Our series of “Visuals” interviews keeps on rolling via our most recent conversation with Melbourne-based legend Hayley Wilson. This interview coincides with the release of her very own Dunk Low, the ins and outs of which we discuss after first delving into the skateboarding stimuli etched into her memory banks that she kindly selected for us…
Words and interview by Jacob Sawyer. Hayley Wilson at home with her Nike SB Dunk Low. PH: Vic Henderson
Hayley Wilson was blessed with a drive, determination, and love for skating out of the gate, with her style and approach maturing on the streets of Melbourne. It’s likely that the first time Hayley graced your screen was in the Nike SB Gizmo video, the first all-women production the Swoosh released where she had a memorable The Breeders-backed banger of a part shared with Nicole Hause. She has a wealth of skateboarding under her belt, and has already seen more than most, her story even including the unique experience of participating in the first wave of Olympic competition. This challenging scenario which coincided with Covid took a considerable toll on her mental health, an isolating initiation which she has been inspiringly outspoken about.
Ultimately this part of her journey would deliver her back to the essence, where the joy of crafting video parts remains of paramount importance. This rewarding quest has gifted us the chance to witness her full power and progression in real time, an ascent which culminated in her deservedly joining the pro ranks for Real Skateboards back in 2024. Nike SB have followed Real’s lead, inviting Hayley to design her own signature colourway of the Dunk Low, a shoe that features heavily in her body of work. Knowing this milestone was on the cards we reached out to Hayley to mark this moment while also exploring some visuals that have made an impact on her along the way.
Hayley’s selection involves some Guy Mariano appreciation, travelling back to his part in Pretty Sweet, a timeless section with what will forever remain one of the heaviest enders of all time. Hayley took some time to appreciate this part and how her life has gone full circle, from watching Guy religiously for inspiration to being on the same team as him. When it came time to pick a trick she honed in on one of Melbourne’s favourite sons, the late, great Lewis Marnell and an absolute hammer he etched into skateboarding history at the Melbourne museum. Her photo choice was a Bryce Golder shot of Rowan Davis performing an unthinkably gnarly manoeuvre on home turf that made its way to a cover. Hayley sealed her array of visuals by talking about two graphics that hold sentimental value, one released to honour Dylan Rieder’s indelible legacy posthumously, and the other released by Pass~Port to recognise her close friend Anthony Mapstone’s ongoing contributions and legendary status. Having explored each of these the conversation closes out by finding out more about her current reality and some of the background behind her new signature Dunk Low for Nike SB ahead of its release.
Guy Mariano – Girl / Chocolate: Pretty Sweet (2012)
This was a pretty easy choice, I’ve always loved watching this part. I feel like Guy Mariano is such an inspiration to all of us. I love watching some of the tricks he does because he’s just so creative. So I just really enjoy watching his stuff and the Pretty Sweet part would be the way choice from all of them. This was a part I would always go back to and the song [Lissie – Pursuit of Happiness] is too good, it just works so well with the part. I owned this on DVD so it was part of the pile, I’m not sure I even own it anymore though. Guy [Mariano] was so creative, and so different to everyone else. He was doing things other people wouldn’t even be thinking of. I always thought that was super cool.
I feel like I have been decoding this part more as I get older, back in the day I just loved his skating and his trick selection. All of that combined with the song was just so good, he is a one-of-a-kind skateboarder. There are so many amazing tricks in this part but his ender is incredible, I was just mesmerised by the fact that he was able to do that. No-one was doing that. The switch 360 flip – switch nosegrind stood out, that’s something I feel you’re still not seeing now. When you asked me to pick a part there was no doubt that this was my favourite but I haven’t watched it in a while. All of the tricks in the part are too crazy for me to take away and try but I love watching that stuff. There’s nothing I would take to the skatepark and learn, maybe a more basic version. The tricks he does are definitely very pleasing on the eye.
“There are so many amazing tricks in this part but his ender is incredible, I was just mesmerised by the fact that he was able to do that”
As I have grown up I have changed styles a little bit but have always enjoyed watching him. When I met him about three years ago I freaked out. You grow up but then when you meet your idols it feels a bit weird that you’re skating with them. It was so cool and so inspiring though, from coming up watching him to being able to skate with him is pretty incredible. He was just doing his thing, it was when we were shooting a Nike commercial for the Neckface Dunk. He was skating and it was one of those fan-out moments I haven’t had for a long time, it was pretty cool.
Lewis Marnell – Transworld: The Cinematographer Project (2012)
Lewis was an icon, not just for Australian skateboarding but for skateboarding globally. The way he did all of his tricks was just so incredibly powerful. This spot that he switch tre flipped is just so gnarly, and so long. You have to go so fast to skate it so the fact that he did that back then is pretty incredible. This is at Melbourne museum. It’s a hometown spot, and a spot where so many legendary tricks have gone down but this would be the gnarliest one, in my opinion, that ever went down. This trick opens the Chris Middlebrook part he made for the Cinematographer Project. That’s not where I first saw the clip though, I didn’t actually grow up knowing much about Lewis. I had seen some clips but I actually saw this trick for the first time when I was about fifteen in a memorial clip that Nike SB made for him. I saw this trick and figured out it was from the Chris Middlebrook part in that Transworld video, then watched that and was mindblown by it.
