Skateboarding Is Not a Fashion - by Juergen Blumlein & Dirk Vogel & Cap10 (Hardcover)

About the Book

The way apparel has been worn and created by skateboarders over the past 50 years has had a tremendous impact on popular culture at large. In 'Skateboarding Is Not A Fashion', the authors have taken great effort to document all aspects of this aesthetic movement; from its roots in the 1950s as an offshoot of surfing culture, through the early 1980s when skateboarding "found itself" after a crucial underground period of soul searching and DIY expressions of individuality. Early generations of surfers and skaters wore coastal lifestyle brands such as Jantzen, Hang Ten, Jams, Vans and Hobie. As the culture progressed and developed its own distinct identity, brands core to the scene such as Vans, Santa Cruz, Powell-Peralta, Sims, Alva, Jimmy'Z and many more jumped into the fray with their own apparel. Nearly every area of garment design was touched by skate wear's aesthetic-- influencing the design and fashion of innumerable media from printed T-shirts to board shorts and denim to track suits along the way

Book Synopsis

Skateboarding Is Not A Fashion is the culture's magnum opus look book. The gigantic first edition was an instant sellout, so the authors felt compelled to stuff even more content into this revised volume, now standing at almost 700 pages!

As the culture moved on from its "novelty" stage as an offshoot of the surfing craze in the early days and developed its own distinct identity, brands core to the scene such as Vans, Santa Cruz, Powell-Peralta, Sims, Alva, Jimmy'Z brought their distinct visions to the table. Nearly every area of garment design was touched by skate wear's aesthetic- influencing the design and fashion of innumerable media from printed T-shirts to board shorts and denim to track suits along the way. Telling the inside story of skate couture in the words of those who lived it, Skateboarding Is Not A Fashion features original commentary from designers, company founders, and pro skateboarders who have defined skateboarding's look for entire generations. Skate personalities we meet include Stacy Peralta, Lance Mountain, Tony Alva, Brad Bowman, Steve Olson, Steve Caballero, Steve Van Doren, and many more.