FASHION TREND Extreme sports players are demanding clothing that goes to the cutting edge

Clothes for athletes in motocross, BMX and skateboarding soar in popularity.
SCRIPPS HOWARD
From Jan and Dean to Avril Lavigne, artists have long been singing the praises of skateboarding, and, with all the hype, a fashion trend was quickly born.
Be it motocross, BMX or boards, street fashion with an athletic edge isn't just for the pros who can pull off monster air, double tail whips and bar hops. In a world where casual is king, the popularity of extreme sports and the clothes its players wear is simply soaring.
The style was evident at a recent Tony Hawk's Boom Boom HuckJam, a traveling tour featuring the world's best skateboarders, motocross riders and BMXers on a giant, customized ramp.
Making a name
Skateboard king Andy MacDonald, 29, who has won just about every skateboard competition out there, knows a thing or two about skate style.
Sponsored by Airwalk for 11 years, MacDonald is poised to make a name for himself in the fashion industry.
He already has a signature shoe line with Airwalk and a Swatch watch named after him, but starting next month, his own line of skate shoes, called andy mac, will hit the shelves. The shoes, which start at $17, will be available at Payless.
"I really wanted to do a line for kids where the shoes didn't cost $100," he said. "These are quality shoes made for skateboarding that kids and parents can afford."
Next spring, his new clothing line, also called andy mac, will hit stores. Look for graphic T-shirts, cargo pants, button-up shirts and jeans, all with his icon -- a silhouette of MacDonald doing a Benihana trick.
He plans to add accessories the next season, including hats, backpacks and socks.
Serious about style
Carey Hart, 27, an Australia X-Games gold medalist and the first motocross rider to do a back flip on a bike, loves to talk shop but doesn't hesitate to talk fashion, either.
Sponsored by Hurley and Vans, Hart is constantly the recipient of new T-shirts and sneakers, which is a good thing, considering one use is pretty much all his clothes get.
"I have at least 60 pairs of shoes in my closet -- all Vans," he said. "If I get a little scuff on them, I send 'em to the trash."
"One wash and T-shirts shrink," Hart said. "I go through 200 to 300 a year. It's easier to give them away than to wash them."
Just don't touch his Dickies. Hart lives in the workwear pants 24/7 -- he has at least four pairs in every color. He loves them so much he even wears them to awards shows -- you can ask his girlfriend, pop mega-star Pink.
They share a love of the permanent fashion accessory of tattoos. Hart is inked from the waist up and plans to start on a leg tattoo right away. He got his first tattoo the day after he turned 18 -- a buddy's dad did the honors.
"I just like pain and mutilation," he said. "I did both sleeves inside of 10 months."
Dave Mirra, 28, Gravity Games and X-Games gold medalist in BMX and 2001 ESPN athlete of the year, wears clothes from Fox, one of his sponsors.
Lounging on the bus and playing the just-released Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer or ATV Off-Road Fury video games in T-shirts and jeans is about as dressy as the athletes get.
Jan and Dean were ahead of their time. In 2002, as Avril Lavigne will attest, sidewalk surfin' and street style have been embraced with open arms.
And the coolest thing about taking on the style part of the sport? Lots of flash, no wicked bruises.