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Special thanks_Norm Skate Distribution

VHSMAG (VM)：　How are you doing today? Where are you at right now?

Didrik Galasso (DG)：　Doing good! I'm in Lisbon right now, just chilling.

VM：　You’re originally from Norway, right? Can you tell us about your roots and how you ended up moving to Lisbon?

DG：　Yeah, I’m originally from a small town called Larvik, about an hour and a half south of Oslo. My mom is from around that area, and my dad is Brazilian from São Paulo. So I grew up in Norway, but I always traveled a bunch. A couple of years ago, before Corona, I used to take super cheap weekend flights to Lisbon just to hang at the beach and skate with my friend Thaynan (Costa). I always had this dream of moving here. Then around 2022, right after Corona, I felt like I was finally financially able and mature enough to make the move. In a way, it’s also the closest you can get to Brazil while staying in Europe. It helps keep my Portuguese going, too.

VM：　What is the skate scene like in Lisbon compared to Norway?

DG：　The scene here is super good. There are amazing skate shops, tons of great skate parks popping up all over. It’s a very open scene with lots of different crews and filmers. If my usual crew isn't out, it’s super easy to bounce around and session with other friends.

VM：　You’ve put out a lot of video parts over the years. Is having so many local filmers part of the reason you’re able to stay so productive?

DG：　Definitely. Right now, I mostly film with my friend Telmo, who filmed my latest part for Bermuda, Primary Colors. He lives just 10 minutes down the road from me. We clicked really well on a Nike trip a couple of years ago. Then there’s Galli, who films with Thaynan, living 15 minutes the other way. For me, filming is all about trust and relationships. I prefer filming with people who know me as a person, where you don't have to constantly check if they're ready. You just know they've got your back.

VM：　Let's talk about your brand, Bermuda 1383. After you left enjoi, you had board offers from other established companies. What made you decide to start your own brand from scratch instead?

DG：　It took a couple of years to get to that point, to be honest. I had a few offers, maybe three or four companies that I would have been really down to skate for on a scale of 1 to 10. But at the same time, it felt like a weird era where not many people get reached out to anymore because the market is so saturated. I had my own pro board on enjoi, so I knew I wanted to keep expressing myself through skating and graphics, but I always hesitated. I kept asking myself, "Am I the right person to do this? Am I even allowed to start a board brand?"

VM：　What was the turning point that gave you the confidence to actually do it?

DG：　It actually happened when I was filming my episode of Epicly Later'd. Off-camera, Patrick O'Dell and Heath Kirchart kept telling me, "Dude, you need to start a board brand. Just do it!" I guess they saw my work ethic or how I live my life. Hearing that directly from guys like Heath and Patrick clicked something in my head. I realized, "Fuck it, you can't really lose that much. At least you can try." That gave me the exact push and motivation I needed.

VM：　How did the board production work out?

DG：　Man, that was totally random and organic! I didn't have connections to manufacturers, so one morning I literally woke up and cold-called Erik Ellington on Instagram. He actually picked up! I told him, "Hey, I really love the boards you guys make, can I buy some wood from you?" He was like, "No, I can't sell you boards direct, but I can put you in touch directly with BBS so you can start from there." We had a super nice conversation, clicked right away, and he connected me. I had never met or spoken to Ellington before in my life, but I just thought, "That's the man I need to call."

VM：　That's sick. Why did you choose the name Bermuda, and what is the meaning behind the number 1383?

DG：　The name Bermuda stuck with me for a really long time. Years ago, when I skated for RVCA, I used to stay in Long Beach near Cherry Avenue with Brandon Jensen, the guy who filmed Beware of Squatch. We drove past a street called Bermuda Street almost every day. I loved how it sounded like an established brand name already. Plus, I loved the mysterious vibe of the Bermuda Triangle, ships getting lost, and that feeling of being a little lost in your own head and trying to find your way back. It resonated with things I’ve gone through in life.

VM：　And what about the 1383?

DG：　It comes from an ancient Greek word, Archaic, which translates roughly to old-fashioned, kind of like mysterious and timeless. I wanted a two-part name that felt classic. I played around with the letters... A is 1, C is 3, H is 8, C is 3. So Archaic became 1383. Then I converted it into Roman numerals (MCCCLXXXIII). I just love that raw, timeless feel.

VM：　When you launched Bermuda, you stressed that there are no outside investors or corporate backing. Why was total independence so important to you?

