In the year 2019, the landscape of the skateboard world is neighboring Overwhelmingsville. With so many new skate brands popping up like blistering acne on an adolescent’s face, it’s difficult to keep track. How is a young, aspiring shredder supposed to find what it is that speaks to them, what to avoid, what’s new, what’s old, wack, cool, foreign, and domestic? Don’t get too discouraged, with all these options there must be something for everyone. Let’s dive into the ever-changing world of skateboarding and figure out a few paths to navigate through the overgrown footpaths of skateboarding brands.

There are so many different skate brands that it’s impossible for your local skate shop to carry anywhere near all of them. Don’t worry though, there’s this thing called the internet that puts almost all of these skate brands at your fingertips. A good place to start, of course, is the ol’ Instagram. It’s difficult to not get bombarded the different accounts of these skate brands but even more difficult to juggle the newly emerged brands that keep popping up. Not trying to steer you away from this beast, so let’s dive in.

Thrasher Magazine is always on top of things with a strong grasp on putting out the coolest video content, but they usually stick to brands that are in bed with them. While this excludes quite a big chunk of the skateboard world, we definitely recommend getting a subscription to their print magazine. Nothing beats seeing great skateboarding on the pages of a magazine every month delivered to your mailbox. Plus, wearing a Thrasher t-shirt is so hot right now. Right, Rhianna? Right, Bieber? So pick up a shirt while you’re at it.

Once you pursue the mag, you will be gracing your eyeballs with the top of the food chain in the latest skateboard footwear brands. These brands tend to go all in on their marketing campaigns which means they aren’t scared to take two-page ads showcasing their coolest shoe and hottest pro/am adorning them.

Skate Shoe Brands

Which shoe brand is going to earn your hard earned dollar and win a spot upon your lovely feet? Are you a top of the food chain, big corporation type of person? Is it Nike SB, or Adidas are maybe New Balance that will comfort your barking dogs? Maybe you want to go with a footwear brand that started from skateboarding like Vans. Reissues from DC? Does being skater owned matter to you? Lakai? Emerica? Clearweather Skateboarding has picked up some steam and has been making waves. They have some good looking shoes.

Proper footwear

Or Proper Skateboarding footwear? They have been taking a healthy stab at the shoe game.

Kingston Union MFG

If you can’t decide on a skate brand from the shoe world, may we suggest considering the always classic chillers from our friends at Kingston Union MFG for the time being? Not made for skating, but skater owned and always look good! Can’t have you barefoot now, can we?

Skate Sock Brands

Not sure if that helped at all. As I said, there’s a lot happening in the world of skate brands and we have only touched the surface with skateboard shoes. While you’re head is spinning from the shoe game, there are some skate branded socks worth mentioning. Stance has been the alpha dog of the sock game for a minute, but there are some others stepping up to give them a run for their money. Psockadelic has an impressive team and makes some sweets for your feets. Merge 4 makes socks with Steve caballero’s art on them. Sock Posse is making moves to end up in your laundry basket. So yeah…skateboard sock brands… that’s a thing and now you got your feet wet enlightening your brain with worthwhile knowledge about some of them.

Skate Accessory Brands

I could go into Monster Energy vs. Red Bull, or Street League Skateboarding or the 2020 Olympic games having skateboarding, but I will save that for another day. Should I bring up a few accessories brands? Sure! Why not? Shake Junt is still doing some booty shaking stuff with a heavy squad of hi-jinxing rippers.

Lawnchair Hardware Co.

New to the scene is Lawnchair Hardware Co. bringing their laid-backed vibes and pleasant products.

Slappy Hour

Slappy Hour comes from the DIY mindset of legend, Jason Adams, and keeps the goodness of smashing into curbs pumped full of style and grace.

Bronze 56K never disappoints with greatness oozing from their Macintosh’s dial up modem. Watch out for these skateboard accessories brands to keep the red blood cells flowing throughout your youthful body.

Skate Clothing Brands

What makes a skateboard clothing brand? I mean, almost every brand in skateboarding makes clothes (aka softgoods) but which ones keeping things spicey with doing the new/interesting stuff? Jerry Hsu has been turning heads with his new brand, Sci-Fi Fantasy, selling out at stores like Supreme and Dover NYC. His stuff isn’t staying in stock for very long.

Devium

Devium USA has a very unique approach of bringing jobs and industry back to the USA. They have a mature sense to their brand and are supported by Corey Duffel.

