Jackson joins the Under Armour team with a multi-year partnership, alongside veterans and snowboarding icons Bjorn Leines, Kyle Clancy as well as multi-slope mavens Chas Guldemond, Dustin Craven and Tyler Nicholson. Together, these athletes will be critical in building upon Under Armour’s legacy of innovation and developing state-of-the-art outdoor performance gear. . . “There are many new heights I want to reach in snowboarding,” said Jackson. “I’m very happy to team up with a company who is committed to technology, design, and to making athletes better. I am beyond stoked to be able to be working with one of the world’s most innovative brands.”
For the official word from Under Armour, please follow the jump. [click to continue…]
We’ve never been the biggest fans of some of the stuff Christian Fletcher has gotten himself into, but oddly we’ve always appreciated the guy’s commitment to sticking to his own groove. He can not be accused of taking the easy way out of much in life (aside from maybe, high school). The rest has been hard charging and raw. For real. Now, he’s created an 8-piece signature collection for RVCA.
“I grew up surfing in Southern California in the 70’s and 80’s with parents that were hippies. Eating psychedelics and listening to Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones seemed normal to me and the blotter paper always had cool designs on it,” said Christian, “This capsule is kind of a tribute to the stuff that opened my mind and helped me push my surfing to the next level, despite all the haters. My dad always told me, ‘don’t listen to them, they don’t know shit, just keep doing what your doing,” And that’s what I did. So I hope you enjoy this capsule as much as I enjoyed my childhood.”
That seems like a pretty big ask, but follow the jump and check out a few pieces and maybe you’ll get your mind together. [click to continue…]
It’s been a pretty big media week for Westbeach and Lululemon founder Chip Wilson. First, he was featured in the Talk of the Town section of The New Yorker magazine regarding the launch of his wife and son’s new clothing line (and retail stores) Kit & Ace, and then yesterday (February 2, 2015) he was profiled in The New York Times.
More than once, the way Wilson spoke reminded me of the airhead fashion model Ben Stiller plays in “Zoolander.” But for all his off-putting and impolitic utterances (in a blog post about Lululemon’s origins, he infamously linked the use of birth control to rising divorce rates, and claimed this led to his future market), he has a kind of genius for forecasting trends and assessing the human impulses — vanity, insecurity, the yearning for perfection — that make people pay more for something they could buy much cheaper elsewhere.
Yep, the same old Chip we remember from back in the snowboard days. It’s good to see someone stick to their opinions and become action sports single most successful billionaire at the same time. There are lessons to be learned here somewhere.
Vans Pro Jason Dill brings his free form pen artworks and pen drawing to a natural white canvas Vans OG Authentic “S” starting February 7, 2015. And don’t think that this is simply a canvas shoe. No, no. It comes with “enhanced cushioning in UltraCush HD sickliness and the Vans original waffle gum rubber soles. And will be available exclusively at select independent skateboard retailers. Watch for ’em. [click to continue…]
The line of furniture, bedding, lighting, wall art, and “decorative accessories” will be reportedly made with sustainable materials and recycles fabrics like Forest Stewardship Council certified wood and rugs made with recycled fabrics and bedding using 100% organic cotton.
“I’m really excited to be working with PBteen on this project,” said Slater. “While they’re not part of the endemic surf market, I’m honored that PBteen has seen me as someone who can help a broader audience understand the need to use recycled, repurposed and organic materials. . . “Global conservation is a focal point of the capsule collection and it falls right in line with the change and direction I’m working towards, on a professional and personal basis. In collaborating with PBteen, we are creating a subtle and natural feel with this collection — something that has an authentic appeal for teens and their parents alike.”
As we’ve said before if your mom’s going kit out your room to impress her friends it might as well be cool stuff. And if the Kelly Slater product is as nice as the Burton stuff is it’s going to be nice for your room. Now go clean up and make space for Kelly’s stuff.