“This will forever be one of the most legendary tricks done there, and one we can watch over and over again on the internet”
Watching some of the tricks Lewis does and the calibre of the spots he skates, it’s all so gnarly, especially for back then. It’s crazy what he could do. This will forever be one of the most legendary tricks done there, and one we can watch over and over again on the internet. You go there in person and look at how long the gap is, and how fast you have to go. It’s such an incredible talent that he had. The throw down, and the switch push, he made it look like it was his regular stance. I guess growing up there were DVD’s and I would watch YouTube videos a little. I liked lots of Paul Rodriguez and Guy Mariano footage. I would have figured out who Lewis Marnell was when I first got on Nike SB. That’s when I started skating with Chris Middlebrook and saw all of the footage that they used to film together. I was mesmerised by the stuff Lewis was able to do.
I’m definitely super inspired by him now watching all of his footage. There’s only ever going to be one of his kind. There are people who skate in a similar way to him but you just can’t beat his style and power. The trick selection he had was incredible.
Rowan Davis gap to 50-50. PH: Bryce Golder (2020)
This was the very first photo that came to mind. This is at another Melbourne spot that’s near that museum gap actually. If you went there to look at this you just wouldn’t think it’s possible before Rowan skated it. There seemed like there was no way anyone could do this so when you saw the photo you were gobsmacked. It’s insane when you look at this spot in person, the photo does it justice but doesn’t do it justice at the same time because it’s so gnarly. It’s shot so well though, and it’s so great, not just the photo but the way Rowan dd it. Honestly, it’s scary thinking about it, thinking about how gnarly that spot is.
“Sometimes you feel scared when you’re watching someone do something but you just know with Rowan that he’s going to handle it like a boss”
This was Rowan’s ender in the Nike SB Welcome to Melbourne video. I filmed a little for the video but was busy working on other stuff at the time. I didn’t do a lot for that video but it’s definitely one of my favourite Nike videos. It’s great seeing so many amazing spots in your hometown, and the level of skateboarding. To be there for some of that as well was pretty cool. I wasn’t there to see Rowan do the trick in this photo but I have seen him do some stuff in person. It’s insane to watch. Sometimes you feel scared when you’re watching someone do something but you just know with Rowan that he’s going to handle it like a boss which is an incredible thing to watch. Rowan had won Slam SOTY just before this and then went and handled this cover. Bryce Golder and Rowan Davis are two Australian treasures for sure.
Fucking Awesome – Dylan Rieder “Class Photo” (2018)
Dylan was obviously an amazing skater. When I became a teenager and started skating street more I started watching his clips and took some inspiration from the tricks he was doing. Not just the tricks themselves but the way he was doing them. His style was so elegant and I feel like it’s really unmatched. I don’t think anyone could have a style like that again, it was so perfect, he just did things so chill and nice when they were extremely hard tricks. I love this graphic because it’s such a nice memory board, not that I knew Dylan personally, but it’s nice to remember such an amazing skater. This is a board that I own, I have it on the wall in my bedroom.
Pass~port Skateboards – Anthony Mapstone (2025)
This board was released by Pass~Port a couple of months ago. I could say a thousand things about Mappy and what he has done for Australian skateboarding, a lot of us wouldn’t be where we are today without him. What he has done for the community is unequalled. He’s not just the best person, or team manager, he’s an amazing guy and he’s got such a kind heart. He just wants to give, and he’ll do anything for anyone. Personally, I wouldn’t be where I am without him. He’s one of my best friends and I skate with him most weekends, or on the weekdays if he has time after finishing work. He’s definitely like.a father figure to a lot of us skaters, and he took us under his wing.
He also just put out a part at 51 years of age which not many people can say they have done. It’s incredible that part, super inspirational for us youngun’s but also for people who are around his age and wanting to get back on the board. Very inspiring, something that’s really cool to see. He was instrumental in putting Australian skateboarding on the map. He has a frontside 180-fakie nose grind in his part that I love, he does that trick so well and it’s a hard one. It’s hard to do In general but to do it really good is a whole other thing. His board is on my wall too, it’s next to one of my boards, the last Clean-Cut graphic that came out.
“What he has done for the community is unequalled… a lot of us wouldn’t be where we are today without him”
If I were to pick a personal graphic that’s a favourite it would have to be two. The first board they did for me is special, the Outsider graphic. That would be a favourite because Lochy, my tattoo artist who I go to designed that one for me. He’s an incredible guy and he just does such beautiful artwork. Then I would say the Cathedral one that just came out too. That’s another one, it’s my favourite colours and the graphic looks super cool.
Let’s talk about the coming months…what’s your plan for our summer, which would be your winter?
