Na-Kel Smith has been hailed as the patron of LA skate culture. The pro skater currently juggles both an Adidas and a Supreme sponsorship as well as ownership of skate brand Hardies Hardware. The venture was kickstarted with partner Tyshawn Jones. “What Hardies means to me is hard work,” he reveals. Producing skateboard parts alongside T-shirts and hoodies, Smith says he is simply occupied with “making stuff that we want to wear, that we like. It’s just us doing us… My style is just me.” Having earned Adidas's cosign in 2014, Smith went on to secure an ongoing design collaboration with Adidas. Priced at $80 USD, the Na-Kel Smith Adidas white leather March court Mid sneaker debuted on July 1 on selling out within a 12-hour time span. “I started skating in Nizzas,” Smith reminisces, solidifying his long relationship with the brand. “I used to buy them on eBay. [Pro skaters] Jake Donnelly and Lucas Puig wore them, too.” For Spring 2017, Adidas will be releasing a high-top rendition of the Na-Kel Smith March court. The shoe will feature a hand-sketched rose motif as well as his mother’s rap alias, Suggah B, once a member of LA-based rap collective Urban Prop. VisitLA Times‘s full piece here to learn more about his moves into fashion, his rap project with Earl Sweatshirt, and his position on identifying as a sneakerhead.
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