There are currently as many UK skateboard brands as there have ever been, with a new company seemingly rising from nowhere at least once a month. Whether there are too many for the market to bear, or whether it is heartening to see smaller dudes hooked up and more isolated scenes have a light shone on them, is not a matter for this article, but it is certainly an interesting time to be involved in UK skateboarding.
Amidst this current era of seemingly endless choice when it comes to what wood rests under our feet, it is worth looking back to some of the board companies who have shaped our scene, hooked up the guys who deserved it, and generally smashed it over the years, before unfortunately sinking into the ruthless marketplace sea.
From Benjy Boards to Blueprint, Reaction to Superdead, here’s part one of ‘The Departed – UK board brands of yesteryear’. And, for those who’ve noticed some glaring omissions already, expect these to be addressed in part two coming very soon!
The Harmony
To start off with here’s much missed UK brand The Harmony, who sprung from the depths of Essex in 2004 and lasted for ten years with a solid team and killer video output until eventually going under in 2014. While you can peruse their entire filmography in our ode to the brand, here’s a taster in the form of Jak Pietryga’s section from their incredible 2009 promo ‘The River’s Edge’.
Jak Pietryga – River's Edge from The Harmony Skateboards on Vimeo.
