Styles, fads, fashion statements…whatever you want to call them, most of the good ones used by the sub-30 types were started by either skateboarders or people in prison. Don’t try to deny it, you know it’s true. I was there, and I’ve got evidence.
Here are common styles that were either started by or influenced heavily by skateboarding.
Baggy Pants and Low-Riding - Ok, it’s probably true that this style was first started by people in jail who aren’t allowed to wear belts, but skateboarding made it popular. In 1992 Blind introduced Blind jeans, which were designed to be cheap to make, thus increasing Steve Rocco’s profit margins. These were the first really baggy pants around. Everyone else started wearing baggy pants within the next 1-2 years. Wearing pants several sizes too big had a natural result–low riding.
Jeans Cut Off at the Ankles - Remember how popular it was to cut off the hem of your jeans at the ankles around ’93-’94 and for a few years afterwards? It all started with those same Blind jeans. Rocco was so cheap, he just decided to not even hem up the jeans. Who knew it would become a huge fashion trend. When it became popular in the mainstream skaters stopped doing it. The problem was that when then took the pants you had cut and tried to hem them again, they ended up being too short and looking really funny. Man, I ruined a lot of good pants that way.
Sideburns - Sideburns were not popular during the 80s. Anyone with sideburns was looked upon as an idiot. In 1992 Jason Lee (yes, the actor) had a part in the Blind video, a low budget skateboard video, and had some big chops. By 1993 sideburns were popular again and they’ve never left us. Even business men today commonly have at least some sideburn, whereas in the 80s they usually had very little if any at all.
Baseball Cap Backwards - No, skateboarders didn’t make this popular, but people think we did. I think this was made popular in the 50′s by little kids, and I’ve never been able to figure out how it got associated with skateboarders and gang members.
Wallet Chain - Harley Davidson had long made wallets for bikers with a chain and a snap. You would snap the chain to your belt, and then while you were on the road if your wallet fell out of your pocket you wouldn’t lose it. In 1989 an H-Street video came out with a guy named Matt Hensley. He was wearing one of these wallets, and it became his trademark. Within a few years everyone had one. I even had a fake one for a while. I took a normal wallet and attached a dog choke chain to it. What a poser.
Huge Shorts - Before skateboarding introduced really big shorts, it was hard to find shorts that went even halfway down your thigh. Along with big jeans in 1992 were introduced huge shorts. They weren’t just big, these shorts were huge and resulted in such sightings as “Goofy Boy” and “Goofy Boy II.” These shorts were so big you could easily fit a person inside each leg. I still have a pair of Plan B shorts, but I wish I had the H-Street ones I had, because those were even bigger. The shorts worn by skaters aren’t so big today, although you still see some remnants from time to time. However, the influence of these shorts can be seen in the NBA and in other shorts sold at JC Penney and anywhere else.
In fact, many major sports uniform styles have been influenced by skateboarding. I just wish baseball would catch on a bit, because I really feel uncomfortable about all those guys in those tight pants.
Any other styles you know of that were influenced by skateboarding?
darn right it was like that dude
i’ve argued these same points for years, and tried to enlighten a few non-skaters to this…for sure i sounded like a freak to them, but so true…skating changed the world! So weird to have had the perspective to watch it happen- we’re like the new hippies.