When We Was Rad:
Skateboard History from UK Vintage Magazine

Category: Adverts

  • Vision Gator Advert

    There’s not very much to say about this which isn’t coloured by what happened later.

  • Vision Streetwear Shoes Advert

    Vision, not Santa Cruz, on the back of R.a.D magazine? These were strange days. No idea what was going on there. Interesting to see that one of the pictures is by David Walsh and another by Dan Sturt. Vision’s history would be fascinating to read. This must have been around the time of the peak,…

  • Insane Clothing Advert

    Ged Wells’ Insane Clothing was one of the defining features of the UK skate scene at this time. It always seemed to me that Insane was part of a very long and distinctive strand in British culture — one which resonated strongly with the spirit behind R.a.D. Ged was also a huge direct influence on…

  • Skate Rags Advert

    I have no idea who ran this advert for skate rags. Someone in Cornwall, judging by the area code…

  • Backyard, Essjays and Other Adverts

    There are some real solid names in here: Backyard, Essjays, Round Ocean and so on. The Angel Lights Planetary Skatepark (the famous Glasgow skatepark in a Church) were advertising at this point too. Other skateboard shops include Wheels Unlimited in Weymouth, Transition in Grimsby and Subway Skateboards in Hammersmith. Somebody called NSW Mail Order was…

  • Benz Skateboard Mail Order Advert

    If my memory is right, I think Benz was one of those skate shops set up by the parents of a skater. I’m not sure how long they survived. Interesting to note Vision Streetwear in there alongside the likes of H Street. They also seem to be selling brands like Levis and Pepe, making me…

  • Boardwalkers, Rollermania and Muddy Fox Adverts

    Here’s another one for all the skateboard industry historians and gear freaks. Cyril’s Boardwalkers was the home of the Banbury mini-ramp featured in the “Life Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness” article in this issue. Somebody correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think they survived very long. Rollermania, on the other hand, is one…

  • Hot Wheels BMX Mail Order Advert February 1990

    I’m intrigued by this: even in 1990, when the magazine was very far from the BMX scene, Hot Wheels still saw it as a means to try to keep their flame alive. And they were right. It reminds me of the days when Alpine Action tried to use BMX Action Bike to keep the spirit…

  • Offbeat, Split and Quarterback Adverts

    Not enough time to say much about this. All three shops were important players at the time. I bumped into Rick (as mentioned in the Split advert) a couple of months ago. He’d been working at Slingshot Design (who did the HSC web site) for some time. I think we’d even spoken on the phone,…

  • Shockwave Designs Advert

    I don’t remember much about this outfit. Mail order T-shirts from Telford… I have a vague idea this was an individual skater trying to get an independent brand going, in the spirit of Anarchic Adjustment, Insane and so on. In which case I think I would have been worried that they were spending so much…