Santa Monica Airlines—better known as SMA—stands as one of the rawest, most influential underground board brands ever to roll out of California’s coastal scene. Long before slick marketing and big-money corporate teams, SMA lived in the cracks of surf shops, backyard ramps, and Venice alleys, built on the DIY vision of founder Skip Engblom. Skip, already a legendary figure from the Z-Boys era and co-founder of the original Zephyr shop, carried that renegade attitude forward with SMA. It wasn’t born as a corporate venture but as an extension of the local culture. Skip supported skaters others overlooked, championed style over convention, and built a brand that felt like the Westside itself—gritty, creative, unpredictable, and real.
SMA’s most famous spark came from one of the most important riders in skateboarding history: Natas Kaupas. When Natas joined SMA in the early 1980s, the brand immediately gained a seismic, culture-shifting presence. His early SMA boards, including the iconic “Panther,” became symbols of street skating’s rise, capturing the rawness of curb sessions, hydrant slides, and the Venice schoolyard. Natas wasn’t just progressing street skating—he was inventing it, shaping the foundation that modern street skateboarding still stands on. SMA backed him when street wasn’t seen as a legitimate discipline, giving him a home where his creativity could explode. That trust helped redefine what a pro skater could be and what a board brand could represent.
The SMA story also ties directly into the creation of one of skateboarding’s most powerful empires: World Industries. Steve Rocco, then riding for SMA, absorbed Skip’s independent, skater-first philosophy and carried it with him when he launched World. SMA didn’t just influence Rocco—it gave him a platform, a taste of raw creative control, and the freedom that would later define his break-the-industry model. Without SMA’s punk-spirit environment, the early spark behind World Industries might never have taken to flame. In that way, SMA sits at the roots of what would become one of skateboarding’s biggest cultural revolutions: the shift toward rider-owned companies and provocative, narrative-driven skateboarding brands.
Throughout the 1980s and early ’90s, SMA remained fiercely independent, releasing boards with an unmistakable Westside flavour and supporting skaters who embodied its attitude. The company wasn’t built to chase trends or fit neatly into the industry’s expectations. It survived because it represented authenticity at a time when skateboarding’s identity was still being defined. For many skaters, SMA boards symbolized a connection to Venice Beach’s wild early days, a lineage stretching from the Dogtown roots straight into the evolution of technical street skating.
Today, Santa Monica Airlines still carries the legend of a brand that helped transform skateboarding from the ground up. Whether through Natas’ groundbreaking influence, Skip’s mentorship, or SMA’s contribution to the birth of World Industries, the legacy remains deeply woven into the culture. SMA wasn’t just a skateboard brand—it was a catalyst, a creative engine, and a testament to what can happen when skaters build something purely for skaters. In the decades since its early impact, SMA has taken on an almost mythic status, a reminder of when skateboarding’s direction was shaped by instinct, personality and the pulse of the streets rather than corporate polish. Modern reissues and archival deep dives only reinforce how ahead of its time the brand truly was, capturing moments when skating was still dangerous, artistic and beautifully unrefined. To hold an SMA board today—whether a vintage Natas or a later-era release—is to hold a piece of skateboarding’s DNA. It echoes the spirit of Venice alleys, West L.A. curbs and Skip’s unwavering belief in the skaters who would reshape the entire culture.
