SUMMARY
Discover skateboarding culture!
Video in Skateboarding
Video is central to skateboarding, especially street. It spread and popularized the sport when it was the only way to share it.
Videos that defined generations and skateboarding history prove the link. Tricks and their sequences became the benchmark for a good video.
But aesthetics, overall feel, and style are crucial for it to make history. A memorable skateboarding video part usually has a soundtrack that ‘sticks’ to each skater’s sequences.
Skateboarding videographers Ty Evans and Spike Jonze, known for ‘Yeah Right!’, were the first to push video production. They use cinematic techniques and special effects. Now they film with HD cameras.
Fashion in Skateboarding
Skateboarding fashion has evolved a lot throughout its history.
From 50s youth style to 70s surfer vibes, skateboarding changed fundamentally in the 80s. It split into two main disciplines: Street and Bowl.
Bowl and Street each evolved through their own environments. Places and music shaped their clothing styles.
Like iconic Vans, many other brands became skateboarding staples, defining their eras.
You don’t need a specific outfit for skateboarding. Just wear everyday clothes that let you move freely.
Bowl skaters often wear clothes from working-class Californian teens. Street skaters adopt an American urban culture look.
In the 1970s, the style was surfer-inspired: shorts, bright colors, surfer accessories.
From the 1980s, as skateboarding hit big American cities, skaters’ looks went urban.
In the 90s, skaters popularized a loose style, inspired by rap. It was called ‘Big pants, small wheels’: long, branded white tees and baggy pants, with brands like Supreme (1994).
Skaters’ success and media exposure made them fashion trendsetters. Their streetwear style was gradually adopted by youth and the public globally.
Big ready-to-wear companies quickly jumped on this trend, investing in major skateboarding brands like Vans.
Vans sneakers, huge with skaters in the 80s, made a comeback from 2010.
Since the 2010s, luxury brands like Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Kenzo, and Saint-Laurent have tried to co-opt skateboarding culture to refresh their image.
