A Quick Introduction
Early on in lockdown, a buddy of mine began hosting a weekly virtual meetup to replicate the feeling of sitting around with friends post-session watching skate videos. Time and time again, whether the clip being discussed was old or new, the conversation would devolve into nit-picking about kits. During one of these discussions, the same friend who initiated the virtual skate video party typed up a gem and hit enter.
“Going skateboarding is just an excuse to get dressed.”
This phrase would germinate a seed that was sewn years ago by a cryptic text message screenshot. The roots of the Skatelier newsletter began to grow.
The numbered list of garment combinations reads like the head of an esteemed atelier listing off projects for his subordinates to work on. It’s confusing to begin with, but the fact that it was sent to a contractor who’s wardrobe consisted of free Mead Clark Lumber hats and 501s makes it even better.
One tenet of the Skatelier philosophy is that the most important and fundamental way to present skateboarding is through filming and making videos. Skateboarding is not a sport, and aesthetics have always held equal importance to pure physical ability. When watching a video it’s impossible not to notice the effect that clothing choice has on these aesthetics. In the past, candid discussions about pants or whatever were rare and certain groups pushed the narrative that skateboarding was “not a fashion show.” Luckily, over the past few years, dialogue about the connection between the act and the gear has become less taboo.
The prevalence of the Strobeckian zoom has morphed the skate video into a virtual catwalk. The skateboard internet is collectively obsessed with pants. Quartersnacks, one of the first outlets to notice this burgeoning pants obsession, has done deep dives on Light-Ass Denim and the Phattest outfits in the history of our activity. Skateboarders own clothing companies and work as editors at fashion magazines. Skate shops have access to exclusive clothing accounts that draw in non-skate clientele. The two worlds are inextricably linked.
Collectively, the group of skilled artisans at Skatelier have worked in 3 menswear stores, 4 skate shops, and one of those goofy Vans flagship stores inside a mall. Our team was in the trenches during the Half Cabs/brown cords/white tee/orange beanie era of the Slap message boards. Countless time has been spent on research, including over 10,000 hours staring at a computer looking at shoes. Our goal is to use this experience and insight to send you entertaining emails about the overlap between the worlds of clothing and skateboarding.
With the current state of the world, there are many more important and worthwhile ways to engage with skateboarding beyond discussing hem widths or whatever. We are hoping to simply provide a short respite from the crushing weight everything that’s going on. Tuesday newsletters will be listicles, interviews, gear recs, profiles of individuals with immaculate fashion sense, etc. On Fridays we’ll use the algorithm found in the Skatelier crew’s brain stems to curate a list of 5 memorable outfits with photos and .gifs to accompany.
Thanks for reading, please tell your friends.
-Skatelier