Race, gender, income, weight, origin, age…all factors rendered completely irrelevant in the world of skate boarding. The inclusive nature of the skate culture is welcoming (yet still competitive) with counter-culture roots that run deep through the core of the sport and those that love it. Individuality is relished; now isn’t that refreshing?
As a longtime skate fan, I’ve fallen fast for one skate brand, in particular, that takes personal flare to a whole other level (read the Brandettes interview with Sunset Skateboards’ Co-Founders Jeremy Fissell and Scott Winn for a fascinating look inside the company) . Sunset Skateboards not only innovated with their incredible LED wheels from the get-go, but they continue to reinvent at a rapid pace. Keeping a brand fresh while holding strong to core culture is tough, but Sunset Skateboards has managed to stand out AND stay true to skate culture roots with these three key factors:
Innovation
Better. Smoother Faster. Knowing performance is top of mind for Sunset’s loyalists, the brand introduced a whole host of product upgrades in 2016. They overhauled their trucks, introduced new bearings and added additional wheel shapes to make the experience of riding a Sunset Skateboard more memorable than ever before. They upped the fun factor through product innovation- what can you do to bring more enjoyment and excitement to your brand?
Design
This year, Sunset Skateboards took massive inspiration from 1970’s colors, graphics and board shapes. The 70’s were incredibly important in the skate world, making the homage perfectly at home. Communities were built, competitions became popular and Dogtown developed a world of street skating once foreign, now familiar. Sunset’s chocolate brown, burnt orange and electric blue graphics on their wood and grip boards feel future fresh and retro rad at the same time (the Aces design below right is a personal favorite). How can your brand evolve classic graphics to forward thinking, trend driven designs that resonate today?
Cultural Connection
Follow Sunset Skateboards on Instagram @sunsetskateboards and you’ll see how enmeshed they are with their core audience. The feed is fresh, fun and smile inducing. The brand, like the skate culture overall, embraces the unique, eccentric and entirely individual point of view that brings people together. Sunset Skate’s LED wheels never fail to impress day or night, but it’s the way the company has connected with the skate community through a variety of touch points that has lured over 30k followers (and counting). What can you do to inspire your brand’s loyalists to share more of their memorable moments, just like Sunset Skateboards?
Get excited about Sunset Skateboards by browsing their completes and custom board builder. Now, go out there and skate!
