Description

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As seen in Vogue, Thrasher, HYPEBEAST, and The Art Newspaper

An authoritative chronicle of the history and evolution of skateboard design from 1950 to the present day

From its starting point as a simple wooden plank to the high-tech models of today, the skateboard has undergone a dramatic evolution. Skateboard explores the golden eras of skateboarding through over 100 boards that brought about turning points in the sport’s history.

Across six thematic chapters, organized chronologically by decade, the book focuses on the materials, designs, and events that have defined the art, sport, and culture of skateboarding. Developed in close collaboration with Converse – a brand engrained in skateboarding culture since its inception – Skateboard is packed with information and insights about the people and events that have shaped the sport, with more than 500 illustrations spanning newly studio-shot and historical images that fully capture the skateboard’s technical, makeup and structural development across time. 

Each board featured in the book – from the 1963 Skee-Skate to the 1989 Mike Vallely pro model – is photographed to scale, allowing the reader to gauge the board’s individual flair and size in relation to its counterparts, and accompanied by engaging text from author, designer, and former skater Jonathan Olivares. Pro models of iconic skaters such as Laura Thornhill, Ray ‘Bones’ Rodriquez, Tony Hawk, Natas Kaupas, and Mike Vallely are also brought to life in a selection of archival action shots.

Skateboard features a foreword by Paul 'Professor' Schmitt.

About the Author

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Jonathan Olivares is an industrial designer. He established his Los Angeles-based practice in 2006 and his clients include Vitra, Knoll, and Kvadrat. Olivares’s work has been published internationally, granted several design awards – including Italy’s Compasso d’Oro – and is included in the permanent design collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Los Angeles County Art Museum, and the Vitra Design Museum.

Praise For…

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‘Gorgeous.’ – Forbes  

‘Skateboard examines the fundamentality of its namesake device.’ – Vogue

‘Cover[s] everything from the first boards and videos right up to the modern day plank we all know and love—plus a few quirky, forgotten side quests in between.’ – Thrasher

‘ [A] marriage of counterculture and aesthetics.’ – HYPEBEAST

‘Converse skates through history with Phaidon.’ – The Face