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RIP Cliché Skateboards – An Ode

With the sad news regarding the closing of doors at Cliché Skateboards, we look back at the history of the brand who pioneered the idea of running a successful international board oufit without adhering to the previously held notion that a company had to move to California to succeed within the industry. From their base in Lyon, France, Cliché helped pave the way for the likes of Palace and Polar today and put themselves firmly on the map with 2000’s video Europa.

The Gypsy Tours became a skate video institution, with their €10 a day budget for each skater’s food and a different guest for each one; solid chunks of travel hype which bore repeated watches…as did most of their videography, so sit back and enjoy a visual history of the brand, starting from founder Jeremie Daclin and brand manager Al Boglio’s pre-Cliché sections and running up until last year’s Gypsy Life. Santé, Jeremie!

Jeremie Daclin in New Deal – 1281 (1991)

Al Boglio in Prime Skateboards – Fight Fire with Fire (1994)

Europa (2000)

The first full length from the company which saw amongst other things an earl glimpse of Javier Mendizabal’s effortless all terrain steez, Pontus Alv‘s first ‘back from America’ section and Jeremie Daclin skating to Fela Kuti. Undoubtedly a skate video classic.

Bon Appetit! (2004)

After a couple of quiet years following Europa, 2004 was the year Cliché hit hard – Bon Appetit was the first of these visual punches…

Gypsy Tour (2004)

The first of what would become a staple of the brand (a Cliché cliche?), the original Gypsy Tour back in 2004 set the layout of ten euros a day per rider, no hotels and no set plan – originally planned in response to moaning from Pontus, he had moved on by the time the trip came around but the rest of the team seemed to adjust well enough.

Freedom Fries (2004)

An eclectic soundtrack, a pan-European team as well as Cale Nuske bringing an Antipodean element to the squad and a wide array of spots – even Broadmarsh Banks make a brief appearance during Frank Stephen’s section.

Hello Jojo (2006)

Still on a roll from dropping two videos in two years, Cliché announced the addition of Joey Brezinski to the team with not only a welcome section but also two tour clips (Gran Canaria and Apéro) and a team montage.

Gypsy Tour 2 (2007)

The crew get back on the road, with Fred Gall jumping in the guest spot and immediately figuring the trick to Gypsy Touring; staying solidly pissed…

Cle (2008)

Cliché’s 2008 ‘live and unplugged’ video Cle isn’t online in one chunk, but the majority of sections can be found via a Youtube search. In the meantime, here’s Charles Collet’s section to whet your appetite…

Gypsea Tour (2009)

The next round of Gypsy Touring came with a seaside theme, kicking off in Marseille and continuing along the coastline into Italy where the ‘shitting chair’ is invented…

The Gypsy Tours are one of the company’s most obvious legacies, always doing what a good skate video should which is make you want to get out on the road. Try watching any of these and not finding yourself on Skyscanner immediately afterwards, eyeing up flights to the mainland; Brexit probably wouldn’t have happened if every non skateboarder in the country was made to watch these…

Bon Voyage (2013)

A break in ten-euro-a-day trips meant the crew amassed enough footage for a solid full length video in the form of Bon Voyage.

Gypsy Life (2015)

Fittingly, Cliché’s visual swan song combines Gypsy Tour sections (with the semi-nomadic Chet Childress having no problems as the tour guest) with full sections from Paul Hart and Max Geronzi as well as a montage featuring Kyron Davis, Brad McClain and Adrien Coillard.