Gallaz

Natalie Porter

We have female skateboarders of Australia in the late 1990s and early 2000s to thank for the launch of the skateboard shoe brand, Gallaz, which was owned by Globe Industries.

On April 10th, 1999, the Girls Street Skate Jam (sponsored by Split Clothing / Hardcore Distribution/Globe) was hosted on Flockhart Street at the Sailyards Skate Park in Melbourne and the local media was stoked, even TransWorld noted the event in their June 1999 Industry news report. The contest followed in the footsteps of the All Girl Skate Jam, which launched in 1997 in San Diego by Patty Segovia.

April 1999: Hardcore Girls Street Skate Jam results:

  1. Sal Clark ($1000) age 14
  2. Sally Affleck ($500)
  3. Hilary Pearce ($250)
  4. Colleen Hughson ($100)
  5. Jo Harrison ($100)
  6. Alicia Saye ($100)

Apparently, the “competitors ranged in age from five to 28 years and skated before a crowd of over 1,000. Split plans to continue this annual event with the possibility of developing it into a countrywide series.” I suspect the eldest skater was none other than Stace “the Ace” Roper, the legendary Kiwi skater, and Sally Affleck was in the mix with lots of great photos:

In the book, Unemployable (2016) by Jason Boulter, which explores the long history of Globe, co-owner Mike Hill said, “We saw the number of girls skating the street and parks in the late ‘90s, Stateside and Oz, and thought these girls were real skaters with real talent. The artistic and commercial gap was evident so Globe came in with Gallaz to be the only brand to fill this gap. Gallaz was a big success from the get go!”

The marketing team was also taking notice of how surfer Layne Beachley influenced Roxy, which dominated the board shorts market for girls for Quiksilver, so they figured that Globe could step up as “the first action-sports footwear for girls and we came out pretty hardcore.” Strangely enough, Kelley Meidroth said that in the early 2000s their branding was deemed “masculine” and guys were buying them, so they actually added the tag line “Footwear for Females” to clarify their target market alongside the logo, which was designed by Derek Yuen in 2000. See below:

To launch the new brand, another contest was held the following year with Gallaz as the official sponsor. This event was won by local Monica Shaw, and Kiwi skater, Georgina Matthews (who had won the NZ Nationals) came 2nd who was excited to meet her hero, Jaime Reyes who was a judge and performed a demo. The event was on April 29, 2000, at the Sailyards in Melbourne and was called the Australian Girls’ Street Skate Jam 2. *Does anyone have the full results?*

Layne Beachley ended up designing an early signature shoe in 2001 and loved the process. She said, “It was cool. I felt like a special part of the team, and it’s nice to be at the forefront of something new and exciting and to be considered a valuable member of that” (Boulter). Holly Monkman was hired to expand the exposure of the brand as the Gallaz Team Manager, which included female surfers, skaters, and snowboarders. Marketing towards a niche group of female athletes was ambitious, especially within magazines and male-dominated industries that didn’t do their part to celebrate them and show support.

In the Gallaz Magazine (2005), Australian skater, Monica Shaw reflected on her sponsorship and the contest series in an article called “The Gallaz Skate Jam Chronicles.” She said, “‘I just happened to be around in ’99 when the Gallaz Skate Jam started in Australia so I went down and checked ‘em all out. I’ve been to every one since and I could say that I’ve evolved with the events just from being so young and innocent and not really knowing much about skateboarding. I’ve progressed obviously, like learning tricks and getting better and better over the years from skating in these contests… I think the first thing I noticed in 1999 was just the shear fact that there was a girl’s contest and there were girls doing this. I hadn’t seen any of the girls so it was just a real eye opener.”

Photos: Gallaz advertisements in 2001 featuring Jaime Reyes and Lauren Mollica

In April 2001, the Gallaz Skate Jam 3 was held in Sydney and Monica won the event again (which included some gigantic cheques!), learned how to crooked grind simultaneously and was offered a Gallaz sponsorship.

