Roland DG Empowers Female Skateboarders
Roland DG partners with the female skateboarders
changing skate culture to create personalised skateboards with TrueVIS digital printing technology.
Women's skateboarding has been on the rise for the last decade, but lockdown and the 2021 Olympics have had a profound effect on the sport.
From young kids to teenagers and women of all ages, skateboarding culture has built an influential community of inclusivity and empowerment, driven by creativity and individuality.
But to this day, the sport remains heavily male dominated, with many female skaters feeling unheard and unnoticed.
Roland DG has partnered with two female skateboarders paving the way for the next generation of female skaters. Creating two limited designs, the Roland-wrapped skateboards give these female
skateboarders a voice – in a very different way.
Why Skateboard Art Goes Far Beyond Aesthetics
Skateboarding’s close ties to creativity is no secret, and the art on a skateboard is very personal to its rider, providing a visual outlet for skaters to creatively express themselves through both design and style.
Creativity and art have always gone hand in hand with skateboarding, letting people creatively express the things that matter most to them in life.
Image: Raisa Abal’s (left) and Louisa Menke’s (right) bespoke skateboard designs
“For me, skateboarding is an open-minded way of self-expression and my inspiration always comes from different sources: my happiness and my sadness, my friends, people who inspire me and who I admire, songs, lights, sunsets…”
- Raisa Abal, Editor of Dolores Magazine
Turning Creative Visions Into Reality with Roland DG
Partnering with professional skateboarder Louisa Menke and Editor of female and LGBTQ+ skateboarding platform Dolores Magazine Raisa Abal, we asked them to design a bespoke skateboard design that symbolises what skateboarding means to them.
Using the new Roland DG TrueVIS VG3-640 printer, each design was expertly printed with precise colour to create high-end graphics, which were then hand wrapped onto individual skateboards at Roland DG’s newest Creative Centre in Barcelona.
Combining hand painted acrylic canvas art with graphic collage, each design reflects what skateboarding means to them and their journeys to who they are today.
Watch Louisa Menke and Raisa Abal, tackling their favourite tricks on their new skateboards in Barcelona’s most iconic skate parks.
Using Collage and Acrylic Paint to Tell Their Personal Stories
Raisa Abal’s design features a collage of life’s moments that matter most to her including sisterhood, activism and photography - to name a few.
Louisa Menke’s design symbolises a powerful reminder of the importance of truly listening to her mind, body and soul, which she believes skateboarding is a good practice for.
"When Roland DG asked me to be part of this campaign, I started thinking about what skateboarding means to me and suddenly an ear appeared in my mind. It's not easy to really listen - for example to how I truly feel, what I really want, what I'm afraid of and why. There's lots of noise, distractions and many layers but if I keep listening, I'll keep hearing new things. This was my creative inspiration for my board design with Roland DG. When I’m skateboarding, I’m listening. And when I truly listen, magic happens.”
- Louisa Menke, Professional Skateboarder.
Roland's TrueVIS Printer Brings Louisa Menke’s Paint Brushwork to Life
Using the new TrueVIS VG3-640 and Roland DG’s product expert team, Louisa Menke’s hand painting was able to be recreated, faithfully reproducing the exact acrylic paint lines, as well as the blue and white tones and detailed brushwork.
By printing on a matte material the skateboard could be hand wrapped and mirrored that of her original hand paintings.
Image: Louisa Menke’s finished skateboard and her hand-painted acrylic canvases that were included within the design
Skateboarding is More Than Just a Sport - It's a Celebration of Self Expression, Empowerment and Individuality
The rise in more young women joining the sport is only set to increase, with powerful female influencers inspiring others to join the global skate community. Raisa Abal and Louisa Menke have long been passionate advocates and activists for female skaters, creating change, challenging stereotypes and crushing barriers to see more female representation in skateboarding communities across the globe.
Dolores Magazine - created by Raisa Abal - was born due to the lack of female representation in skating media and has gone on to become Spain’s leading magazine for female and non-traditional skaters of many cultures.
A Partnership Built on Passion
The partnership is built upon a shared passion for pushing the boundaries and bringing creative ideas and visions to reality. The TrueVIS VG3-640 is the third generation printer of the TrueVIS range, launched in March 2022, and can be used for a wide range of applications from signage and banners to vehicle graphics, stickers, and labels.