Donovan and Daan together is not necessarily the first thing you would think making sense but for some reason, it does, in a weird way. It’s highly entertaining, refreshing and spontaneous for the most of it and on both sides.
Tag: Nike SB
Nyjah Huston El Toro Attempts
The caption pretty much says it all. Watch Nyjah Huston talk about what almost became a historic day. You are here for the entertainment. El Toro is dead – long live El Toro!
Nike SB Australia – Disc
Nike SB’s newest down under outing features some heavy Zero skateboards style editing + hammers.
Featuring:
Ben Lawrie, Rowan Davis, Sam Sutton, and Noah Nayef.
Denny Pham in “United Power”
Denny Pham is back with a new video part and this time he brought it back to a classic. We said it before and we say it again, Denny remains one of the best technical skaters from Europe. And.. did i see a Tom Penny cameo!? Instant Classic!
Represent your boy and get some hot products HERE! <-
Nike SB – Trust Fall
Nike SB just dropped one of their newest and most important projects of the year “Trust Fall” featuring some of the best and one of the most legendary people in skating.
Watch:
Blake Carpenter, Daan Van Der Linden, Donovon Piscopo, Kyron Davis, Caleb Barnett, Casper Brooker, Karsten Kleppan, Cyrus Bennett, Max Palmer, Sean Malto, Andrew Wilson, Nik Stain, and Stefan Janoski.
Polar in Puerto Rico
Have you seen the new Nike SB & Polar Skate Co. campaign? Amazing work. To make it complete they have just launched their Puerto Rico tour edit. Feat.: Ville Wester, Oski, Hjalte, Emile & more.
Jarne Verbruggen in “What Paradise?”
Jarne is one of our favorites and we are happy that he seems to be back on the right tracks. Read all about it in his new Free Magazine interview.
Lea Schairer – A Gizmo Premiere Review
We had the pleasure to combine the launch of our all-new “Stefan Marx Issue” with the Berlin premiere of Nike SB’s all-women video “GIZMO”. Now you might think, “What do those two things have to do with this article I am about to read?”, well, our trip had Lea Schairer on it and she skates for Nike so when we got the call to ask if we wanted to talk to any of the girls we had a plan.
The plan was this: Lea would integrate and spend some time with her team-mates while they would go through their media rounds, a Pappelplatz skate sesh and finally the premiere of the video. She would then take a moment, regain her thoughts and note them down for us all to read.
I mean what is better than having a woman evaluate a major moment in all of skateboarding but women’s skating in particular. Nothing right?
Well, you better start reading now!
Drawings by Stefan Marx
Intro by Roland Hoogwater
Text by Lea Schairer
Finally, there is a queue
Right before the video started I already tried to fight my way to the toilet but failed, because after three beers I definitely was ready to pee! But I was too busy talking to people and was too excited for GIZMO to start that when I was finally able to go in, the projector was already switched on. Since I didn’t want to miss anything I told my body to hold it back. I actually forgot about it watching the video, also because there were two guys standing next to me who couldn’t stop saying: “Dude! What?!”, literally every trick they saw. I was wondering where they had been in the past five years. It’s not like you wouldn’t expect those girls to blow your mind. Because their level of skating just went through the roof during those years. These people are – with a handful of others – currently the best female skaters out there! Thinking of a new skate video being released featuring any pro there is, you would already expect a certain level of tricks… I think we should definitely be in a time where you should expect the same from female pros.
I was fortunate enough to spend the afternoon with the crew of the GIZMO video, which means Sarah Meurle, Elissa Steamer, Nicole Hause and Ashley Rehfeld, who is a co-producer and athlete coordinate at Nike SB. We met at Civilist, we went skating and we talked a lot. It’s great to see that with skateboarding we had a connection right away – I knew I’d get along with these women, even though I had never met them. All of our experiences and impressions about skateboarding coincided.
It was also great to feel the vibe that gets shown in the video when skating with them in person. It was impressive how the skate park sort of shifted their attention towards these women.
