I don’t know whether it’s the whole nonchalant fashion style, the rebellious attitude, or the fearless stars like Tony Hawk and Shaun White, but there’s something inherently cool about skateboarding. It’s fun, it’s exciting, it’s a whole philosophy of life. And lately, skateboarding has become extremely popular for some reason with celebrities such as Justin Bieber – skateboarding for publicity. Even though it has entered mainstream culture, this type of sport and lifestyle, if you will, still manages to preserve its uniqueness. From my experience, moving around in the skater circles, I can freely say that there are no two skaters alike in the world. And if you enjoy dressing up like you’re about to do a smooth 360-degree flip, rest assured you will never cross paths with anyone wearing the same outfit.
That’s the beauty of skateboarding, it raises the importance of personal expression. Therefore, it’s no wonder we see different art forms connected to this adrenaline-filled pastime. Many skateboarders or people who are part of the skater community are also graffiti artists that treat the skate rings as a huge canvas to decorate with nonconformist symbolism. Actually, the whole world is a canvass to these people, so it’s not rare to find skateboard designs that feature some form of graffiti, whether personally added or coming straight out of the factory.
But let me be clear, you should dress and behave like a skater only if you genuinely enjoy the culture. It’s not a requirement that you skate, because not everyone can (I’ve tried dozens of times to learn, but to no avail). However, if you do feel that this style reflects your outlook on life, by visiting a skate shop online you can start to create your own personal skate-wardrobe bit by bit. Contrary to what you’d think, a skate shop does not exclusively stock skateboards and roller blades, there are also the matching fashion lines. When going through the selection of a skate shop online, you can come across sweatshirts, hoodies and trainers from some already well-known brands such as Converse, Vans, DC, Supra, Circa and more.
In the end, there’s one thing certain – skateboarding can come and go as a mainstream trend, but it will remain an evergreen hobby and way of life for all restless souls. When I ask my skater friends what is it that makes them hooked on skateboarding, the usual responses are: the wind blowing in your face when cruising down the streets, the feeling in your stomach when you do a flip thinking you’ll fall, the saggy and comfortable clothes and, of course, the laid back attitude. However, that doesn’t mean that these people are reckless and irresponsible. Actually, only true skaters know that it’s incredibly important to suit up with all the proper gear from a skate shop. This means finding the perfect type of board for safe manoeuvring and using protection gear such as helmets and knee pads all the time.