Landing gnarly nose slides are the skater boy lingo we are starting to hear more of each day as we see the rapidly growing skateboarding scene in the Middle East, let alone the UAE. The rise of skateboarding’s presence within the region is becoming more prominent as we see the admiration for the sport as well as its aesthetics increase – from skater concept stores to rap events held at skateparks and skater-inspired photography, we see the movement trickling up the Arab ladder.
Taking Dubai as an example, the city has been drastically increasing skateparks in different areas and in different villages from XDubai Skatepark, and Damac Hills Skatepark to Business Bay Skatepark, and more spots allowing skaters to express themselves. With a growth in the number of skaters, brand deals, and campaigns, the community in the Middle East region is flourishing and building a gateway for future skaters.
Its representation and increasing awareness reflect a shift from pop culture and rap-dominated lifestyles in the region to the birth and uprising of subcultures among youth generations, which purposely contradict the ultra-rich stereotype – developing a new creative scene that breathes freshness and uniqueness to its core.
The mix of punk and street culture with the Middle East’s love for hip-hop lifestyles is breeding a new form of skaters much different and more intriguing than that present in the Americas, Europe, or Japan. There’s a handful of skaters responsible for representing the rising skate culture in the concrete jungle by blending rough edginess with some of the region’s most unprecedented and raw scenes that are inspiring the growing movement.
Meet the top 6 faces leading the skate culture in the Middle East.
Nassim Lachhab
The Rabat native, Nassim Lachhab is one of the few skaters from North Africa and the Middle East setting the stage for skate culture around the MENA region. Hands down the best of the best, the pro Moroccan skater, began his skating journey at the age of 12 at White Spot skatepark and has risen to prominence when he moved to France as he secured one of the best sponsorship deals with Blind Skateboard.
Lachhab is adding his own twist to skate culture as his unique style, Moroccan flare and pro moves set him apart from anyone else in the pro league. His 70s-inspired dress sense cleverly mixes vintage fashion, with baggy hip-hop aesthetics and skater-boy sneakers that modernises a hybrid form of representing Arab icons to which aspiring skateboarders can look up as role model.
Ali Bin Mahfouz
Ali Bin Mahfouz is one of Saudi’s rising athletes as the skater has been proactive in growing the sport’s awareness in and around the region. The Jeddah star has graced the pages of some of the region’s most renowned magazines to document his ongoing efforts to cultivate a new wave of Arab youth subcultures. His dress sense, charisma, and slick moves are seen documented throughout his Instagram page with some of the region’s coolest backdrops and skate scenes.
Karim Nassar
Karim Nassar is the Egyptian star making waves in the Middle East for being the first Nike-sponsored Arab skateboarder. Forget for a moment that Nassar is truly amongst the greatest skate athletes in the region, and just go do yourself a favor and look at his Instagram page. I personally, as a fashion critic and image curator, was blown away. His use of mixing vintage camera styles, and catfish lenses, blurring the lines between high and low street culture with unique rough settings and balanced graphics makes him more than just the ordinary skater. He’s an inspirer, a role model that ignites even non-skaters, like myself, to become curious about the coolness that draws you into the subculture.
Represented by Habibi Skate Shop in the UAE, it’s evident to see his influence stretches far wider than just the skateparks, but rather draws influence into your wardrobes, home décor, and skater lifestyle as a cultural phenomenon to belong to.
Wathek Allal
How can I define an unconventional skater boy mixed with fashion influencer and Jaden Smith? Wathek Allal is the name that should come to mind. Algerian roots, Syrian born and Dubai bred, Allal is the result of mixing Middle Eastern cultures to form a hybrid in the form of an iconic skater influencer.
His vision and passion for the sport have led him to kickstart his own fashion label Precious Trust that’s rooted in the authenticity and rawness of skater culture in the Middle East.
Skater Uktis
It’s hard to read this article and not think of our childhood rock stars glamorising the Sk8er Boi aesthetic…
He was a skater boy
She said, “See you later, boy”
He wasn’t good enough for her…
These were the lyrics Avril Lavigne wrote that climbed their way into everyone’s hearts and forced us to wear long sleeves underneath baggy t-shirts and make us dare with pink highlights that are regrettably an unforgivable style flop within our phases of growing up. But we like more the feminist twist to the male dominant sport by singing;
She was a skater girl
He said, “See you later, girl”
She was too good enough for him…”
Now slamming on their skates are a group of women changing the landscape of skate culture in the Middle East; Skater Uktis – a global Muslim community for females led by a skate crew. Inspiring Muslim women around the world in more than 17 countries, the group inspires sportswomen to dive into the gender stereotypical sport by adding their own twist and inspiring an equal landscape to demonstrate their skills.
Shareef Masarani
Shareef Masarani is another influential figure within the MENA region rising awareness of the skate scene. The Saudi skater and content creator is based in Riyadh and uses his passion, vast skills, and techniques to coach aspirational skaters in the region. Shareef documents his skateboarding moves all around different areas in and about Riyadh, showcasing the hot spots the region has to offer. A master of his craft, if you are either looking for an inspirational figure to watch out for or a coach to advance your passion then Shareef is your Sk8er!
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