We talked about gender equality, equal or at least adequate prize money at contests, how well women are integrated in the skateboard scene now, that, even though all of us have been skateboarding for 11-17 years (Elissa more like 30 years), it’s just now that some of us have the possibility to live from it – despite the already existing high level in women’s skating many years ago. Having trouble finding a sponsor in earlier ages and now asking yourself: well, is it really the skating that drives the companies to support us or is it just because girls who skate are so marketable?!
Fuck! That is definitely a major downside of female skateboarding becoming more popular.
It’s important to know that GIZMO is NOT the first all-women skate video – there have been a few, all privately financed and produced. It’s the first one a big company has produced and put its name behind; which is amazing and is a big step in the right direction. It probably means that more will follow… already shown by the premier Vans had in London with their Bali skate trip video.
Unfortunately, we didn’t speak much about the video itself and how everything came about. And then again, there is actually no need for that. When you see the video, you see the same things that you see in any other skate video. There are struggles, there is the pressure everyone puts upon themselves because they want to deliver the best part possible. There are the super fun times, going on tour with your friends and just hanging out, there is the hype after landing a tough trick and there are the times of doubt.
With my bladder still filled, a few drops went into my pants when I saw the tricks, where those two guys behind me yelled the loudest. There are nose grinds on handrails, bs tailslides flip out, tre-flips over motorcycles, super high grab less alley-oop bs airs in deep-ends, and much much more you will be impressed with.
Even though it can be a little annoying having guys scream into your ear for 10 minutes straight, I was obviously also flattered by the guys’ comments, because it means they have now realized on what kind of level female skating is. It also shows that men are starting to dig the different styles of those women skating, mentioning things like: ”Damn, I wish I could do this trick like that!”. It’s just that the implicitness is still missing!
There were also several other people who came up to me with different perspectives to the video. For example, two super shy girls saying how much they enjoyed seeing me (and the other girls) skate. This has never happened to me and I found it more than flattering. I can’t imagine how many times this must have happened to the GIZMO team over the past days… the motivation for those who are starting to skate has probably risen to a maximum watching this video. It’s just so cool that now there are female role models (several) in skateboarding and that these are all over the world and not just in some far away place. I think this is a big push for skating in general!
All in all, it was an overwhelming vibe. It was so great to see everyone being hyped about the video. There was a lot of cheering and yelling, clapping and laughing. An honest: “Ouhhhhhhhh” when seeing a bail and the same honest: “Whaaaat?!?! Yeahhh!” when seeing a banger. The place was packed, the drinks were cold and people even started bouncing to the tunes of the video.
When the video was over I remembered what my bladder was telling me, also realizing that it should move right now to let it out! I hurried, in the expectation that at video premiers it’s not a problem for girls to just walk straight into an empty booth. After finally fighting my way to the toilets, I found myself waiting in a super long queue… Fuck! That is definitely a major downside of female skateboarding becoming more popular.
Watch GIZMO again here.
Nike SB – GIZMO
And whoop there it is, one of the best things Nike and all of its participants have ever put out!
Obviously, we had the honor to premiere the video last Saturday and we would be lying if we said we didn’t watch amidst people screaming and cheering. Enjoy!
Place Issue 65# Launch party – Stefan Marx Recap
Every now and then I think back to a very quiet moment in my life, a moment just after I listened to John Cleese’s high informative & entertaining speech about creativity a moment similar to this moment now.
In this speech, he talks about the two modes of creativity #1 the open mode, #2 the closed mode. In the latter you do, you have decided on an idea and you execute your plan. A plan you created in the “open” mode, a state in which you allow all your thoughts to be there is no wrong and there is no idea too big to be realized.
The point that I am getting at is that we spent a whole lot of time in the open mode conjuring up potential magazines but that with the launch of our issue #65 we have officially with the help of other executed an idea that might have sounded Ludacris when it first came to mind.
