## Eva Hardware: Saving Swedish Skateboarding One Stylish Jean at a Time
Stockholm’s Södermalm, often dubbed the city’s Williamsburg, is known for its hipsters, bars, and vintage shops. But until recently, skateboarding and skate culture weren’t exactly part of the conversation. That changed a few months ago with the arrival of Eva Hardware, a shop founded with a mission to “be a part of saving Swedish skateboarding.”
Per Larsson Persson, Eva Hardware’s founder, has been skating for decades. “My grandma gave me my first skateboard, and after that, I was hooked,” he says. “It was perfectly dangerous and strange.” Not to mention stylish. And with the launch of the brand’s first jeans, the Eva byxa, Eva Hardware is poised to become a stealth fashion source, even if that wasn’t Persson’s original intention.
This year, fashion has embraced the idea of sports, borrowing the aesthetics of training gear, largely spurred by the inclusion of skateboarding in the Olympics. But Eva approaches denim from the opposite perspective. Persson, whose years of experience make him fluent in the language of skateboarding, has created jeans designed for the demands of the sport. The Eva byxa was rigorously tested by a dedicated team for over a year before entering production.
“They are made of 13.5 ounces of yummy denim,” Persson explains. “They are straight cut, slightly tapered, and we made the legs a bit shorter than normal jeans because the ends are the first thing that gets torn when you skate. So far, that’s been very appreciated.” Eva Hardware also boasts an innovative sizing system, tailored to how skaters actually shop for pants, and a subtle pocket detail that becomes more evident with use, echoing the way denim gets better with age.
But the real secret sauce lies in a unique size addition: “The extra spicy thing about this is that we created a new size, an extra medium that’s in between medium and large. A lot of skaters tend to weigh in between medium and large. And the kids always ask, ‘What’s the smallest size you’ve got?’ so we call the sizes Smallest to Biggest, basically XS to XL.” As for that hidden pocket detail, it features an embroidered logo on the inside that subtly protrudes the fabric above it. “The logo gets more visible the more you wear the jeans. The more you flow, the more it shows. The more you wear, the more it appears.” This subtle display of wear and tear offers a refreshing alternative to the ubiquitous blockchain tags, promoting a sense of earned visibility tied to lived experience and shared moments.
The impact of Eva Hardware extends beyond its stylish jeans. “Now that we’re public with the brand, it’s become very clear that a lot of people outside of skateboarding are interested in this,” Persson muses. “Maybe it’s one of the few things that actually feels authentically subcultural. If you wear a Chanel T-shirt, for example, you’re like, ‘I’m this person,’ but if you wear a skateboarding T-shirt, then you’re like, ‘I’m with these people.'” This sense of belonging, of community, is as intrinsic to Eva Hardware as the boards, wheels, and even the metal riser pads (used to keep the wheels from hitting the deck) they created for Danish skater star Ville Wester.
“People have been screaming for a real skateboard shop and brand for a long time,” Persson says. “I grew up in skateboarding shops. We sat on the couch, talked to the older guys, and asked them questions. But the kids now don’t know that experience, so we have to teach them, and that’s really beautiful.” With the Eva byxa hitting stores on Friday, October 25, 2024, Eva Hardware is poised to become a cultural force, breathing new life into the skateboarding scene in Sweden and beyond.
Here, Persson offers more insight into the shop and its activities:
How did you come up with the name?
“When we first started playing with the idea of a skate brand, I was into old-lady aesthetics, like granny squares and chinaware. The first idea was to do a board that looked like a plate, something that would be funny to break. My creative process at the time was to channel an old lady, hence coming up with a good name for a Swedish lady—plus I really like three-letter logos. Someone told me that [Eve] is the first name in history, which makes sense. A lot of Evas buy our stuff; sometimes, it feels like the name is just there for them to feel special.”
What is the mission of the shop?
“To put it simply: to be a part of saving Swedish skateboarding. Skate shops really are a dying breed in Sweden. Perhaps six or seven are left from what was about 30. Skateboarding has never been as popular as it is today. Unfortunately, this means industrialization. It’s very hard to compete with the bigger companies and web shops that eat up all the actual skater-owned shops.”
And what has the reception been?
“Really good! We had an amazing summer with lots of events, and people seem to think it’s important to have a real place that represents our culture. I was afraid the neighbors would get crazy from all the noise skaters make, but everyone has been very receptive so far.”
What are some of those fun projects?
“The first board we did is still a very fun graphic. You can tell it’s an Eva board from far away. I also very much like to play with Scandinavian design. In 2023, we did a board [featuring] a classic Stockholm subway train that retired, and then we invited a lot of classic graffiti writers to paint on the decks. This year we did the same thing with the old train in Scania and for the Fotografiska Museum. We just did a board and T-shirt with Obey for the Shepard Fairey show. We also try to do events for the community and neighborhood. Everyone is supposed to feel welcome to our bubble. Once a month we invite a DJ to do their thing in the shop. Since everyone’s a DJ these days, we try to get someone with a cool origin story or an extra skill or niche. The space is too small to host a crowd, so the window works as a stage with the audience outside on the street. We livestream on Instagram and then put the mix on SoundCloud.”
How have you observed the scene changing over time?
“I don’t think people understand how much skaters talk about skateboarding. All we do is observe and compare the now to the then—at least my generation. One thing me and my colleague Danijel often talk about is how there’s no need for a crew anymore. I’m not saying that there’s no groups of friends or crews anymore, but a skater can make it to the top now with just an Instagram account and an energy-drink sponsor. When we started out it was a bare necessity to be part of a crew, otherwise you wouldn’t survive! There were very clear roles for everyone, and everyone was needed in the group. I miss that.”