W Hotels of New York Unveil New “Room and Boards” Project Featuring Five Celeb-Designed Skateboards

This evening, the W New York Hotel Union Square will unveil a new  installation, “W Room and Boards,” consisting of five celebrity-designed skateboards arranged in an interactive display that allows visitors to learn more about each artist and the inspiration behind each board’s design. Each W Hotel in New York City will have the boards on display within their Living Room space — plus, from June to December, guests will be offered bespoke packages with options like skate board rentals.

The “W Room and Boards” project is the result of a collaboration between the W Hotels of New York and Stoked.org, a charity founded by Steve Larosiliere and Sal Masekela that aims to encourage academic achievement and personal growth among inner city youths through the use of action sports.  Because skateboarding has become such an integral part of urban culture, first in the West Coast and later spreading to the Midwest (think of Chicago’s Lupe Fiasco, whose rise to stardom started with the single “Kick Push”) and the East Coast (partly thanks to The Neptunes), this exhibit celebrates youth culture while also featuring artwork inspired by New York City.

The five celebrities selected to design skateboards were: NY Knicks basketball player Amar’e Stoudemire, whose design features the player’s crest (in the  orange and blue colors associated with the Knicks) and the tagline “Standing Tall and Talented;” Bronx-bred graffiti writer Cope2, who actually spray painted his board on the rooftop of the W Union Square, utilizing his iconic throw-up and his self-given title of “True Legend;” fashion and music photographer David LaChapelle, who incorporated some shots he took of the Beastie Boys in Times Square back in 1985; model Cara DeLevingne, whose board features an image of her nude inside a pool, her lips a scarlet shade, which was shot by fashion photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, for Love magazine; and fashion leather designer Zana Bayne, whose bondage-inspired design is a print rendering of one of her very own harness creations.

If you can’t make it to a W Hotel but want to purchase one of these boards to hang up in your crib, then visit whotelsnewyork.com/wboards and scoop up an original design for $500. Limited edition graphic prints featuring the designs, meanwhile, are available for $50. All proceeds from the sales of these items will benefit  Stoked.org.

Kick, push, and coast your way to WHotelsNewYork.com/Wboards for more details!