ARE SKATEBOARDERS STILL SETTING FASHION TRENDS? A CONVERSATION WITH STREET NIGHT LIVE
Skate fashion is a fickle friend. It feels like it was only yesterday that we were all wearing skintight KR3W jeans accompanied by chunky Emericas, Diamond flat brims and DCs, or flooded Dickies with Chucks.
The endless stream of skate videos provide a bountiful mood board, but for the average skater that’s interested in fashion, there are practically no outlets that discuss or analyze the brands we buy and wear.
Street Night Live (SNL) took it upon himself to do just that. Started by Montreal-based skater Eugene Lardy, SNL gives its subscribers the latest in fashion culture through a weekly newsletter and frequent posts on Substack and Instagram.
Lardy has spent more than a decade immersed in the streetwear and fashion worlds, from scouring the Hypebeast forums to now having thousands of followers tune in for his reports on Paris Fashion Week. His posts offer readers an applied approach to the current menswear landscape, with an aesthetic most skaters can relate to.
To find out what he’s stoked on these days, we spoke with Eugene to discuss all things skate fashion – the brands killing it, how to elevate an outfit, shoe discussions and more.
Skateboarders like to take pride in being trendsetters. From your POV, are skaters still setting trends, or do you think they’re being influenced by them?
I think it’s always been a mix of both. There will always be pockets of people who influence what others wear and how they wear it, and there will always be skater kids looking up to those people and getting influenced. It’s just how it’s always been.
Ultimately, skating will forever be a really important pillar for trends—what’s cool, what’s in, and how people wear things. So whenever you feel lost, just look at some skaters and see what they’re wearing. You’ll always find something cool.
Skate brands have always relied on the margins and appeal of soft goods to keep afloat, and it seems more are doing cut & sew. Which brands do you think are doing this well and why?
Supreme and Palace come to mind instantly for me because they’ve been doing cut-and-sew for so long. I also think Pop Trading Company is really underrated in this department. They make a lot of cool clothing that people don’t realize is out there. Their collections are pretty big, and they just keep getting better—both in quality and style—collection after collection.
It also depends on how you look at it from a price-point perspective. HUF has been doing really solid cut-and-sew work in their range, and they offer specific styles that I think work really well for a certain type of person.
photo: Pop Trading Company spread
Why do you think some brands have been able to transcend the skate world into more mainstream fashion?
I think it goes back to skating being a starting point for a lot of fashion brands in terms of style and references. There’s just so much influence there. With the way skating has evolved—especially thanks to the internet—it’s put skateboarding on the map in a completely different way than we’ve seen before. It feels organic and natural for brands to start using skating as a reference even more now.
When you look at brands like Palace and Polar, you see the difference in reach. Palace is worn casually by a lot of people, not just skaters. Polar, on the other hand, is still more tied to core skate culture—you’ll see the big baggy jeans and that authentic skate look, but you won’t see it as much in casual, everyday settings except in specific pockets or scenes.
Palace has a wider reach—it’s not just a skate brand, it’s a lifestyle brand now. Most people wearing Palace probably aren’t even skaters. That’s why it crosses over into fashion more easily. Polar hasn’t really bridged that gap into casual lifestyle wear yet, though I think they’re heading in the right direction. Right now, they still appeal mostly to core skaters.
Do you think anyone will reach the cultural cache of Supreme?
Probably not. And honestly, that’s probably for the best. Supreme is just… Supreme. It’s been around for so long. People hate it, people love it—it comes in waves. But they’ve cemented themselves in such a unique way, and in doing so they’ve opened so many doors for skate brands and fashion brands.
They’ve influenced how people look at collaborations, and they’ve created a foundation for a lot of what we see today. I don’t know if anyone can come in and rewrite that—it already feels like it’s been written.
They’re always making something cool. Sure, there’s a lot of online discourse about how they’ve “fallen off” one season, and then the next season everyone’s saying, “Oh, they’re sick again.” People are quick to judge, but if you step back and look at the clothes for what they are, there’s always something for everyone every season.
photo: Kader for Supreme
Have you noticed pants getting slimmer again?
Totally. Straight-leg cuts are making a comeback. It’s kind of the return of classic menswear—not just for skating specifically. A lot of skaters I skate with are rocking almost borderline skinny jeans again, and that’s just what they’re into—and that’s sick.
More and more pro skaters are getting their clothing tailored. What do you think of that?