Now, we didn’t do all this alone, we had a special trump card in Stefan Marx and so when it came to launching the issue we had to play the Marx card for you to get something out of the ordinary. So without further ado, scroll through one of our most creative recaps and afterwards go to your local shop to pick up Issue #65 “The Stefan Marx Issue”.
Drawings by Stefan Marx.
Intro by Roland Hoogwater.
Our sincere gratitude goes out to Nike Sb for the support, Sondre & Tereza for their musical efforts and of course all who attended both to see the new issue and the ones that came to show love to the women that skated their asses of in “GIZMO” you are the best!
Place Presents – Harlekin Berlin
Design is often based on other design, how many Ferrari shaped bedsheets or My Little Pony shaped birthday cakes have we not seen in our life?
So when Nike remastered the Janoski for its 10-year anniversary they also looked outside, they probably looked at animals, the sky, cement patterns, but in the end, I believe they simply looked out of their Beaverton office window onto the parking lot and there they found the answer sitting in the swooshes own parking lot.
(disclaimer: this might not be factual, they might have just found pictures of the car on the internet)
Photos by Danny Sommerfeld.
Text by Roland Hoogwater.
The story continues below…
The Volkswagen Polo “Harlekin’s” story connects to the Janoski in multiple ways. It was in 1994 that the German company wanted to draw attention to their newly-updated Polo model but the problem they had to solve was:
“How do we get people to look at the newness?”.
The answer came in all colors! They devised a special showroom model of the new 6N, this model would breathe NEW! But this model was only meant to show off in the showroom it wasn’t available to the public… Well a couple of the showroom models actually did get sold afterwards and those cars began to create “word of mouth” on the streets and when the streets are talking the people at VW were listening.
1995 swings around and featured in the catalog is the now legendary VW 6N Harlekin as demanded by the public and in 2019 a similar story can be told about Nike SB’s Janoski shoe. Like the Polo, it looks similar but it is not quite the same, from little leather linings to the tape on the sole, everything has been tweaked for ’19 and that is where the two stories meet.
The story concludes below…
Fast forward to the 10th of May, Denny Pham, Jan Henrik Kongstein, Peter Buikema, Leo Preisinger and myself find ourselves driving around Berlin in a VW Harlekin wearing the Janoski Harlekin, we are putting both through the wringer for the next 2,5 days.
We didn’t do that alone, of course, we invited some Nike riders and Berlin locals to test it with us along the way.
To be honest the car has had a bit more mileage than the shoe but both held up quite well during our time even though Leo had his doubts about the car.
After the 2.5 days we concluded a couple of things:
- Denny Pham skates like he is playing THPS.
- The “new” Janoski looks better than the “old” Janoski (look closely).
- Jan Kliewer can shove his board like it is 1991.
- Jan Henrik like all people in Norway is hella tech.
- Michael Mackrodt drives a car the same way he skates.
Thank you for the support Skatedeluxe and Nike SB <3
Place Presents – The 10 years Stefan Janoski Interview
Some people need no introduction and Stefan is one of those people! But we were lucky and got to sit down with him and his wife Jessica, coincidentally their relationship started when his shoe first dropped so you get both takes on the process today.
Happy 10 years Stefan, we hope for at least 10 more!
First of all, thank you for sitting down with us and doing the interview.
No problem, my pleasure.
So a little context first. Why are we here?
We are here to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of my Nike SB shoe
Do you remember when you first saw the shoe?
Yeah, I even remember when I first saw the drawing of the shoe. I also remember when I got the first samples.
The first time I saw a drawing was at my wife Jessica’s house, it was when we first started dating and that is also probably why I remember it so well. It was fresh love at the same time as a fresh design. I remember it very specifically.
A fun fact is the first samples were, in fact, the way the shoe is now. I got in (the office) and saw the shoe and was like “Oh my god this is great” and I skated it and actually someone reminded me recently and said that I never even gave the samples back or even told them that I liked it.
I skated those first samples for about a year and never gave them back which actually let them know I liked them
(laughs).
Jessica, since you were there when he saw the drawing, what did you think of the shoe?
