Lilly
Pronouns:
they/them
The History of SK8TC
Everything began with a deck and a few brush strokes...
Haut-Rhin - France, fall 2021. I finally bought my first real board to start skating. Passionate about all types of art and loving to paint and draw, I only have one desire: to paint my own deck.
I sand it down, take the time to lovingly create my design and then paint it, and when I'm done: "Wow, I LOVED doing that, I want to do it again!" That's when I had this kind of revelation: "I'm going to start my own business and sell my hand-painted decks."
The symbol
An opossum, a blue mohawk and a mascot in my image
This is where the name and logo of Sk8ter Trash Cat come from: my favorite animal in my image, who was my muse for this first deck.
But beyond that, they form an emblem:
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"Trash cat" is English slang for urban mammals like opossums, but also raccoons, skunks, badgers... Often considered pests, a bit like those poor street skaters who are chased away from the best spots!
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Opossums and trash cats in general are the quintessential punk symbol, and when you think about it, these trash-digging creatures represent SK8TC's salvage and upcycling side very well!
A DIY, ethical and committed universe
Beautiful, organic clothes. Recycled gear. Zero bullshit.
Here at Sk8ter Trash Cat, I don't just stick drawings on clothes. Behind each item, there's a real artistic and ecological approach.
The t-shirts and hoodies are printed on demand in France on organic and ethical textiles. The cotton is grown without pesticides or GMOs , the dye is eco-friendly and non-toxic, and the models I use are certified (OCS, GOTS, Vegan, etc.). No overproduction: everything is printed only if you order.
But Sk8ter Trash Cat is above all a story of recycling. A large part of the creations revolves around the upcycling of old skateboards : I transform worn decks into works of art, rings, jewelry, and soon into small decorative objects or even tools.
Every piece of wood I work with has already been rolled, crashed, lived - and I find that a thousand times more interesting than new wood.
Even the packages I send myself are packed as much as possible with recycled protection : recovery from my own orders, newspapers, second-hand boxes... And if this is not possible and I wrap with bubble wrap, it is made from 100% recycled plastic. As for the orders shipped by my partner (t-shirts, hoodies), the packages are packed 100% plastic-free.
In short, there's no greenwashing here. Just a real desire to do better, on my own scale, while remaining true to the skateboarding spirit: resourcefulness, creativity, and resilience .
Who am I?
Behind SK8TC, there's only one person: me, Lilly, 25 years old.
I am queer, neurodivergent and I live with an invisible mental disability.
These are identities that don't always find their place in the traditional workplace, and like many marginalized people, I had to find alternative ways to create my space, to exist outside of the norms and make a voice heard that isn't listened to enough.
As a self-employed person, I do everything myself : the illustrations, the website management, the communication, the creations, the shipping... And even if I am very far from making a living from it, it is indeed my job.
Besides, at the same time, I make music under the name Camomille. Cries from the heart on the ukulele, halfway between folk-punk and indie pop, if you want to listen, you can listen to me here:
For me, creating is an act of survival but also of resistance. SK8TC carries values of DIY, inclusivity and rejection of systemic oppression and supporting this project is more than buying a piece of clothing or a poster.
It's supporting a queer and disabled person who refuses to remain invisible. It's bringing to life an artistic, militant, inclusive and handmade project, and participating in another idea of creation and consumption.
And for that, thank you for being there 💛
