Nike has released its first ever all-female skate film: Gizmo

Nike’s skateboarding division – the snappily-named Nike SB sub-brand – has made four-wheeled history by releasing its all-female skate video, Gizmo.

A tribute of sorts to pioneering female skater Elissa Steamer (and if you didn’t pick Elissa over Bob Burnquist or Bucky Lasek et al in the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games way back when, you were doing it all wrong), the just-dropped 20-minute short film features a whole host of the scene’s best skaters, including the legendary Elissa herself.

Directed by Jason Hernandez, one of the most formidable shooters on the circuit, Gizmo (named after the nickname bestowed upon a young Elissa by her father) sees the likes of Sarah Meurle, Josie Millard, Nicole Hause tearing it up across the globe.

The film embodies Nike SB’s tri-pronged attempt to engender a sense of gender equality within a sport (or a pastime, if you’d rather, or even a lifestyle) that’s traditionally been a bit of a boy’s club.

They want to get better at “recognising and representing all talents,” while “developing the next generation of skaters,” and “support new platforms to expand skate culture.”

Nike says, “The influence from skaters like Steamer transcends to other team riders from Nike SB, who use their success to spark conversation around broader issues in sport culture, both inside and outside of competition.”

They currently work with initiatives like Skate Like A Girl, the NGO aiming to create a “more inclusive skate community,” over in the USA through a variety camps, programmes, and events.