bythelevel, Author at BY THE LEVEL

ISLE Skateboards Spring 2015 Deck Graphic Series

Posted on March 24, 2015March 24, 2015 by bythelevel

UK based Isle Skateboards return with six brand new deck graphics spread over 2 series for their first release of the season.

Having gained a lot of recognition for their unique, creative approach to their board designs, Isle continue their fine run of form with the Push/Pull Series 2 and the Paint & Pigment Series. The Push/Pull Series 2 sees new iterations of the brands first ever deck series reversing the white back ground to black and adding new ‘opposing’ imagery. The Paint & Pigment series looks a bit like a fine art piece with experimental paint powder, subtle imagery and cards with each riders initials. Both series feature decks for all 3 of the brands pro riders – brand owners Nick Jensen and Paul Shier, as well as Sylvian Tognelli. Each deck is constructed from generator wood which is made in the USA.

This year is certainly looking to be an exciting one for Isle, with some strong clothing pieces on the way that compliments the deck series, as well as several strong collaborative projects throughout the year. We can also be expecting the brands first full length video “Vase” which will be arriving shortly.

ISLE Spring 2015 line will be arriving this May. Be sure to keep an eye on isleskateboards.com for updates and to purchase from their current range.

HUF Spring 2015 Delivery 2 Lookbook

Posted on March 24, 2015 by bythelevel

HUF hit the racecourse to showcase their latest offering from their Spring 2015 collection, as photographer Brian Kelley follows models Thadius Williams, Justin Owens, Danny Salgado and Patrick Franklin as they try their luck on the horses.

The latest release continues to place a high importance on construction and material, brining us gently into the warmer weather with several Californian inspired styles and prints. There is of course the staples but there is much more of a focus on cut and sew pieces including light weight jackets and short sleeved shirts, with several key pant styles from their ever improving line. With key pieces that include the Classic H baseball jacket, white embroidered baseball jersey and Tropicana short sleeved shirt, the collection also features a bevy of new headwear releases and also key footwear styles that compliment the apparel offerings. Utilising several custom print stories throughout including dots and bandana pattern, the colour palette is fairly subtle using lots of white, blues and sand colours.

The HUF Spring 2015 Delivery 2 release will be available at the usual stores including Urban Industry and The Chimp Store shortly.

Welcome Skateboards Spring 2015

Posted on March 22, 2015March 23, 2015 by bythelevel

Welcome Skateboards is a brand dedicated to doing things differently. The Californian based brand was founded by Jason Celaya back in 2009 and was born out of a frustration with the current market and brands available, whether it was the product or the team, Celaya couldn’t relate. Starting out with a few sharpie drawings and some hand shaped decks which they would occasionally sell on their blog, the brand seemed to resonate with others who were looking for something unique. From that Welcome began to gain some serious traction with their ‘odd’ designs and anti-mainstream approach.

Drawing inspiration from musical influences including punk and 80’s goth, as well as elements of the supernatural, their abstract illustrative designs are applied to casual, skate ready pieces. Independent, skater owned and passionate about keeping things that way, Welcome really stand out with their unorthodox approach to shaping their boards which have been meticulously crafted to ensure that they can be skated and flipped as well as any other board.

For Spring 2015 the brands supernatural and occult inspired designs continue to feature across a range of tees, long sleeves and hoodies, as well as a small headwear selection donning the brands hand drawn type logo. The ‘oddly’ shaped boards arrive in force with several creative graphics and colours in numerous skate-able shapes.

Welcome Skateboards Spring 2015 is available now at Slam City and Native Skate Store.

PUMA introduce the Premium “PERF” Pack

Posted on March 22, 2015April 8, 2015 by bythelevel

Two of PUMA‘s most coveted silhouettes – the R698 and the low profile States, get a nostalgic rework as part of the brands Fast Track line for Spring 2015, in the “Perf” pack.

