It would be an understatement to say that it has been a great year for Palace Skateboards. Palace got nominated for the 2018 Fashion Awards Urban Luxe category alongside street wear stalwarts Supreme, Off-White, Alyx, and Marine Serre. Palace will finally launch in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan, on Saturday, November 3. There will be an exclusive opening day T-shirt with the iconic tri-ferg as well as a Mount Fuji graphic hoodie, multicolor knitwear, and various leather accessories. Palace also leaked store details such as a tri-ferg shaped staircase and a large neon sign through its Instagram. To promote the store, Palace released a horror-themed short clip featuring Jonah Hill, appropriately timed before Halloween. Jonah Hill’s disembodied head appears twice to assure viewers that all is well, and to encourage people to come to the store opening. Jonah Hill was also featured in Palace’s video promoting the opening of its NYC store last year and is coming off hot after last month’s debut of his critically acclaimed ’90s period film, Mid90s.
Palace also released a look book and video for the much hyped collaboration with Polo Ralph Lauren. Previously, cryptic billboards combining the iconic Polo Ralph Lauren horse logo and Palace logo appeared in cities worldwide. In the video, Palace skate team members are driving classic cars and riding horses while wearing the upcoming collection. So far, the collection seems to include a Polo Bear crew neck, silk shirts, co-branded jacket, corduroy trousers, and loafers. The collaboration, advertised as Palace Ralph Lauren, will release online and in Palace stores in New York City and London on Friday, November 9. The collection will also release through Polo Ralph Lauren’s official channels and Dover Street Market. This might be one of Palace’s best street wear collaborations to date.
Palace’s Winter 2018 collection releases tomorrow, November 2. The orange puffer jacket is the most visible part of the cozy and comfortable selection but there are lots of other colorful pieces such as fleeces, hoodies, sweaters, tracksuits, beanies, socks, utility bags, and skateboard decks that merit a closer look and maybe even a purchase.
Palace teamed up with Adidas for two new skate footwear designs that dropped on Friday, October 26. The Campton trainers are simple, coming in black and white with the Palace logo appearing on the heel. Over the summer, what I thought to be the more interesting collaboration was the one between Palace and Adidas Tennis. Now, you might wonder what a skateboarding brand has to do with tennis but tennis has always been the domain of stylish and skilled players such as Andre Agassi, Arthur Ashe, John McEnroe, Roger Federer, and Serena Williams. Palace’s landmark collaboration with Adidas Tennis caused some people to lament the death of the skateboarding brand but I thought it caused a resurgence of interest in the brand. After all, Wimbledon’s strict all-white dress code has been enforced since 1963 with little room to have fun with one’s outfit… until Palace and Adidas came along. Palace’s unconventional approach to court apparel was worn by 2017 Wimbledon women’s singles winner Garbiñe Muguruza, Alexander Zverev, and the women’s singles champion, Angelique Kerber (who dethroned reigning queen of tennis Serena Williams) at this year’s Wimbledon. Adidas trusted Palace to represent its top athletes in the world, and the collaboration became one of the the fashion highlights of the summer. There seems to be nothing that can stop street wear from conquering every place imaginable.
Palace went back to the basics for its newest skate video called Normcore showing the London skate collective skating in diverse locations. Who could have imagined that the Palace Wayward Boys’ Choir (made up of skateboarders and creatives Lev Tanju, Daniel Kinloch, James Edson, Blondey McCoy, Lucien Clarke, Stu Hammond, and more) would have made it this far? Watch closely because the trailblazing brand will be anything but predictable.
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