What X THAT
I watch a lot of old man skateboarding videos, meaning YouTube videos about skateboarding that are discussion based and rarely feature anyone on a skateboard. The Nine Club, Hawk and Wolf, have post prime skaters tell stories about what was really going on behind the scene of this video part no one but us skaters care about. My favorite such video are by this guy Gifted Hater, he’s really funny and insightful.
He did a video on Thrasher collaborating with Lacoste, not a big deal unless you consider Thrasher’s role as the corest core of the hardcore skateboarding brands. The brand was a magazine that reflected the subculture skateboarding until 2017 when Kendell Jenner started wearing it, and it became a sweatshirt soft fashion brand.
Brand’s don’t have a historic conservation society, we can’t keep them from tearing down the old Penn Station of their identity. They have no obligation to their followers, but they suffer in the long run with diminished badge value.
I have a special place for Thrasher as a brand, and I don’t feel that connection as much. Lacoste, the alligator brand from pre-skateboarding school picture fame, is leveraging Thrasher’s brand equity and paying their way into that core. They’ve done a brand partnership with Crenshaw Skate Crew to leverage some of that, this is from a website interview with the young men who look to enable skating in their unserved community.
Here’s an excerpt from the website.
What is your favorite part of collaborating with Lacoste?
My favorite part about collaborating with Lacoste is being able to work with such a legendary brand that broke barriers. I also try to break barriers with my brand so it was dope to work with a brand that has similar core values. And the look of excitement on my mom's face when I told her I was doing this collaboration was also a favorite part of mine.
What barriers has Lacoste broke? You think this is brand information, or do the post teen founders of Crenshaw Skate know and regaurd the history of Lacoste? Similar core values?
Lacoste has also done partnerships with Supreme, a skate shop, Peter Seville, Keith Haring and Minecraft. They did a wonderful collaboration with International Union for Conservation of Nature, where their alligator was replaced by endangered animals. What do these brand have in common? Absolutely nothing. Lacoste is a tennis brand that is broadening iits core value is to appeal to more people, anyone and anybody..
Thrasher loses in this collaboration. Gifted Hater’s video really underscores what a brand can lose when it sells it soul. Do you think skating when you think Thrasher or do you think Rihanna? The impact of Thrasher’s logo has lost it’s value.
