Thrasher was founded by Eric Swenson and Fausto Vitello in 1981, and has always represented a sense of incensed opposition to the status quo – within the skate industry and outside of it. So of course, as a skater, it was jarring to catch the magazine repped by models and fashion pundits outside at presentations in early 2016.
Under legendary Editor-in-Chief Jake Phelps, the magazine has earned the nickname “The Bible” amongst skaters, referring to its judicial role within the community – its hallowed pages are where skaters are made into legends, or satirized into obscurity. Every good magazine has one issue that can’t be missed. In fashion, that would be Vogue’s fall fashion issue. In skating, Thrasher’s annual “Skater of the Year” issue is the must-read news of the season: the magazine celebrates the skateboarder that has most accurately embodied its de facto mantra of “Skate and Destroy” over the past 12 months.
Skate companies produce videos as a kind of marketing tool – and although lengthy, big budget productions are still the gold standard; shorter, more frequent releases are currently the norm in the YouTube age.
Phelps insists that “No one can tell the magazine what’s cool,” and accordingly, Thrasher has been generally consistent in its aesthetic and attitude for its 35-year existence. “Anybody can cover a hard trick in the Mountain Dew contest,” says Phelps. “We don’t cover all that crap.”
Wearing the Thrasher logo has also been made into a fashion statement by various outlets this year. W Magazine proclaimed that “It’s official: you no longer need to own – or have any idea how to ride – a skateboard to embrace skater style.
“ THE BIBLE OF SKATEBOARDING ”
Brands naturally want to grow and spread their influence – that’s simple logic. But Thrasher isn’t a brand, exactly. It’s a magazine that, at best, loosely represents a brand of skating, and the role of a media outlet is to represent the voice and interests of its audience. If you’re just getting into skateboarding, Thrasher’s website and magazine are excellent places to start learning about the culture.
Culturally, we love skateboarding when Lil Wayne and Rich the Kid have it in their videos, but hate the actual act: which is really just a sty Culturally, we love skateboarding when Lil Wayne and Rich the Kid have it in their videos, but hate the actual act: which is really just a stylish way of putting yourself in harm’s way. Thrasher is important because it offers up an ideal of what a skater should be – resourceful, resilient, blasé – and also glorifies the physical and mental fight involved with skateboarding.