NIKE “ THE CHOSEN” CAMPAIGN ....DON’T DO IT PART II.
 It seems as if Nike, a company that undoubtedly dominates the sports apparel industry, is starting to get a little power-hungry. Nike Tries to Enter the Sports Niche It Has Missed which covers the companys most recent campaign, The Chosen (I have no idea what that is in reference to either). This campaign targets the realm of action sports, an area of athletics that includes more extreme sports like surfing, skateboarding, and snowboarding. In order to get this thing right and beat out their competitors of both small and big brand names alike, Nike has put in a tremendous amount of time, effort, and most importantly, money.>I will give Nike some credit, they have done their research and put in a valiant effort to make this campaign a success, a success that will boost their revenue to $27 billion. However, coming from a town where the ability to surf, snow, and skate reins above all other talents, I am skeptical of this move. Action sports breed a certain type of individual, one that can be characterized by originality and non-conformity. Both action sports athletes and enthusiasts tend to embody this personality and adopt this way of life, creating their own exclusive subculture. This attitude of exclusivity is where my skepticism stems because it causes the majority of these individuals to favor the smaller name companies and develop an unwavering loyalty towards them, a loyalty that could make or break Nikes new ventureInterestingly enough, this situation can be seen as an anomaly of sorts: the big brand name that would otherwise give Nike the edge over its competitors might actually be working against it. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see if this line does prove to be a success and if Nike will take over yet another sector of the industry                                                                                                       (New York Times 01 june 2011)

SEVERE SIDE EFFECTS

Since  the start of the summer 2010, Sander  is infected  with  an agressive form of Neuro Borelliose a.k.a. Lyme - Disease. One year of heavy medication resulted in a slight progression, but unluckily enough he developped an other -thyroid related - auto immune disease and still hasn’t recovered yet. Due to these  “severe” health problems his son (and teamrider) Kaj  Kuipers  is taking care of sales right now. Welcome onboard

Boardstyle Graphics, Art & Raw Music  was our core business when we started SEVERE about a decade ago Printing it on actual products resulted in numerous editions of limited design. Being the alternative contender in the boardsportsmarket,  the brand started booming skyhigh. Exposing  twice at the Board-Ispo in Munich took it one step further. A few  years later SEVERE was selling nationwide in the finest Dutch core shops and plans for  distribution in France, Germany,  New Zealand and California.  Loads of exposure in various magazines brought the core brand to the next level:  the underground finally reached the surface. Extending its product line with high quality skateboards, raw canvas pants, snowboards & technical snow-wear raised the potential in the global boardsports industry. However: it brought us into the world of corporate matters , turnover grow and global investments…Fed up being pushed around   we decided to surrender and  gratefully disappear to our own subculture : The underground should never hit the surface .

SEVERE SUPPORTS THE DON’T DO IT ARMY part I
The Don't Do It campaign encourages the movement to take back and empower those who built and nurtured this industry to get it to where it is today. We encourage you to be conscious of what you support. Let’s take skate & snowboarding back.

PRODUCTLINE  2011/2012
With the classic, twist of vintage prints you could be a part of 70’s skateboard scene. Maybe you’re   a traveller,  an explorer, a trailblazer  or freeloader …But  at heart, we’re all skateboarders. “There’s No Authority but Yourself” is this years creed for SEVERE’s brandnew shirt and skateboard collection. . 

SEVERE is a boarder owned company, founded in 2002 by the Dutch Punkrock & Snowboard veteran Sander Kuipers. to higher quality and awareness for core brands. SEVERE’s Created for all you core-boarders, drop outs & freeriders out there who are still in it for all the right reasons. Read between the lines, think outside the box : There’s no authority but yourself..... 

severeboardgear.com, severe skateboards. severe snowboards, severe surfwear, action sports, skatepunk, skateboarding, snowboarding, freeriding, powder,backcountry, severe, severe boardgear, sander k. dutch designer, graphic design, zmiv,blast-omatic,le roi mort et les lentilles rouges