Sean Malto made his first appearance in Lodown #66 almost 8 years ago and didn’t stop popping up on our radar ever since.. What’s up Sean?

It’s all about the Dunk at the moment.. What was your earliest recollection of seeing the iconic model?
My earliest memories are just seeing Reese and Gino skating them back in the day. I always thought they looked so cool!

Your latest Dunk version refers to the samurai culture.. How is your personal connection? Did you ever try martial arts ? Fave martial arts Movies?   
I was collaborating with a group for a retail space in Los Angeles that has a vintage Japanese feel, and I got inspired by samurai suits in that process. During the design of the Dunk Elite I just used that inspiration to fit what I wanted in a skateboarding shoe: breathability, lightweight, durable, etc. 

Your last serious injury was quite a topic.. do you feel 100% again? Which exercises worked good for your recovery? the mind is powerful weapon.. How did you defeat the downs and challenge your mental obstacles?
I've been feeling really good this past 6 months! I've done, and still do, a lot of physical therapy. We work on hip strengthening and one-footed balance reaches along with whatever feels jammed up at the time. 
Mental was definitely harder than I anticipated. Skateboarding is mental in general so it took me a long time to calm down and trust myself. It took just tons of hours on the board and pushing myself through scary/awkward situations. 

Guy seemed to be an important factor for your recovery. Which was the best advice you got? 
Guy always told me to just skate and not worry about what people thought. I got really self conscious about my skating coming off the injury, so Guy let me borrow his private skatepark key so I could do late night sessions to figure things out when the park was mellow.  

Did you pick up any new hobbies during your recovery time?
Golfing. Love being outdoors and the mental side of the game.

I just watched the “Elite Squad” Video.. For me that Frontside Crooked down this rusty metal ledge with long stairs to the left really stood out. It looked like an intense setting.. What was the story behind that?
That hubba's in Barcelona, Spain. I've seen it in a few skate videos and always thought it looked cool. I finally got the chance to skate it around Street League Barcelona over the summer. It took a long time to find the right lock. I grinded the first half of it probably 60 times before I got one to go the whole distance. That day was so hot that my body was a few tries away from breaking down. I was hyped it worked out!

If you could trade a trick you got on lock for one, which is always a struggle. Which one would that be?
I would trade any flip trick for a backside air on transition! 

If you could pick a supernatural power, which one would it be & why?
Teleporting! I would love to skate anywhere around the world and be back home every night.

Which songs got you hyped lately? 
Run the Jewels 3! Whole album! 

What’s up next? Tours, Video, a signature shoe? 
I'm in a documentary about “15 years of SB Dunk” that just came out. Other than that I'm focusing on these contests coming up over the summer and I want to keep this street skating vibe going!

Photos: Five-O Ventura Rail from Nike, Itv. Lodown #66 (May 2009) Portraits: Alex Flach, Action: Ben Colen, CPH Pro 2016 impressions by Cesar Torales