Which menswear brands do skaters love? – words Andre Wahlberg
The contemporary skateboarding industry is one of great instability and flux, with so many pioneering brands emerging, being talked up and then promptly disappearing without trace.
Nonetheless, with skateboarders having exerted such influence on the fashion industry down the years, there’s also no question that this is an innovative and forward-thinking part of the fashion scene. The following brands are just a few of those that are responsible for that. So what are the current brands that skaters love?
Jimmy Sweatpants
Founded in 2013 by Jimmy Gorecki, Jimmy Sweatpants has proved a great source of simple, but eye-catching skate clothing that creates a buzz, not least thanks to endorsements from many of the most authoritative figures in streetwear.
The label describes its clothing as “not to be worn during business, work or domestic chores”, and given that its most memorable past creations include some seriously trippy tie-dye sweats, we can sort-of see why.
Dickies
By contrast with many of the other skate brands on this list, Dickies has not only been around the proverbial block a few times – having been founded in the early 20th century – but was also not originally conceived as a skate brand, actually making its name in workwear.
Such factors help to make Dickies a fine choice as a source of such incidentally skate-appropriate fashions as its jeans and denim, shorts, polos and hoodies. Check out Dickies’ sophisticated but purposeful range of shirts for yourself and try telling us you disagree.
Isle
It may be another relative newcomer even by the standards of a highly transient skate clothing industry, but Isle has already made a big impact since its 2014 establishment.
You can thank the incredible artistic eye of founder Nick Jensen for that – his graphics are as worthy of gallery or museum display as they are of the UK’s more discerning skate parks. Jensen sculpts, paints and photographs each board graphic in his studio, making Isle a brand in his own creative image.
Asphalt Yacht Club
Some of the most intriguing skatewear brands are inevitably those conceived by actual skaters, with Stevie Williams undoubtedly one of the most influential in the field in this regard. Having already flaunted his clothing design credentials with DGK, he set up Asphalt Yacht Club in 2013.
Williams’ style signature may be a combination of sports jerseys, fitted hats and gold chains and teeth, but his brand isn’t one for posers. It is, instead, geared to serious skaters seeking the finest hoodies, T-shirts and 5-panel hats in which to simply chill.
Primitive
Eight-time X Games medallist Paul Rodriguez is a man whose impact on the skating scene commands respect, with the story of his effortlessly cool brand being no different.
From crewneck sweatshirts and 5-panel hats to camo pants and raw denim, the Primitive label – founded in 2009 – really has grown to embrace all obvious, and some less obvious, manifestations of skate-oriented streetwear.
There has been much past chatter about the rise and fall of skateboard chic, but for as long as agile, fresh and imaginative brands like the above exist, skater fashion will never entirely submit to the stifling mainstream – and for that, we salute them all.
Which menswear brands do skaters love? – words Andre Wahlberg
