Eric Koston and Guy Mariano are veterans of the skateboarding community, riding for skate brand Girl since it was founded in 1993. They’ve experienced the evolution of skateboarding firsthand, and they’ve lived through decades of fashion trends, some of which they look back on with embarrassment. True to the rebellious reputation of skaters, Eric and Guy do things their own way, both on and off the board.
Now, they’re back with a new brand called Numbers—and a brand new Nike collaboration to go with it. Koston and Mariano teamed up the sneaker giant to produce the Nike SB x Numbers collection of coaches jackets, hoodies, long sleeve T-shirts, and the Koston 3 shoe. They hope the collection, dropping December 15, will “catalyze ideas, creativity and progression in skateboarding (and beyond).”
Nike x Numbers
Image via Nike
What do you think is the importance of fashion in skateboarding culture?
Guy: I feel like skateboarding has influenced mainstream fashion, 100 percent. I remember being a skateboarder and wearing really baggy clothes, then seeing that trend grow. Then skateboard pants were tight, and we saw that trend grow. Maybe other people are just now realizing the effect that skateboarders have on fashion. Everyone’s gravitating towards that right now. I’ve always felt that it’s been really influential.
Eric: It’s pretty important. Some skaters may disagree for sure, and those are the guys that like the simpler things. We’ve influenced fashion a ton, but fashion has also influenced us. We’ve taken from fashion. When Jason Dill had that DVS shoe, he ripped off from Prada. Straight up. There’s been tons of stuff that I’ve borrowed from Nike. There are little bits of fashion influence everywhere, down to material and trim with footwear. Those little things have come from fashion. It’s not like they’re just taking from us completely and we’re not taking back, because we definitely do. It’s important to. Even when it pisses us off that fashion steals from us, and we all have our panties in a bunch because we got our ideas ripped off, we know that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Guy: When you look good you feel good, and when you feel good you perform good. I think that’s where skateboarding and fashion meet. That’s why we’re obsessed with it.
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