I liked it, the shoe was like a streamlined, classy, nice… clean, timeless type of shoe and I remember he was excited when he saw the drawings.
Timeless might be the best way to describe the shoe. Do you remember the first time you saw other people wearing it?
At first, it was my friends, they started calling me “I keep seeing your shoe everywhere!” it builds up fast and then I started seeing people with my shoe everywhere.
At the time I was living in New York so you are out in the streets a lot. Around the same time, I was out in Barcelona and every single person had them on… it started really snowballing. Every single day when I go out now I see somebody wearing my shoe.
That must be a special feeling.
I love it. We always see people on the street and say that guy is wearing my shoes and then Jessica will tell him “Hey you got some nice shoes on”. So many times it has happened when someone would come up to me and say “Yo man, nice Janoski’s!” and I would be like “Yeah, you to man!” (laughs).
Back in the day, people would come into my local shop and ask for some Janoski’s and not even know it was a person’s shoe. They just thought Janoski was the name of the model shoe.
I like the way you pronounced my name, the Polish way, proper Polish with a soft J.
Funny segue, I was meaning to ask about your Polish heritage, I remember a 411 around the world where American skaters with Polish heritage toured the country.
Yup! That was in 2001 I think. We went to Poland with Joe Brook & Anthony Claraval, Ed Selego, Kristian Svitak, Mike Ruczyk, Justin Strubing was there but he isn’t Polish he just came with us. Anthony Claraval also isn’t Polish (laughs).
That was one of my first trips to somewhere “different”, it was so long ago that I had a paper plane ticket that I lost and it was actually a really big deal!
I actually met a kid there on the streets who skated and his name was Stefan Janoski and he said to me “You are Stefan Janoski! – I am Stefan Janoski!” and I was like “What, nice to meet you!” (laughs).
411vm – Around The World 2
You being Polish is a big deal in Poland, they really keep track of which pro’s have Polish heritage.
That’s cool! I would actually like to go back to Poland, it was fun, it was such an experience for me because I was still so young.
How old were you at the time?
22 or 21. We actually went to multiple places, cities like Warsaw and Krakow. To be honest, it was such an experience, the whole thing was very different for me but a lot of fun! Yeah, 411 Around the world 2.
Michal Juras actually gave me that information, as I said the Polish know about heritage.
I actually brought like 10 boards on that trip because I just got sponsored and was like “Whooo, new boards every day!” But I only brought 1 pair of trucks and back then the axles on Indy’s and Ventures would bend.
My axles got bent the first day and there was no way of getting new trucks in Poland. So I rode bent axles the whole time in the end if you would kick my board it would almost boomerang. But I was so young and excited to be there that I didn’t really care, I would still skate those double sets.
Back to the shoe. Over the years there have been many versions of your model. Could you name them all?
Lunarlon, Hyperfeel, Mid-top, Slip-on, Air Max, High Tape, Velcro, Air Max 2, Remastered, Wallabee, crafted, Camo turtle neck thing and Woven. And every time I am amazed that they managed to make a new shoe out of my original Janoski design.
How involved are you in those adaptations?
Well, they have to show me everything and I have to approve it and lately, there are some really awesome designers working on my shoe. Every time they show me something I am just blown away and I love their ideas.
Every shoe they have been showing me lately has been a return to a classy and serious look for the shoe. I like that because when the shoe got really popular there were a lot of “Mall Colors” so to say. Janoski’s with polka dots and tillies for people who don’t have taste (laughs).
I like the honesty.
But now it is back to the type that you can save and wear ’em a year and still be stoked on the way the shoes look.
It feels like it has been tailored to your own style again.
That is exactly how I feel. It kinda became its own monster in a way, it went away and did this huge successful thing.
Jessica:
It kind off rebelled.
Stefan:
It did. The shoe kind of rebelled against me. Sometimes your kids do that, too. But, you have to support them anyway and be like “Okay, if you want to go to (X) go ahead but…”
(Laughs) You do you!
