We chat with street soccer legend Edward van Gils about not only his Tattoos but growing up in Amsterdam, street soccer, playing in air maxes and his journey with the game of soccer. We learn the deeper stories behind his ink and what that ink means to him.
We sat down with the tattoo artist responsible for some of the Premier League’s best ink, Jessica Simpson. Jessica has tattooed Hector Bellerin, Danny Williams, and DeAndre Yedlin. Perhaps her most impressive and reported-about piece is on the back of Watford’s Andre Gray. Nicknamed by some the “Black History Tattoo,” Simpson decorated Gray’s entire back with incredible portraits of some of the world’s most important black leaders and activists. From Marcus Garvey to Bob Marley and from Rosa Parks to Nelson Mandela, Gray and Simpson combined for a marvelous work of art paying homage to black leaders.
Listen to Jess tell her stories about her first tattoo that she got when she was fifteen and when she used her own legs to practice her artform. Make sure to follow Jess on IG @jess_on_tatts to see more of her incredible work and portraits and tune in to Black Crew Ink season 6 on VH1 to see Jess ply her craft with the crew in Chicago.
For this episode of Shirts and Skins, presented by World Soccer Shop, we feature Danny Williams. The German American midfielder has featured for the US Men’s National team, played in the Bundesliga and the Premier league and is currently playing for Pafos in the Cypriot First Division, the top division in Cyprus. His journey is documented and commemorated in his tattoos. We get to know Danny through his ink, from what it was like growing up German American to his mom battling cancer to playing across Europe and the UK to overcomming injuries and setbacks to making a comback and achieving his dream of playing in the Premier League.
Check out the full interview and photoset below and Be sure to follow Danny on instagram @chilliams23
In this episode of Shirts and Skins, we catch up with Natasha (Tasha) Kai, former USWNT player and member of their gold medal-winning squad. Tasha takes us on her tattoo journey from her very first ink, which, she may or may not regret to the, to her getting tattooed in the traditional Hawaiian method of “bone tattooing”. Tasha is not shy about the way she expresses herself and her love for ink. Enjoy getting to know Tasha Kai. Check out the full conversation and photoset below.
Follow Tasha on Instagram: @NatashaKai6
photo cred: @idriserba
For the premiere of Shirts and Skins we sit down with Deandre Yedlin of the US Men’s National Team and the Premier League’s Newcastle United. DeAndre takes us through his tattoo journey from his first tattoo to the one he regrets the most and caps it off with giving us his three favorite pieces. We explore the inspiration and the stories behind the art. Check out the episode and photoset below.
