We start with a thanks. A deep gratitude to you, whomever and wherever you are, for being part of our journey this year. Whether you’re one of our conscious customers, a social partner, artist collaborator, or just somebody who reads a post of ours once in a while – the chain of change isn’t complete without you. Everything that’s happened this year is down to your support. Together we’ve generated $230,000 in funding for social projects in skateboarding (plus a few outside of it). That money was distributed to 13 social projects, in 19 locations, based on our formal commitments with these partners. The result? 5 new skateparks for communities which need them, and 6100 young people empowered and educated through regular programs and lessons. With three award nominations and one win, we are blown away by the change that’s happened in spite of the challenges and restrictions that have hit us all over the past two years. It’s through solid relationships and the dedicated effort and passions of real people that this has been possible. And it’s thanks, too, to the iconic artists who have put their name to THE SKATEROOM’s socially engaged business model.
JEFF KOONS
The man who needs no introduction, an art-world legend, JEFF KOONS was our most recent limited-edition launch. The collection came in concurrence with JEFF KOONS’s premiere exhibition in the Gulf region, as part of the Qatar-United States 2021 Year of Culture. It featured two unique limited artwork editions: Popeye Skateboard and Balloon Venus Skateboard. This collaboration funded two social organizations: ICMEC (International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children) and MazunteSk8, a project to build a skatepark for youth in Oaxaca, Mexico. Discover JEFF KOONS's Collection
RAYMOND PETTIBON
In 2020, THE SKATEROOM collaborated with internationally acclaimed American artist RAYMOND PETTIBON, David Zwirner Gallery, and MoMA Design Store to offer two iconic editions. 2021 saw our second and third collections follow, on an even bigger scale, featuring his legendary surfer and baseball themed artworks respectively. Through our collaborations with RAYMOND PETTIBON, we were able to raise $50,000 to fund the construction of Skateistan’s Skate School in Bamyan, Afghanistan. Discover RAYMOND PETTIBON's Collection
PAUL MCCARTHY
An American contemporary artist, PAUL MCCARTHY frequently makes fun of polite society, ridicules authority, and takes aim at cherished American myths and icons through the mixing of high and low culture. 2021 marked the third collaboration with this infamous iconoclast, depicting the TREE, PLACE VENDÔME 2014, artwork – a giant inflatable “buttplug” erected in one of Paris’ most picturesque plazas. Continuing our successful collaboration with Paul McCarthy, this triptych skateboard edition generated support for the work of award-winning skate & education organisation Skateistan South Africa. Discover PAUL MCCARTHY's Collection
JAMES ROSENQUIST
JAMES ROSENQUIST (1933 – 2017) became well known in the 1960s as a leading American Pop artist alongside contemporaries Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Claes Oldenburg. In 2021, THE SKATEROOM’s collaboration with The James Rosenquist Foundation and the MoMA Design Store saw JAMES ROSENQUIST’s iconic F-111 artwork reproduced on a series of four limited editions. This collection generated support for Skateistan, an award-winning international non-profit organization which empowers children through skateboarding and education in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa.Discover JAMES ROSENQUIST's Collection
ROBIN RHODE
In this, our third collaboration with ROBIN RHODE, the artist appeared at our new gallery during Brussels Gallery Weekend, one of the most important dates in the Belgian contemporary art calendar. The collection consisted of an exclusive and limited edition of eight skateboard pieces – ‘TWILIGHT COLOUR WHEEL – Hand Signed’ – as well as a series of hand-made unique editions available only at the event.The connection to Skateistan South Africa has always resonated with ROBIN RHODE’s vision, which interplays his individual expressionism and urbanism, while calling into light broader socio-economic concerns. This project became the focus of the artist's collaboration with THE SKATEROOM. Discover ROBIN RHODE's Collection