Wearing a flat cap and skating better than most of the boys, she left quite an impression. A former resident of the city herself, pro-skater and fashion graduate Maria seems to embody that elusive combination of charm and cool, which reflects directly onto the pages of Copson Street, her “skate and style” blog that’s on the tips of all our tongues at the moment. This girl has tapped into something big with her music, clothing and skate observations and recommendations that strike a chord with our cool-hungry generation, somewhat embodied in a recent post depicting a Channel skateboard. The blog is also home of Maria’s now cult t-shirt designs, one of which has been featured in The Sunday Times Style magazine and spotted on all the trendy kids, no mean feat for a brand born more of playful musings than business. I catch up with her to find out exactly how it’s done.
How did Copson Street begin?
It began in the summer of 2009 whilst I was living in Barcelona. It started as a platform for me to put everything I liked, influences, motivations etc. And I guess it became tropical, due to my obsession with palm trees and summer... and it has just developed from there.
Did you have experience on the web or was it a case of working it out as you went along?
Not more than your average. I just worked it out along the way.
How did Barcelona influence your idea of pop culture?
The skate culture in BCN has influenced me since the first day I visited when I was 16. There is so much within it. The fact that at Macba you will be hanging out with skaters from all over the world creates such a rich culture within itself.
What was the idea behind the t-shirts?
Maria: I was in Berlin, and I saw this calendar called Masculine. The photos were hilarious, so cheesy but also classic. I thought that they would look great on t-shirts, and called them the Masculine T as most of my girl friends all wore guys tees. An ironic little fun twist I guess. At the time, nobody was really doing huge graphic print t-shirts either, so they were something bold and new.
What has been the most difficult part of running Copson Street?
Being consistent gets hard, especially when travelling. But I don't think it matters really, it's nothing too serious anyway.
What has been Copson Street’s biggest achievement?
We have been invited to be a concession within the Ellesse heritage pop up store in London this summer. I think that’s a huge achievement, being in there with Wah Nails and Tokyo Bikes. The fact that we are receiving orders from all around the world is also a great achievement. It's growing pretty fast.
Where can you see it going?
Who knows... hopefully bigger collections, events ,collaborations, yachts and models.
What’s different about Copson Street to the million other music/ fashion blogs?
We are SO much more Tropical!
