A long list of stories for our time this week. Some don’t even mention COVID-19. We can say that when everyone is locked up in their own homes they just don’t generate as much news. Duh! So here you go.
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Skateboarding
At Noon PST on April 28, 2020 Vans is hosting a virtual gathering to celebrate and remember the live of beloved Vans family member and skateboarding icon Jeff Grosso.
Grosso leaves behind a prolific legacy of skateboarding history, having touched the lives of skaters—and skate nerds—of all ages and backgrounds with his cunning commentary, tenacious attitude, and enduring activism for preserving the core. The special ceremony will showcase never-before-seen-footage of Jeff doing what he does best, along with personal video dedications from friends and family. Moderated by Chris Nieratko, the event will close with an intimate memorial gathering with respected skate names such as Steve Van Doren, Loveletters to Skateboarding co-creators Rick Charnoski and Buddy Coan, John Lucero, Steve Olson, Steve Alba and Lizzie Armanto.
The memorial livestreaming on Grosso’s birthday will be hosted on Vans YouTube and Vans Facebook at 12pmPST / 3PM EST. For all the details, please follow the jump.
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Vans Global Brand President Doug Palladini sent a letter to Vans employee world wide outlining the work that Vans is currently doing to support those in need. He included the Vans ‘Foot The Bill’ initiative, product donations and partnership with Hedley & Bennett to use Vans’ shoe canvas to make and donate more than 250,000 reusable facial masks.
As a brand engrained in the belief that we aren’t a shoe and apparel company but a people company that makes shoes and apparel, looking after our people has always been and will remain our top priority. This commitment rang true in March as we made the decision to shift corporate offices to remote working and temporarily closed our stores in the U.S. and Canada to prioritize the safety and health of you and all of our store associates. I am especially humbled by the fact that in partnership with VF Corp., we’ve been able to ensure that our store associates have continued to receive full pay and benefits during closures. Additionally, I want to express my personal appreciation for our distribution center associates who continue to facilitate consumer purchases from Vans.com. Their dedication to our brand is truly inspiring and together with VF Corp., we continue to implement proactive steps to uphold the well-being of our associates.
During these rough times it’s great to see good people (and brands) rising to the challenge in such positive ways. So stoked that Vans is able to do the right thing for their employees and for people around the world. For the entire letter, please follow the jump.
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Vans new skateboarding film Credits premieres live today (April 21, 2020) on Vans Youtube channel. The film, directed by skateboarder and filmmaker Shari White features an all-women cast including Una Farrar, Breana Geering, and Fabiana Delfino.
Credits marks an important milestone for the women’s skateboarding community, exposing a title that in jest challenges the idea that women have often only been showcased in the “credits” section of skate videos. Here, in stark contrast to the former status quo, Una, Breana and Fabiana emerge, gracing the screen with full, complete parts in their own major video. . . “Everyone had the opportunity to film their best skating over the past year, with their homies cheering them on,” film director White said of the project. “That is what skateboarding is all about! The laughter and friendship, along with the battles—I hope viewers get a sense of that feeling.”
To watch live, please click the link. For more info, follow the jump.
[Link: Vans on Youtube]
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Oh, the sand spreading continues. This time in Venice, California where the sand is much closer. And, hey, no one is using it on the beach anyway. You’d think city governments would see the difference between keeping citizens safe and working to drive them crazy. Guess not.
[Link: ShackedMag]
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The City of San Clemente, California has raised the absurdity bar to record heights with their latest “solution” to skateboarders continuing to exercise their right to exercise in the Ralphs Skate Court, according to a story in the San Clemente Times. They poured 37 tons of sand all over it.
“We did consider fencing. Fencing is really difficult to get right now, and we know we’ve done fencing at the skate park before, and it just gets hopped over,” Wylie said, later adding: “We also considered security, but there’s a cost to that. The sand, it cost us nothing to put it in, (and) it’ll cost us nothing to remove it. So that’s why we went with that decision.”
Problem solved. But now it looks like a really cool place to take your off-road RC cars, right?
[Link: SC Times]
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It’s one of those partnerships that should have happened long ago. Why wouldn’t the world’s most recognizable skateboarder wear the world’s most authentic skateboarding shoe? Duh! So today, it’s official. Tony Hawk is a global brand ambassador for Vans.
“Vans has supported skateboarding since the very beginning, and never wavered in its commitment, even with massive mainstream success,” said Tony Hawk. “I have always respected their integrity, so it is an honor to officially join forces and help continue to grow skateboarding culture in the most authentic way possible.”
It’s weird, but we’re oddly stoked that Tony is back in the Vans family. Aren’t you? For the official word from Vans, please follow the jump.
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We’ve collected a monster page full of all the news that is news. We’d like to apologize in advance for all the COVID-19 stories. Personally, we been skipping the news lately as an act of self preservation, but please feel free to dive in. Hope you’re all safe and well. Really.
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All this sheltering in place has us looking forward to pretty much anything good that might happen in the future, and getting a solid new skate game on PS4, XBox, and Nintendo Switch in July is definitely something to look forward to, especially if we’re still locked indoors in four months. Know what we mean?
[Link: Happy Gamer]
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