Element founder on what's new with brand

Element had a big presence at Project. The brand had a nicely merchandised booth with natural wood displays, and a few products I didn’t expect to see.

I caught up with Founder and President Johnny Schillereff about the brand, cruiser skateboards, Element’s new partnership with an outdoor brand, and Element apparel.

No Board Left Behind program

One of the most interesting items at the show was Element’s “No Board Left Behind” recycled board program. The idea is that once a traditional performance skateboard is worn out and no longer skateable, rather than throwing it into the trash, Element created a way to recut the board and make a cruiser model from it.

No Board Left Behind turns old performance decks into cruiser boards

Besides the environmental benefits, Johnny said the “No Board Left Behind Program,” is a great way to merge the popular cruiser market with the performance market and show how well they co-exist.

When I asked about the cruiser market, Johnny said, “I am seeing more people on skateboards now, than I have in many years – both performance and cruisers boards. I think the cruiser market is helping introduce people into performance skateboards and the other way around. It’s been fun seeing skaters having boards recut and repurposed into cruisers. It goes full circle. There is so much symbolism.”

Johnny said an added benefit to the program is that each board will carry some personality and history. “A guy like Nyjah Huston can win Street League with one of his boards, and we can recut that into a No Board Left Behind model for someone else to ride.”

Making them even more eco-friendly, Element added wheels made from insect dung. Johnny said the bugs are fed a corn substance that produces excrement equivalent to a urethane–esque material, perfect for creating skateboard wheel out of. It sounds obscure, but Johnny thinks telling kids they’ll be riding wheels made from “bug poop” will be a great talking point.

In the near future, he said Element will also integrate an online component where customers will be able to send in their own old performance boards to Element, and for a fee, Element will cut them into a cruiser board, add new components and ship it right back to their home. He didn’t have the exact price, but said all this service will be for, at, or below the price of a comparable cruiser. He said the brand has already seen great success doing on-site board repurposing events with retailers such as Jack’s and Coastal Edge.

See Page 2 for details about Element’s collab with outdoor brand Kelty, an apparel update

Element x Kelty

Element has a new collaboration with outdoor brand Kelty

Besides the “No Board Left Behind” program, Johnny was excited about a few other new collaborations.

One is a new line with the famous outdoor company, Kelty.

“We’ve always had a dream of doing sleeping bags and backpacks that connected our consumer with the outdoors, so we decided to reach out to one of the greatest outdoor brands in the world,” said Johnny.

The Element x Kelty collection is tied to Element’s “Keep Discovering” campaign, which revolves around the idea of “skamping” (exploring the world through fun, adventure, skateboarding and camping). The line includes a sleeping bag, a tent, backpack and duffel bag (made to hold a skateboard and to hike with), tees, a trunk and a cruiser board.

Recycled carbon fiber skateboards and other collabs

Besides Kelty, Element has a new collaboration of tees and cruisers with Element Advocate Thomas Campbell, a skateboard artist and documentary filmmaker.

For next year, Element will also make recycled carbon fiber cruisers as well.

Element is working with factories that produce carbon fiber products (like old sporting goods equipment) and using production scraps and waste to create skateboard decks which Johnny says are stronger, weather resistant and have a look that can’t be replicated with conventional materials.

Element Apparel

Lastly, Johnny said he was happy about the continuing the momentum behind Element’s apparel program, and appreciated the elevated level of street fashion at the Project show in Vegas.

“Skateboarding has always been at forefront of fashion and lifestyle,” he said. “It’s one of few action sports that really comes from the street. People are actually wearing clothing while they are doing the activity. We can design from real life experiences and a legitimate connection to the cultures that skateboarding was born from. ”

When asked how the apparel is doing growth-wise, Johnny said Element’s apparel line is being received very well.

“Apparel is a driving force behind Element’s brand. In addition to the men’s line, the women’s line (Element Eden) is growing and become a major focus, and a very important piece of the business. We are having a great time growing our juniors program with a very authentic and original point of view. We are built from fashion and a bit more street with a softer, earthy edge.”

We have noticed Element Eden getting a lot more play in prime positions these days in several industry retailers during our store tours.