Palace Skateboards Comes To The U.S.

Last year, Jonah Hill—an Oscar-nominated actor who has starred in Martin Scorsese films alongside Leonardo DiCaprio—appeared in an online ad for skateboard brand Palace’s collaboration with British sportswear giant Reebok. Rumor has it he did it for free, getting paid in sneakers, hats, and shirts. To promote the New York store—which opens today and is the only Palace location outside of London—Hill again featured in a promo video, complaining to his agent about getting “paid in stickers.” Both ads are about as far removed from typical fashion promos as you could get—which, when it comes to Palace, is absolutely no surprise. In the space of eight years, founder Lev Tanju’s brand has gone from being Supreme’s scrappy London sibling to a worldwide cultural force, worn by celebrities and musicians, but also guys and girls (but mostly guys) who smoke weed and sit in dark living rooms until 6 AM trying not to grow up. Its Instagram features well-shot fashion photography, captioned with mom jokes and quips about smoking weed. The floor of Palace’s London store is an opulent, white-marble number with a black italicized “P” in the center, but the shop is staffed exclusively by friends and family. It’s high and low, luxury and accessibility wrapped into one, and wildly popular for it. Read more at Vice.