Amy Caron was also grateful for the sponsorship. She remembered that it was just after a contest in Hawaii, likely the 1999 All Girl Skate Jam when she was 14, that Gallaz brought her on the team. The plan was to create the biggest / best girls skate team in history, which meant sponsoring Jaime Reyes, Vanessa Torres, Amy Caron, Lauren Mollica, Lyn Z Adams Hawkins, Monica Shaw, Violet Kimble, and Georgina Matthews, as the core team.

Photos: Gallaz ads from 2002 featuring Lauren Mollica, Jaime Reyes, Amy Caron, and surfer Keala Kennely

The annual Gallaz / Globe World Cup at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne become a key event for competitive skateboarders to prove themselves in front of a massive audience. In 2002, there were 18,000 spectators in attendance. Monica Shaw recalled that, “2002 was the first year that the contest had gone international, and also the biggest prize in women’s skateboarding, so it was a big deal. There was a car and some money [$6000]. And the course was like nothing else I’d ever skated because it was just huge with lights and logos on it.”

Photos: Jo Harrison and Tostee.com of the 2002 contest

February 2002: Gallaz Skate Jam 4 (Melbourne) at Globe World Cup

  1. Amy Caron ($2000, Ford car)
  2. Lauren Perkins
  3. Vanessa Torres
  4. Jaime Reyes
  5. Ianire Elorriaga
  6. Hilary Pearce
  7. Kelly Box
  8. Jen O’Brien
  9. Louisa Hawton
  10. Monica Shaw
  11. Jessie Van Roechoudt
  12. Esther Godoy
  13. Sal Clark
  14. Jacqui Baker
  15. Arna Michalczak
  16. Lisa Shairer
  17. Stacey Roper

This contest was also special because it was the lead-up event featured in the Gallaz documentary AKA: Girl Skater (dir. Mike Hill, 2003). I’ve devoted a whole post to this video because of its global impact on women’s skateboarding. The video showcased the Gallaz pro team (Reyes, Torres, Caron and Shaw) on their Australian roadtrip with bonus footage by Matthews and Mollica. Lisa Whitaker captured most of the action, which made sense she was also sponsored by Gallaz!

The tour was also documented in the June 2002 Big Brother magazine by Dave Carnie, in a significant 14-page article called “Gallaz in Australia: an all-female skate tour” full of photos by Jaya Bonderov (included in the AKA web post). Definitely watch the video in its entirety to get an appreciation for the era and the skaters involved in pushing the boundaries.

Photos: sequences of Jaime Reyes and Vanessa Torres by Jaya Bonderov 2002

In a fashion article called “The New Brands in Town” from Women’s Wear Daily (WWD Magazine), it was shared that Gallaz was included for a big showcase in November 2002 at a New York bar called Idlewild, with Reyes, Mollica, Caron and Torres turning up for the party. “Aimed at girls and women between the ages of 12 and 24, Gallaz apparel has unfinished touches, like raw edges, burned-out logos, reversible prints and scissor-cut necklines, to appeal to women who like to customize their clothes… First-year projected wholesale volume is less than $2 million.”

Monica Shaw felt that the 2003 contest was much better than the previous year because “they introduced the ‘Jam’ format, which enabled us all to just jam together and skate. They did it in three zones and there was like six skaters at a time and we’d all just skate for like 10 minutes and be judged more on difficulty of tricks than on consistency because you don’t lose points for tricks you don’t land in a jam. It’s just about what you do land which is sort of better if you aren’t a competition skater and are just a street skater.”

February 2003: Gallaz Skate Jam 5 (Melbourne) at Globe World Cup *30 girls registered.

  1. Vanessa Torres
  2. Elissa Steamer
  3. Jaime Reyes
  4. Lauren Perkins
  5. Ianire Elorriaga
  6. Monica Shaw
  7. Louisa Hawton
  8. Lucy Adams
  9. Sal Clark
  10. Esther Godoy
  11. Paige Hamilton
  12. Sally Affleck

Photos: 2003 winner Vanessa Torres accepting her cheque and featuring in two Gallaz ads

Kiwi skater, Stacey Roper also reported on the event for Push magazine (Spring 2003) which was focused on female skaters, edited by Denise Williams of Halifax.

