SLVDR: Skate Roots, Fashion Details
Few want to grow old; however, fashion designer Rob Myers believes there are a few men who want to grow up. For this growing niche of guys, Myers, a veteran of the snowboard clothing business, started Laguna Beach, Calif.–based fashion collection SLVDR.
The lifelong skater and surfer recently debuted his Spring 2010 collection. He figured that the neat but occasionally eccentric details of SLVDR would appeal to the men who maintained a loyalty to the idealism and the independence of the boardsport lifestyle, even if they had no more use for some of the more raffish styles of the boardsports scene.
For this group, SLVDR has designed shirts and outerwear with a crisp military cut filled out with quirky fashion details since the label debuted in October 2008.
One SLVDR jacket features elements common in other skate jackets: a high track-jacket collar and zippered pockets. But this jacket changes a fashion gear when it gets to the fabric. It is constructed out of suiting material, something not typically found in sportswear. The mix between fashion details and boardsports roots blends over to the rest of the collection.
Other tops in the 30-piece SLVDR collection include a chambray shirt with epaulets. The collection also offers T-shirts that make a departure from many boardsports fashion makers. These white crew-neck shirts bear no label logos, which are a staple for the industry. Wholesale price points range from $15 for T-shirts to $75 for some jackets.
Myers said he hopes to use some profits from his collection to support The Common Thread Project, which is the label’s charitable division. One project it supports is Jamnesia, a surf camp for youth in Jamaica. Myers said a life in boardsports helped him despite the occasional bruises and risk of a bad reputation.
“Not all of us turned out to be crusty bums,” he said. “You learned so many good lessons from being involved in boardsports: perseverance, self-reliance and individuality. That’s where style comes in.”
For more information, call (714) 655-7289 or e-mail rob@slvdr.com. —Andrew Asch
