NIKITA NATION

On 22nd June, the eighth Suck My Trucks (SMT) event, the ever growing women’s skateboard contest, took place. This year it was a part of the “Mellow Jam” music & culture festival with good music and yummy Food! About 200 people came over and enjoyed the contest.

Of course, Nikita was there for girls who ride and sponsored the popular Spot Tour which was held one day before the main event at the Global Go Skateboarding Day. About 35 girls participated in the tour. 

And thanks to Sarah de Laet, our Belgian Nikita Rider, who gave everything for the tour and spread a positive vibe all the time, the atmosphere during the tour was great.

The next day began the contests: a street session, a mini ramp challenge, the street race was one day afterwards. 13 girls competed in the street session and Aldana Bertran from Argentina won the competition. In the mini ramp challenge, our Nikita Ambassador Alissa Fessl from Austria took the first place. The 9-year-old girl, Roxana Howlett from UK, won the 2nd place.

Take a look for yourself and see just how fun the Suck My Trucks 2019 Contest and the Nikita Spot Tour Event were this year! 

This interview with pro skateboarder Amelia Brodka originally appeared in the pages of our newest collection's catalog. Enjoy!

Amelia Brodka is a Polish-born skateboarder who moved to the U.S.A. with her family for what her parents told her was, a “summer vacation” when she was 8 years old. Amelia started skating in 2001 and has since had an extremely full and well-documented career. She’s not only claimed (and continues to claim) podiums for herself, but also found a way to give back to the female skate community along the way by founding the non-profit organization Exposure Skate. Currently residing in Southern California and enjoying the good life, Amelia splits her time between organizing all-female skate days and seeking out the best vert ramps and parks to skate for herself.

What’s your favorite part about skateboarding?
My favorite part about skateboarding is the feeling you get when you overcome fear and self-doubt and finally roll away from a new trick.

What drew you to choose transition (vert and bowl) over street?
I skated mostly street when I lived on the East Coast but lost interest in jumping down stair sets when I moved to the land of abundant skateparks.

What are challenges you have faced or still face?
Challenges are constant but they are opportunities for growth.

Describe Exposure in two sentences or less
Exposure Skate is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that empowers women and girls through skateboarding.

How many events does Exposure put on every year?
Exposure runs one major event each year- the world’s largest women’s skateboarding event which features Pro and Am Vert, Bowl and Street competitions as well as skate clinics and a vendor village. Additionally, we run monthly Skate Rising youth events focused on community service and skateboarding as well as adult clinics and girls’ sessions.

What’s the best thing (to you) that’s come out of Exposure Skate?
I love seeing the global community of girls’ skateboarding come together to share their love for the sport. It’s such a treat seeing beginner, amateur and professional street, bowl and vert skateboarders from 15 different countries all in one place!

We here at NIKITA are excited to announce that our team rider Amelia Brodka is Outiside TV's Campfire featured athlete of the month! Gather up your videos and stories of you and your fellow Outsiders, upload them to the Outside TV Campfire App and your social media you get entered to win tons of gear from Amelia's sponsors.

Excited? So are we- to find out more about the contest details and what's going on during the month, press play on the video below and watch Amelia explain it all.

 Exposure Skate 2017 is a wrap!

Nikita Clothing was proud to be a sponsor for this year's event and had so much fun bringing Ambassadors Janthavy Norton @janthavy and Marisa Garcia @mar2d2_ out for the contest.

We had a weekend packed with skateboarding, photoshoots, taco dinners and some insanely picture-perfect California sunsets.

While the girls were skating, Deana @sunnyyddee was hard at work pressing custom Nikita For Girls Who Ride hats for every girl that stopped by!

If you couldn't make it to the competition itself, be sure to check out the complete Livestream recap of the event here and mark your calendars for Exposure 2018 next fall!

All photos - Nikki Hand @nikki_hand

Our spotlight this month is settling on Marisa Garcia; a video-game loving, sewing-machine operating, kitty cat holding, skateboarding creative who quietly slays everything she takes on. With old skool style and new skool attitude, this Texas native is an anomaly we can't get enough of. 

What’s your name and where are you from? Where do you live now?

I was born in San Antonio, Texas and I now reside in Austin! 