I’ve got Copengahen CPH Pro next month which I’m super excited for. That’s probably my favourite event of the year. Then I’m going to have a little bit of a break at the start of July which will be nice. I’m going away with my partners and my family which all be really good, we’re going to Tahiti. Then I will probably go over to the States to film for the Real video that we’re working on. I’ve already got some stuff so looking forward to carrying on. I’ll be doing that from the end of July, August, September. Then I’ll probably come home, I think that cycle will go pretty quick.
perfect noseslide nollie flip filmed by Jarryd Rees for the REAL Presents Hayley Wilson video part
How are you finding skating right now? You’ve spoken about different ups and downs recently and it seems like you’ve had all of these different chapters in your skateboarding career already. How are you finding skating right now, is it more fun than ever?
Oh yeah, one hundred percent. Coming from doing the Olympics when skating wasn’t fun at all and I kind of wanted to step away from it all together. It was sad to get to the point but finding it again and focusing on the filming side of things, I’m really loving it again. It can still be stressful and hard work at times but it’s what I want to do and I can create my own story and journey I guess. A the moment it’s slightly stressful coming up to a deadline for the video that’s going to accompany my shoe but it’s all going to be so worth it and fun in the end. So a stressful month but when it comes to Copenhagen that’s when I can relax a little bit and have some fun with it. But to answer the question, overall, I’m finding skating super fun at the moment.
Your new shoe is set to drop, how does it feel having a Dunk out there that’s your creation?
It’s pretty weird, I feel like it’s not something that’s set in properly yet. As we speak the shoe is not out so I think when people start wearing it and I start seeing it in public it will set in. It’s been something that’s been going on for almost two years now so it doesn’t really feel real. For a long time I was thinking why me? Why would they choose me? But it’s definitely been so cool to be able to create something and I’m so grateful to have had this opportunity to create something that tells a story about me, and represents who I am through the colours and the designs. It’s definitely a bit of a weird feeling but I’m super grateful and excited for it all to come out and for the world to see it properly.
“I’m so grateful to have had this opportunity to create something that tells a story about me, and represents who I am through the colours and the designs”
Hayley Wilson with her Nike SB Dunk Low at Man’s Ruin Tattoo Studio. PH: Bryce Golder
Just like your board graphics you enlisted your tattoo artist Lochy to come along for the ride. Did you have to give him any kind of brief?
It was purely based off tattoos we had already done and designs that I loved. I thought that the laughing and crying faces were a perfect idea for the bottom of the shoe. The way he designed it and drew it all up just looked super cool. I love that I’ve been able to get him involved in the shoe and that it led on to graphics for boards. He’s one of my closest friends so to have him be able to do things like this that not many other people can say that they’ve done is pretty cool.
What’s the first tattoo Lochy ever made for you?
The first one I think was a cherub and a rose, the first two I ever got. I have got many from him so I can’t really remember but I those two were done at the same time.
Was the UV-reactive element on the swoosh inspired by other shoes from the archives?
That was inspired by the heat reactive Dunk that Civilist designed.
What do you think has been your favourite Dunk to skate in prior to this one?
I have skated so many different Dunks that I can’t even narrow it down, I reckon maybe the Neckface Dunks were my favourite.
Who is the last person you said “You reckon” to?
Hahaha, Oh god! Probably Mappy [Anthony Mapstone]. I’m always saying “You reckon” to him.
Hayley Wilson’s signature Nike SB Dunk Low at Man’s Ruin Tattoo Studio. PH: Bryce Golder
Do you think we’ll be seeing you in London any time soon?
I hope so, I’d love to go to London. I haven’t been there since skating Street League back in 2019. I’d definitely love to make it out there. The last trip was just before Covid, that had been a really busy year for me contest-wise so for it to then all stop suddenly was pretty crazy.
Thanks for your time Hayley. Any last words?
I just want to say thank you to everyone out there who has supported me through my journey and everything I have done. I’d especially like to thank Nike SB for the opportunity to have my own colourway. Thanks also to my friends and family, my parents, my brother, and my partner for all the support they’ve given me. Thank you skateboarding.
The Hayley Wilson Nike SB Dunk Low will officially be released on Friday 5th June. Make sure you are in with the biggest chance of securing a pair by signing up to purchase some when they go live on our Launches & Raffles page.
We would like to thank Hayley for buying out the time for this conversation at a busy time. We would also like to thank Bryce Golder for sending over the photo of Rowan Davis as well as Colin Kennedy and Geoff Campbell at Nike SB for their assistance throughout.
Previous Visuals Interviews: Mike Sinclair , Tom Delion , Sam Narvaez , Tyler Bledsoe , Daniel Wheatley , Braden Hoban , Jaime Owens , Charlie Munro , Lev Tanju , Jack Curtin , Ted Barrow , Dave Mackey , Jack Brooks , Korahn Gayle , Will Miles , Kevin Marks , Joe Gavin , Chewy Cannon