Which version besides the classic is your favorite at the moment?
I really love the Velcro… Alternative closure I mean, you know Velcro was the name of a company that developed the stuff.
I also love the Slip Ons lately, for skating they are just so good but I do keep going back to the classic ones. Actually, these new ones called the “Wovens” are some of my favorites that they came out with, in a long time. They are just beautiful.
Were you testing those out during this years CPH Open in Berlin?
The all black leather ones? Yeah, those are the coolest. Actually, I wore those so much that I had to leave them outside because they smelt so bad.
Jessica:
He actually tried to bring those smelly things back home after the trip and they were disgusting.
(Laughs)
Stefan:
Yeah, the thing is those stayed good for such a long time, I didn’t want to let them go but I had to. Because they are all leather they didn’t break they just broke in and became better and better.
It is also the type of shoe that you can wear on multiple occasions.
Oh yeah, you could go to a funeral in those or a wedding. Man, people are getting married in my shoes all the time. Someone just told me the other day at Republique “Man, me and my friends all got married in your shoe!” and a couple of my other friends wore them at wedding parties.
#janoskiwedding must be a thing.
Yeah, it is! It is cool because the people still looked dressed up when they are wearing the shoe.
To be honest, that was also one of the main objectives when we made the shoe, we wanted to cancel out the “chill shoe”.
Everyone wore their skate shoes for skating and afterward they would be like “Let’s get these things off!” and they would put on some “chill shoes”. And I was like why does your skate shoe have to be so bad that you have to go to the hotel and change before going out to dinner? That sucks!
You actually follow that concept yourself as well, I can’t really remember you in any other shoes since the shoe came out. Back in the day some blazers maybe but…
That was before the shoe dropped, actually, since the samples came out 11 years ago I haven’t changed my shoes. I just like my shoe.
Today we are celebrating 10 years of the shoe but actually the shoe you have on now looked the same but it is not the same as the one that came out 10 years ago right?
No, it is not, it got a little souped up.
We didn’t really have to do much, no number 2 shoe or anything because we did it right the first time. We took the time to change little details. Take away some piping, add another stitch, we took away the embroidery and added perforation.
When we first made the shoe I wanted the least amount of everything, materials, the look, the absolute minimal between my foot and my board. With the remastered, we have just taken what we have learned and gotten closer to those ideas.
A sleeker shoe, a slimmer sole and so it is just the same but with minor details changed to improve it.
I actually heard from people that the fit is different, it is a bit better for wider feet.
I wouldn’t have noticed because I have really tiny feet but yeah I heard that is true. Somebody asked me that before and yeah we changed it a bit because that was the number 1 complaint about the shoe.
The original was tailor-made for your feet so it makes sense.
Yes, that is true and I have narrow fucking feet.
In the skate shop, people would complain about the fit but they would still buy them because they needed to have the shoe.
If you walk in them they mold but it takes a moment. Also, different materials have different fits.
You actually physically hurt a lot of people with your shoe.
(laughs) Yeah, toes, ankles… definitely I actually hurt myself too sometimes.
I guess we kind of turned a corner from the past into the future though with the remastered version. In a way, it is a shoe that made a heavy mark in skating and I can’t imagine the shoe business without the Janoski’s around.
I think that is great.
It is an achievement.
And you know, we didn’t think about using things from other designs, it was just me selfishly wanting a thing that Nike didn’t have at the time and no one predicted it to go like this.
I was surprised when the kids really started wearing it but it is a really good skate shoe not only a good looking shoe.
It even went as far as Shane O’Neill having his name on your pro model shoe.
That was really crazy… that was really cool. Shane is great! One of my favorite skaters and I have known him since he was a little “Nugget” that is what they used to call him.
It is always great to see your friends grow up to become the best skateboarder in the world (laughs).
So with you progressing and growing older in skating what is your role in skateboarding as time goes on?
Personally, for me, it is like you are trying to do it and then you hopefully do it and then the next step is to stay doing it. Many people become pro but not many stay pro for very long so just to still be a pro skater and doing everything is an achievement in itself.