When did you start skateboarding and how did you get into it?

I started skating in 2013 around April!  I got into skateboarding in college when I realized a skate park was 5 minutes away from campus.  I had always wanted to skateboard growing up but never had the opportunity, support, or ideal situation for it.  As hard as I tried, skateboarding was not an option for me when I was younger, so I made it my opportunity after being in college for a few years and summoning up the courage to actually go to the park with borrowed boards and friends that knew how to skate. 

Why have you stuck with it? What hooked you?

I’ve wanted to skateboard my whole life and within these last couple years, I finally had the opportunity to; it brings about an unexplainable happiness and I can’t imagine a life without skating.  There are a lot more reasons, some obvious and some more personal but in short, skateboarding lit a fire within me that nothing else compared to.  I’ve hurt myself skating in ways that will leave me in pain for the rest of my life, but I’ve never for a moment questioned why I keep skating.  I just step on my board, forget about everything, and let that inner fire and passion take me to places I never thought possible. 

You’re passionate about other things too- what are they?

I love drawing and painting a lot!  It’s another form of creativity and skateboarding has actually really inspired a lot of the art that I make.  I’m also pretty passionate about playing video games!  Whether it’s on my consoles at home or in the arcade, games are a great stress reliever and of course, super fun.  Fight games are some of my favorites; if I could, I would buy the Killer Instinct II arcade game/cabinet from the main arcade I frequent! 

When did you start making art? 

I’ve been making art since I was little, but as far as the art that I make now, I started that when I also started skating.  Growing up, I drew some skateboarding art (since that was as close to skateboarding as I could get) but I mostly drew comics and little anime characters.  In 2014, I started making the art that I do now; definitely adopted a darker twist on things along with my main ghoul guy that I always draw as well.  

What’s your favorite thing to draw right now?

Ghouls!  I really love making little creepy monsters with tons of eyes, skeleton or muscle bodies, and goopy features.  Dark style has a lot of possibilities when drawing and you can get inspiration from so many different things.

What are your favorite mediums to work with?

Ink and watercolor!  I absolutely love mixing harsh, black lines with vivid watercolors. 

Does your art tie into your skateboarding? Or vice-versa? Do you think they’re connected?

Oh absolutely!  I tend to draw people that inspire me or skate spots that that scare me.  Sometimes painting what I’m scared of actually helps my skating; it makes it less scary and more approachable like the art in front of me.  Skateboarding is an art and art requires creativity; the two involve an “outside of the box” approach to get to a desired final outcome, so they are most definitely connected and go hand in hand in my opinion!  

What’s something you love about the Texas skate scene that we don’t know?

The support that is given in the Texas scene is unbelievable.  Everyone has so much talent and passion in how they skate and they love to share the happiness skating brings with others.  There will always be people that are sticks in the mud, but I can proudly say that in Texas, all of the awesome experiences and rad people that I’ve met have helped encourage everyone and also helped get me to where I am today.  We have a huge network of skaters that are also just amazing individuals; friends are everywhere and Texas skaters just want to shred and get stoked!

What’s your favorite trick right now?

Oh gosh that’s a hard one!  I’d have to say on vert it’s backside airs and in bowls it’s front smiths and monty grinds/back smiths! 

What’s your favorite piece from the Nikita FW1718 collection?

It’s so hard to choose, but my favorite piece is still the Starward Jacket!  Texas is finally cooling off and I love the jacket because it’s warm, fashionable, and the hood reminds me of Assassins Creed.  Design lines and fabric make this jacket a staple piece that will never go out of style.    I feel like a badass video game character in it and just love wearing this jacket!  

Who do you ride with regularly? Who’s your crew?

I skate with so many people but my main crew is my boyfriend and my vert friends!  We all love skating the vert ramp together as well as some of the other gnarly parks in Texas.  A lot of us share the same interests as well so after skating we go to the arcade or to shows!  In Austin, we also have an all girls crew called Rip Riot and I love skating and getting inspired by those ladies! 

Who do you look up to and who inspires you?

