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UPDATE: A$AP Rocky Debuts New Under Armour Shoe Amidst Osiris Controversy

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A$AP Rocky held the release event for his new collaboration with Under Armour in Harlem last Friday. Rocky—who has repeatedly spoken on skateboarding’s influence on his style—paid homage to the culture by hosting a skate session at the pop up. His affection for skateboarding is being called out as appropriation by some. A few days ago, Osiris made light of the similarities between Rocky’s new kicks and its iconic D3 model, which was one of the first skate shoes to crossover into the mainstream. But, in an interview with GQ released last week, Rocky explains his vision. And it turns out that Dave Mayhew was actually involved in the design process.

As Rocky explains over the phone, there is—as usual—more to the story than sneaker blogs would have you believe. He remembered seeing the D3 in the wild, back in the early aughts. “It was years back, man, maybe ’01. People really hated them in the hood,” he said. Rocky, being Rocky, loved them: “It just seemed a hybrid of different sneakers mixed in one. You got a Nike Air sole, a hiking boot at the top of it. The D3 reminds me of the Charles Barkley, some Air Maxes and a pair of Jordans. That’s what I love about it.” He had little company. “It was seen in passing by skaters here and there, but predominantly, there were no people really rocking that shit in the hood whatsoever,” Rocky explains.

So when Rocky and Under Armour sat down to talk shop, he knew exactly what he wanted. “I already knew the design I wanted to do. I kinda wanted to reconstruct the body. It’s almost like if you get a vintage television or game console or arcade game and you just refurbish it, that’s what I did.” That is, on one condition, Rocky says: “I didn’t want to do too much without actually having Dave involved.”

Dave is former pro skater Dave Mayhew. More importantly, Mayhew is also the guy who designed the D3 in the first place. He’s on the call, too, and between my questions, Rocky and Dave sweetly trade compliments. Rocky makes it very clear that this wouldn’t have happened without Dave; Dave knows it wouldn’t have happened without Rocky calling him up out of the blue. “Initially I worked on the shoe decades ago,” Mayhew explains. “I was just living my life, and out of nowhere got contacted by Under Armor. They wanted me to get together with Rocky and just kinda discuss the whole thing. At first I was a little hesitant, just because [the D3 is] kind of a gift and a curse for me.” But they got together, hit it off, and decided to bring the monster back—or the spirit of it—in a new way.

Have a look at the recap of the A$AP Rocky x Under Armour launch event, Osiris’ IG post, and a post by Under Armour in response to the controversy below. And for more on Rocky’s new shoe and its connection to the D3, head over to GQ to read its full interview with Rocky and Mayhew.

UPDATE 8.23.18: Our fashion department gets a late pass on Highsnobiety’s interview with Rocky from a few days ago. He talks about collaborating with Mayhew, and skateboarding and rave culture’s influence on culture at large. Check it out below.

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Image Via Dopeness Magazine

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Get Behind the Scenes of the Red Bull Bowl Rippers

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In September, Red Bull Bowl Rippers brought pro skateboarding action back to Marseille’s famous beachside Bowl Du Prado after a two-year hiatus.

As thousands of enthusiastic French spectators witnessed the action-packed event, Marc Churchill and Corbin Harris interviewed the participating skaters, as well as industry veterans such as Greg Poissonnier, Chris Gregson, and Bryce Kanights. They also spoke with the event organizer, Jeremie Grynblat, and local hero Vincent Matheron to understand what makes this unique proving ground so special and why people keep coming back to it for decades.

The first Bowl Rippers was held in 2016 at the iconic park to celebrate its 25th year. Now on its sixth edition, The Red Bull Bowl Rippers continued the Bowl Du Prado’s legacy of enshrining legends into a new era.

The Bowl Du Prado, designed by Jean-Pierre Collinet, has been visited by every great skateboarder to leave their mark on the sport. Along with famous names like Cardiel, Speyer, Trujillo, and Petersen, there are also local legends like Molinier, Benoliel, Salah, and the Matheron clan who have all contributed to the skatepark’s worldwide notoriety.

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CULTURE

Atita Verghese: India’s Top Female Skater in ‘Skate Tales’

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In this episode of Skate Tales, Madars Apse visited Bangalore to meet Atita Verghese, India’s leading female skater.

Atita was introduced to skateboard culture by the Holystoked crew, who constructed India’s first DIY skatepark in Bangalore. Her life was transformed when she stepped onto a skateboard, and she has never looked back.

In 2014, Atita established Girl Skate India, a non-profit organization that encourages young women to pursue skateboarding. Atita is a source of inspiration for women worldwide, particularly in India, where skateboarding is still in its early stages.

She has been involved in the construction of the majority of skateparks in her home country to this day, having learned how to mix concrete and shape transitions with the Holystoked collective.

Skateboarding has led her to appear in numerous advertisements, a TED talk, movie roles, and even a cameo in the Netflix series Skater Girl.

Atita has created a one-woman movement beyond providing boards, pads, or lessons. In a society where opportunities for girls to be free of social constraints and have fun are limited, Atita’s work is definitely worth checking out.

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Andrew Arthur: From Sponsored Skateboarder to Fashion Photographer

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The Transworld Skateboarding crew catches up with Andrew Arthur in this episode of “Brain Floss.”

Andrew Arthur was raised in Oceanside, California, surrounded by some of the best skaters who eventually became pros. Although he once pursued skateboarding and even reached the amateur level, his career took a different path when he found his niche in fashion photography.

Fast forward ten years and Andrew now resides in New York City, where he continues to skate and stay connected with the local scene. His latest photo project, which will be compiled into a book, is a unique take on the sun bounce setup popularized by Peter Lindbergh.

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