The Wonder Years: Part One.
While many would look at the trends and fashions of the nineteen eighties with a sneer, dismissing it as the decade that taste forgot, I would say that such derogatory terms are unfounded. That is, if you happen to have discovered surfing and skateboarding at this time, as I did.
The prevailing cultural references from the decade are those that which reflect the mainstream popular culture of the time. Yes they existed, but they do not define the era for me. I began surfing in the Summer of 1986, and I would say that this coincided nicely with the emergence of the modern surf and skate industries. A time when many of the brands that I know and love today really came into their own. Yes, it is true that the very same industries can be regarded as being responsible for selling out both of these cultures to the masses, this was the beginning of that. But to an impressionable 14 year old, the fact that the brands that were held in such high regard were so readily available was by no means a bad thing. With hindsight and a few more years of world experience behind me, I can see that we were being given the big sell by the surf and skate industries. But at that time I could not get enough of it, these things were the fuel that I needed to keep the stoke alive while I was on dry land.
The magazines, particularly the US based Surfer and Surfing titles were my main source of inspiration. For they not only depicted the waves and modern surfing that I craved, they also featured the stuff that I could buy. Principally it was the boards and wetsuits that really got me excited, but these were expensive, so I could only dream of owning these. But the surfwear, now that was more accessible. As an adult, I am no fan of advertising, or consumerism, but somehow the surf industry adverts of that time didn't seem as though they were the output of a corporate machine, in fact many didn't even look like adverts at all. They repeatedly struck a chord with me and lured me to the local surf shop in search of 'that' t-shirt featuring 'this' print that I liked as a result of me having seen it in a surf mag. Talk about being targeted! This might sound a little shallow and superficial, but I can assure you that was not the case and I was by no means partaking in passive consumption. For by choosing the right brands and items I could construct my own identity which in turn meant that I could be every deliberate in how I presented myself to the world. This allowed me to establish my sense of individuality when I was not actually in the water, that didn't involve me wearing my wetsuit to school. Which I probably would have done in order to shout out who I was, luckily for me, I was able to put on said t-shirt instead! Having this sense of 'belonging' was all important to me throughout my grom years. Something that I will write about in more detail at a later time.
My brands of choice were mainly from the surf world, however, at a very young age I discovered that many of the skate related brands gave me what I was looking for in terms of style. At this time, there was not much in the way of a cross over between the two worlds, but I did my best to pick and choose items and brands that represented the two, while being careful not to over step the mark and risk loosing any sense of authenticity that I had. In fact rule #1 was that thou shalt not mix surf and skate in the same out fit, that was a big no-no!
I could write and write about this period of time, but for every cultural cliché that is referenced, there are countless great things that represent something that was very special in my growing up. The sense of being a part of a cultural group is one of these.
The prevailing cultural references from the decade are those that which reflect the mainstream popular culture of the time. Yes they existed, but they do not define the era for me. I began surfing in the Summer of 1986, and I would say that this coincided nicely with the emergence of the modern surf and skate industries. A time when many of the brands that I know and love today really came into their own. Yes, it is true that the very same industries can be regarded as being responsible for selling out both of these cultures to the masses, this was the beginning of that. But to an impressionable 14 year old, the fact that the brands that were held in such high regard were so readily available was by no means a bad thing. With hindsight and a few more years of world experience behind me, I can see that we were being given the big sell by the surf and skate industries. But at that time I could not get enough of it, these things were the fuel that I needed to keep the stoke alive while I was on dry land.
The magazines, particularly the US based Surfer and Surfing titles were my main source of inspiration. For they not only depicted the waves and modern surfing that I craved, they also featured the stuff that I could buy. Principally it was the boards and wetsuits that really got me excited, but these were expensive, so I could only dream of owning these. But the surfwear, now that was more accessible. As an adult, I am no fan of advertising, or consumerism, but somehow the surf industry adverts of that time didn't seem as though they were the output of a corporate machine, in fact many didn't even look like adverts at all. They repeatedly struck a chord with me and lured me to the local surf shop in search of 'that' t-shirt featuring 'this' print that I liked as a result of me having seen it in a surf mag. Talk about being targeted! This might sound a little shallow and superficial, but I can assure you that was not the case and I was by no means partaking in passive consumption. For by choosing the right brands and items I could construct my own identity which in turn meant that I could be every deliberate in how I presented myself to the world. This allowed me to establish my sense of individuality when I was not actually in the water, that didn't involve me wearing my wetsuit to school. Which I probably would have done in order to shout out who I was, luckily for me, I was able to put on said t-shirt instead! Having this sense of 'belonging' was all important to me throughout my grom years. Something that I will write about in more detail at a later time.
My brands of choice were mainly from the surf world, however, at a very young age I discovered that many of the skate related brands gave me what I was looking for in terms of style. At this time, there was not much in the way of a cross over between the two worlds, but I did my best to pick and choose items and brands that represented the two, while being careful not to over step the mark and risk loosing any sense of authenticity that I had. In fact rule #1 was that thou shalt not mix surf and skate in the same out fit, that was a big no-no!
I could write and write about this period of time, but for every cultural cliché that is referenced, there are countless great things that represent something that was very special in my growing up. The sense of being a part of a cultural group is one of these.
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