me and what I would like to skate. So I’ve actually gone down to a 53mm. I ride full conicals so they are still wide enough. I’m trying to be more conscious of my pop and I hear little things like “If your board is closer to the ground… yada yada yada.” But I’ve found that 53mm are the happy medium between flipping the board and grinding pool coping or skating transition. I’m finding the 53s the best for me right now.

CCS: Do you ride your own wheels and board graphics?

F: Umm- yes. And I wasn’t a fan of it, but I’m riding my specific shape right now with Santa Cruz and it happens to be my graphic. It’s weird for me, though. I cover my name with stickers. But, yeah, it’s my own board. The wheels are mine, too. Honestly, they just killed it with the graphic. If it wasn’t my own wheels, I’d be riding any wheels that were Led Zepplin themed.

CCS: That’s the next question. Are you a Led Zepplin fan?

F: Dude. Yeah. Fuck. Since I was a child. So this wheel was a dream.

CCS: So which is your favorite Led Zepplin album?

F: Led Zepplin 4. And obviously my favorite album cover is Houses of the Holy.

CCS: So did you propose that graphic to Spitfire? What is the process?

F: They were like, “We want to give you a wheel.” And then I believe it was Andy who hit me up and asked what I wanted to do for my wheel and I said, “Let’s do the Houses of the Holy cover.” And I sent him a screenshot of the album cover and within a week he had it fully designed with the sun as a Spitfire head. Dude, it was a go! I was so fucking stoked.

CCS: Nice. Let’s talk about your recent Spitfire ad. Is there any backstory to that spot and trick? 

F: Basically, I was hit up by Spitfire that they wanted an ad to go with my wheel and they gave me a few months to do it. It was January and they wanted it by May. And time went by and I got some photos and some footage but I didn’t really like any of the things that I had so far for an ad, you know. So it was the last week before I was heading up to Canada and it was the last week before the deadline for the ad and I hit up Ashley Rehfeld from Deluxe and I was like, “Ashley, I wanna come up to SF. I wanna shoot an ad. Maybe we can get a filmer."
So me, Tweakermom, Breana, and Nicole Hause drove up to SF and basically we were taken to some spots. And Bram showed me a photo of this DIY and it was up this bank, but it wasn’t the bank I skated, it was a smaller one. And I was like, “Fuck, that’s gnarly. I don’t know if I can do that.” I didn’t want to bail anything cause time was limited. But we show up and I’m like, “Dude… naw, I don’t think so. This is fucked.” I didn’t even do the halfway bank. I didn’t even want to drop in on that.
And then everyone was just chatting and I was like, “Fuck, I’m just gonna try it. I’m just gonna try a tailslide.” And it just worked out. It was kind of one of those things were I was taken to a spot and I kinda denied it and then I got fired up and it worked out. Bram got the photo first try. It was kind of an out-of-nowhere type of spot and type of day and it just worked out for the best.

CCS: Do you have any mental tricks or techniques to psych yourself into doing something that big and scary?

F: I think we all probably get into a headspace, whether it’s scary or difficult or challenging, and it doesn’t always work out. I try to test my brain all the time on tricks and spots and they don’t always work out. Maybe I don’t try another spot because I’m terrified, but for that specific day and just knowing that it was the final week to get a photo I was proud of… I just wanted to do something right. I wanted to do it right. And I just knew that when I was standing up there and I knew that this one was the right thing to do. So I guess one has to kind of leave your body and your mind at the same time and the worst that can happen is you eat shit. You know? For me it’s preparing for the feeling of hopefully landing it. Cause that’s always nicer than the feeling of having fear.

CCS: Is a trick like this fun in the moment?

F: To be honest it’s not fun. It’s fun once you're hugging your friends after you land it. It’s not really fun when you’re trying a trick and you’re getting stoked cause you’re like, “Fuck, this is gonna be it.” Then you’re not getting close cause your mind isn’t letting you do it. That’s not fun. You get angry with yourself. But those can be motivators, I guess.

CCS: Well it came together cause that photo has us stoked. It really captures how giant that spot is. And you got footage? We hear you’re filming a part for Spitfire.

F: Yeah. That footage is gonna be in this new little Spitfire part coming out. It’ll be in there.

CCS: Is that Spitfire part why you were in New York recently?

F: No, I was in New York filming for a Santa Cruz video part. I basically shifted from filming for this little Spitfire mixtape and going straight into filming for Santa Cruz.

CCS: Is the Santa Cruz part gonna be in another ‘Til The End part?

F: You know, I think they reached The End. I think this part might stand alone. I’m not entirely sure.

CCS: Well, we’re definitely psyched to see both parts. Any final shout outs here?

F: Huge shout out and thank you to Jim, Ashley, Bram and everyone at Deluxe. And Frank. Shout out to Nick Hanson for filming and being down to skate every day. Shout out to John Alden. Shout out CCS!

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You can get a set of Fabiana's Spitfire wheels at the CCS skate shop right now, as well as her Santa Cruz pro model skateboard deck and stuff from all her sponsors like Bones Reds bearings and Vans shoes. Huge thanks to Fabiana for taking the time to skate and talk with us and congrats on surviving that huge tailslide.
Follow CCS and Fabiana on Instagram.