If you think the stuff you’re wearing looks weird on you, then you should consider tailoring it. It really comes down to your own personal “give-a-fuck” factor. A lot of people would actually benefit from tailoring, because I’m sure we all have clothes that kinda fit but we don’t wear them, and they just collect dust in our closets. If you took the time to try tailoring, maybe it’s unsalvageable and can’t be fixed, but there’s also a good chance you can make it better—and that makes it way more exciting to wear.
Ultimately, tailoring isn’t just for fashion people—it’s for everybody. Anyone can do it, and if they want to, they should. It’s a great tool that more people should be using.
photo: Eugene Lardy in studio
Who’s influencing your style right now?
My friends are my biggest influence now. I get hyped on what they’re wearing and I’ll try things out because it’s fun. But I try not to get influenced by anybody on the internet anymore.
I really make it a point to be like, “Okay, you’ll obviously see movies, music, skating,” and you’ll notice something like, “Oh, that’s a cool pant,” but I’ll try to do it in my own way. I don’t want to be a carbon copy of someone else. I’m really adamant about what works for me—because what works for someone else might not work for me.
What’s a current skate fashion trend you’re hoping will pass?
The current skate fashion trend that needs to pass is that kids are focusing too much on pulling up to the skate park in a cool outfit. I see way too many kids who are dripped out, trying to look way too sick, but then they don’t know how to kickflip.
We’re focusing on the wrong things here. We should probably focus on learning how to kickflip, and then worry about the fashion later. You know, I grew up skating as a kid—I was obviously thinking about my fashion, but I didn’t have the resources to think about it in that way. I was too busy obsessed with skating. I didn’t really care about what I looked like; I was just happy to be on the board. And now we have this weird pivot where kids are showing up way too stylish—which is fine, don’t get me wrong—but they’re not participating in skating the way we used to.
They don’t know the skate etiquette for being at the park, they get in the way, and they’re not paying attention. Their fit looks good, but when you see them skate, they’re kind of whack, and you’re like, “Focus on the skating.” The fashion thing can come later. You can look good, but I need to see you skate way better—and also get out of the way.
photo: Shawn Powers for Palace
Who do you think are the best-dressed skaters?
When I think about modern times and who I like watching skate, I’d say Bobby Dekeyzer is really sick—he has a really good style, especially in his last part. I was really dissecting all the fits; I watched that video so many times just for the skating, but also just for the fashion.
Max Wasungu is also sick—he’s got a really cool style. Kyle Wilson, too—his skating is sick, and that’s what makes me enjoy his fashion as well. Those are my current favorites I really look up to.
What are some skate brands that stand out to you right now?
I think 18 East and Pop Trading Company are like the two standouts right now. 18 East is definitely a skate brand—they just got a skate team, which is sick. Their stuff is really influenced by ’90s skating, with more baggy styles, and amazing fabrics from India—lots of cool textiles blended together. The brand is really for everyone, not just skaters, which is what I love about it.
Pop Trading Company has really nice styles and silhouettes, with so much variety. I think people are sleeping on both of them a bit.
Do you think Nike Dunks are still fashionable?
No, they’re pretty played out now. Obviously, there’s some cultural significance for sneakerheads with the Dunks and stuff. For the old heads, they’ll always have a place in their hearts. But in the current fashion scene, I think they’re pretty much played out.
photo: Andrew Reynolds for Dime
Skate clothing brands were a big part of skate fashion in the 2000s, but less influential today. What do you think drove this shift?
I think there was just a general shift—things come and go. Ultimately, it comes down to marketing and how well you keep up with the current zeitgeist of fashion. Over time, some brands just lost their juice a bit.
Newer brands came forward with better styles, and people got more hyped on those. Some of the older brands got forgotten. But that’s a classic thing in fashion—brands fall off, and new ones come in and take their place.
I’ve heard you talk about Adidas having the most interesting silhouettes in sneakers. Who do you think is making the most interesting designs in skate footwear?
Village PM is making some of the most interesting shoes right now. They’re a new brand out of France, and they blend hiking shoe styles with skateboarding. I think the timing is perfect, especially with the whole Gorpcore trend and how people love wearing hiking shoes as lifestyle footwear.
I’ve never really seen that before—it’s like they make approach shoes. I haven’t skated them yet, but I’m really curious to see how they perform. I’m probably going to pick up a pair just to try them out, especially since they have high-top models now—I need that ankle support when I skate.
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