July 13, 2018 |
A magazine closing their doors is sadly not a rare sight nowadays (we’re still in mourning over the loss of the legendary Interview this year) but an exciting opportunity to look back on a truly great publication has arisen. The Read and Destroy archive are planning to publish a retrospective book that will present this period of skateboarding (rarely represented) in photographic essays of that time. It will follow the evolution of skateboarding from the dark ages of the ‘70s until its mainstream culture moment.
Between 1987 and 1995 RaD Magazine, was a conduit for an entire generation of British youth who were obsessed with skateboarding. Our never-before-seen inner inner sk8er kid is ready. The magazine did not just showcase a collection of peak action photography but honed in on the bigger picture, a burgeoning culture. Until recently skateboarding has been ignored as a subculture, choosing to define it’s own identity. Now it’s in it’s element, defining its own parameters, art movements, design heroes and fashion trends.
The original editor and chief photographer, Tim Leighton-Boyce, began documenting skateboarding during the 70s from California, once claiming: “it [skateboarding] was the antithesis of the green playing fields of England”. And we don’t doubt him. The phenomenon started with a need for protective clothing and with it evolved an aesthetic enriched by a DIY punk style. Skate labels took the scene by storm with their unique blending of bike, surf and skate by using screen-printed fabrics in dynamic patterns.
As the ‘80s faded away the new generation of skaters became ultimately cooler by adopting a more urban feel to their garb. Throwing out their kneepads and helmets and leaning into brands like Supreme.
This new print will highlight the way in which RaD connected its community through a diverse selection of video reviews, news event reporting, trick tips, cultural info and skate ‘fashion’. The RaD Archive is aiming to be printed before Christmas. Skater kids, unite.