Nora Vasconcellos inspires me so much!  She’s my favorite skater and absolutely shreds; not to mention seeing her go pro on Welcome was a huge deal.  It’s hard not to get inspired by someone like her!  In addition to that, Darren Navarette is another huge inspiration in my skating; he skates vert like a mad man and his style is something I definitely look up to.  My friend Sandy Peraza is also a huge inspiration to me not only in her shredding, but in her art as well!  She is a true skateboarder and an amazing artist that has her very own style.  She might be a thousand miles away from me, but she keeps me stoked even from states away!  

What are you working on right now (in skating, in life, in general- whatever!)?

I’m currently working on some denim apparel designs specifically made for skating and a few wedding dress designs as well for some of my friends that might potentially be tying the knot in the next few years!  Besides trying to draw as often as I can and move some skate tricks up to vert, I’m pretty much enjoying life and taking each day as it comes!  Oh and beating Zelda Breath of the Wild!  I don’t even want to look at how many hours I’ve put into exploring every corner and mountain in that game!

It's all about the attitude. p. Nika Kramer

Suck My Trucks has been putting on events for girls who ride for a few years now, and only growing in popularity. When a event like this has been going on for a few years and only getting bigger, chances are someone out there created something that the people are loving.

A look back at Suck My Trucks 2015- year after year, it just gets better. p. Nika Kramer

That 100% is the case with Suck My Trucks in Germany, with their latest event, a Spottour Event- where they put on a street and bowl skateboarding contest just for girls, with prizes like a year-long product sponsorship from Nikita Clothing (that's us!), plus some cash and tons of other great prizes.

The girls showed up and made it known that they were there to ride their hearts out; landing tricks, laughing and trading new song lyrics they made up along the way.

Take a look for yourself and see just how fun the Suck My Trucks 2017 Nikita Clothing Spottour event was this year!  

Elements of sun, sand & sun tan lotion come to mind when skipping through tracks from The Growlers, ODESZA & Mac Demarco in this latest For Girls Who Ride Spotify Playlist from @janthavy.

Enjoy!

Images - Nikki Hand

We just checked the weather for Phoenix, and it says 105°F all week long- how are you coping with this summer heat?! 

Photos - Max Thaler

Video/Edit - Julian Pfretzschner

The day was hot, the curbs were too, and if there was a pool full of water there- it would've been cool. Suffice it to say, the event that went off on July 22nd was everything it promised to be, and more.

Girls got together and skated for fun and for prizes, with the top ladies walking away with some $$$ to support their talents!

Trend forecast: Tutus and leis?

The judges never missed a move-

And everyone left a winner!

Thanks again to all the girls that showed up for the Hot Curbs and Cool Pools Girls Jam. You all ripped, and we had such a blast hanging out with you. Big thanks to the organizers and all the other sponsors; Skateboarding München. e.V, Gorilla, who came together to make this event happen.

We can't wait to get back on our boards!

Back in September, we handed out 30 disposable cameras to girls across the US, planning on assembling an entire photo show without even knowing what we would get back. Scary? Yea, maybe a little 😅

Luckily, we had nothing to worry about. What we got back on those cameras was nothing short of awesome! We should've known that we could count on our Nikita Nation to deliver pic after pic of disposable gold ✨ There were photos from skate sessions at the park, hikes along mountain ridges, urban explorations and even cowgirls out on the ranch. Every image was like a snap straight from their lives, and we loved looking at every single one.

Our event went off better than we could've hoped, if you haven't checked out the recap of it yet you should now. Of course, there was no way we could include all of our favorite images in that show- we would've needed an art space the size of a real museum (maybe that's an exaggeration, but still, we would've needed a bigger space for sure).

Nevertheless- we buckled down, picked our favorites to show, and had an event to remember!

So here they are- in all their disposable glory. Enjoy these select images from our disposable Nikita Perspectives Project.

Perspective from Emily Bedell

Perspective from Amanda Proudfit

Perspective from Summer Fenton

Perspective from Grace Mayernik

Perspective from Heidi Venturine

Perspective from Quinn Poer

Perspective from Emily Bedell

Perspective from Amanda Proudfit

Have a favorite? See something cool? Want to just let us know what your unique perspective is? Connect with us on Instagram @nikitaclothing or Facebook Nikita Clothing! We can't wait to hear from you.