There is not much longevity in skateboarding and there is not a lot of back up plans in skateboarding. People are all in or all out, some people get jobs at a skateboard company or you start a skateboard company but for me, it is still being a skater.
Right now is a fun time for me doing it but also watching the kids doing it and going on trips and to watch them struggle at spots where I already did tricks (laughs).
As far as longevity goes, your shoe is like a classic album. People keep coming back to it. Your generation and even the generation before you seem to have found their place in skating and are able to stay in it longer than most.
Look at Lance Mountain, he is still out there doing it and there are not a lot of his peers involved in skateboarding any more as a pro. Mark Gonzales obviously is the same but there is not a lot without owning or working for a company in skating. And I just want to keep going and see where it goes and right now it is going.
That is a nice goal, thank you for the interview.
Photos by: Clement Chouleur
Interview by Roland Hoogwater
10 Days of CPH Open in 34 Chapters
10 days of carnage, joy, pain, music, and side-missions now culminate into 34 chapters for us to muse about and for you to enjoy whether you were or weren’t there when it happened.
Luck has it that we just released our CPH Open special issue that you can grab in selected skate shops.
Bobby Worrest – “Welcome To Venture”
Bobby Worrest is skateboarding’s Pharrell Williams. He’s not getting older at all!? Damn, that was good.
Nike SB – Frog Skateboards
Besides this being the cutest collab Nike has ever done it also has one of the best videos, so press play now!
Polaroid Recap – International Women’s day Berlin
Last Friday Nike SB, Skatehalle Berlin & Skatedeluxe teamed up to put on an event in celebration of women all over the world. This event took place in the city we call home, Berlin. The event’s organizers asked us to document the whole thing and we answered by asking if we could add some karaoke in the mix?
“Karaoke, how? The event is at the skatepark”
“There are these Karaoke caravans you can rent for the day, we can park it in front of the park!”
And sure enough our wish was their command and the celebration was on!
Now meet the women that made the event special.
She was shorter than her board but twice as tough, had a need for speed and had the entire skatepark crowd following her every move like a tennisball at the wimbledon finals.
The karaoke bus was like a flytrap, and she was stuck!
An event you must attend this year.
Be on the look out, you will see more of her sooner rather than later!
She was born in AZ and has traveled the world! We would love for her to start doing stand-up comedy because she is extremely funny!
Eventually though the funk in the van was too strong and even she had to join in song and dance!
She did a second try Frontside Boardslide 270 right in front of my eyes, said hi and had to keep it moving!
“Certified, you know I’m gang, gang, gang…”
Scroll down to see what song was being performed at this exact moment.
A sincere THANK YOU to all the women & LGTBQ+ people that came to celebrate with us in the booth we are truly happy to have sung together with you.
A special thank you to Sara Parson-Texas for all the work you put in and Nike SB, Skatedeluxe & Skatehalle Berlin for putting on the event and making people skate and sing their hearts out!
John Motta – “A Happy Medium” RAW Footage
We are not going to lie, we LOVE!!! John Motta footage and his AHM1 part is his best part.
We could actually write a full essay about why we love John BUT… we already did that a while ago! Read our “Love Letter” to John Motta by clicking HERE but press play on the video above first to get inspired!
Grey – Hey Fede Svin
Nike SB, London, and Will Miles for Grey Magazine that just about sums up this video. Enjoy!
Didrik Deedz Galasso in “Mustache Rides”
Another star from the Bryggeriet school of Malmö. Deedz is one of our favorites, that’s for sure.
Nike SB – Crust Belt Tour
Nike and the NBA did it again and this time the squad seemed to know the plays and did some joint destruction on most spots.
Featuring:
Antonio Durao, Yuto Horigome, Cyrus Bennett, Jacopo Carozzi, Elissa Steamer, Mason Silva, Bobby Worrest, Karsten Kleppan and special guests Max Palmer and Stu Kirst.