The Formative Years – Skateboarding, Punk and Globe
Skate culture and the niche it has created for itself as part of punk rock culture has always been an interesting sub-genre of the movement.
Musically, especially the early skate core bands infused the scene with a refreshingly high-energy, fast, and melodic tinge, which took hold instantaneously via bands like Circle Jerks, Descendents, Big Boys, Jodie Foster Army and Suicidal Tendencies, which created fertile ground for a myriad of pop punk bands that were to blossom over the next two decades until the genre infiltrated mainstream territory and eventually had Avril Lavigne serenade us about her “skater boy”.
Aesthetically and as far as fashion was concerned, the connection between the vehemence of punk and the aerial stunts skateboarding added an interesting facet to the mix with innovative and fun couture.
An entity that captured my imagination in the early 1990s was an Australian one that by that time already had evolved from the underground Melbourne skate scene to a company with a global footprint in the realm of skate, street, and surf culture, graced with the befittingly telling name Globe International. While my peers decked themselves out in Thrasher and Vans gear, my trusted go-to was Globe.
Ever since the days of appearing on the scene with its debauched skate tours, Globe International became synonymous with skate and later surf- and snowboarding culture in the 1990s and by never having not been disconnected or out of touch with the enthusiasm that drives skate enthusiasts has remained relevant to this day.
While specific styles and fashion has undergone ebbs and flows, I was reconnected with Globe International again recently because of their Living Low Velocity approach to sustainability.
With the core interests of Globe being closely associated with outdoors activity and nature not unlike mine, they made a deliberate effort and took the logical next step off the fast fashion treadmill and transitioned to using more sustainable fibers in their fabrics with less impact on the environment while creating more durable products to eliminate waste, e.g., by using recycled polyester made from plastic bottles and certified organic cotton to limit the use of pesticides.
While remnants my days of actively skating cannot even be seen in the rear mirror anymore, it has been replaced with hiking, running and other outdoor activities, with the ambition to not let the implications of seasons, terrain, or adverse weather conditions hinder my undertakings, which means that proper gear to weather the elements is crucial, especially in countries and territory where fashionable and flimsy gear won’t cut it.
In those moments it feels reassuring to be able to fall back on a reliable entity like Globe, who deliver with the recent collection including a versatile waterproof-breathable Breaker Spray rain jacket, which is not only breathable, suitable for sweat-inducing activities and made in an eco-aware manner but also designed in a way that does not hurt the eye.
I still dig their utilitarian staples like e.g., the timeless old school Foundation pant, which in terms of versatility has yet to see an occasion that it would prove to be completely out of place for, no matter if you are channeling your inner Tony Hawke or going for a smart casual look.
Having just lived through the Australian winter months, Globe’s flannels, some of which come in enhanced jacket (“shacket”) varieties, do a perfect job of keeping me warm without bulky layering.
Skateboarding shoe-wise, Globe’s Los Angered boots are testament to things having evolved quite a bit over the years in terms of fit and features, specifically when it comes to the use of long lasting Nuback eco-leather, ollie protection for durability and shockbed insoles for impact control. An added bonus is that Globe gives lifetime guarantee for its Low Velocity products, so grind away confidently.
Good to see entities that started it all still have a connection to what it was all inspired by at the core, i.e., being compelled by the possession to skate.
---
image from company website
