Fashion is unanimous: the skater boy is one of the fashion trends for spring 2023. Maybe it’s even a real “Sk8er Boi”, like in the Avril Lavigne hit from 2002? Like punks and rap, skaters have always been about distinguishing the real ones from the posers. The basics of the subculture: You can dress in baggy clothes however you want, but we can still tell that you’re not wearing anything and that you’re about to fall off the board.
Is that still so strict today? Maybe not when skater legend Tony Hawk personally verifies a fashion collection through his presence. The 54-year-old sat front row as Dior unveiled the Spring 2023 collection in Venice Beach, sporting super baggy pants (so low-rise that boxers poked out at the top), thick dangling wallet chains and low-top trainers, like those that have long been available from skate brands like DC Shoes and Osiris (with extra fat tongues and laces).
After the show, Hawk said on his podcast that he was surprised at how strongly the collection was about the “90s skate vibe,” even though he didn’t understand why the Dior people were so keen on having him on board. They pampered him and his wife with goodie bags full of bags and jewelry, and told him the color of the pants they gave him to wear was inspired by the concrete at Venice Skate Park. He seemed to find it all quite amusing.
Also in the new collections of Fendi and Prada, many now recognize “skater boy fits”
In the new collections from Fendi and Prada, too, many now recognize “skater boy fits”, Lanvin calls its current sneaker model “Curb”, like the skate trick, and JW Anderson has just designed a grunge knit sweater with a splintered knitted sweater through the chest skateboard is stuck right over the heart. Why does fashion love the skater so much? The boring explanation: It’s just part of the Y2K retro trend and now it’s its turn again.
The more interesting explanation: Since the corona pandemic, the skater has been admired all the more because he is out in the fresh air so much and – as the “Welt am Sonntag” wrote – because he (is) a “rebel” who takes on the public space conquered”. However, the new luxury skateboard wear might be too expensive for young skaters. Maybe the customers include those who were already boys or Bois around 2000 and who now have money? Your knees may have been squeaking for a long time, and maybe you no longer have any lateral ligaments in your ankle from all those ollies. But that doesn’t mean that you don’t have style anymore!
This column first appeared in the Musikexpress issue 01/2023.