NOT GUILTY OF SKATER FASHION APPROPRIATION

Hello! So I wasn’t going to write a blog post about the last “skater-inspired” casual ootd that I posted on Instagram, but I started feeling like I had better write something about skate wear and the ongoing appropriation of skate culture in fashion.

In case you weren’t aware, for the past couple of years the fashion world has been obsessing over skateboarding culture. Brands and models have been borrowing skate looks and Thrasher logos for photo shoots and runways, and boards have become the ultimate accessory.

Photo: Grazia France

Skate ramp becomes the runway for Dim Mak Clothing at NY Fashion Week. Photo: @audiokim_

I’m personally not sure why skating has become such a source of fashion inspiration. Most skaters I know dress terribly. But skateboarding has always been a “cool” and “underground” and even secret sort of thing for me, and that kind of mystery eventually starts appealing to the masses.

I have been skating since the late 80s (yes, before many of you were born) and I pretty much spent junior high, high school, and college dressed as a boy in baggy pants and Bob-sized shirts. I was not sexy, but I was cute and I definitely had my own style. Fast forward a bunch of years, and I’m still wearing skate hoodies and searching eBay for vintage skate tees. Except now I’m viewed as stylish and not awkward and out of place.

Here I am appropriating the appropriation of skate culture.

I have read on the web about skaters and filmers getting irritated about Vogue’s Skate Week and mad at Rihanna for rocking the Thrasher so hard. I guess it is all funny to me. I can see why skaters feel so defensive; skating really becomes a part of you and your identity so it’s super frustrating to see all these fashion stars just not “getting it.” It’s like when media tries to portray any subculture…cholos, punkers, rappers…they are almost never accurate. But you might end up loving it. Or hating it.

Do you love this or hate this? Photo: Grazia France

Love or hate? I love this, but can she skate? Photo: c/o Boardrap.com

So here I am in my vintage Shorty’s shirt, which is selling on eBay for around $100 (I paid $13 for mine). I cut mine so it has a raw collar and more feminine look. I’m one of the top posts for #shortysskateboards and I bet Muska is rolling his eyes hard because look what has become of his brand.

But hey, I can kickflip, and I’ve had swellbows, and my skatewear knowledge dates back to Limpies! I am “allowed” to wear this, right? The easy answer is yes. The easiest answer is: Yes, anybody should be allowed to wear anything.

I’ll still cringe when I see a mallgrab on the runway or in a magazine. And Thrasher hoodies have become so ubiquitous in LA, I stopped wearing mine because I didn’t want to look like a poser. Haha. But I find other ways of representing skateboarding and the skate brands and teams that I love.

I made this shirt on Etsy. These are the names of the most influential women in skateboarding.

Thanks so much for letting me share my story!

Top :: Shorty’s Skateboards

Name shirt :: Etsy seller Zerobriant

Jeans :: Frame Denim

Shoes :: Reebok