boohooMAN x Boo Johnson Skate Diaries PT 2
- The Skatewear Aesthetic
- The Shoot
- The Concept
- The Content
- The Collection
The Skatewear Aesthetic
Boo Johnson never misses, and he knows the Skatewear trend is as relevant as ever. This is all thanks to Gen Z demand for 90s and Y2K inspired fashion. After years living in lockdown, we were all yearning for casual, streetwear styles that evoke pangs of nostalgia. It’s a look that takes you way back, to when the only virus people worried about was the millenium bug. Where Gen Z leads, fashion will follow, and hybrid brands like Palace and Supreme are killing it in the game. With intensely coveted collabs and plenty of exclusive timed releases, more skate brands are following suit.
Skatewear has forever been a genre that stands proudly alone; but as with all quality clothing classics, they inevitably get drawn into the fashion sphere. Undeniably, die hard fans may not be happy about it, but the journey was inevitable. Skatewear has ventured out from practical sports attire to globally-reaching fashion trend and we ain’t mad.
Hardwearing, laid-back skatewear will never let you down as everyday essentials with that streetwear-edge. So the time to invest in some limited edition pieces is now my friend. Often subtly seeped in irony and humour, skate clothes are all about building a sense of community and having fun.
The ultimate skatewear aesthetic includes plenty of oversized, baggy styles and layers. A skaters wardrobe is also the perfect place to display artists and illustrators original work. A long sleeved tee is an absolute must, along with a slogan sweatshirt and cleverly placed utility details. Top that off with a branded tote bag and sport socks pulled up high and you’ve got the laid-back style of an off-duty pro like Boo.
The Boo Johnson Skate Diaries PT 2 Shoot
Introducing Part 2 of the Skate Diaries collection, created by Boo Johnson in collaboration with boohooMAN. An unbeatable capsule that embodies the energy, spirit and inimitable cool of the pro skater. Pt 1 was in Jamaica, where hot, dusty skate rinks blended with lush palms and bold colours. For our second instalment we journey back to the U S of A…
The Concept
The concept for this shoot was a blend of influences. Creatively the vision was to embody the vibrant culture of the streets in New York. There was also a desire to visually represent lower-income, inner city areas where skate culture often thrives.
Passing time when you’re tight on cash in the NY projects can be difficult but people find a way. Look a little deeper and you’ll find a beating heart of a thriving community and some unique, very interesting pastimes.
Enter Pigeon Keeping. Not the first thing that springs to mind when it comes to skate fashion we concur. However, it can be difficult to accommodate pets in tiny NY rentals with landlord restrictions. Fortunatley the inner-city naturally comes with its own hefty supply of pigeons.
Combine that with the urge to get away from the flurry of police activity on the ground, many escape to the roof tops for community and take significant pride in their secret coops. This makes for some incredible photo opportunities and Boo thrives in this humble environment which makes an unusually epic setting for shooting the range. Add to that a soundtrack of Nas’ Illmatic, straight from the streets of 90s New York; and you’ve got a pretty special editorial of fashion-meets-the-streets.
The Content
The culmination of all this was some incredible coverage of Boo’s journey through the real New York with a solid crew in tow. Following that, came content that cult filmmaker and skater Harmony Korine would be proud of. Korine street cast New York skaters in the mid 90s to produce cult films around skate and youth culture in the city. Spot content reels stuffed with skate style inspo from the trip on tiktok and instagram.
The Collection
The collection has been carefully curated in collaboration with Boo himself and our in-house design team to capture the essence of his skate and life outlook. Just have fun is his motto and personal brand, and Boo is someone who understands the importance of mindset for a successful sporting career.
He’s a relaxed type of guy who takes life at it comes, but has always been savvy with his reach and self promotion. His ideal combination of positivity and drive, sits at the heart of the boohooMAN ethos.
Key styles in the collection include; contrast colour block trouser and jacket sets, curve seam t-shirts and baggy trousers, all dripping with 90s nostalgia. Checker board and stripe prints enhance the throwback vibe. Our OFCL logo runs throughout, and a must-have branded style is the teddy jacket in monochrome with Y2K inspired logo on repeat. Details include printed sports socks and tote bags for a H to T skate aesthetic.
Sell-out styles are bound to be the oversized renaissance boxy shirt. Its a style that echoes the impeccable styling of Baz Lurman’s Romeo and Juliet 90s remake. Pair this with a pair of the classic baggy-fit skate cargo jeans in taupe. Style the two with a box-fresh white tee for a look to skate in or just stay out late in.
