"DOn't wear Thrasher if You don't skate"

When I was about 13 years old, I was on a flight to Miami for a family visit. It was the summer of 2009 and we as a nation were finally leaving the dark ages of early 2000's fashion behind us, as I proudly paraded my "vintage" Run DMC T-shirt. I felt good, I looked good, and I was ready to enjoy my week in Miami, when suddenly, an older man came to me and asked what my favorite Run DMC song was. I didn't wanna give the typical fake fan answer, "Run's House" as heard in the title sequence of the, then, popular reality show "Run's House", but that's honestly all I knew. Finally I swallowed my pride and said "I don't have one" Immediately the guy questioned my purpose for wearing the shirt if i was never even a fan. My response was simply, "I just like the shirt dude, I'm 13".

I was tight. Like who the fuck was this Cedric the Entertainer ass motherfucker clocking my outfit. It's just a fucking shirt. A bunch of my friends wore Nirvana shirts despite them never having heard a single Nirvana song and I, as a fan, had not a care in the world. So the fuck was his problem?

Fast forward a few years to my junior year of High School. A much gnarlier, hormone charged, but passionate me had really started to get into skating. I had just gotten to understand the depth of skateboarding as a culture. This was around when Tyler the Creator was building his influence on the east coast, catching the eye of youths who would eventually influence today's art and music scene. Upon all the gnarly but truthful quotable's from the California based artist, "You don't fucking skate, take off that box logo", a line from Tyler's "Assmilk" off his album "Bastard", was one that really stuck with me where he is referencing hype-beasts that wear Supreme but don't skate. That shit hit deep. I couldn't stand phoniness and false personas as means to gain social dominance or acceptance, as I'm sure most people feel the same. I also hated when people would blindly follow trends as a means to remain "relevant". It all seemed fake to me, that people would borrow little things from cultures and use that to shape or add to their identity, without at least crediting/respecting something to said culture. Even worse, I hated people who spoke ill of or misrepresented the cultures of which they borrowed from. All of this compiled with a culture I personally identified with, and boom! You have an angry teen-aged Danny screaming "Don't wear this shit if you don't skate!"

At age 23, you can say I calmed down a bit. Definitely more open minded, and not as angst-y , but the unspoken battle between skaters and hypebeasts/fashion advocates continues as this had become a topic of discussion in pop-culture and social media. Memes and twitter screenshots caked on all social media platforms of people retaliating to skateboarding purists.

And these only scratch the surface.

It is fair to assume that a general animosity has built around the subject matter in regards to skaters. In a discussion I had with a local New York City artist and model, who chooses to not be identified, we talked about this whole uproar in non-skaters wearing skateboarding brand merchandise, to which she argues that it's all ego. "Skateboarders have this superiority complex, thinking they're better than everyone else. Just testosterone and toxic masculinity trying to police people's choices". She then described fashion as a form of art and expression that shouldn't be limited by anything. Evidently, she was not the only one to share this perspective, as many on social media had pushed the same rhetoric in that it is no one's business what others do that doesn't concern them. What people choose to wear is ultimately their choice and that should be the end of it. What people choose to represent and how they do so is also their choice.

Now initially, I was heated. How dare she have this misinformed opinion of skateboarders. Superiority complex? DEADASS?! That is the exact opposite of who we are! But putting my feelings and personal biases aside I continued to think about this perspective she gave. This wasn't the first time I had heard perspective, but I'd begin to wonder about its validity since so many people had felt the same way. I'd remembered that flight when I was a kid, and how annoyed and lowkey, shitty I felt when that guy tried to say I was a fraud. To this day I think of that guy as being an asshole. He didn't know me from a hole in the wall and tried to come for my character over a shirt. So I can conceptualize that idea that people shouldn't police people's wardrobe. But does that mean people should wear whatever, without considering the representation of said clothing?

Also yes, as I said, no one should police people's clothing. However I do think the feelings of those offended by this are valid and should be kept in consideration in scenarios such as this. Especially in this case where you're wearing things people specifically identify with culturally. In a conversation I had about this topic with fellow skateboarder and Spacewaste featured, Justin Gilharry, he summed up my sentiments exactly, stating (and I'm slightly paraphrasing) "I don't give a fuck honestly. But of course people are gonna be mad, and they have that right. You're not bleeding, sweating, and putting in the work like we are." And he's absolutely right. Of course nobody's requiring you to break some bones to wear a shirt and hang with skaters. BUT there is a level of homage and respect for a culture that is expected upon wearing skate apparel. Growing up here in New York City, it's easy to get lost in an ocean of people and sort of lose your sense of humanity, individuality, and belonging. You become a small cell in this large,constantly moving and changing organism. Clothing, besides an actual skateboard, was our way of being able to pick out another human we identified with, kind of like an anchor. I imagine this same feeling being universal for skateboarders since historically we've been deemed outcasts and misfits, and all those other "non-belonging" cliches. So of course people will feel a way when these companies that held so much weight for us, are becoming a part of mainstream media and consumerism. It dulls the significance. From the perspective of a skateboarder, this is the classic example of the phrase "it's about the principle". For me, it was "be what you bout", a common phrase of mine. If something doesn't represent you, then you shouldn't put things out there like it does.

All of this said, should you wear thrasher or other skateboarding brands if you don't skate? I don't fuckin know, I'm not your parent, use your own discretion. But what ever you decide, I think you should be prepared for what comes after, whether that's annoying skater kids calling you out, or you feeling as though your expression through your clothing is being stifled. Ultimately, it's on you to decide.