Image via Soulland / Nike SB
We all know that skateboarding is en vogue right now — literally in fact, thanks to Vogue's 'Skateboarding Week' — and you could be forgiven for tiring of all the skateboarding/fashion crossover collections we've seen in the last few years. It's true there's been a lot of collaborations, and while most have hit the right tones, it doesn't feel like some of them have really done either end of the spectrum justice. They've tended to be either just erring too much on the side of fashion, making the skateboarding link feel tenuous and contrived, or too far the other way, making it feel like a fashion brand's novelty foray into streetwear. The happy medium has been a tough thing to find, and while many collaborations have got there — think Supreme x Comme Des Garçons SHIRT and Gosha Rubchinskiy x Vans — some have slightly missed the mark.
Last week, Copenhagen Fashion Week was in full swing, and so was the Copenhagen Open skate competition. That meant Europe's fashion industry descended on the city just as the skateboarding community did. It was the perfect stage for Soulland, Eric Koston and Nike SB to showcase their collaboration — the latest collaboration that manages to hit every note and nuance needed to balance the two aesthetics in one collection.
Soulland was born from a love of skateboarding. Silas Adler, founder of Soulland, has always skated and been an active member of Copenhagen's thriving skate scene; “I’m more interested in skateboarding than I am in fashion. I'm interested in fashion because that’s my job but skateboarding is my number one interest.” This shows, when you look at the collections Soulland have released, in the aesthetic they've made their trademark and the way they've handled themselves since the fashion industry has taken notice of them. They haven't pandered to trends or knocked out hype collaborations, they've stuck to their guns and won praise for their work fair and square.
The opportunity to work with Nike SB and Eric Koston on a collaboration wasn’t one Adler took lightly, Koston was a lifelong hero for him, and he knew exactly how the skate world would react if he didn’t get the collection spot on; “going from skateboarding to one foot in skateboarding and one foot in fashion, I think everyone involved took a risk trying to merge those two worlds. After I went from being a skateboard T-shirt company to being a menswear company I never flirted with skateboarding because it is so precious to me … I didn’t want to fuck it up and do something that’s not true to the skateboard culture.”
Even the motif they took for the collection, FRI.day, goes back to the skate culture and lifestyle. Literally, it means “free day”, but it also refers to the way the kids and skaters end their nights out in Copenhagen; with a swim in the city’s harbour and canals. “I think that’s one of the most beautiful things about Copenhagen youth culture, how we used to after a night out, or after a skate session, just go in and jump in the water. That’s a very me thing … Friday afternoon, it’s long, it’s sunny and you’re off your job or school and you have a whole weekend coming up to meet up with your skatefriends or whatever, have a skate session, bring some beers, party and then on the way home, the sun goes up and you jump in the water.” (Ed. note: Sounds pretty idyllic, imo)
And who better for them to work with on the collaboration than Eric Koston? Not only is he a legend in skateboarding, he’s also breaking boundaries with his footwear. The Koston 3 shocked the community when it released, which Koston himself admits; “It was a shock to skateboarders and I knew that, I knew it was going to be. I knew I was going to be faced with a lot of defiance in the skateboard world because some guys or a lot of them are very conservative.” It makes for the perfect canvas for Soulland to work with though, because the already boundary-pushing nature of the shoe means there was license to take it in a very fashion-led direction, and really commit to their vision.
The end product of this collaboration really is the perfect balance of skate and fashion aesthetics and silhouettes, as well as the perfect balance of Soulland, Koston and Nike SB. You’ve got staples like the Skyline T-shirt and coaches jacket, and the hoodie that sit perfectly alongside the shirts and suit — yes, a full suit — that complete the apparel collection. Premium production and materials also add to the quality of the crossover; buttery-soft leather and nappy suede on the shoes, and premium materials across all of the apparel make sure you know this isn’t your average skatewear. Add to that the way Adler and Soulland have broken up the Nike SB logo on the apparel, and reduced the size of the Swoosh on the Koston 1 model, and it’s immediately obvious that the crew are on to a winner.
It’s clear that fashion’s love for skateboarding isn’t going to go away any time soon, and there are definitely more crossovers between the two worlds on the cards. All we can say is we hope more of them work as well as this one.
The Soulland Meets Eric Koston For Nike SB collection is available now from select retailers like Goodhood as well as the Soulland and Nike SB webstores.
