Best coast

That Humberto Leon and Carol Lim launched Kalifornia, Kenzo’s latest handbag, at The Berrics indoor skate park in downtown Los Angeles made complete sense. The duo are not only longtime friends; they are also Southern California natives. After only a few seasons, they have managed to inject a fun, West Coast nonchalance into the iconic French label.

This latest accessory, with its zippers and motorcyclist vibe, took close to 18 months to develop. Leon and Lim then went on a road trip from Berkeley to L.A., photographing their creation in tourist spots along the way. To celebrate its formal debut, they asked four female pro skateboarders to navigate half-pipes and show their skills as hosts Gia Coppola, Rashida Jones, China Chow and Riley Keough mingled with celebrity guests.

Before the Kalifornia, the creative directors showed their love for rebellious Angeleno cool by collaborating with Vans for Spring Summer 2012. “Vans is one of the iconic American brands and we liked the idea of infusing this bit of American style into the house of Kenzo,” said the two of the unexpected — and very successful — partnership. Kenzo’s L.A. warehouse party merely drove the point home: ’90s skater style is back in a big way.

Ripples before the waves

As with most trends, the ripples came before the thundering waves. Daria Werbowy clutched a skateboard in Céline’s spring 2011 campaign, shot by Juergen Teller. Phoebe Philo’s skate-inspired slip-on, released the following year, is the perfect punctuation mark to the label’s brand of subtle, low-slung elegance. Givenchy has since come out with a floral lace version and Marc by Marc Jacobs, too, has a Vans-like shoe with a patent cap toe.

For spring-summer 2013, British designers Shaun Samson and Katie Eary looked to the sport subculture for inspiration. While Eary’s £270 printed skateboard deck, made of red Canadian maple, sold out at Harvey Nichols, the up-and-comer has wisely decided to carry on with the full-on Cali color in her spring-summer 2014 collection, “Flamingo Massacres.” Models, both male and female, sported loose, ‘90s-inflected looks, with Eary-branded skateboards tucked under the men’s arms. London-based father-son team Casely-Hayford will also offer items influenced by skateboarders next year. 

Slouchy insouciance

For ideas on how to bring this slouchy insouciance to life, there’s “Getting Cozy,” a WWD fashion story from March 2013 featuring models Noma Han and Max Von Isser as skateboarders with a flair for fashion. Farther back, there’s “Urbohemia,” an editorial from the fall/winter 2012 issue Vogue Hommes International which mixed punchy solids and daring florals from the likes of Lanvin and American Apparel.

Of course, there’s The Skatorialist, a blog that zooms in on the clothing choices of skateboarders across the world. Londoner Sam Ashley captures these interesting individuals in a style that pays tribute to Scott Schuman’s Sartorialist street shots.

Semaphores of youth

Since tailored menswear, whether dandy, preppy or formal, has ruled the sartorial landscape for so long, those seeking alternatives to the grander statements offered by dressed-up attire will do well to dip — not plunge headfirst — into skater style. Fortunately, one doesn’t need to learn Lords of Dogtown-type tricks to loosen up. It’s easy to incorporate colorful trainers, a hard-wearing backpack, a snapback, oversized shorts or even a baseball jersey — semaphores of youth that have reemerged triumphantly in mainstream fashion — into your existing capsule wardrobe. 

Aside from Kenzo, Hedi Slimane’s Saint Laurent is another reinvigorated label that marries a slice of California with Parisian craft. Slimane moved to Los Angeles after leaving Dior in 2007 and has since conjured his work amid the skateboarders and surfers of his adopted hometown. As he told Vogue in September 2013, “There is that balance I want to find between the contemporary world — my studio in Los Angeles — and Paris — the church, pure tradition. The fashion is about both influences.”

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