Skip to main content

Burton’s latest collaboration celebrates Pride and the LGBTQ+ community with a middle finger aimed at discrimination

Burton celebrates Pride, LGBTQ+ community with cheeky new gear

By Tom Kilpatrick Jun 5, 2023 6:01 AM

Burton's Pride Collection 2023 consisting a hoody, a t-shirt, and a cap — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Be you and show up. That was the brief given to LGBTQ+ artists worldwide entering the Burton Snowboards 2022 Design Your Pride competition, and this is the message being put across in their latest collaboration, the Burton x Happy Impulse Capsule. This bold, sideways take on Pride apparel from competition winner Happy Impulse — aka Roberta Hall – is designed for a community that lives Pride 12 months of the year. “I wanted to make something that I’m going to wear not only in June because I already show up every day as a queer artist,” says Hall.

The message may not be subtle, but then again, why should it be? It’s a giant middle finger against discrimination from both the LGBTQ+ and the snowboard community. It’s a collaboration not just of design but of ideology, individuality, and non-conformity and to show exactly what you think of anyone who discriminates against you living your life. “The message behind the collection is simple,” says Hall, “Show up as you. Show up as an ally. Show up as someone who is there for the community. There for your friends and for your creativity inside of your soul.”

Artist Happy Impulse (aka Roberta Hall) at Burton — Burton

The decision to move away from traditional Pride colors and graphics was deliberate, with Hall explaining, “I didn’t have to put rainbows on anything. In fact, the whole collection is black and white. It felt fitting— Happy Impulse means trying to find the joy in all of life’s bullshit.” With a brief of ‘be yourself and show up,’ it’s hardly a surprise, given Hall’s self-proclaimed subversive nature, that this collaboration challenges the concept of ‘rainbow-washing.’ The black and white design underpins the nonconformist, authentic nature of the Burton x Happy Impulse collection and has that classic Burton look about it.

Recommended Videos

This limited edition collection, featuring a hoodie, cap, and t-shirt, is available in Burton stores and over on Burton’s website, where you can also read more about Burton’s commitment to putting aside $2 million annually to support organizations with values that align with theirs. This includes the likes of Venture Out, who are committed to making wild spaces more inclusive and supporting LGBTQ+ communities to utilize outdoor spaces, including leading wilderness and backpacking trips.

Make a statement and show the middle finger to discrimination this Pride month with the Burton x Happy Impulse Capsule.

A London-born outdoor enthusiast, Tom took the first ticket out of suburban life. What followed was a twelve-year career as… Read Full Bio

Topics

Arc’teryx x BEAMS: The blend of Alpine tech and Tokyo style

Arc'teryx x Beams

The new Arc’teryx x BEAMS collection celebrates the brands’ 25-year collaboration and the blending of technical function with street-savvy style. The line highlights a re-creation of the 1998 Arc’teryx Theta hardshell, a Gamma softshell jacket, and Jogen bouldering pants. All come in the signature Kōyō color palette, modeled after Japan’s autumn leaves.

I wore the Gamma Jacket and Jogen pants during the fall changeover in Virginia’s picturesque Shenandoah Valley, testing for warmth, wind resistance, and style. Here’s my take.

More than a name: Meet Eddie Bauer, the true-life explorer behind your outdoor brand

Clothing, Hat, Face

From the time I was a little man, I excitedly tugged at the shirt tails of my father and grandfather every time they left the house to do anything relatively outdoorsy. They would leave the house hauling gun cases, fishing poles, camping gear, hiking packs. The men of my life loved everything adventurous, and they would do it every chance they could. When I was big enough, I would be allowed to come with them. I got my own boots. I procured my own active wear that could resist the weather. I opened my own parka for Christmas. Not only was I now in the same boat with them, in the same tent with them, and in the same deer stand with them. I also wore the same brand as them. Eddie Bauer was their go-to, and it had become my go-to.

But what was it about that brand? What was it about the man behind the brand that became the man’s best friend in the wilderness? Well, here is what you need to know about the guy who ditched the work world to open an outdoor brand simply so he could go outdoors all the time. And made it possible for my grandfather, my father, and then me.

Plug In, Ride Out: KTM’s Freeride E Gets Sharper for 2027

2027 KTM Freeride E

Austrian motorcycle company KTM’s dirt bikes have a reputation for ripping horsepower and world-title-winning performance. Across the world’s motocross tracks and enduro courses, the brand’s orange bikes win titles and provide the thrill of riding off-road. But for the most part, those bikes use 2-stroke and 4-stroke combustion engines.

Now, looking toward the future, the organization’s latest electric off-roader, the 2027 Freeride E, optimizes power, handling, and range, with a variety of improvements over prior versions. Here’s the rundown on the bike’s improved specs.