Skateboard Cafe Spring 21

Skateboard Cafe have blessed us with yet another amazing drop, this time bringing back some well-known graphics, as well as a wide range of new designs across decks, tees, hoods and crews.

Carrying on their tradition of using frames from cult films as graphics, Skate Cafe have come out swingin' with not one, but two, graphics dedicated to classic action film The Warriors. The 'Play' graphic features the film's titular Warriors - everyone's second favourite New York Gang, after LurkNYC - whilst the 'Coney' graphic features a moody shot of the iconic Wonder Wheel; both of which are available in T-Shirts and Decks. But if you wanna 'come out to playyyyy' you better move quick because this one ain't gonna be around for long.

Keeping it classic again, Skate Cafe have brought back their ever-popular Trumpet Logo in Decks, T-Shirts and Hoodies. This simple but effective design is proper stylish and is guaranteed to make people think that you're into jazz, instantly making you appear like a massive legend. This design also goes hand-in-hand with the equally jazzy 'Keys' graphic, if you really want to double down on demonstrating your quirky music taste - or if you're more of a Duke Ellington than a Miles Davis and you just prefer pianos, then the 'Keys' graphic might be the one for you.

Alongside these classic offerings, Skate Cafe have balanced tradition with innovation, delivering a wide range of new designs whilst still keeping their iconic style. The 'Flower Basket' series offers a new graphic - a push-bike with the basket overflowing with flowers in a hand-drawn style - whilst still maintaining the theme of some of their designs from previous runs. This particular series is noticeably less macho than a lot of the graphics released by most brands, suggesting that Skate Cafe are paying close attention to the seemingly unstoppable rise of the female skate scene in the UK (rise up sisters!) and making sure that everyone's tastes are catered for. This isn't something you see very much of in the skate industry so it's definitely a sign of the changes skateboarding is undergoing, but regardless, big respect to Skate Cafe for making sure there's something for everyone.

Whilst it's still pretty bleak and horrible in Cardiff (making it hard to believe that this is a 'Spring' collection), Skate Cafe have tried their best to bring you a bit of positivity in what has already been a pretty dystopian year. The seemingly ironic 'Peace' and 'Unity' decks feature scenes of happiness that many of us have probably grown unaccustomed to, so whether you rep the design to spread optimism or as a sarcastic display of cynicism, at least someone's trying to make 2021 slightly less bleak. But even if you're a bitter cynic like me, I think all of us can at least relate to the relationship between the humble skateboard and peace and unity as depicted by Skate Cafe. Here's to optimism.

"What?! There's more?!" I hear you cry. That's right, the ever-generous Skate Cafe aren't done yet as they bring yet another new series of graphics available in T-Shirts and Decks, this time featuring work by the legendary Kurdish artist Tishk Barzanji. Tishk's work portrayals colourful scenes inhabited by black bodies, offering a welcome departure from the historically Euro-centric art world, as well as providing stunning contrast from a purely aesthetic perspective. These decks are definitely wall-hangers.

Skate Cafe have really ticked all the boxes with this drop, but what more did you expect from Bristol's finest? Click here to browse the collection online, or check out the full range of Skateboard Cafe products available at Cardiff Skateboard Club here.

Written by Mike