After an offering designed in homage to British skate shop M-ZONE, Palace Skateboards is back in business, dropping another round of referential graphic items as much of the world enters summer — yes, Australia's heading into winter but for the most part those temperatures lean towards spring in the northern hemisphere. This go-round, the British brand is dishing out striped sweaters, unfashionably fashionable cargo shorts, and a new mascot character that's basically a Pokémon.
As usual, there's a nice variety of goods to be had from Palace, including the aforementioned striped sweaters and "PALACE ITALIA"-branded pullovers, complete with classic branding on the rear and the occasional bit of color-blocking. There are some slick tracksuits as well, realized in versatile burgundy, navy, and greenish hues with contrasting white piping and, again, rear Palace branding on the jackets. And if you don't wanna weigh yourself down with a tote bag, Palace has you covered with a slew of ever-divisive cargo shorts realized in over-dyed cotton.
Perhaps the main event is a series of sweaters and hats emblazoned with a little flower-toting critter that's just anime-enough to resemble a bootleg Pokémon, complete with Japanese Katakana to drive home the inspiration. The sweater simply says "Palace Skateboard" [sic] in Katakana, while the accompanying hats shorten it to "スケモン," or "Suke-mon" in the Japanese tradition of creating portmanteau phrases for ease of conversation. It's only the latest in a long line of playful Palace homages.
The fourth full Summer 2021 drop hits Palace's website and stores in America and Europe today, May 28 before launching in Japan and China the following day.
