TEMPE FASHION WEEK reCAP!!!!

One day when your end is near / I'll be laughing at your fear / When you're gone, there'll be no one / Who'll be fucking up my fun? No one

Mar 10, 2026

We went to Slow Impact and lived to tell you about it. Read on for all the caps, the kicks, the crowd, and the King of Tempe.

💥TUESDAY MEANS WAR💥

GARM OF THE WEEK

Caps

Tempe Fashion Week, as Slow Impact is often called, brought out the Best Dressed Skateboarders from around the damn globe for the 4th consecutive February. This year saw representatives from all over the country as well as visitors from Sweden, Australia, England, and Canada. One thing you’ll see straight away when surrounded by The Most Fitted is the commitment to Caps that transcends borders, and even Boarders, as potentially The Most Critical Element to a Banging Fit.

A hat is a near-necessity in the skater’s uniform for both function (soak up the sweat, block out the sun) and fashion (rep your favorite shop, brand, Energy Drink™️). And in the 90+ degree heat of Tempe, AZ, a place that doesn’t offer much in the way of shade, they were even more important. Every style of headwear was on display, but it was surprising to see just how pervasive the old fashioned ballcap was despite the unusually high temps and blazing hot sun. We were on the lookout for buckets and boonies and other stylish forms of sun protection, and there were certainly some in the crowd, but most opted for the classic cap. Here’s a round-up of some of our favorites.

The legendary Worn Path was everywhere, per usual! Their Whole Earth Catalog was a fixture at every function. Kyle in one of two colorways he sported.

We’ve been claiming it for a while, and Slow Impact proved that fitteds are back. Seb is LA til it’s backwards.

The classic Polo hat is a requirement amongst the Slow Impact Soldier Demographic. Lo Life Mike at Macayo.

Truckers are Trending. Nando at the Museum.

Vintage heat was on display. Alex, hardly home but always reppin’.

Sci-Fi hats as far as the eye could see. Luke and Derek know the deal.

Mike freaked his Pearl cap with a custom dye job. 1 of 1 type shit.

QS was a heavy fixture in the crowd. Farran: affiliated.

OTHER GOOD GARMS

New Balance Numeric 933

The most popular shoe (based on our eye test) of the weekend was the New Balance Numeric 933, also known as the Reynolds. The Boss came to Slow Impact last year and sat down with designers Nick Pappas and Jeff Mikut to discuss the development process. As a result, we expected to see them around this year, but were still surprised at just how popular it was. It was sported by Slow Impacters of all ages, lest you think it’s exclusively built for a certain demographic, and a plethora of banging colorways were on display in the desert. The 933 gives you comfort all day long, and they’re great shoes for transitioning from daytime street skating to nighttime partying. Numeric’s 480 was the other big shoe of the weekend, thanks in part to the surprise Slow Impact colorway sold exclusively at the event. Lots of people hit the streets in them immediately! Brand-wise, Converse was the second-heaviest presence in Tempe this year.

Birkenstock Boston

It seems like more Soldiers catch on to a brutally important piece of intel each year: Chillers are Critical. Skate shoes are Cool and Sick, but the reality is that not many are built to treat your feet the way they deserve. Other than the aforementioned Reynolds, not many skate shoes are comfortable all day long. By far the most popular chiller this year was the Birkenstock Boston. Whether it was the mornings at the Bouldering Project or the late, late nights at Casey Moore’s, the Birkenstock Boston was everywhere in Tempe. The iconic mule is the sensible choice for dusty desert conditions, unlike the ironically named Arizona (which we brought, and had to deal with dusty socks all weekend!). They appeared in all their color and material offerings and paired perfectly with any fit. In all honesty, we thought Bostons got a little Too Hot in the past couple years, but Slow Impact reminded us that some things simply cannot ever be Too Hot when they are That Good.

SOLDIER OF THE WEEK

Ryan Lay

Slow Impact is something extremely unique - part academic conference, part skateboarding event, a lot of community organizing, and All Good Vibrations. There are so many incredible people who’ve been involved from the start, but it doesn’t happen without Ryan. Even though he’s now living in LA, he took it on the 4th straight year and made sure it was as special and unique as the rest. Ryan is the epitome of a Soldier: he cares deeply about community, the power of skateboarding, and the impact that can be created from merging the two. He spends the weekend grinding to make everything happen in addition to putting on demos at the skate events. He’s painting Mitchell in the morning, emceeing the panels after that, leading the afternoon activities, and herding all the cats to the evening festivities. And by the end of the weekend, he was still the one starting the pit for the Van Deck Parks. Plus, he’s Stylish as Fuck! We love ya, Ryan!

ENEMY OF THE WEEK

The Other Side

“Free Palestine” and “Abolish Ice” and “Fuck Donald Trump” are common refrains at Slow Impact. Real Soldiers fight for Good.

ADDITIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Tempe’s Top Wings (During Slow Impact 2026)

“Whatever the case, when we’re at Casey Moore’s, I know it’s gonna be a good time.” The Good Homie Los peeped the wing scene this year.

José Vadi’s Dispatch from Slow Impact

José Vadi checked in with Simple Magic, offering a slice of Slow Impact life for those who couldn’t make it. “Almost as amazing as Allin’s “Bite It You Scum” being the anthem of perhaps the most progressive skate conference in North America. The song would be played again to an even more intense, final boss of a pit.”

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