Luxury brands have found an unlikely ally in the skateboarding culture as its sneaker and apparel categories take off. The British skate brand Palace early in December released a short film of its most famous pro-skater, Lucien Clark, cruising through Britain’s most famous luxury department store, Harrods. He was fist-bumping the concierge, drinking wine, and scaling the escalators, all while spotting new co-branded goods between the store and the hugely popular skate brand whose anti-establishment ethos and drop model have drawn comparisons to Supreme.

Skateboarding Culture

The Palace “Triferg” triangle logo, which has been blended with Harrods’ typeface, is displayed on a variety of products including £225 hampers filled with marmalade, coffee, and socks; and a shop-in-shop of co-branded bomber jackets and caps.

“I feel like I’m dreaming, bro,” Clark says while exploring the unlikely collaboration. This latest collaboration follows skate-inspired launches from luxury brands including Louis Vuitton and Hermès and speaks to the importance that luxury brands are placing on skateboarding and its growing community.

Luxury Brands Join Skateboarding Culture

Louis Vuitton Men’s, under the creative direction of the late Virgil Abloh, collaborated with Clarke in 2020 on Vuitton’s first skate shoe, which was released in November 2020. The brand released a skate trunk and skateboard a year later. The set costs are under $60,000. In 2018, Hermès first launched a skateboard and it debuted a bag made with a skateboard deck in July 2021. Celine, Gucci, and Saint Laurent all sell branded skate decks; the latter’s shrouded in gold leaf costs £2,170.

According to Head of Menswear Simon Longland, Harrods was looking to create something “truly unexpected” for this festive season. Palace, which is known for partnering up with brands from Adidas to Stella Artois, was the retailer’s first choice. “

The Palace collaboration gave us a chance to appeal to a more specialized and niche customer base that we have not engaged with on this level in the past,” he says. “Often, we are host to some of the most sought after products from our favourite brands. However, this was different as it came from us and was a real labour of love.”  

Who’s down with the skateordie culture. Do you want a Luxury skateboard?