An interesting collaboration between skateboard brand Element and National Geographic debuts this summer.
The collection includes hardgoods – decks, grip tape, wheels and completes – and apparel, including T-shirts, hoodies, baseball caps and jackets.
The collaboration consists of three drops, each of which has its own theme. The first focuses on the animal realm.
When the nature-oriented Element makes a rider a pro, it has a tradition of giving the rider a spirit animal, a concept National Geographic loved. So for the collaboration, each rider has product showcasing its “spirit animal.” For example, Nyjah Huston is represented by a lion, Tom Scharr a hare, Julian Davidson by a snake, Greyson Fletcher by a shark, Madars Apse by an ostrich and Brandon Westgate by a bobcat.
Element picked the images that represented the spirit animals from the extensive National Geographic archives.
Retailers that are carrying the collaboration include core skate accounts globally and select larger retailers.
Hardgoods shipped to core accounts on May 25 so that they had the product a little earlier than larger accounts, which will receive the goods in a few days.
The next two drops are on Oct. 15 and Jan. 15.
A portion of the revenue generated by the collection will support National Geographic’s work in science, exploration, conservation and education.
