On the making of Dolores Magazine issue #9, we were invited to the Vans space in NYC to celebrate the launch of the new Beatrice Domond Zahba Mid colorways. It felt like a great moment, because, after all, it’s a big deal to witness people we relate to get opportunities in the skate industry. It makes me think we’re seeing progress happen right before our eyes. So let’s sit with Beatrice and find out everything behind her life-changing opportunity with Vans: the process, the life lessons and what it all means to her.

Interview and photos by Raisa Abal & Norma Ibarra

How does it feel and what does it mean to you as a skateboarder, to launch your own colorways? How was the whole creative process with Vans?

It’s like an unreal opportunity. I never… I mean, you think of all these things as a kid and you pretend, you play make believe, and for it to be something to come into reality is super sick and I’m really grateful. Super psyched. I put a lot of effort and work into it as well, so it’s rewarding too. But I don’t know. I think I’m just happy.

I saw that you started your project in 2021. I thought it was quite shorter than that.

No, I mean, I did too, because it was just so fast, but that’s the thing with the iPhone, it keeps the date and the time for you. And Vans had approached me with Zahba Low around that time, and from there we started working on them. They said, start thinking of colours, start thinking of what you want, stuff like that, and from there we started looking around the city… That’s like my inspiration, I just walk around, and start looking at things and being like, okay, that would be cool.

And also, it’s why, for skaters who do things with big brands, it’s like, you can always imagine it as a child, but when suddenly the real opportunity is there, it’s like, wow.

Yeah, it’s like, what the heck!

It was actually possible.

Right, yeah, like, I did it, that’s so crazy. Yeah, it’s been really sick… ‘cause I always loved designing and drawing and always did for fun, and to like, design and draw for real, it’s weird. Because I’ve always just done it, you know, draw something, make a shoe and just put it in your folder. But to draw something, make a shoe, and now I’m talking to you and having this interview. And we’re looking at my face on these big billboards… it’s pretty crazy, you know. I’m overwhelmed, but in like, the best way.

Also, surprise! I saw that your own zine comes along with the shoe. Do you normally do that type of art, like collage and cutting things and paint over them and just put them together and make stories?

Yeah, very much so. With the zines… I love making things by hand. I’m not a computer person. It’s never been me. I love collage work, so I’ve been doing that quite a bit. I made that zine when I tore my ACL. So I had time, and around the same time, I got working on the Zahba. So, although the Zahba is not featured in the zine, those two were being made exactly at the same time. So I figured we put that zine with the Zahba and people can kinda get a look at my brain, how chaotic it was, but I still came out with something beautiful and good. So I feel like it’s a good paradox to have, just so people see that even at your worst and lowest point in life, you can still create beauty.

That’s exactly what I got two hours ago, when I read the zine. Like: look, it was a struggle in that moment, but she turned that bad situation into a good thing. Like channelling it.

Yeah, literally. With injuries like that, and especially with it being my first one, you can kinda go down the bad path. Like drinking and being sad and overwhelmed. But I was like, I’m not going to do that. I’m just going to be creative… ‘Cause one thing I know, everything is temporary. Even if it’s good or bad, like this is temporary. I’m not going to be here in three months, you know what I mean, so I’m enjoying it now. So when it comes to when things are bad… it’s temporary. I’ll live in it, be present, but I know it’s not gonna stay.

Is it your way of escaping hard times, when you can’t skate, like, for example, everything you express in this zine?

Yeah. So, just like… me not skating and it was my first time having knee surgery, first time being heartbroken… Which is like, a lot of experiences in one. And I was just like: I can do something negative with this, or I can do something positive with this. So I made a zine. So it was positive output, you know.

I was thinking about that before: when we humans are heartbroken, inspiration comes from everywhere.

It’s so sad, because I feel like musicians and artists drink and get fucked because they’re like, this is when I create my best work. And I feel like you’re not supposed to create the best work all the time. Because there will be challenges in your life that will help you create the best work; just wait for them to come. So I’m not going to go looking for challenges. But when a problem comes, because it will come, I will channel that and make art.

Do you always try to take advantage of it, or does it depend on the situation? Maybe sometimes, you have a bad moment and you just let it flow…

Yeah, I had that recently. Probably in April. I had a bad moment and I made nothing from it, I was like, I’m just gonna live in it. And that’s okay too, I learned that you don’t always have to make stuff. Different lessons from different things. When I was younger, I really only cared about skateboarding, so I never had the opportunity to grow emotionally or even friendship wise, ‘cause I was just like, focused on one thing, but as I became an adult, I’m growing in different aspects of my life, which I can appreciate.

How old are you now?

27. It’s a moment to grow and become a better person. But I was so young and I only cared about one thing, so it was like: if anything bad happened to me, I didn’t care, I’d turn to skating. You know what I mean? Which is still good, but now I’m like, more of an adult and I can sit there and process my feelings.

And face them.

Yeah, which kinda sucks, but I guess I’m here for it… *laughs*

Do you think that in this period of exposure, social networks, in which everything is so trivial and volatile, where people insist how beautiful their travels, houses, food and perfect marriage is, all that kind of fake stuff, it’s also important to reflect the not so beautiful moments and the sadness?

Yeah. I mean… in the beginning, when I first joined social media, even with my skating, I’d always show the mistakes, just ‘cause I thought that was beautiful, a part of life, messing up. But recently I haven’t, because people are nuts. They love to have their opinions, and I don’t have time for it anymore. But I do really appreciate people being their authentic selves. And I think that’s why I shared all those photos about my knee. I really wasn’t because I’m just like, oh I’m supposed to be perfect all the time, and skating all the time, and posting old footage and pretending it’s new footage, and being productive, but like, if you’re running 24/7, you’re gonna burn out, it’s not realistic.

But I think it’s also like a balance. You get amazing photoshoots, supreme footage, new colorways, video parts, but Beatrice is also composed of more things.

Yeah. That’s why, sometimes, I’ll be like, here, I read 3 books this month and I made art from tables, like, here’s the random shit that I do. I’m not always like, *clicks fingers*, you know what I mean? Like, that’s not real, to be like, oh I went from this place to this place. It makes people feel like they’re behind, it will be a culture of insecurity, life’s not about that. Like, after this I’m going to go home and sit in my bed. Like a normal person, that’s what people do. I just feel like we need to show the nuances of life again… I miss when people used to post food on Instagram, but just like their sandwich with chips. And like a weird soda. I like that, it’s reality.

If it’s a bit hard for women in general terms, I can’t imagine how tough it is for women of colour. This is why I think it’s so important for skaters like you to be given opportunities like this. How important do you think representation is, especially for people of African descent?

It’s really important. I mean, the demographic is small, when it comes to me. You go down the list and it’s like, 500 white men, 200 white women, one hundred black men and one black woman. The scale of it is insane. It’s because you didn’t get to see that. I grew up with nobody to look up to. I grew with Elissa and Kareem and Vanessa and I like, I made a concoction of them and just became myself. You know what I mean? So like… some girl can have this now and she can run with it and go the mile. But it’s a bit of a burden, because I take it as in I’m the representation for a whole demographic and that’s a bit of a burden to me because of how I act and how I present myself, without even knowing, subconsciously.

You can make mistakes as well.

Right, but subconsciously people base my actions off the entire community. Which is a burden, but it’s something I’m willing to challenge and I feel like I’ve done a good job in challenging that and showing that people like me can create beautiful things and we can be a part of something like this… I’ll take it. Sometimes it sucks and it’s a bit hard but I feel like if anybody can do it, why not me?