Skatewear and streetwear have always orbited the same scene, but the connection between the two has grown exponentially over the last few years.
Their similar baggy styles unite the two aesthetics, and it’s fair to say that the line between them has become pretty blurred.
Brands like Palace and Supreme have been pioneers in bridging the gap between the two scenes, even sticking a foot into the world of luxury through their various collaborations.
But what do real skaters think? Are brands and statement pieces an important element of skate culture? Or does this deduct from the carefree, anti-establishment ethos that skateboarding has always been about?
To get an idea of how skateboarding impacts individual style, I travelled down to London to ask local skaters how their style has evolved since getting into the sport.
“I started skating pretty young so it’s kind of hard to remember how I dressed before, you know?” says 22-year-old Max Goodall from Brixton.
We’re sitting on the bench at the top of the back quarter pipe in Stockwell Skatepark,
“But yeah, I’d definitely say that style is a big part of skating on the whole. When you start to identify yourself as a skater you want your clothing to reflect the group or culture that you feel connected to.”
Max is wearing a white Baker tee that is now more of a brownish grey from a day’s worth of bailing tricks and sliding across the smooth concrete. His Polar Big Boys have met a similar fate.
His Wair Max’s (Ishod Wair’s pro model) are nearly completely torn on the left toe, and are being held together in various places by smears of shoe goo.
As the conversation continued, we got on to the subject of brands and the difference between skate and streetwear.
“Brands are important in skating for sure, but not just for style. Most of the time these skate brands started out making decks, and the clothes came second. That’s what I would say still separates streetwear and skatewear, because skatewear brands usually served a purpose outside of just fashion.”
It might just be this sense of functionality that keeps skatewear grounded in its own scene, even since the industry’s continued commodification of it.
For a lot of skaters, the clothes they wear aren’t just to fit into an aesthetic. They’re about representation, heritage, and practicality.
While streetwear evolves season to season, skatewear’s development has been a slower journey, with the shredded-up shoes and sun-fade tees being a visual representation of a commitment to the sport.
The two scenes might be deeply connected through their baggy profiles and individual devotion to certain brands, but it’s undeniable that skateboarding has never been defined by just looking the part.