The 2004 contest had a bit of drama, which was described in a news feature for TransWorld (Feb. 19, 2004)! Several of the skaters, including Elissa Steamer, Georgina Matthews and Violet Kimble were really going for the giant handrail. In an interview with the Gallaz Magazine (2005), Violet shared that her worst wipeout / beating in the line of skateboarding duty was at the 2004 event in Melbourne: “I went for the big rail and basically got hung up and I fell on my face… not very fun (might I add it was Valentine’s Day).” Monica confirmed that the bail was pretty gnarly and bloody but impressive that she was going for it! Apparently, some stitches were required!

violet-kimble-gallaz-cio-no-17-2004-damian-shaw-2003-melbourne

February 2004: Gallaz Skate Jam 6 (Melbourne)

  1. Elissa Steamer
  2. Alison Matasi
  3. Vanessa Torres
  4. Georgina Matthews
  5. Hilary Pearce
  6. Jen O’Brien
  7. Amanda France
  8. Lyn-Z Adams Hawks
  9. Violet Kimble
  10. Esther Godoy

Photos: Gallaz Skate Jam 6, Feb. 2004

November 2004: Gallaz Skate Jam 7 (Torrance Skatepark, CA) *a qualifying event for Globe World Cup in Melbourne

  1. Leo Baker
  2. Patiane Freitas
  3. Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins
  4. Sasha La Rochelle
  5. Violet Kimble
  6. Lauren Mollica
  7. Felicity Correl
  8. Stefanie Thomas

Describing the Gallaz Skate Jam 8 in 2005 Monica said, “The terrain was pretty crazy, like really, really fast and big and there were some more things for girls to skate than in other years. [Elissa] Steamer won and there was just carnage with girls running into each other and shit… it was pretty cool.”

February 2005: Gallaz Skate Jam 8 (Melbourne)

  1. Elissa Steamer
  2. Lauren Perkins
  3. Vanessa Torres
  4. Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins
  5. Jessica Krause
  6. Monica Shaw
  7. Leo Baker
  8. Georgina Matthews
  9. Violet Kimble
  10. Shannon Cranko
  11. Patiane Freitas
  12. Sophie Poppe
  13. Esther Godoy
  14. Hilary Pearce
  15. Lauren Mollica

Gallaz was so important for women’s skateboarding because they extended their sponsorship to amateur skaters all around the world! Émilie Rougier (Montpellier, France) was noticed by Gallaz and picked up a sponsorship. There’s even a video that Émilie took in 2001 skating with the Gallaz pro team at the 2001 Gallaz Skate Jam Europe #1 event, in Seignosse, France:

A similar gathering was hosted on November 23, 2002, but in Munster, Germany. Chrissie Stegt took a few photos to capture the energy, which included Karen Schirm (Germany), Franzi Stolz (Switzerland), Louisa Menke (Netherlands / Algeria), who was the first European female skater with a pro board, and some locals like Rodi and Toska.

In 2004 there was another international Gallaz Skate Jam but in Dortmund, Germany, to keep up the show of support for European skaters and showcase what women could do. Apparently, Torres stunned the crowd with frontside smith grinds down the big handrail, taking home $2500 (versus the men’s street winner, Bastien Salabanzi who nabbed $10,000).

  1. Vanessa Torres
  2. Lauren Perkins
  3. Lyn-z Adams-Hawkins
  4. Ianire Elorriaga
  5. Monica Shaw
  6. Patiane Freitas
  7. Sophie Poppe
  8. Steffi Weiss

Ianire Elorriaga, the Basque skater from Bakio who won the European Championships six times between 2003 and 2010 was picked up by Gallaz. And when they offered a Gallaz Skate Jam in Anglet, France in 2003, Ianire took first place for street. Patiane Freitas, the kickass street skater from Brazil, was also brought on the team after competing in the 2003 Gallaz Skate Jam in Munster, Germany. Other sponsored riders of note included Sasha LaRochelle (U.S.), Sophie Poppe (Belgium), Stacey Roper (New Zealand) and Steffi Weiss (Germany).