Does Supreme count as a clothing brand? They seem to put their logo on everything, including a brick and fire extinguisher. Maybe we should just skip the clothing brand talk for today and fast forward to the next portion of this written feature.

Dictionary.com defines “brand” as noun – 1. kind, grade, or make, as indicated by a stamp, trademark, or the like 2. a mark made by burning or otherwise, to indicate kind, grade, make, ownership, etc. 3.a mark formerly put upon criminals with a hot iron. 4.any mark of disgrace; stigma.

Skate Artists

Do artists count as brands? They have this “mark of disgrace” a lot of the times! There are so many great artists doing so much awesome stuff.

Todd Bratrud

Todd Bratrud has done graphics for, what seems like, hundreds of different skateboards for most of the coolest brands. He also makes some one of a kind, mind-blowing drawings. Who doesn’t like drawings?!

Jason Adams

Mentioning Jason Adams again as he kills it with his stencil art for the honky-tonk enthusiasts.

Paul Kobriger

Paul Kobriger knows the pen is mightier than the sword as he slays the mightiest of canvas’ with a ballpoint.

Modern Cholo

And Modern Cholo has a unique approach of drawing actual skaters as popular cartoon characters.

Lance Mountain and Steve Caballero are both legends and both get down with some pen and ink along with some paint and brush. Skateboard art is a big thing. Live it. Love it. Get to know it and let it inspire you. Skate and create!

Skateboard Woodshops

You’re not bored are you?! I hope not because we are now being whisked away to the magical realm of wood. Decks. Skateboard decks that is! Before we swandive face first into the skate brands, let’s talk woodshops. There are so many different woodshops to mention and all have different reasons to be the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) of your favorite or least favorite brand.

PS Stix and Bareback; hailing from the Southern side of the Mexican- American border; are arguably the most popular skateboard manufacturers handling the wood for brands like Fucking Awesome and Element Skateboards (PS Stix) and Real, Krooked and Anti Hero (being Bareback). Penns Wood, located in Pennsylvania, has been making some noise doing the wood for brands like Scum Co & Sons and Terror of Planet X. Quincy Wood Rights in Los Angeles, has won the business of Chris “Dune” Pastras and his new brand The Folklore Project which has new takes on classic skateboards from the past with very limited runs.

Watson Laminates is in San Diego and Prime Wood LA is in, you guessed it Los Angeles. Some brands even utilize wood shops in the People’s republic of China. Dwindle is owned by Globe. They are traded on the Australian stock market so throw another shrimp on the barbie, mate! They use DSM located in communist China for their brands like Darkstar, Madness, and enjoi. PGI is also in China. Not too sure if Girl and Chocolate still use them to make their decks. So yeah, things to consider when thinking about the company that manufactures the skate brands that you want to get down with.

Skate Deck Brands

Want to put the manufacturing craze aside and just look at the brands themselves? Lets! What’s happening with skate brands in the year of 2019? Daewon Song left the aforementioned Dwindle camp and joined Torey Pudwell and the Grizzly gang to start up Thank You Skateboards. They seem to have a good infrastructure set in place so it will be interesting to see what they come up with.

Adult Inc

Adult Inc is Just taking off from the East Coast and they have a good VX1000 aesthetic so put them on your radar.

The Space Program

The Space Program has some serious talent and graphics that are out of this world.

The Friendship

The Friendship gets along with a little bit of help from their friends. They have some of the most fun graphics and some radically offbeat skateboarders that back it up with dang good times as well.

Pizza Skateboards are making moves to deliver the hottest, gooey piece of skateboard pie available. Keep your eyelids peeled back for their heavy hitting skateboard videos. Is Numbers going to be around after a very sluggish start? Time will tell.

Victoria HK

Victoria HK is an interesting brand that popped up all the way from Hong Kong. They make some products that really stand out in a vast sea of uniformity.

Northern Co

Northern Co is keeping things true North.

Is Grimble Stix going to blow up or will the somewhat funny joke end as they merge back with AH? Will Welcome Skateboards stay at the top of the food chain? Quasi? Will Black Label make it’s comeback?

Fair Game Skateboards

Fair Game is dedicated to all the weirdos deeply in love with a wooden children’s toy most of the world will never understand. We make limited-edition skateboards for limited-edition skaters.

Will I write another article about skate brands to watch out for in 2020? Will I venture out into the world of writing blog articles to benefit a company’s SEO? Tune in next time for the climactic conclusion as The SellerDoor figures out what’s good and what’s bad for the better interests of the modern day skateboard consumer. Word to your mother!

What are some skate brands on your watch list?

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