Jenkins x Koston x Carroll x (RED)

There have been a lot of great collaborations over the years and not just in the world of skating and street wear. Many industries have seen collaborations over the years and seen the greatness that they bring. Here are a few of my favorites:

Goober: Its peanut butter and jelly in the same jar; it is the lazy man’s best friend. By the way it is super delicious; I know this because I am a lazy man.

The Traveling Wilburys: It is the ultimate rock music colab; Bob Dylan x Roy Orbison x Tom Petty x Jeff Lynne x George Harrison. If you don’t know who these dudes are, ask your parents, they know.

Alien vs. Predator: It was an excellent comic book series that became two really bad movies, but if done right this could be the ultimate action film collab.

Snickers McFlurry: Two delicious dessert items, combined into one mega dessert.

Another great collaboration is the one between Girl Skateboards and (Red), this one is great because it brings help to folks all over the world. For more info on this collab, keep reading:

Last year, Andy Jenkins, the Art Director of Girl Skateboards, created two limited edition Eric Koston decks for (PRODUCT) Red. They were designed as a set, and when placed side by side made a complete work of world awareness art. It was such a success that Jenkins went back into the studio and came out with two more Girl x (Red) decks, this time pro models for the hairiest Girl around, Mike Carroll.

In case you don’t know what project (RED) is, it’s an organization that partners with companies like Girl to raise money for The Global Fund. In case you don’t know what The Global Fund is, it’s a program dedicated to to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. It was established in 2002 with the support of then UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, and world leaders, to dramatically increase resources to fight three of the world’s most devastating diseases.

All proceeds received by The Global Fund that were generated by (RED) will go to Africa. Once the money arrives at the Global Fund every cent of it will then be allocated to one of the Global Fund (RED) grants no overhead is taken out. Currently there are Global Fund (RED) grants in Ghana, Lesotho, Rwanda and Swaziland.

“We must all come together in supporting the global fund and the fight against AIDS. I applaud (RED) and it’s partners for their vision and commitment,” said former President of South Africa, and one of my all-time heroes, Nelson Mandela.

How many decks do you go through a year? Those wooden platforms of which we stand are the most replaced part of a skateboard. Especially, for old dudes like myself that are putting on some weight. I break a board more times than I get one for free, so I’m going to not be hypocrite and buy a set. You don’t even have to skate, they are a work of art, hang a set in your house. Remember, these boards have a limited availability, so get them while you can. I’ve checked out a couple websites and the Carroll one is still out there for purchase, so go make a difference.

Along with Girl companies such as: Converse, Starbucks, Apple, American Express, Gap, Dell, Emporio Armani, Hallmark, Windows, Special Edition and (Red) Wire have collaborations with (Red). If any of these brands make something you use, why don’t you support the fight? I already have the (RED) Starbucks card (which gets an insane amount of use), and a (RED) scarf from the Gap. Yeah that’s right, the Gap, it’s O.K. to buy something there if it’s for a good cause.

I’ll leave you with a quote from Dr. Patrick Okoth, Site Coordinator at Mbabane VCT/ART Clinic in Swaziland. “The act of buying the (Product) Red item, wherever you are buying it from, is saving lives, not just a life, but it’s saving lives…You have made a whole difference and you have together worked to make the world a better place for us all. So keep doing that.”