Photo: Patiane Freitas for Check it Out magazine #17 at the 2004 Gallaz Skate Jam

Monica Shaw recognized that “Gallaz was one of the only companies at the time willing to put down the dollars for us to travel around and I am truly grateful for the experience” (Huston). Monica was referring to the European tour that Gallaz sponsored, which was featured in issue #17 of Check it Out magazine. Violet Kimble echoed Shaw and of that European Tour she was quoted as saying, “That trip would honestly have to be the best trip I have ever been on. All those girls are all rad and there was no drama. So thanks, Gallaz for putting that tour together! It was awesome.”

This tour must have included a stop in Hossegor, France because Claire Barbier-Essertel posted a video of a Gallaz Skate Jam there in July 2004 with Gallaz pro skaters Torres, Mollica and Shaw, and lots of British and European women like Lucy Adams, Steffi Weiss, Sonya Kentech, Claire Alleume, Lisa Jacob, Ianire Elloriaga, and local French riders, like Anne Laure, Jeanna Beaugrand, Marie Guillet, Mathilde Bouvet, Pascaline Pouzols, and members of Les Poseuz Crew.

The next year, in 2005, the Gallaz team went on another Australian tour, as a lead-up to the World Cup which was reported on in the Girls Skate Network website. Lisa Whitaker was the designated filmer (and driver) and shared that she was sent to Australia by the Fuel TV show GKA, while Leo Baker had won a Gallaz Skate Jam in California, which meant a ticket to the Globe World Cup.

There’s photos of Australians Hilary Pearce, Monica Shaw, Sal Clark and Esther Godoy, along with Patiane Freitas, Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins, Sophie Poppe, Leo Baker, Lauren Mollica, Jessie Van Roechoudt, and Vanessa Torres.

Gallaz also produced a new video in 2005 called You Remind Me of Me (dir. Jamie Brisick), which included a range of female athletes that were sponsored by Gallaz as surfers, snowboarders and skaters including Violet Kimble, Monica Shaw, Lauren Mollica, and Patiane Freitas.

It turned out that 2005 was the last year that the Globe World Cup was hosted, with a contest called “The Global Assault” in 2006 being the final skateboarding event at Rod Laver Arena. It was an end of an era. Monica said, “I can really map out my years of skateboarding with these events because it’s been an annual thing and I can think about what I’ve done in the years leading up to that, or I can tell if I’ve progressed in a year because I can remember what I did last year in the contest. The competition’s not that important to me, but it’s definitely important to me to see my friends every year and to go travel and just have fun skateboarding.”

When Gallaz went defunct (apparently the marketing became too fashion-oriented with an emphasis on disposable “fast fashion”), a new team called Globe Girl was created and Claire Alleume in France, the 2007 French National skateboard champion, was among the first to be part of this new vision with an on-going range of functional skate shoes in smaller sizes under the Globe brand.

Check out the book Unemployable: 30 Years of Hardcore, Skate and Street (2016) by Jason Boulter, which includes a chapter on Gallaz and is a an incredibly thorough account of the Australian company Globe International and the Melbourne-based brothers, Stephen, Peter and Matt Hill. Speaking of Stephen, in the AKA: Girl Skater video he stated that the Globe / Gallaz Skate Jam was the biggest contest in the world for girls and that female skaters should have been “treated equally as it should have always been.”

Thank you, Globe Industries for taking a gamble on women in skateboarding, showing support through contests, tours, sponsorship, and in advertisements. The Gallaz ads were often the only presence of a female skater in an entire skateboarding magazine, and were diligently cut-out and pasted to our walls for inspiration because a Gallaz sponsorship was the ultimate dream and motivation in the early 2000s because they were one of few companies, like Rookie skateboards in NYC, who took us seriously.

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