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! 

Our team riders and members of the Nikita Nation are always on the move and discovering new places, parks and people. There's no way we can capture the entire view of what that's like and how they get to experience ever day, but we want to help share what they see and where they are with you so you can get to know them a little better.

So, without further ado- here's our first installation of a Snapshot look into where our team is and what they're doing. 

Today we caught up with European Skateboarder Alissa Fessl

Where are you right now?

In Copenhagen, Dänmark

What do you see directly in front of you (not your phone)?

My friend Karin ;) (the one we did the shooting last year with)

What do you see when you look out the closest window?

There are no windows in the skatepark. 😎

How many new people have you met in the last 24hrs?

A lot of people in the Skatepark. 

Where’s the last place you [skated/rode/adventured] and what was your favorite thing about it?

 I have been to the super amazing Fælledparken in Dänmark and we skated some cool streetspots there as well! I think the coolest thing in this park is the Vert Ramp, because it is super easy to ride it. 

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.

If you've been following our feed, you'll have been staying up to date with the latest happenings on hill at Big Boulder for Ms. Superpark. What the feed doesn't always give you a beautiful laid-out space where you can appreciated all of the images that are coming out of the long days of riding.

Snowboarder Mag does an amazing job at capturing the moments and the vibes of what it's like to be on hill with nearly 100 ripping female riders. We won't try to out-do the pros here, so check out these excerpts from the Snowboarder Mag photo recaps from Day 1 and Day 2 and if you like this sampling, be sure to go read the full pieces on their site here

Day 1 -

Words - Mary Walsh

"True to form of snowboarders in general, female riders especially have always been hell bent on making it happen, whether "it" is a movie project, video part, snow chasing road trip, or grassroots event—and when Ms. emerged as a way to come together for a week of park laps, the stoked was high. Over the past few seasons, women have gathered at only a few events designed specifically for them, Snowboy Productions' IT'S TITS! at Boreal, Kimmy Fasani's Amusement MTN, Nine Queens, and park camps, backcountry clinics, and ride weeks around the world. There was momentum and anticipation to add Ms. Superpark back into the fray as another opportunity for the community to come together, rider together, and push one another to showcase the creativity and talent within the collective group...

Far on rider's left, Boulder's Freedom park is a haven for jibbers. It's loaded with different features and it was the first place that crew of ladies started warming up and throwing down. The Rude Girls arrived all the way from Banff and started getting clips on the rails. Maria Thomsen immediately started putting on a clinic and Jenaya Jenkins, Lexi Rolland, Taylor Elliot, Taylor Davis, Savannah Shinske and more went from 0 to 60 right away. Soon the minipipe was being lapped, as Desiree and Bridges went plant-for-plant in the perfectly-cut pipe. A loaded crew including Savannah Golden, Nelly Steinhoff, Summer Fenton, Alice Gong, Kelsey Boyer, Christine Savage, and were hotlapping side hits and the minipipe...

Over on the rider's right side of Boulder, Madison Blackley was casually charging as soon as the lifts started to turn. The Salt Lake Native is best known for her tenacity in the streets, but she has heavy jumping chops, as well. Just before lunchtime, when the Boulder park crew had put the finishing touches on the Ms. Lane in Boulder Park and the sun had softened the snow just enough, Mads kicked off the first session of Ms. on the hi. Setting the line with her was Desiree Melancon, who was sending methods high over the horizon. Nelly Steinhoff, Emma Crosby, Kailey Bogart, Ty Schnorrbusch, and more were warming up for the week with a serious hip session."

Day 2 - 

Words - Mary Walsh

"If day one didn’t convince you already, maybe the day 2 recap will—5 years was way too long of a wait for Ms. Superpark to be back on hill! Tricks are being thrown down all over the hill, NBDs are in the air, and lucky for us, the handful of veterans and huge crew of up-and-comers here at Big Boulder are more than up to the task of pushing the limit of what was set a demi-decade ago...

