JOANNE Watkinson
FASHION IS STILL ON BOARD WITH SKATE STYLE
Back in 2002, when Avril Lavigne sang about her Sk8ter Boi, she did nothing for the appeal of skate fashion: studded wristlets, jean chains, caps worn on the side... and as for the school tie she wore in the music video, the less said about that the better.
Fast forward 20 years and skate culture holds so much influence on fashion it’s impossible to look at streetstyle imagery without seeing the impact it has had.
While long hair, baggy tees, ripped jeans and Dickies all make up the look personified by skaters, as a cultural phenomenon it’s so much more than that. Think super-size logos, oversized clothing and Nike Dunks and you’re getting closer.
Nineties street culture has swept through the fashion landscape of late, but it took a while before I took notice that skate was a common thread.
So much of what we wear has roots in skate culture. Hoodies – that casual cover-up turned fashion musthave, are worn by skaters to conceal their identity when skating in prohibited places.
Their loose trousers, known this season as parachute pants, were comfy enough to move freely and jump in, while the humble white crew sock was a staple on the half pipe (or skate ramp to us non-skaters).
Supreme, a brand which embodies skate culture, launched as an unassuming skate board-come-clothing shop in downtown New York in 1994. Founder James Jebbia who sold Supreme in 2020 for $2bn, created a cult status with small sell-out drops launched at the same time each week.
Supreme now collaborates with French luxury brand Louis Vuitton and has as much of an international following as the fashion house.
On this side of the Pond, skatewear has seen the same trajectory.
London-born Palace is on the cusp of launching its first collaboration with Gucci, not bad for a brand set up on “a wing and a prayer” in 2009 by skaters Lev Tanju and Gareth Skewis, who named the brand after the not-so palatial flat they were living in at the time. But not all skate brands have the same razzle dazzle or waiting list.
Lots of streetwear brands get you the look without a hefty price tag – Carharrt,
Stussy, Lost Art, Polar, Noah, Aries...
So next time you pull on your hoodie, remember you are part of an important sub-culture, without ever having set foot on a board.