FASHION : Going by the Boarders: Skate, Ski, Surf Styles
Snowboarders may share the slopes with downhill skiers, but they aren’t about to share the same fashion approach. Like the sport itself, snowboard attire is a world apart.
Heavily influenced by surfwear, the newest looks glow neon in an obvious tribute to surfer shorts and swim trunks. Inspired by skateboard garb as well, snowboard clothes can carry the skull and crossbones motifs associated with that other daredevil sport.
Skateboarders’ safety gear--elbow and knee pads--have a place in snowboard fashion, too. Many jackets have built-in elbow pads; pants have knee and even fanny padding. Boarders need the extra protection.
John Rice, skier services manager for Bear Mountain Ski Resort in Big Bear, sees three types of dress styles sported by snowboarders this winter.
“There is the wild and crazy, gotta-be-different boarder with his torn Levi’s, shredded sweater and T-shirt,” Rice says of outfits that spin off skateboard wear. Shirts with portraits of Bob Marley, the late reggae singer, are especially popular among snowboarders, a younger breed of athletes who tend to think of anyone over age 30 as old.
“Then there’s the traditional skier who’s trying to make the switch to snowboarding, who will wear his or her brightest alpine skiing outfits,” says Rice.
“Then, there are the people with the bucks, who have all the right stuff--the $300 outfit with the headband and matching sunglasses. If your outfit matches your board, it’s way cool,” says Rice.
In 1988, in North America, consumers spent an estimated $50 million on snowboard fashion and gear, according to Bruce Torrey, advertising director of International Snowboard magazine, based in San Francisco. That includes the purchase of an estimated 110,000 to 120,000 boards, ranging in price from $250 to $500.
Southern California active sportswear manufacturers are tapping into the market.
Surfwear companies such as Ocean Pacific and Body Glove now offer snowboard fashions as part of their lines, giving the clothes the same electric colors and larger-than-life logos associated with their other activewear.
Life’s A Beach, another local company, is producing snowboard fashions decorated with skull and crossbones in an obvious bow to skateboard style. And Vision Streetwear, renowned for its logo-emblazoned T-shirts and sweat pants, has introduced snowboard attire in the same vein.
Perhaps the one drawback to snowboarding, from surfers’ and skateboarders’ point of view, is the sport’s cost. Clothing, equipment and ski-lift tickets are comparable in price to downhill skiing, which is far more than skateboarders and surfers are accustomed to spending for a ride on the waves or at the roller rink.
“You have to have money,” says Dan Flecky, a professional surfer-turned-manufacturer of the Burning Snow snowboard fashion label. “You’re talking about $300 to $400 for a jacket and pants, another $40 or so per day for lift tickets, and a few hundred for the board. It’s not cheap.”
At Mammoth Mountain, where there are three new snowboard stores, assistant manager Denise McCoy monitors the fashion tastes of the snowboarders she sees on the slopes.
“Some of them, who come from surfer backgrounds, are just trying to get by with whatever they can scrounge up, because all they’re interested in is comfortable clothes,” she says. Old sweat shirts, sweaters and sweat pants are the money-saving basics for these skiers.
More snowboarders each season seem to be wearing official snowboard garb, but their look still qualifies as the most radical on the slopes. And as of this winter, it is starting to influence downhill ski fashion design.
Bogner, a leader in downhill ski wear, is working up a line of unisex styles intended to cross into snowboard territory. The collection, in fiery shades of pink and lime, will be unveiled this spring, says Maryann Manzolillo, spokeswoman for the Vermont-based company. The clothes are not engineered for snowboarders’ needs but outfits will be priced about $350 to compete with snowboard labels, in hopes of attracting that customer. Other Bogner skiwear prices can go as high as $2,000.
There is some question as to whether snowboarders will buy the idea. World championship ‘boarder, Burt LaMar, a 23-year-old Westlake resident, is credited with bringing respectability to the sport once outlawed on ski slopes. He says that proper snowboard safety gear, including knee and elbow pads, is just as important as the neon colors and graphic prints associated with the look.
He and others who share his view are likely to keep snowboard fashion from ever blending into the landscape. Advertising director Torrey explains: “The fashion identity snowboarders have hinges on their desire to set themselves apart from other skiers. This group of younger, more aggressive athletes is, without question, wearing the most exciting things on the slopes. They not only want to foster that identity that allows them to be and look different, it’s part of the fun.”