We don’t know surf filmmaker Kai Neville. In fact, we’ve never sat through one of his movies from beginning to end (that we know of). Yes, that’s probably a shame, but we’re likely not alone. That doesn’t keep us from laughing a little when we see how much of a hoopla Mr. Neville can create with his collections of surf clothing marketing material.
Here are a few of the reviews from the January 28, 2015 premiere of his latest film Cluster at The Ace Hotel Los Angeles:
The problem with Cluster is actually more of a problem with expectations. Kai Neville’s movies are known for perpetually raising the bar, and that’s what we’ve come to expect, but this time the bar stayed firmly in its place. . . In a world where we can pull up free web clips on our phones featuring surfing and editing on par with anything in Cluster, you have to wonder: if it isn’t the very best, then what’s the point?
In my post-film bro-brah-beer mingling, I spoke with a few people who questioned what Cluster did that a five-minute edit couldn’t. You end up with the same dopamine rush. The same value of entertainment. The same excitement for surfing when it’s over. One just takes longer. But do people still appreciate the idea of full-length, in all of its unconventional glory, the same way they appreciate a good old fashioned tree-and-chemical-ink magazine? Possibly.
Surfers, skaters, musicians, artists, models, writers, drinkers, singers, actors, movers and shakers all came out and had a really damn fine time together. And to think we all gathered to watch surfing — of all the silly things! And God dammit it was beautiful. From the night’s MC (and your photo gallery captioner) Austyn Gillette and his constant reminders that we’re still allowed to be fun and make fun of ourselves and say fuck off and not have to say sorry because this isn’t a country club, to all the surfers involved for dedicating so much time to tearing all over the globe it was a rad night to remember that we can still bring everyone into a ridiculously nice theatre and yell at the the screen together. My dad even said, “That shit was like the ’70s!”
It must be nice for Mr. Neville to see that anything and everything he creates is referred to as the death of one thing or the birth of another. So kudos to Kai and all his corporate sponsors. And as soon as Cluster goes up online (for free) we’ll try and get through it, not that it matters.
Looks like X Games 4th place finisher Shaun White is having a little trouble drumming up sales for his upcoming Air & Style event in the Rose Bowl parking lot (not the bowl) in Pasadena, California in February (you know, “Coachella meets X Games”). Either that, or he just likes having local news crews (San Diego CBS 8) follow him around to his favorite Mexi joints.
The famous Snowboarder was at one of his favorite taco shops this morning – Ricos Taco Shop in Encinitas to surprise fans and promote Air + Style. . . The event features a combination of the world’s greatest snowboarders, skiers and skateboarders, as well as live performances from some of the top music acts.
With Mr. Blanco it seems the hustle never stops. Truth is, with a music line up featuring the Lips (both Black and Flaming), Sleigh Bells, Surfer Blood, Steve Aoki, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, and more it’s going to be a great show regardless of the hucking going on the crushed ice tower. Click here for all the info.
Spy announced today that they will be the official eyewear sponsor of all eight Powdr-owned and operated resorts and Snowbird Ski and Summer Resorts. That means the you can look for Spy eyewear on employees at Copper Mountain, Mt. Bachelor, Boreal, Ski & Snowboard Las Vegas, Soda Springs, Killington, Pico and Gorgoza Park (looks like that last one’s a sledding hill).
“We’re very happy to enter into an exciting union with Powdr,” says Michael Marckx, SPY president and CEO. “Bolstering our commitment to snow, this opportunity will allow us to spread the cheeks of Powdr resort visitors each season through our happy presence. It will also allow us to gain vital feedback from retail employees and resort staff regarding our sunglass and goggle offerings, most notably our Happy Lens and Lock Steady™ quick change goggle technology. This is our largest partnership with a mountain resort in the history of SPY, and we’re looking forward to expanding SPY’s presence on-hill and in the market.”
John Jackson, who recently joined up with Signal Snowboards, now has jumped in with Under Armour.
