This document summarizes Luke Spoerlein's senior thesis project on creating protective gear for street skateboarding. It describes the stigma around protective gear in skateboarding and the need to design gear that is not noticeable. Various prototypes of pads and sleeves were tested with skaters. Feedback was positive on the concept and range of motion. The document includes sketches of final garment designs, technical specifications, and descriptions of materials used to create protective gear appealing to skaters.

1. LUKE
SPOERLEIN
INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER

2. WHAT DOES A STREET SKATEBOARDING
BRAND THAT PROTECTS AGAINST MINOR AND
CONSTANT INJURIES LOOK LIKE?
SENIOR THESIS:

3. Over the years skaters
have taken to having an
extremely harsh stigma
towards wearing any
protective gear.
STIGMA

4. TOTOMARKETMARKET
BARRIERBARRIER
The skateboard community will not accept the product if it is not affiliated with a true skate company

5. BRAND
In order to get the skaters
open to the product, a
brand and identity
had to be created.
The emphasis is on
individuality.
SKATERS.TRYING.INCESSANTLY.TO.CHALLENGE.HUMANITY.

6. The board initially
appears blank, but after
riding and performing
tricks, layers of paint
scrape away creating
a design individual to
the rider.
BOARDS
Final Gloss
Layer
Outside
Color and
Decal Layer
Color
Gradient
Layers
Board

7. HOWTOFALL
STREET SKATING INJURY MAPPING
HIGH
MEDIUM
LOW

8. 8mm Foam
Perforated Neoprene
40 Durometer
Sleeve Pattern
Many mock ups of sleeves,
socks and shorts were sewn
in order to determine
the correct amount of
padding and placement
needed.
PROTOTYPES
FINALSLEEVEDESIGN

9. "THIS IS A RAD CONCEPT.
IT'S INCREDIBLE HOW I
STILL HAVE FULL RANGE
OF MOTION! DON'T
EVEN NOTICE IT WHILE
SKATING"
"GNARLY.
I CAN SEE
PEOPLE
WEARING
THIS FOR
TOUGHER
STREET
STUFF"
"THIS IDEA
HAS GOT
ME STOKED.
WOULD
BE GREAT
FOR BIG
TRANSITIONS"
I put my prototypes
to the test by bringing
them to the skatepark and
having skaters test them
out and give feedback. I
was able to talk with many
people ranging in ages
from 15-23+ years old.
TESTING
Primary Research
"PERFECT
FOR STAIRS"

10. HOSOI
CABALLERO
HASSAN
FERGUSON
PAUL
VAN
DOREN
While visiting NYC I had the
chance to meet the entire
Vans skate team along
with a ton of local skaters
and talk about their
thoughts on protection
and prototypes.
SKATE TEAM
MET VANS
Primary Research

11. Section cut
of a pad
IDEATION
In this instance, form
truly followed function.
I let the areas of protection
speak by stylizing
around the beauty of
those forms.
Section cut describes
angle of chamfer
Section cut
of a pad
Section cut
of a pad

12. CENSORED
"MAKE IT LOOK LIKE I'M NOT
WEARING ANYTHING"
- Every Skater

13. 3 Levels of Protection
SWEATSHIRT
Josh is a flat-ground skater who dabbles
in stair sets. The dual sleeve shirt and
protective socks allow him to skate longer
and keep his own sense of style.
Compression
sleeve sewn in
underneath
Dual sleeve ensures
pads stay in place and
helps sheild visibility
EVO-Sheild
Pocket
Inside pocket
holds shin
protection

14. Dave likes pushing his limits in skating, so he
continuously pushes for bigger gaps, so the
concealed and breathable protection helps
him to keep going after big falls.
LONG SLEEVE
Hip
Protection
Power-Mesh
is revealed
for airflow
when seam is
stressed.
STATICDYNAMIC
Tailbone
Protection
Padded
boxer briefs
are easily
concealed
under pants

15. PRO MODEL
TOTAL THICKNESS: 8mm
FM-2FM-1 CUT AND SEW
Neoprene cross section
TOTAL THICKNESS: 3mm
COMPRESSION MOLDED
Foam cross section
3mm Perforated neoprene
Power mesh sleeve
3mm EVA foam 40 Durometer
5mm EVA foam 20 Durometer
SuperFabric Laminated to foam
FM-2
FM-1
FM-2
FM-1
FM-2
FM-1
FM-1
RIGHT SLEEVE
Kenneth just recently got sponsored. He
understands the toll skateboarding takes
on his body so he proudly wears the Stitch
pro model when he goes out to skate.
Power-Mesh Inner Sleeve
Perforated Neoprene
EVA Pad
SuperFabric

16. JerseyKnit
Power-Mesh
Jersey knit constructed
of a 85% Nylon 15%
Spandex blend 160gm2
weight makes a layer
that is both flexibile
and strong enough to
take on the wear and
tear of skating.
PerforatedNeoprene
Perforated neoprene
acts as a lightweight
and breathable extra
cushioning that that
can cover more area
on the body without
tacking on too much
weight or heat.
Power-Mesh is made
up of a 92% Nylon 8%
Spandex blend which
will be durable enough
to take the rough falls
but light enough to
help keep the skater
cool while riding.
EVAFoam
EVA foam with
differing durometer
allows for the best
impact protection.
The lightweight piece
is also able to be
molded to shape for
better coverage.
SuperFabric is a
flexibile cloth with
armor plates that are
superb for abrasion
resistance. The areas
with SuperFabric will
help against the road
rash from a wipe out.
SuperFabric

