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  Neil Blender and Thalia Surf Shop owner Nick Cocores.

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  Joel Tudor and Neil Blender. Photos courtesy of Vans.

Press Release:

 

Neil Blender Release Party at Vans by Thalia Surf Shop

 

The Vans by Thalia Surf Shop morphed into an art gallery with a very special exhibit by skate pioneer and artist Neil Blender on Thursday, April 7 in a celebration of Blender’s new apparel projects with Vans.

 

Not often seen in public, Blender was on hand while party goers took in the latest from an artist who influenced a generation of creativity evident in boardsports art today. The event spotlighted the first collection of Vans x Neil Blender apparel which includes tanks, tees and boardshorts and attendees came away with free limited edition prints and t-shirts while art buyers perused a selection of new works by Neil.

 

North of two hundred good friends came out for the party including Joel Tudor, Jeff Grosso, Lance Mountain, Lance Conklin, Marty Jimenez, Rick “Spidey” Demontrond, Andrew Allen, Tyler Warren, Tanner Gudauskas, Troy Elmore, Wade Goodall and artist Andy Davis.

 

Vans by Thalia Surf Shop, adjacent to Thalia’s South Coast Highway store, melds Vans’ heritage with Thalia’s bohemian brand of beach culture in what is Vans’ first ever boutique surf partnership. The shop showcases a continuously evolving mix of Vans surf footwear and apparel including limited releases in shoes and signature Joel Tudor apparel. Vans by Thalia Surf Shop is located at 911 South Coast Highway in Laguna Beach, CA.

 

This apparel capsule marks the beginning of a series of exciting projects between Vans and Blender. Neil’s pieces will be on display at Vans by Thalia Surf Shop through May.

 

A special thanks to Primo for providing beverages.

 

About Vans Surf

Vans supports and promotes surfing through a full line of surf footwear and apparel, events such as the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing™ and through sponsorship of many of the world’s top surfers such as Nathan Fletcher, Joel Tudor, Pat, Dane and Tanner Gudauskas, Timmy Reyes, and Dylan Graves including Hawaiian standouts John Florence, Reef McIntosh, Kalani Chapman, Kai “Borg” Garcia and Leila Hurst.

 

For more information on Vans Surf, visit vanssurf.com.

 

About Thalia Surf Shop

Established in 2001, Thalia Surf Shop has been at the forefront of an underground movement in the surf industry. Focused on creative arts and alternative surfboard designs, they’ve been able to help support a growing need for individuality and less commercialism.

 

By dealing directly with the artists and small, independent companies, they’re able to showcase this movement better than any other surf shop around. “We believe that a surfing lifestyle is one that goes past big logos and senseless graphics that pander to the norm, so instead we’ve searched high and low for those companies that agree with us and focus more on art, real graphic design, and the true surf culture. These are the creators, not imitators, and they help to define what our surf shop is all about: style, originality, and soul.”

 

For more information, please visit thaliasurf.com.