#TRENDWATCH2012: Final Fall/Winter Report

The summer is over, there’s snow on the ground, Barack Obama has been re-elected, and with no “We Found Love” to guide us through the static this year, we are left with a mess of developments that are harder to pinpoint as genuine movements than #trends of earlier cycles. There has been no defining #trend this fall, just miscellany with varying levels of staying power. Seven key observations below.

Earth Tones

Greens and browns are known to have wardrobe visibility spikes in October, as fashionable skateboarders depart from greyscale to indulge the fall spectrum, but they have stuck around longer than usual for FW12. Please note that earth tones are not a #trend but a staple for two distinct demographics: 1) Skaters from Florida / skaters from New Jersey who are commonly mistaken as being from Florida, and 2) People whose favorite video part circa 2008-2010 was Pappalardo in Fully Flared.

Swishy Pants

Analysts expect that increased tolerance of earth tones is due to the re-canonization of camo. By that same token, the heavily #trending category of comfort-wear has provided widespread adoption of skating in sweatpants. And where is there to go once camo is the norm and everyone is at peace with sweats? Swishy pants, obviously.

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TRENDWATCH 2012: $1,000 Griptape

Notable dreamboat pro skateboarder and recent refugee of Quiksilver downsizing, Alex Olson, is the first name attached to two French fashion houses’ testing-of-waters in the griptape market. This past weekend, Olson leaked several shots of team edition griptape from both Chanel and LVMH subsidiary, Céline on Instagram. He has reportedly been receiving boxes from both companies, so details as to which brand he will sign under remain foggy, though one of the photos did state “Chanel grip is better than the Céline grip,” making it safe to assume Chanel is offering the better contract and/or a superior product. Interestingly enough, Mike Carroll left a comment saying “Need” under the Chanel shot, leading industry insiders to believe that Carroll and Olson will soon be announced as Chanel’s first two teamriders. One would hope that the addition of a native French rider (Puig? J.B?) is not far away.

Chanel’s grip is expected to retail for around ~$1,000 at Bergdorf Goodman, Saks, Supreme, and flagship Chanel locations worldwide. No word on Céline’s price point, though most assume it will be in a similar range. Naturally, one of the photos included a comment from someone who has no idea what a “hipster” is asking, “Now there’s griptape hipsters?” Pabst and Chanel don’t mix, bro. Get your caricatures straight.

Up Next: Le Snack de Quarté pour Dior Homme & Maison Matt Mooney Margiela.

TRENDWATCH 2012: Is This 2013’s Biggest T-Shirt?

For the second year in a row, the Palace triangle has dominated graphic tee shirt marketshare at Tompkins Square Park. That does nothing to stop eager trend forecasters from looking for the *next big thing* in the awfully difficult-to-predict world of graphic tee shirts.

A prominent Upper West Side ex-Lurker wearing a shirt to support his neighborhood gourmet / kosher grocer (pictured above, top left) is nothing out of the ordinary, but leading analysts have started to see this particular garment increase in visibility throughout the past six-month cycle of skate footage. Its most notable appearance was in a Barcelona-set Mark Suciu throwaway clip. Now that the shirt has been adopted by west coasters with east coast sensibilities, analysts scramble to determine if this 80th & Broadway establishment’s sole foray into graphic tees could dethrone the current London-based triangular juggernaut, and return a sizable piece of the market back to New York’s local economy (previously occupied by Autumn.)

If optimistic projections hold true, and this garment gains traction into our summer 2013 trend report, the implications would be immense. It would make Zabar’s the first kosher skate apparel company, possibly resulting in increased Jewish investment within skateboarding. Also, other New York-based grocers like Fairways, Gristedes, and even low-end outfits like C-Town and Associated would have no choice but to play catch-up in this largely untapped market.

Link Me Maybe

Black Donald Moss (Photo by Pryce Holmes)

Lil’ Wayne buys majority ownership in Skatepark of Tampa for $9.3 million.

Galen Dekemper reviews Chity, a new independent video that recently came out of Chicago. You can watch the trailer for it here, and purchase the DVD via its Big Cartel page. Be sure to follow the crew’s Blogspot as well. “I feel like these guys kick it with girls who go to music shows.”

The cutthroat nature of New York’s growing dollar-slice industry continues to reach newfound heights of absurdity, this time with 75-cent slices. Being a broke-ass skateboarder sure is easy in 2012. Maybe Universal News will soon re-instate the $2 sandwich and a soda deal…

Watch the official Palace for Umbro launch video, and read the accommodating mini-interview about the project over at Dazed Digital.

Some HD raw footage log files: West Village to East Village session, anywhere but Tompkins.

Was going to make a joke last week about there being a new place to skate rocks over at the former S-Gap, but it seems like people already figured that one out (consult the 1:05 mark.)

TRENDWATCH 2012 ALERT: Bulky headphone sightings have been reported in various unexpected locations, most notably in Poland. Is it safe to assume that Poland is the only place where people get away with nollie heelflip body varials? (Thanks to Nico for the tip.)

Rob Campbell and friends at the Chelsea Park in this new clip for New Breed.

Black Dave on police brutality, Trayvon Martin, and other subjects in his latest video, “Public Enemy.” Black Donald Trump for president 2012.

This may be old news, since people don’t skate there often and it took a while to notice, but you can’t skate the downhill curved ledge at the Guggenheim anymore. They fastened light fixtures to the top of it. Not the most popular spot, but definitely the best ledge there.

Someone mashed up a bunch of movie scenes shot in bodegas into one Vimeo clip.

The Brooklyn Nets are likely destined for second-class status in this city like the other two franchises ending with -ets, and current-day Jay-Z might be easy to ignore, but shout out to him for using a Reasonable Doubt album cut and not some Watch the Throne garbage in this Marcy to Barclays commercial.

Quote of the Week: “I own Quartersnacks, play for the Sacramento Kings, and am pro for Hopps.” — Matthew Mooney on what he tells girls regarding his employment or lack thereof


P.S. Want a long read about how screwed you are? Enjoy.