Santa Cruz T-Shirt Natas Panther Front T-Shirt
100% cotton, 200gsm jersey, regular fit, short sleeve t-shirt with vintage wash and chest print.
Our model Lucas wears a Size Large
Height: 6' 0” / 183cm
Chest: 35" / 89cm
Natas Kaupas, born in 1969, is a semi-retired professional skateboarder of Lithuanian origin. He is often cited as one of the first true professional street skaters.
His career began in 1984, when he was spotted by Skip Engblom, who ran the skate company Santa Monica Airlines. The latter became his first sponsor and he soon appeared on the cover of Thrasher magazine, performing a wall ride - a trick of his invention. In 1985, at age 16, Kaupas turned professional and was one of the most popular figures in the skateboarding world.
Kaupas had a huge impact on street skating. He was one of the first to incorporate handrails (ramps of stairs), he adapted the ollie (jump) on flat ground (and was the first to succeed in jumping over a garbage can). He also invented the "Natas Spin". His popularity was such that in 1990 he became the first pro-skateboarder to have his model shoe at Etnies.
In 1991, Kaupas left Santa Monica Airlines to launch 101 skateboards. At the time it was a thriving company, but it disappeared a few years later when Kaupas left.
In 2004, Kaupas launched a new skateboard company: Designarium. His artistic side led him to target Designarium at artists rather than pro-skateboarders. He hired artists to reinterpret the Santa Monica Airlines Panther (by Kevin Ancell) in their own unique way. Each of the boards is produced in a limited edition.
Note that Natas Kaupas also appears in the video game Tony Hawk's Underground 2 as an unlockable character ;-)
