Stop us if we’d said this before, but we’d put Boa on all our shoes just to get rid of bulky, unsightly laces. That’s part of the reason why Vans’ new Verse snowboard boots look so good.
Offering extensive technical range and precision across two different lacing zones, the Verse is formulated with the Boa® Custom Focus Plus system, allowing for double optimization in and around the boot. Paired with Vans’ adjustable Custom Slide-Guide, the Verse provides maximum heel-hold and a more personalized, comfortable fit. The Verse lacing system is also protected by a waterproof zip-up shroud to seal the lower portion of the boot from the elements, keeping your feet dry during long days on snow. Complete with heat-moldable Custom Liners and UltraCush V3 footbeds, this versatile all-mountain snowboard boot features Vans’ new lightweight and responsive Ultimate Waffle outsole that offers first-rate heel dampening and asymmetrical arch support.
Sounds like a good pair of boots. For the rest of the features (and photos), please follow the jump.
Gnu and Airblaster have teamed up to create a vibrant collection that includes men’s and women’s ninja suit baselayers, waterproof/breathable Freedom Suits, a Ninja Mask, winter parkas, waterproof sweatpants and a Gnu Snowboard. What else do you really need this winter? For all the details, click the link.
We all know where Supreme got their logo. Yes, they “appropriated” it from artist Barbara Kruger from the beginning. But now, she’s taking skateboarding back with a little help from Volcom in a pop-up shop of her own as part of Performa, a performance art biennial that runs through November 19 in New York, according to a story in W Magazine.
“Believe me, I wasn’t thinking about Supreme,” Kruger said of her Performa commission. “Really, I was not thinking about it at all. I’ve just been doing my thing for a long time, and they popped up and did theirs, and I don’t own that typeface, you know? I don’t own a logo. But what they do has little to do with the ideas that have been fueling my artwork for my whole career—questions of justice and power and control. The last thing I would ever think of is a streetwear brand.”
And that’s why we’ve always preferred Kruger. Another part of her Perform commission was this work at Coleman Skate Park.
Merge4 is proud to welcome Aaron Favero as the company’s director of sales and marketing. Aaron will be responsible for “building the brand, growing distribution and stoking out the feet of people from sea to shining sea and beyond.”
“Aaron has a proven record of facilitating long-term business relationships with retailers and industry experts,” says Merge4 Founder Cindi Ferreira Busenhart. “His attitude and personality are perfect fits with all of us at MERGE4. Having Aaron on our team will only enhance our goals to provide quality, innovative socks to the marketplace with dedication to the customers and community. I’m so grateful we can finally work together!”
For the official word from Merge4, please follow the jump.
Vans team rider Daniel Lutheran specs up an Old Skool Pro with a whole new color way for the holidays.
Drawing inspiration from his vibrant nature, the Dan Lu-endorsed Old Skool Pro is designed with fresh harbor grey canvas and suede uppers, complimented by a pearl pink-toned Sidestripe. With Daniel’s original artwork and a self-portrait on the footbeds, this personalized silhouette features an embroidered handwritten signature by Lutheran on the tongue and an ode to his home state of New Mexico with the Zia symbol stitched onto the heel.
What a nice looking shoe. It’s almost like no one else makes skate shoes anymore. Do they? Click the jump for all the details.
Burton just launched their new 2018 Team USA Snowboarding uniforms inspired by NASA. Jake Burton, not always the biggest fan of snowboard team uniforms,has been very honored to outfit the team for the last four Olympics. Here is his explanation.
“The sport of snowboarding is neither nationalistic nor team-oriented in nature; however, all of that changes for a minute every four years during the Olympic Games,” said Jake Burton, Founder and Chairman of Burton Snowboards. “If the global expectations are that U.S. snowboarders represent their country in a uniform, then Burton wants to design and manufacture it. By doing so, we assure U.S. riders that they will have outerwear they can trust to perform at the highest level with a look they have input into and ultimately respect. Simply put, they want snowboarding outerwear, not athletic wear, and who better than Burton to provide it.”
If someone is going to do it, it might as well be Burton. And here’s what Greg Dacyshyn has come up with for 2018.
Inspired by the rich history of the American space program, the 2018 U.S. Snowboard Team uniform is both innovative in function and retro-futuristic in design. On the futuristic side, both the competition jacket and pant have a liquid metal look, thanks to an exclusive iridescent silver fabric coated in very fine, real aluminum. Burton custom developed the fabric solely for the 2018 uniform by infusing an extremely lightweight aluminum-coated fabric typically used for audio equipment with highly technical properties ideal for snowboarding in any weather condition. The end result is a super technical, lightweight and waterproof fabric that reflects and deflects light as well as sound. Next, to pay homage to the spirit of the American space program, the competition jacket also features hand-drawn patches depicting the American flag and ‘USA’ in space-age font. Even the inside of the jacket is highly detailed, with artwork sewn to the lining that includes Korean translations of helpful lighthearted phrases like ‘Do you speak English?’ and ‘Wish me luck!’.
We like ’em. Just wish they came with a full mirrored isolation helmet so we wouldn’t have to talk to people on the lift. Do they? For the official word from Burton, please follow the jump.
If Kering, the parent company of Gucci and Volcom, believes that Puma is a “noncore asset” and is looking to sell the German footwear company for $7 Billion (according to Challenges via Hypebeast) so it can focus more on “luxury,” what does this mean for VeeCo? Seeing as Kering’s Sport & Lifestyle division is made up of Puma, Volcom, and Cobra Golf who knows what’s ahead.
The big question: how long will it be before Kering sells Volcom back to Wooly at a hugely discounted price? Will it be soon? We hope so.
Maybe someone who understands how business works can explain why Billabong, the company that ran itself onto the rocks after paying way to much for way too many smaller companies would now, after beginning to claw their way back to open ocean, look at picking up Rip Curl, and an online retailer (Surfstitch) which they have already bought and sold once, according to a story in The Australian.
Anyone have any theories? Increased sales? Independent online retail looking up? Eliminate a competitor? Give money to their friends and former business associates?
Sometimes it’s hard to be a punk rock fashion line in the grand house of Gucci. Try though they might it seems that Volcom just can’t live up to the expectations of its parent Kering, according to a story on SBGmedia.
Kering reported revenues in its Sport & Lifestyle segment grew 15.9 percent on a currency-neutral basis as a 17.3 percent jump at Puma offset a decline at Volcom. . . Volcom’s performance continued to be hampered by the challenges faced by specialist distributors in the US.”
Merge4 is proud to welcome Aaron Favero as the company’s director of sales and marketing. Aaron will be responsible for “building the brand, growing distribution and stoking out the feet of people from sea to shining sea and beyond.”
If 
Maybe someone who understands how business works can explain why 
