In loving memory
AustinSparks
Ten years. A lifetime of memories.
“He could fly on those printers — and he made the shop feel like home.”
Austin wasn't just part of DesignSkinz. He was family. He was there from the very beginning, when we were making our first skins around the kitchen table, long before there was a warehouse, a team, or thousands of orders going out the door.
As DesignSkinz grew, Austin grew right alongside it. He knew the printers, loved the designs, and somehow always found a way to make the shop a little more fun. He was really good at printing quickly, and he was proud of how fast he could get orders out.
We lost Austin on October 7, 2021, but there's never been a day when he hasn't been part of this place.
Chapter one · 2011
The first shop
DesignSkinz didn't start with a business plan. It started with family. Austin was there the day the first skin came off the cutter — and from that day on, he never really left.
Chapter two · The early days
Everything got skinned
Before anything went up for sale, Austin wore it. Beats, MacBooks, whatever came off the printer that week — he was the first customer of every design. If it survived Austin, it shipped.
Chapter three
The face of the logo
When the brand needed somebody to wear it, there was exactly one obvious choice. Austin in the logo tee — half serious, half about to laugh. That was him in one frame.
Chapter four · The warehouse years
The shop grew up. So did he.
The kitchen table became a storefront, the storefront became a brick warehouse full of printers — and Austin grew up right alongside all of it. Boxes stacked to the rafters, vinyl on every table, and him in the middle of it, running the place like he owned it.
Chapter five · The printers
Quick on the printers
Ask anyone who ever worked alongside Austin, and they'll tell you the same thing: that boy could run a printer. He was really good at printing quickly, and he took pride in getting orders out fast. We wouldn't have it any other way.
The hoverboard
Shop lore
The little things we’ll never forget.
2017 · The longboard
His car broke down. He showed up anyway.
One morning Austin’s car was messed up. Most people would’ve texted an excuse for why they couldn’t make it in. Not Austin. He grabbed his longboard and rode it all the way down the highway to work — and he was still there before the rest of us got there that morning.
I’ll never forget that.
His birthday
There from the very first skin in 2011 — a decade of the journey
Really good at printing fast — and he made it look easy
Skinned his own Beats before skinned Beats were even a product
The Austin Collection
Some designs never go out of style. Some memories never fade.
Austin loved tie-dye. Whenever new patterns came through the shop, he was the first to pick his favorites, print them, and put them on just about everything he owned. Over the years, he helped build a collection of designs that are still part of DesignSkinz today. We've kept them together as The Austin Collection, every pattern a little reminder of his creativity, his personality, and the guy who helped make this place what it is. These were Austin's favorites. Now they're a permanent part of his legacy.
19 designs · picked by Austin · 2011 – 2021
Forever part of DesignSkinz
Austin Sparks
December 12, 1996 – October 7, 2021
Austin may have only been with us for ten years, but the impact he made will last a lifetime.
He was there when DesignSkinz began. He helped us grow, made us laugh, and left behind memories that will always be part of who we are.
The printers are still running. The orders are still shipping. And every time one of his favorite tie-dye designs comes off the printer, we’re reminded of Austin and how much he loved this place.
We miss you, Austin. Every single day.
Forever family. Forever part of the crew.