For the past three years, we’ve teamed up with Nike SB in producing Not Here By Luck.
A series which has been shining a light on emerging talents within women’s skateboarding. In a sport previously dominated by men, the series focuses on empowering women, aiming to inspire and engage with the women’s skate scene, showcasing the inclusivity and progress skateboarding brings.
After spending time with Sarah Meurle in Paris in early 2019, we flew to Rio with Lore Bruggeman, Keet Oldenbeuving, and Charlotte Hym before coming back to Europe for the GIZMO premiere in London and then catching Keet once more in her hometown of Utrecht.
Since then we’ve hit the Catalonian streets of Barcelona with Chile’s finest Cata Diaz, before heading to Brighton for a weekend with Rianne Evans via London. Ventured over to the cold streets of Moscow, Russia for a week with Kate Shengeliya and explored Munich and the Bavarian mountains with Lea Schairer.
This year we spent a week between Annecy and Lyon with French skateboarder Julie Betrix (see top). As well as meeting Mobina and Melika Nazari, aka the Nazari Sisters.
Having fled Afghanistan nearly six years ago, the sisters emigrated to Berlin, Germany.
Strangers to the land and language, skateboarding quickly became the tool of integration. After Melika was given a skateboard from a friend, the sisters began skating together and were quickly welcomed by the local skateboarding scene in Berlin.
Five years on and the sisters are leading the way for female skateboarding in Berlin. Not only has skateboarding given the sisters the opportunity to make friends and integrate in the local scene, it’s also allowed them to learn the local language fluently. Beautifully highlighting how skateboarding bridges the gap between race, culture and sexual orientation, allowing all walks of life to flourish through a common passion.