How to Dress Like a Skateboarder

Wanna Fit In? Check Out These Tips

Germany, Schleswig Holstein, Teenage boy jumping with skateboard
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A lot of skaters new to the game ask how they should dress so they fit in with the skateboarding crowd and not look like, well, someone new to the game. 

The simple answer is to just dress how you want. You're a skater and so how you dress is, yes, how skaters dress. But fitting in is important, and skaters do have a certain style that's pretty cool. So here are a few tips to help you wear the right stuff.

Wear Skater Brands

Skater style is a little confusing beyond just buying skateboard brand clothes. A lot of skaters wear super-tight jeans. Others wear baggy jeans. T-shirts are popular with skaters, and sometimes rough or ragged-looking clothes are popular. And all of these trends change over time, so what could be true this year might not be true two years from now.

The easiest thing to do is to buy skater brands. There's a good chance you already have some in mind, but just in case here's a list of skateboard brands you can look at. 

It's best to avoid a mall chain store like Zumiez. It might have some good skateboard clothes, but these stores are terrible for skateboarding, and they don't just sell skateboard gear. So you could end up buying a BMX shirt by mistake, for example. 

Besides buying skater branded clothes, you can easily mix and match clothes you might buy elsewhere. Mix skater brands with other more basic pieces you like so that you are nodding to skater style but adding your own twist to the outfit. This way you'll feel safe in the knowledge you are wearing the right stuff but not overdoing the whole look, which might come off as an exaggeration or look like you are trying too hard.

Practical Considerations

To do all those fancy skateboarding tricks, you have to be able to move your body freely. That means your clothes have to let you do that; they can't be confining or tight. Skating is exercise and it makes you hot. So your clothes need to be breathable. They also need to give you protection if you fall -- and you will. Cotton fills all these requirements, and it's the skateboarding fabric of choice. Choose thicker cotton for your bottoms -- where your body is most likely to make contact with the ground -- like jeans or canvas. For tops, cotton T-shirts for warm weather or sweat-shirts if it's winter fit the bill.

Skate Shoes

The other thing you can do is buy good skate shoes. This is one place where you don't want to be too cheap. Skaters know which brands are good and which aren't. So if you are trying to fit in as a skater, don't buy garbage skate shoes.

Other Details

Follow the trends, whether that's letting your hair grow long or shaving your head. So if you want to look like the crowd, remember to check the hair. You can also knot your shoe laces so that you don't need to tie them, which makes you look like you are an experienced skater.