Each silhouette debuted in two separate, yet equally pivotal, era’s for the brand and both styles moved the brand forward in terms of performance sneaker design in running and basketball respectively. The States, or Suede as it is also known, surfaced back in the 80’s and the shoe was quickly adopted by the hip-hop affiliated of New York City and soon after those with similar interests in the UK, who decided to re-name the shoe after its birthplace ‘The States’. The 90’s saw the arrival of the sleek R698 silhouette, born into an era of peak innovation in PUMA’s performance footwear story. With the introduction of Trinomic sole the shoe would revolutionise PUMA’s running designs and as with many popular running styles, would eventually make the transition into the lifestyle market.

The Perf Pack sees 3 tonal colour options of blue, grey and black applied to both styles. The upper is constructed from a smooth nubuck with perforations from the toe box through to the mid- foot sitting on a contrasting stark white midsole.

The PUMA “Perf” pack is available at selected retailers now including Urban Industry, 5Pointz and The Chimp Store.

Isle Skateboards – Interview

Posted on March 21, 2015March 10, 2016 by bythelevel

As two of the most respected British riders in the world, Nick Jensen and Paul Shier have been integral members of the UK skate scene for some time now. Following the demise of the once renowned Blueprint skateboards, they have since given rise to a new brand with an eclectic art direction and strong collection of riders on the team. We are happy to be able to share words from them both regarding their company, Isle…

Prior to launching Isle you kept a lot under wraps in terms of the name etc. How did this impact the launch?

PAUL SHIER – We wanted to keep everything to ourselves and make sure the brand was 100% ready to go the way we envisioned for the launch before announcing anything regarding the name or team. There were some people out there that were guessing at the name for a while and it did get out somehow that it was going to be called Isle. I can remember our first trip to Valencia, Spain when the brand was still not properly launched and all there had been was some personal instagrams of blank boards but Sylvain thought it would be funny to write Celest on his griptape as a joke which sparked interest even more thinking that was going to be the name. I am not too sure if this hyped it up more but we were super stoked on the welcome we got from skaters.

What goals did you have in mind when creating the concept for the brand?

NICK JENSEN – To create something that was visually different and to support our favourite skaters.

Did the decline of Blueprint prior to starting Isle provide any lessons to bring to the new brand?

PAUL SHIER – Keep it small and tight, listen and communicate with each other always. Do not grow beyond your means and only do what you believe to be true. Never get people involved who do not understand your message and where you are coming from.

Isle has a distinctive aesthetic, keeping things minimal with high attention to detail. Are there other brands or designers that you look to for inspiration?

NICK JENSEN – We find ourselves looking at art works outside of skateboarding for inspiration. Going to see art exhibitions has informed the white background aesthetic. We also look at older examples set by skate brand’s, a time when designers used photocopy machines, actual models (ie alien workshop’s stuff) and animation to create their brand identity. We’re really into this hands on approach, treating the board as a sculpture in a way.

You’re working on ‘Vase’ with Jacob Harris who also made the Eleventh Hour. Should we expect similar use of ‘regressive technology’ in the new video?

PAUL SHIER – Our video is shot with vx1000 and 16mm. It does seem to be a trend now for people to claim they are filming on VX but this is what I have pretty much always filmed parts on as has Nick so we are more familiar. I think Jake has gone through 4 cameras filming for it and I know I have fucked up one death lens.

Using old technology can be a costly process. Why are using such mediums important to your aesthetic?

PAUL SHIER – 16mm is costly but we are keeping it to a minimum and costs down. VX costs is just a case of buying tapes, unfortunately some cameras have broken, but again this has not been too costly and we were all able to chip in together to get Jacob another. We are all believers in the process, rawness and image that you get from filming with a VX1000 and this is why we continue to use this medium.

Does the extra cost create pressure for your riders when filming?

PAUL SHIER – The 16mm has been used mostly for lifestyle/art shots and not much real skating is done so the cost is lower than you may think.

I’ve seen Nick mention in a previous interview with Dazed and Confused that you tend to consider two audience types when filming, one core skate and the other more mainstream. Was that taken into account when filming for Vase?

NICK JENSEN – It’s a relief to be making Vase because it’s what we really want to be doing. It’s for skaters by skaters. Dazed was different because of their intentions and ideas.