DG：　Because that’s genuinely how it started, with nothing. I didn't tell anyone or ask for help. I didn't even tell my close friends until I had physical sample products in my hands. Doing it independently means I get to make the graphics, source the fabrics, and design the hoodies, pants, and tees from scratch. On the flip side, handling the business side alone is tough. You have to write all the emails to skate shops, deal with distribution, pay the tax lady, and handle the boring background stuff. Some days I have to decide, "Fuck, I'm going out to grind a handrail today, so I can't answer emails until tomorrow." But that’s how skater-owned brands used to be, and I love keeping it authentic.

VM：　You mentioned custom cut-and-sew clothing and custom board shapes. You really build everything from scratch?

DG：　Yeah! For the clothing, I work with a local contact here in Portugal named Milena, who connects me directly with local textile factories. I don't just print on blank tees. I customize the fabric weight, fit, width, and seam placements for every hoodie and shirt. With the boards, I wanted a specific hybrid shape, so I worked directly with BBS to develop my own custom deck mold. It’s a lot of work, but having total control over the quality makes it worth it.

VM：　What is your long-term vision for the Bermuda team?

DG：　My dream is to build a full team and eventually be able to pay my friends to skate for Bermuda. But I don't want Bermuda to have just one rigid, corporate brand image. I want it to operate like a collective. Bermuda is in the center, and everything spreads outward like a triangle. If a rider wants a punk graphic or wants to draw their own artwork, I want them to have 100% creative freedom. I want every skater on the team to be genuinely hyped on what they are wearing and riding.

VM：　You recently dropped your debut Bermuda video part, Primary Colors. What was the concept behind that title and are there any specific clips you're stoked on?

DG：　I chose to name it Primary Colors because they are the foundation that can create every other color in the world. The part was filmed in three months with Telmo and the whole project felt super natural and low-pressure. I’m really happy with the backside tailslide and the frontside noseslide on the curved ledges. Curved ledges are tough, and I had actually just learned frontside noseslides last year, so getting those felt great.

VM：　Skating street spots in Portugal means dealing with a lot of traditional Portuguese cobblestone. How does that rough ground affect your spot selection and trick selection?

DG：　It's definitely not intentional, but Portuguese cobblestone is the national ground here! Portugal has so many undiscovered spots that people avoided for years simply because of the rough stones. The rocks are laid by hand with sand between them, so after a few tries, the stones can shift under your wheels. Going straight for an ollie or a 50-50 works okay, but doing scooping tricks like backside 180s or tailslides gets super frustrating because your wheels get caught in the cracks. Visually though, I love how raw cobblestone looks on camera. It makes everything look faster. Plus, I actually grew up skating rough cobblestone in front of my dad's house in Brazil, so it feels natural to me in a weird way.

VM：　Speaking of rough ground, Patrick O'Dell mentioned your unique wheel setup on Epicly Later'd, soft wheels on the front, hard wheels on the back. Can you explain the logic behind that setup?

DG：　(Laughs) People ask me about that in my DMs all the time! A while ago, I started riding 97a soft wheels to absorb the rough cobblestone cracks. But then I went to a spot to try a frontside blunt on a ledge, and the soft wheels were sticking too much. I was already halfway through the session, so I just swapped my back wheels to hard wheels while keeping the front soft wheels on. I got the trick, kept the setup, and never looked back.

VM：　How does that setup function when you skate day-to-day?

DG：　When you're rolling over cobblestone, your front wheels take the brunt of the impact and absorb the cracks. But when you pop or slide, your back wheels give you that hard-wheel pop and slide response. Also, my board shape is basically a twin nose, the tail is only 1mm shorter than the nose. So if I'm approaching a spot where I need soft wheels for sliding or hard wheels for popping, I can just flip my board around. It sounds crazy, but it works perfectly.

VM：　Looking ahead, what does success for Bermuda mean to you personally over the next few years?

DG：　Success to me just means the brand being self-sustaining. Having enough money to drop seasonal collections, being stocked in core skate shops alongside the brands I grew up respecting, taking a team on skate trips, doing shop demos, and keeping skateboarding core. I want to keep the spirit of skate videos and travel alive. It’s scary running everything myself, but keeping that little bit of fear and excitement pushes me to work harder. And hopefully, I'll finally make it out to Tokyo to skate!
 

Didrik Galasso
@deeddz
bermuda1383.com

Norwegian professional skateboarder based in Lisbon, Portugal. Former enjoi pro and founder of independent brand Bermuda 1383. Well known for skating notoriously rough cobblestone spots.