17. M1
M2
M
3M
4M
5
M6
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M N
STITCH / PRO STYLE PROTECTION
CONSTRUCTION SPECIFICATIONS
CATEGORY: MEN'S SKATEBOARDING
SAMPLE SIZE MEN'S LARGE
SCALE: 1:1
AVAILABLE SIZES: Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large
AVAILABLE COLORS: GREY, BLACK, NAVY
PRODUCT TARGETS
OVERALL SHIRT COMPONENTS
MATERIAL
M1. 85% Nylon 15% Spandex 160 gm2 weight
M2. 86% Nylon 14% Spandex 330GSM weight rib knit
M3. SuperFabric 700810-935
M4. Compression Molded EVA Foam
M5. 3mm Perforated Neoprene (Polyester)
M6. 92% Nylon 8% Spandex 105GSM Power Mesh
A. Torso portion of shirt
B. Collar
C. Inner compression sleeve
D. Shoulder neoprene pad
E. Shoulder EVA foam pad
F. Shoulder SuperFabric abrasion resistant patch
G. Bicep neoprene pad
H. Bicep EVA foam pad
I. Bicep SuperFabric abrasion resistant patch
J. Elbow neoprene pad
K. Forearm neoprene pad
L. Forearm EVA foam pad
M. Forearm SuperFabric abrasion resistant patch
N. Outer sleeve covers all other sleeve components
O. Back EVA foam pad
P. Upper back perforated neoprene pads
Q. Lower back pads
FRONT SIDE BACK
M1 M2
M3 M4
M5 M6
Logo Screen Printed
Inner compression
sleeve with the foam
is attached to the
armscye.
Cuffs of sleeves are
NOT sewn together
Screen Printed Tag
SCREEN PRINTS
S2
S2
S1
S1
55mm
LARGE
Shell:
85% Nylon 15% Spandex
Inner Sleeve:
92% Nylon 8% Spandex
45 mm
65mm
45mm
O
P
Q
FULLYCONSTRUCTED
Exploded view of sleeves
TECH PACK

18. TECH PACKS
Multiple pages of technical
files were created for each
garment. The garments
included 3 shirts, a pair
of socks, boxer briefs,
and a pair of jeans.

19. Primary Research
BRIDGE
Design and personally
construct a women's
court shoe within
30 hours of work and
comprehend the artistry
behind the shoe making
process.

20. I turned to grand pianos
for inspiration of form
and aesthetics. I paired this
with the work of Tim Burton
to create a unique piece.
IDEATION

21. The process began by
taping the last and then
properly determining the
key points in creating
the throat of the shoe.
The design was drawn
on the tape and cut
away from the last.
PATTERN

22. Each step of the construction
was carefully thought
out and executed to the
highest level.
CONSTRUCTION

23. BRIDGE

24. SECOND STAR
Primary Research
What does a line of
higher fashion and
skate-able shoes look
like for a more mature
skateboarder?

25. 1
2
5
6
4
7
8
9
10
3
MatureAdolescent
Skate
Formal
1. Armani
2. Calvin Klein
3. Guess
4. Creative Recreation
5. Converse
6. Vans
7. DC
8. Apartment 9
9. Air Jordan
10. Lakai
Market Gap
6
4
7
8
9
2
3
1
2
5
High PriceLow Price
Skate
Formal
These graphs illustrate a
gap for a shoe collection
in the range for the
mature skater with a
higher price point.
Age: 35-50
Price: $120-170
GAP
ANALYSIS
Gap for a mature
skateboard shoe.
Gap for a higher priced
skateboard/casual shoe.

26. Primary Research
Name: James K.
Age: 42
Job: Banker
Income: $90,000
Location: Waterloo Rd,
CONSUMER
This man gave me the
idea for the name of the
company, because he had
told me that his young
girlfriend claims that he
has "Peter Pan Syndrome"
meaning you always stay a
kid at heart. And to get to
neverland, it's "The Second
Star to the right and
straight on till morning"

27. Through the process of
form study with paper
and clay I was able
to create quick sketch
models in 3D.
PAPER PLAY

29. Ventile
Suede
Suede
Aluminum
All of the materials
used in the shoes were
carefully chosen based
off of lengthening the
lifetime of the shoe.
WhiteOak
Aeroprene
MATERIALS

30. Second Star
Cool Breeze collection

31. The strap system in this shoe was based off of the metal
snap on bracelets. Essentially it is a piece of metal that can
be snapped open and become straight or snapped shut in
which it curls in on itself. This curl in effect would easily
and quickly clasp the user's foot into the shoe.

32. This simple clasp mechanism based off of the Skate trick
'Rock to Fakie' allows for a simple and unique pull
over and click in option for an easy attachment.

33. lmspoerlein@gmail.com
847-513-1934
THANK YOU
www.behance.net/LukeSpoerlein
www.coroflot/lmspoerlein