T-Shirt Focus: Thrasher
Pioneers of the magazine world and all-time skate scene legends in their own right, Thrasher Magazine is the longest-running and best-selling brand-come-publication powerhouse that never fails to disappoint. Whether its churning out webisodes for their King of The Road series, ROUGH CUT or Deadline edits or conquering collaborations with the likes of Vans, adidas and Supreme, San Fran based Thrasher’s legacy and gilded logo is one that strikes right at the core of modern-day skate and street culture.
Founded in ‘81 by Fausto Vitello and Eric Swenson, initially as a means to promote their co-owned and equally as dominant Independent Truck Company, Thrasher self-certifies itself as an iconic mainstay ‘that chronicles the evolution of street culture through a skater’s perspective’. Never one to shy away from volatility nor their infamous ‘Skate and Destroy’ mantra, Thrasher’s red-blooded energy and unrestrained animation is a characteristic that seeps through into the aesthetic of its skate-centric apparel. Home to a logo that has swiftly found itself common-place in both the streetwear and skate world, Thrasher’s adaptive and ever-evolving motif is one that captures the very essence of its co-founders; Californian Swenson as a low-profile thinker and Agrentinian Vitello as an exotic, loud and boisterous originator. An all-season skate staple that boasts no limits, the die-hard skate publication takes their iconic skate mag log and reinterprets it across graphic tees to the never-ending ‘Live to Skate, Skate or Die’ rosta.
Originally designed in 1951 by Roger Excoffon, the OG Banco type-face logo and its cross-scene diversified flame counterpart have undoubtedly become a symbol of both skate and explorative pop-culture. Much to the dismay of the late Editor-in-Chief Jake Phelps, who once reflected on fashion’s some-what ‘stolen’ relationship with skate being ‘corny as sh-t’ and that Thrasher never sent drops to the likes of ‘Justin Bieber or Rhianna or those f--king clowns’, there’s no real denying the brand’s irrefutable logo-led impact not only on the skate scene, ‘where the real sh-t is’, but across evolving street and influencer-fashion.
Tapping into the skate-specific success of Thrasher’s infamous aesthetic, the brand continues to churn out creative remasterings regardless of season. Non-conformist designs and against-the-grain aesthetics are addressed through recent releases such as the glacial snow-capped Black Ice T-Shirt, whilst the glyph-etched Hieroglyphic T-Shirt honours what the brand does best by carving yet another everyday staple from its infamous, and now common-place, namesake. With the brand’s worldwide connections and cross-cultural mannerisms in mind, the jewel-toned ‘East meets West’ styled Godzilla T-Shirt sinks its claws into celebrating referential memorabilia and legendary legacy - something undeniably reflected via the brand’s pioneering stature.
Partnering with good-friend Phil Peralta for yet another gothic-style mash up of both their flame and OG logo, the Thrasher Crows T-Shirt set its sights on addressing the brand’s raucous spirit and free-thinking undertone. Beaded eyes and hellish burnouts accentuated its crow-styled conceptual composure, whilst its collaborative design followed in hot pursuit of similar ‘made you look’ releases such as skate legend Mark Gonzales’ Gonz T-Shirt, and throwback drops from the likes of artist Bert Krak, the illustrious Neckface and the team at Lotties Skate Shop.
Backed tirelessly by their neckline-embroidered ‘Live to Skate’ tagline, Thrasher Magazine remains one of the most prominent skatewear suppliers of all time. Originally (and always) marketed for the skate market, Thrasher’s almost biblical publication legacy and infamous aesthetic is one that breathes creativity and continues to pay tribute to the sport at hand, regardless of whatever it is that ‘totum trenders’ and fashion editors might be led to believe.
Shop all Thrasher at Flaspot.
