Vans Syndicate 2008 exhibition at Slam City Skates

A couple of weeks ago I went down to Slam City Skates for the launch of the Vans Syndicate exhibition. This premiered in San Francisco during the summer and I thought I would never get to see it. The exhibition showcases the collaborators on the Syndicate range this year, and consists of photographs, artwork and customised skate decks by W)Taps, Gabe Morford, Max Schaaf, Grime, Steve Olson and John Cardiel, along with the shoes themselves.

Until recently, the basement of Slam City Skates used to house the legendary Rough Trade record shop. I used to make a pilgrimage to this shop as a teenager. It’s so legendary that I can remember the last record I bought from Rough Trade before it moved east to Brick Lane. In 2003 I saw an amazing in-store gig in this tiny room by The Gossip. With all the racks of records only about 10 people could fit in the store at any one time – about 60 were crammed in for The Gossip. Anyway, Rough Trade upped and moved to Brick Lane last year after twenty odd years in Covent Garden, and the basement has given Slam City some room to spread out in. 300-odd people were supposed to be attending this launch according to the Facebook event so I snuck in early and took some photos before the hordes descended.

The Rudeez/Rudies were missing from the display.

The Gabe Morfords are the only shoes from this range yet to drop.

It was tradition for bands who played or hung out in Rough Trade to write on the ceiling – thankfully they haven’t painted over it.