Side Project Skateboards

indigo collection lookbook

It’s not every day you encounter a handmade skateboard company—let alone one that developed their own wood stain using 100% natural indigo. To launch the inaugural Side Project Skateboards natural indigo collection, we created a suite of images to celebrate this signature combination of indigo, maple, artisanal craftsmanship, and vintage-inspired skate culture.

It was a whole production. We started in-studio to make the product images that highlighted the beauty of both sides of the boards. Whereas current skateboard convention is to cover the top of the board with black griptape, Side Project Skateboards utilized finely powdered glass for a crystal clear grip that maintained the visual interest of wood grain.

Styling & Talent
Setting the Scene

With that done and dusted, we turned our attention to the lifestyle session. Knowing natural indigo was our hero, we developed a muted color palette to help these boards pop. We brought these colors to life through wardrobe styling, working in tandem to coordinate talent casting for four model-skaters.

Location Scouting
On the Move

The location was everything. Our challenge was to find a thematically relevant spot that could also reference some of the geometric characteristics of the skateboards themselves. For this, we landed on a partially constructed parking garage with pristine concrete—a holy grail for casual skateboarding and a plein-air playground for our photo session.

The Results
Rolling out

The collection sold out shortly after launch, with skateboards shipped off as far afield as Australia. The story of these boards covered even more ground, resulting in an article in Texas Monthly, stories spanning oodles of online magazines, and even a book deal with Simon & Schuster.

Client: Side Project Skateboards
Creative Direction: Jake Eshelman
Photography: Jake Eshelman
Styling & Casting: Margaux Crump
Producer: Jake Eshelman

cheers@feastday.studio 🥂