great article on nike's skateboarding division

[artificialsky]

"how nike conquered skateboard culture" on adbusters

http://adbusters.org/the_magazine/65/How_Nike_Conquered_Skateboard_Culture.html

there's been a few "mainstream press" stories on nike sb, but this is by far the longest, best-informed, and most entertaining read of all the ones i've encounterd.

the comments are entertaining too.

[sygyzy]

Thanks for posting this and it even has Jeff Staple!

[american_hearts]

consider that adbusters is doing their own form of appropriation.

http://www.stapledesign.com/jeffstaple/2006/05/love-or-hate.html

[minya]

quote from the article --

"Irma Zandl, the original “cool hunter” who invented the term alpha consumer doesn’t think so. “I’m working on a theory right now. I’m calling it ‘the center is the new edge.’"

Brilliant. Totally brilliant. I've been thinking and feeling the same sentiment for a few years now. Counterculture is dominant culture.

Not caring is the new caring.

I'm eager to read this thesis/theory of Zandl's whenever it's published.

[typicalfashion]

nike has no place in skateboarding. i hate that they have done this. BUT all the other big skate companies are just one huge corporation anyway....

[poly800rock]

adbusters would have a field day on a website like this...levi's....giant corporations...people spending tons of money on fucking clothes when there are little children in africa starving.....boo fucking hoo. adbusters is as cool as the equator....bunch of idiot idealist who have no idea of how the real world works

[M4TM]

that's pretty great.

[__Nicholas]

adbusters would have a field day on a website like this...levi's....giant corporations...people spending tons of money on fucking clothes when there are little children in africa starving.....boo fucking hoo. adbusters is as cool as the equator....bunch of idiot idealist who have no idea of how the real world works

I agree with you 100% ... You couldnt be more right.

[Akura]

Nike SB used to be called Savier (spelling?) but then the company bankrupted and Nike started Nike SB.. So they've been in the skate scene for a while.

[will_i_am]

savier had that bird logo right. i think i used to see them on fatlace.

too bad niked killed em.

[__Nicholas]

i used to skate in saviers and honestly they were amazing. sooo much technology, the shoes lasted me way longer than any other skate shoe. too bad they were ugly as fuck.

[darkanimal]

I didn't know NIke owned Savier, I used to own a pair the one that had a a story scribbled on the sole, if you know what I mean.

[homi29]

i think nike SB is doing things right and supporting the scene, the fucker who wrote this probably never skated a day in their life

fuck adbusters, their shit aint free, they sell items just like everything else, but use the guise of being socially/enviromentally aware

why print on paper then?

[poly800rock]

i think nike SB is doing things right and supporting the scene, the fucker who wrote this probably never skated a day in their life

fuck adbusters, their shit aint free, they sell items just like everything else, but use the guise of being socially/enviromentally aware

why print on paper then?

what else will the LES rich hipsters and 12 year old anarchists get their arguements from?

[6MT]

i love nike for what it is, they are just too smart..

[minya]

i love nike for what it is, they are just too smart..

Exactly. Good business is good business.

[cultpop 0217]

read grrl scouts.

fuck the swoosh

[cultpop 0217]

adbusters would have a field day on a website like this...levi's....giant corporations...people spending tons of money on fucking clothes when there are little children in africa starving.....boo fucking hoo. adbusters is as cool as the equator....bunch of idiot idealist who have no idea of how the real world works

adbusters is at one extreme end of the spectrum for sure but corporate responsibilty is still a good idea.

nike has seriously cleaned up their act in the past few years and really tried to change their image. so did guess and the gap/banana republic. walmart is taking a serious hit because of the bad press.

companies are learning that it makes better business sense to keep your public image clean and practices somewhat fair(er) . this has a lot to do with consumers become more aware of some of the fouler business practices in the marketplace. this consumer awareness comes in part from outlets like adbusters (ever read NO LOGO? great book).

im not saying sweatshops are going to go away but if a large corporation has to install better ventilation or allow labor unions to form in any part because of the influence of the media (even an overhyped and somewhat hypocritical magazine) thats a good thing.

its important (even in the "real world") that extreme ideas exist to challange the paradigm. checks and balances and all that.

and back to nike. i know my vans are made in china but at least they didnt jump into skateboarding yesterday. they are part of its history.

fuck the swoosh.

fucking jocks.

[red]

i find this thread drifting toward politics.

[red]

and yes. no logo is a good book.

[poly800rock]

adbusters is at one extreme end of the spectrum for sure but corporate responsibilty is still a good idea.

nike has seriously cleaned up their act in the past few years and really tried to change their image. so did guess and the gap/banana republic. walmart is taking a serious hit because of the bad press.

companies are learning that it makes better business sense to keep your public image clean and practices somewhat fair(er) . this has a lot to do with consumers become more aware of some of the fouler business practices in the marketplace. this consumer awareness comes in part from outlets like adbusters (ever read NO LOGO? great book).

im not saying sweatshops are going to go away but if a large corporation has to install better ventilation or allow labor unions to form in any part because of the influence of the media (even an overhyped and somewhat hypocritical magazine) thats a good thing.

its important (even in the "real world") that extreme ideas exist to challange the paradigm. checks and balances and all that.

and back to nike. i know my vans are made in china but at least they didnt jump into skateboarding yesterday. they are part of its history.

fuck the swoosh.

fucking jocks.

new balance moved their shit abroad too. there is no alternative except for the gay as shit blackspot and thats owned by the losers from adbusters.

[red]

new balance moved their shit abroad too. there is no alternative except for the gay as shit blackspot and thats owned by the losers from adbusters.

are you refering to sneakers, or shoes in general? because many boots are made in the U.S.

[6MT]

my boots come from italy

[poly800rock]

are you refering to sneakers, or shoes in general? because many boots are made in the U.S.

sneakers....

[NESK]

cultpop brought the realness.

[will_i_am]

hahaha my cousin just got me no logo today cause she knew i was an advertising/design major. whooa.

[poly800rock]

the shit is all relative..just as nike is "branding" the world.....so are american/western ideas of what is fair, who the fuck am I to say what is fair?

that being said....is there any country in the world that doesnt have coke? I read an article in the times the other day about coke being is mogedishu