Midway down the Boulder Park trail, side-by-side quarters were the site of a big day two session. Handplants, airs, liptricks and tranny finders were all fair game as the new arrivals (Stefi, Nirvana, Jill, and Jess) pointed it into the rider's right wall alongside Kelsey Boyer, Emma Crosby, Cori Stevenson, Summer Fenton, and more. Laura Rogoski and Christine Savage were dropping in for doubles. Savannah Golden was initiating surfy tranny finders. Stefi and Jess opened up the rider's right wall with proper handplants. The quick-dropping, consistent-stomping session not only offered plenty of fodder for the upcoming day 2 video, but also catalyzed trick-learning. Madison Blackley was dialing in McTwists. Jill Perkins and Maria Thomsen were learning handplants for the first time. Luminaries, veterans, and up-and-comers rode alongside one another and each trick that was landed launched a subsequent idea or variation.

[Jess Kimura], you have been a part of seminal projects that are devoted to women's snowboarding, most recently The Uninvited. Why do you feel that women's-specific projects, whether movies, events, etc. are important in snowboarding?
I think it's important just to get to know the whole community of all the girls. These events are super essential for supporting and feeding off each other. Today I was at the quarterpipe and I was learning handplants just from looking at all the other girls and getting so much inspiration. I think it's just super important that we all get together, inspire each other, and support each other because I think that's when we evolve the best. It's just dope to see all the girls kill it and that makes you want to step it up."

To read the rest of the articles and catch up on everything else Ms. Superpark, head over to Snowboarder.com now. Thanks again to Big Boulder Park for building the parks and hosting and to Monster Energy for coming in on supporting the girls and women out there riding all week.  

Repost from WeAre!

We loved the outfit they built from this Marigold inspiration and our Nikita Dusk Ringer Tee. Get your very own Marigold magic by picking up one of the Dusk Ringers yourself.

"☀️ dreamy yellow in spring! ☀️ check out our marigold outfit with Nikita Clothing, Coal Headwear, Vans and noisy may in our shop: http://bit.ly/outfit-marigold"

 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!

This month’s Nikita Spotify playlist is equal parts tough & tender, leather & lace, feminine & masculine. Stevie Nicks, Warpaint and Angel Olsen start the mix off on a softer note, and then Suzi Quatro, Alison Mosshart and Savages take it to the edge. Every iconic rock star needs a ballad.

Hit play and let us know your favorite track. 

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!  

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!

Kicking off this weekend July 22nd and 23rd- the Hot Curbs and Cool Pools Girls Jam is about to go down in Munich!

With contests for all ages and abilites; prizes, food and more- this is going to be an event you won't want to miss, so be sure to RSVP on the Facebook Event now. 

See below for more info from Skateboarding Munchen! See you this weekend- Saturday and Sunday 🔥🌴  #forgirlswhoride

The Saturday and Sunday begins with free coaching powered by Gorilla. Here everybody can learn the first steps (or pushes) on the skateboard, regardless of their age. At the same time, the skateboard park "Am Gleisdreieck" in Pasing will provide the European women's skate elite with a true trick battle at Skate Jam. This is not only about rum and honor, but also about prizes worth over € 4,000! If you do not already have a contest experience, you will not be short of course. We split the contest into categories U14, Ü14 Sponsored and Ü14 Unsponsored. Also in the other categories there are fabulous prices of Blue Tomato, Nikita, Volcom, Stance and Nais Berlin dust. Since, despite the contest, the fun and the feeling of a real girl gang are all about us, Greek salad is inviting us to a dignified rider's dinner. Afterwards the Girls Night Out is pulled around the houses.

On Sunday we do not let ourselves hang and go straight on with a hammer program. If you could marvel at the pro-class yesterday, you have the opportunity to cruise with international pros in the skatepark "Im Gefilde" and to get valuable tips and tricks. With a lot of new inspiration and power, you can go directly to the Girls Gone Wild Jam, where you can clear up the fine prices of our sponsors in various categories. If the weather does not play, the skating rink in Freising is exclusively available for the entire weekend. The Hot Curbs & Cool Pools Girls Jam takes place regardless of the weather.

For all girls, who want to come from a little further but do not want to miss a mega weekend, we provide free sleeping possibilities and guiding to the spots available. The places are coveted, so nix as ran to the registration . Please remember   to send the disclaimer .