Skateboarding, Style, And The Design Museum: what’s not to love?

So.. the Design Museum now has a mini-ramp! In a thrilling marriage of innovation and subversion, London’s Design Museum has partnered with the iconic brand Converse to unveil its latest exhibition, Skateboard, offering a unique glimpse into the world of skateboarding and its disruptive design history. We got a chance to take a peek at the cutting-edge exhibition and learn more from the man who brought it all together, Jonathan Olivares.

Few sub-cultures have wielded as profound an impact on the fashion industry as skateboarding. Delve into history, and you’ll uncover luminaries like the late Virgil Abloh, Tyler the Creator, and Blondey McCoy, who all embraced skateboarding long before achieving the acclaim that would later define them. The essence and principles of skateboarding have woven their way into the very fabric of fashion. The roots run deep, and it’s no secret that some of the world’s most iconic brands, from Stussy to Supreme, germinated from the fertile grounds where kids perfected kickflips and 50/50 grinds.

So when seasoned skateboarders, like Jonathan Olivares, orchestrate an exhibition that introduces seven decades of skateboarding design evolution, it promises to be an immersive and tantalizing experience for all lovers and proprietors of the aesthetic.

What truly sets it apart is the inclusion of a bespoke mini-ramp, inspired by California’s skate heritage. It’s open to the public to book so after you’re done browsing the history of the culture, if you’ve got it in you, head to the top of the ramp and get some tricks off. We got a chance to speak to Louie Lopez, who has been a member of the Converse skate team for 9 years now, briefly after he showed us what many can’t do on the mini-ramp. 

We’ve just been skating around the city since we got here. It’s crazy getting to do it indoors in a spot like this.

With the convergence of skateboarding, design, and culture, the Skateboard exhibition at the Design Museum brilliantly accepts and celebrates a culture that has historically been anti-establishment and anti-institution. Converse’s decades-long presence in skateboarding history and involvement in the exhibition serve as a reminder that skateboarding has transcended its origins and is now deeply intertwined with the world of fashion. 

Skateboarding isn’t just about grinding rails and performing tricks; it’s about a sense of identity, a unique style, and a form of self-expression. And as a thrilling footnote, remember that skateboarding will make its debut in the Olympics next year, further cementing its place in mainstream culture.

Around 100 rare and unique boards are on display, alongside over 150 other objects, including hardware such as wheels and tucks, safety equipment, VHS tapes, DVDs, magazines and ephemera. This is a can’t miss for anyone who want to dig deeper into why everyone is rocking Jorts, carabiners and baggy tees. Street style at its finest

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