The bulk of the team are from the UK. Is a majority filmed over here?

PAUL SHIER – Yes, the majority of the video is shot in the U.K, but there will also be a lot of footage from all the world.

With so many UK riders, London surely holds an integral value to Isle and the team. As a place to skate, would you say London’s best days are done?

PAUL SHIER – 60% of the team live and skate in London and it is a very important place to us, especially the guys who have grown up around the scene. I know to me it is something that has always been a tight and amazing community of skaters. London days are far from done and never will be. The scene is the strongest it has ever been.

We really like your hands on approach to the creation of your board graphics. Can you tell us anything about the next series?

PAUL SHIER – We are currently finishing up production of our SP15 line which we are all hyped on. We will be dropping that in about a month with a new line of softgoods too.

What can we expect from Isle moving forward?

PAUL SHIER – Continue to do what we have been doing, filming for Vase, always putting out quality not quantity, supporting our favourite skateboarders and skateboarding.

You can find out more on Isle Skateboards latest deck series HERE. For more information on the brand or to shop their latest range head over to www.isleskateboards.com

Words: James P.Lees

Imagery courtesy of Isle Skateboards

Nike introduces the Air Max Zero

Posted on March 21, 2015March 21, 2015 by bythelevel

In the build up to one of the biggest sneaker celebrations of the year – Air Max day, the internet came ablaze with a teaser suggesting the arrival of a new Air Max silhouette from Tinker Hatfields design archives. Nike now lift the lid on the design as they present the Air Max Zero. The one before the 1.

Contrary to beliefs, the perfection of the Air Max 1 wasn’t put together in one go, rather it was the result of several design attempts. One of the earliest concepts was what we now know as the Air Max Zero, which was perhaps too technologically advanced at the time of its design with a majority of the materials and technology needed not yet available. In light of this, the design was reworked into what would eventually become the Air Max 1 and from that an icon was born.

Despite being put to paper before the 1, the zero unknowingly held 3 decades of footwear innovation within its design, from the now popular sock liner to the application of the external heel strap which was not seen again until the release of the Huarache in 1991. For 29 years the sketch laid dormant within Nike’s ever growing archives, lost amongst the success of every Air Max model introduced since, until recently the Nike Sportswear design team stumbled across the sketch whilst searching for new inspiration for the second annual Air Max day celebrations.

Nike designer Graeme Mcmillan was tasked with bringing Hatfield’s vision into the modern day, a tough ask to say the least, despite the original sketch already being well ahead of its time. All the stops were pulled for the Zero, applying the latest technology from Nike, including the newly introduced Phylon Air Max 1 Ultra outsole which was debuted on the recent Air Max 1 Ultra Moire, bulk reducing fuse uppers that offer stability as well as a monofilament yarn mesh giving maximum breathability. Once again pushing the boundaries of innovation, the Zero is sure to be an instant hit and we fully expect to see more adaptations of the style to come.

The Nike Air Max Zero will be available to pre-order tomorrow (March the 21st) nike.com/sportswear and available from selected Nike Sportswear retailers on Air Max Day itself (March the 26th).

Ebbets Field Flannels Spring 2015 Collection

Posted on March 19, 2015March 2, 2016 by bythelevel

Ebbets Field Flannels return with a new selection of vintage inspired sportswear designs ready for Spring 2015.

The brands American made authentic wool flannels have seen increased interest across the globe, with notable brands and stores queuing up to combine their own creative direction with the brands quality construction in design. Founded back in 1988 by Jerry Cohen, the brand was born out of frustration with the lack of quality flannel jersey on the market and the desire to bring Cohen’s vision to life. Today, Ebbets Field is still run by those who founded the brand back in the 80’s and remains committed to providing the modern consumer with the quality and craftmanship of mid-century American athletic garments.

New for Spring 2015, we see the introduction of new team collections which include Chunichi Dragons, Great Lakes, Los Barbudos and Cordoba Cafeteros applied to light jacketing options, heavy-weight tees and the brands famous ballcaps.

You can shop the Ebbets Field Spring 2015 collection at Well Gosh, Present and Krusoe.