CULTURE

UPDATE: Here’s What To Expect From Zoo York’s Reboot

Published

4 years ago

September 10, 2019

Skate Newswire

Get ready for a Zoo York reboot. Shop Eat Surf is reporting that executives at Iconix have announced that they are bringing it back. The article mentions that the founders of the brand will be returning to help market and promote; but doesn’t specify if they’re referring to original founders Rodney Smith and Eli Gesner, or the team from Echo that ran the brand when the investment group purchased it in 2011.

Zoo York has been without a skate team since Chaz Ortiz’s contract expired back in August. Iconix CEO Bob Galvin made the below statement about the choice to reintroduce Zoo to the hardgoods market.

Skateboarding will be an Olympic sport during the Summer Games in Tokyo in 2020. We believe this presents an excellent opportunity for the brand.

Time will tell on how all of this will shape up. For more on Zoo’s history, revisit RB Umali’s episode of Mission Statement.

UPDATE 09.10.19: With the first Under Old Management collection set drop in the coming weeks, Eli Gesner spoke with Uproxx to give a little bit of insight into what we can expect from Zoo York’s rebrand. It’s looking and sounding pretty dope.

The Under Old Management campaign will act as a callback Zoo York’s alumni, with ads featuring Vinny Ponte and Danny Supa. Its first advertising campaign will reexamine of all the brand’s most famous ads from the 1990s.

The first capsule collection, which consists of a mixtape patch baseball cap, a rerelease of the original 90s Zoo York hoodie, a black graffiti graphic long sleeve, a vintage 1997 Zoo York Mixtape graphic tee, a “Washington Square” t-shirt that pays homage to Kids, and a skate deck spray painted and signed by Gesner will follow the Supreme scarcity model. There will be just 93 pieces sold of each item and they’ll retail exclusively through Zoo York’s Instagram and online store.

Given that Iconix is a global brand management company with shareholders and profit expectations, Zoo York’s relaunch isn’t limited to the trio’s Under Old Management collection. There’s also a brand for keeping the company relevant in the broader marketplace without undermining the new (old) vibe.

“We used to design everything and sell everything,” Schatz says. “Now, people are making what works best for them in their territories.”

Rather than a simple licensing play, the brand hopes to build consistency across Iconix’s global market. With this aim, Gesner has put together a 150-page style guide to deliver authenticity on a global level.

“Basically what I’m doing is sort of somewhere between game theory and engineering,” Gesner says. “Instead of me going and personally making twenty t-shirt graphics a season, I constructed a book of rules to play the game. So when you get the Zoo York kit in South Africa or Brazil, and you open it up, everyone will have the same pieces, the same parts. Then those creative people all over the world — in Asia, in Europe — they can create a better product using the detailed steps and assets that I’ve provided in my Zoo York bible.”

Click here to read the full piece.

UPDATE 05.31.19: Zoo York just posted pictures of Rodney Smith, Eli Gesner, and Adam Schatz on its Instagram confirming that the original founders are, in fact, back with the brand. It looks like Zoo is truly returning to its roots! Stay tuned for further updates.

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByIiTxOlTNC/

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByIuLd7l7tg/

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByIn3upl8fO/

UPDATE 05.28.19: Since the May 16 announcement of its forthcoming reboot, Zoo York has purged its Instagram account, and uploaded a series of glitchy posts that culminated in today’s “Under Old Management” declaration; which you can view below. Still no word on who’s steering the ship in this latest incarnation of Zoo; but we’re certainly curious to see how all of this progresses. Stay tuned for further updates.

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByAyFpPleHO/

Image Via Zoo York

CULTURE

Andrew Arthur: From Sponsored Skateboarder to Fashion Photographer

Published

2 days ago

December 2, 2023

Skate Newswire

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.

CONTESTS

IOC Announces Winners of First Let’s Move Street Challenge

Published

3 weeks ago

November 15, 2023

Skate Newswire

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has revealed the first-ever winners of the Let’s Move Street Challenge – the unique online competition supported by Worldwide Olympic Partner Samsung, inviting BMX, Breaking and Skateboarding enthusiasts to showcase their best moves and creative skills.

Twenty-one winners from 13 countries have been selected by the judges from thousands of entries, unlocking an all-access trip to watch some of the best athletes competing for their ticket to Paris 2024 at the first Olympic Qualifier Series in Shanghai.

LET’S MOVE STREET CHALLENGE WINNERS

BMX Freestyle Park
Melville Smith (United States of America)
Ozawa “Miharu” Miharu (Japan)

BMX Real Street
Andres “Mickey” Michael (New Zealand)
Eleonora (Greece)

BMX Dirt
Tommy Crail (United States of America)
Michelle Neuner (Switzerland)

Skateboarding Park
Eddie Acres (Australia)
Malgorzata Burkacka (Poland)

Skateboarding Real Street
Carlos Burgos (Cuba)
Guadalupe Aime (Argentina)

Skateboarding Street Park
James Huntley (New Zealand)
Keily Frank

Breaking Best Round
Penny “Penny” Deng (People’s Republic of China)
“Vinilla” Yelyzaveta Ovcharova (Ukraine)

Breaking Power Move
Pisani “Arthur” Alves de Silva Arthur (Brazil)
Bgirl Small (People’s Republic of China)

Breaking Footwork
Keith Jennings “Ghost”
Adejoke “Cruxy” Victoria Akinbogym (Nigeria)

Street culture
Jonatan Mineiro “Ze pequeno BMX” (Brazil)

Best produced
Maxime Castillon (France)

Most surprising video
Higor Cruz “Higorcruzb” Balthazar (Brazil)

These 21 award winners selected by the judges will now have the opportunity to experience first-hand the athletes’ Road to Paris 2024, with an-all access trip to an Olympic qualifying event in Shanghai in May 2024.

The new Olympic Qualifier Series is a four-part event series that will bring together the best athletes in one urban park for a festival-style event and will serve as the ultimate qualification stage for BMX Freestyle, Breaking, Skateboarding and Sport Climbing.

At least half of the qualification spots for Paris 2024 will be allocated through the Olympic Qualifier Series, with 464 athletes set to compete.

The winners were revealed during a one-off, 60-minute show streamed on Olympics.com, bringing together participants, fans and athletes from across the three sports to celebrate the competition and the sports and communities surrounding them.

It was hosted by BMX rider Darryl Nau, and featured judges Christie Hughes (BMX), Suzanne Reekers (Skateboard), BBOY Spin (Breaking) and Little Shao (Creative).

Fans were also able to join a live chat to share their reactions to the winners and interact with each other and had the chance to win exclusive Let’s Move Street Challenge merchandise.

The Let’s Move Street Challenge, supported by Worldwide Olympic Partner Samsung, is a new Olympic initiative from the IOC. It is a unique digital competition that invited people from around the world to showcase their sporting and creative talent in BMX, Breaking and Skateboarding.

With the vision of being open, accessible and inclusive and providing inspiration to practise sport, competitors were invited to enter the challenge by submitting a 30-second video of themselves performing their best move.

All the Olympic Street Challenge entries are available to watch now on Olympics.com.

CULTURE

Tony Hawk and More at When We Were Young Fest

Published

3 weeks ago

November 13, 2023

Skate Newswire

Punk rock and skateboarding collide at When We Were Young Fest held last month! Tony Hawk, Bucky Lasek, Jason Ellis, Jimmy Wilkins and more showed up to skate and mosh.

The two-day event featured performances by top artists of the 2000s, including Avril Lavigne, the singer of Sk8er Boi.

Tony Hawk also had a surprise performance on the stage with the Gold Finger.