Filed under: General | Tags: bmx, clothing, etnies, fashion, shoes, skate, wakeboarding
I was having a chat with a friend of mine early today about boardsport clique’s culture and subcultures.
This stemmed from a conversation about Etnies shoes and where the name came from. Being a bit of a brand nerd I gave him the lowdown of this brands conception – Enties shoes was originally called Etnics (Ethnics) which seamed appropriate for the skateboarding small tribes/subcultures that were created from groups of guys out on the streets finding new places to ride through the early to mid 80′s from America to Europe.
Enties has now gone on to create some wicked shoes for skateboarders, surfers, wakeboarders and BMXers all inspired by being part of their own subculture in the larger industry culture. In todays world what you wear as a person says a lot about you! And on your feet even more!
Surfing has probably the most well known culture due to its underlying size, Etnies clothing and shoes quickly spread through the skating culture and into surfing. Surfing and skateboarding carry a similar culture and influence.
Surfing does also benefit from one its age two its green credentials/links with the soul of the sea and the elements but also its global presence. Apart from the locals culture in surfing which can be rife and slightly agressive on the whole surfers are a very social and accepting of new and old water users.
Our conversation stemmed from Wakeboarding a younger and newer sport that tends to carry a slightly younger and more cliquey front.
This appears to come out in its media and icons. Recent developments within the sport have taken it into urban zones which I think has helped it to shed its clique subculture and take boat riding to the masses in the form of cable tows and winches! This is only a benefit for wakeboarding and the action sports industry as a whole which has been dominated by skating, BMX and FMX.
New sports/disciplines help keep things fresh. Shawn White did this with skate boarding and snowboarding. I can wait for this from skaters, snowboarders and surfers, wakeboarding in city competitions. It is this new culture of urban events that is helping to help our culture grow worldwide.
Check out some items I found where summer meets winter. and Red Bull Wake the line.
Hardcloud has skated around the Etnies warehouse to bring you the latest shoes and clothing. Find out more here.
Filed under: General, Videos | Tags: fashion, shoes, skate shoes, surf, surfing
As our Hardcloud blog develops we want to encompass all the sports and activities that you are readers enjoy.
The team here at Hardcloud have all at some stage picked up a skateboard and had a go. Surfing and skateboarding have their roots firmly interlocked as many early surfers also enjoy the flow and movement of skateboarding. Both sports have obviously grown and developed over the past 50 years with new technologies and disciplines.
Skateboarding fashion has its roots linked closely with music in the form of punk, rock and metal. It also takes influences from urban and surf lifestyle culture. Enjoy this gem of a video from 1975 about skateboard safety – this is where it all began.
If skateboarders had an equivilent of the surfers boardshort it would most definately be the skate shoe. Skate shoes have become so important and the R&D involved in the shoes we use today has been huge. The Era was designed back in the 1970′s in collaboration with skaters Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta and was designed to be hardwearing yet cool. An example of the now modern but re-released Vans Era.
The Era and Vans also became a favourite for BMXers due to its cool image soft nature and flexibility which riders began to recognise and love. Professional riders like to feel at one with their board or bike and this shoe helps them to achieve this. If it aint broke dont fix it even after forty years! Vans has grown from its early days into one of the most well know shoe brands in the world. Hardcloud.com has excellent stocks of Vans, Globe, Etnies, DC and more – all inspired and designed for skate, fashion and riding!
Filed under: Hardcloud News/Info, New Products | Tags: footwear, girls, ladies, macbeth, sara, sara quinn, shoes, tegan, tegan quinn
Hardcloud & the team continue with our Macbeth Music inspired fashion day by offering you the Macbeth Tegan and Sara’s high top trainers.
Macbeth understand the importance of inspiring & supporting the female musician too. Tegan and Sara are recognised as having amazing tastes in fashion and this trend continues. Macbeth have jumped on this fact and the duo’s popularity with the launch another endorsed shoe with the band.
These denim ladies specific high tops look wicked and you have a choice between the black or white inspired trainer or both. The bands most recent album “The Con” has been heralded as a masterpiece and is well worth checking out you can find them on Myspace.
These have just landed back in stock and are seriously popular. Please be quick they wont be around for long. Fans are passionate and loving of Nolan Tegan Quinn & Nolan Sara Quinn.
Get rocking in a pair of these now only at from Hardcloud.com.
Filed under: Hardcloud News/Info, Music | Tags: angels and demons, clothing, fashion, macbeth, Music, shoes, skate shoes, tees, tshirts
Monday has landed -
So apparently staying in the the new going out. Well if thats true the only way to do it in style is to turn off the TV and listen to some awesome tunes. Or get yourself to a Gig and let your self go!
The Hardcloud team have been looking at the new Macbeth range this morning and some exciting things to come! Macbeth the music and youth culture inspired label has a facinating tale behind its conception. At 15 Tom Delonge was given a guitar and started to play - listening to bands like NOFX, Jimmy Eats World and Fugazi inspired him that he wanted to make music.
Blink 182 was formed back in 1992 and they became big, very big. With a series of rock, pop, punk tunes and over 4 albums that any teenage skateboarder or surfer who loved Tony Hawks proskater on Psone loved! Blinks success lead to new relationships and huge wealth.
It was these relationships and Delonge’s passion for skate and music culture that inspired the creation of RLP – Really Likeable people. ‘The idea’ to help up and coming bands. Atticus, Macbeth & Loser kids became the results of this success and collaboration.
The skate music, surf music overlap is very strong because the fan, participant or outsider enjoy both and spend a great deal of time watching the films and lifestyle inspired movies we all see in every day life. The success of these brands Macbeth footwear and Atticus clothing comes simply from good design and an inner passion from the people involved. The ranges are accessable for all but for a true fan you know the stories behind the footwear and the clothing. You want to be part of the family you want to rock out!
The Macbeth shoe line is endorsed by Delonge’s latest band – Angels & Demons, Blink of Course, Green Day, Fred Iero of My Chemical Romance and Fred Mascherino of Talking back Sunday and the Colour Fred – also have there own endorsed shoe. Check them out on Myspace, Hardcloud try and follow all our favourite bands on the site. If you have any recommendations please get in touch and tell us about them. Hardcloud as always have great stocks of the Macbeth Music inspired footwear as well as a huge range of Atticus clothing. Plug in and walk on in style with some Macbeth Footwear.
