Parisian Skate Style
PARIS—As home to Chanel and Christian Dior, France is synonymous with globally influential luxury fashion and ready-to-wear. But when it comes to action-sports lifestyle clothing, I found California brands dominated real estate in the skate store racks in Paris. At the skate shop Street Machine, near the Les Halles shopping district, Orange County labels ES, Etnies, Volcom, Vans shoes and Nixon watches were displayed in a high-streetwear fashion ambiance.
David Cabirol, a distributor for Nixon watches, said he has been selling the brand in Europe for approximately five years. Cabirol exhibited Nixon at Pret-a-Porter in Paris, held Sept. 5–8 and running concurrently with the ModeCity lingerie and swim trade show at the Paris Expo. Cabirol added that he started out selling to skate shops, but now Nixon is “more in fashion market” and sold at top stores including influential Paris boutique Collette.
Bold and oversized styles, such as this gold watch—with a face that nearly surpasses the width of a wrist—and Nixon’s signature wood-grain watch were the top sellers for the European market. When asked what the most popular skate brands were in Europe, Cabirol listed Element and Volcom first, and, of course, Nixon.
Nixon’s booth at Pret-a-Porter in Paris
