Words: Bob Kronbauer
Photos: Andre Pinces
This is the first installment in our ongoing 'Doing It Right' series. Within these articles we'll be bringing you various brands, stores, galleries, publishers, groups and individuals who we feel need to be recognized for their positive contributions to... well... one thing or another. This one has to do with the business of skateboarding. This is Doing It Right #1:
The skateboard industry can be an entirely backwards beast at times, chock full of contradictions. While the greater portion of key insiders are busy publicly pointing the finger of blame at shop owners for the way their industry is evolving, one somewhat unlikely candidate is doing it's part to aid in their longevity while supporting professional skateboarders and artists alike. One large corporation ("corporation" being a noun that industry folk have always feared for it's proven ability to corrupt and destroy the fickle market) has been quietly lending skateboarding's future a helping hand, and that corporation is Nike. Making their much sought-after SB line available only in skateshops, sneaker fiends line up at the door in order to get their hands on the latest releases, some of the best of those being limited editions that sell out the day that they come into stock. The sale of the limited runs help to pay shops' overheads and bring in new customers while the other side of the shiny coin (the side that Nike is likely more focused on) holds the fact that their range rivals most others in terms of skatability, durability, price and technical advancements. It's no stretch to say that some core shops might be out of business right now if not for some of the right-brained thinking going on at SB (in fact, a few shop owners have told me exactly that), and that they're Doing It Right. To compliment that thinking, and this somewhat heavy handed smack of praise, we bring you some fancy images of some of their collaboration Dunks with a few other right-brained thinkers who you may have heard of...
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