ALEX OLSON

Born on March, 16, 1986 in Orange County, CA Alex Olson would grow up to create 2 Brands become a professional skater and help skateboarding integrate with fashion.When Olson was a teenager he moved to New York with Jason Dill and was featured in his first big skate film “Cherry”. Alex Olson shows the heroic characteristics of dedication and courage. In this essay I will show you why Olson should be considered a hero.   

Alex Olson in his studio making designs for Bianca ChandonCUMBO, JENA. Alex Olson in His Studio on the Bowery. New York .Alex Olsen shows heroic traits because he helps skaters who were lesser known and may not have had a career in skateboarding. As quoted in his nine club interview, Alex Olsen states, “We sponsored a bunch of kids who weren't necessarily good enough to be sponsored but once they got on the team they were improving a lot.” This shows how Alex Olsen is a hero because he was determined enough to start a brand and risk it to help skaters begin careers. Another reason Alex Olsen is a hero is because he created his brands Call me 917 and Blanca Chandon. “You have something that can't just be wrapped up into a paragraph. It has this misfit youth thing to it that people often romanticize. There’s a mystique about it that people want. But that’s also me stroking my own ego.” Olsen commented this about his 2 brands and skateboarding fashion. This shows dedication because he put lots of work in to create a brand with a very initialized style. Alex Olsen shows dedication by creating his own brand and sponsoring not well known skaters, but he also shows courage by sticking up for what he believes in.

Fashion and skate culturehttp://theberrics.com/alex-olson-ssense-interview/Alex Olson shows courage by standing up against animal cruelty and risking his sponsors. Several times Alex Olson has posted pictures portraying animal cruelty and why it needs to stop. Alex Olson posted a video portraying a celebrity wearing a fur coat and where that fur comes from and someone commented, “Mr.Olson, Again, Nike and Supreme, both brands you are currently sponsored by, use products made of animals that are killed just like the animals in the video. That's truth.” And Olson responded by saying, “So should I remove this video so people don't see it and think?” This shows courage because he is risking his sponsorship to stick up for what is correct. Another act of courage was when Olson used his own designs that were out of the norm to use for his skateboards. “I started hanging out with Ed Templeton and getting boards from him when I was 16. I was hanging out with him and he is always taking photos, which makes you just naturally want to do the same. I didn't really start taking photos though until about three years ago.” Olson speaking on the first time he took photography seriously. He believed that if he was hanging out with great people then why not capture it. Alex Olson shows courage through the things he does in skateboarding but also in art and animal rights.    

Alex Olsen is a hero because he created several brands that helped skateboarding become as relevant as it is, in skateboarding, and helped skaters who would not have had careers in skateboarding otherwise. Alex Olson is a hero because he stands up for animal abuse by risking his position in skateboarding to show that animal abuse is not correct.  Alex Olson inspires me because he started a brand for skateboarding which eventually split into two brands and one of them was a skate brand. Alex Olson overall is a hero because he risks his career every day by posting videos that portray how animal abuse is bad and how it needs to stop.  

Ssense. “Skating Copenhagen with Bianca Chandon's Alex Olson.” Ssense, 12 Oct. 2017, www.ssense.com/en-us/editorial/culture/skating-copenhagen-with-bianca-chandons-alex-olson.

Roberts, Ed. “Alex Olson Photograpgy .” Dazed Digital , 4 Aug. 2016, www.dazeddigital.com/photography/gallery/9257/0/alex-olson.

https://www.instagram.com/olsonstuff/?hl=en