For the first time ever, professional snowboarder Shaun White is using a snowboard from his own brand at the Olympics. The athlete launched Whitespace, an active lifestyle brand, before embarking on the fifth and final Winter Olympics of his career.
White announced the soft launch of Whitespace — which he partnered with his brother, Jesse, to create — on his Instagram page in January. He said, "The name Whitespace basically means opportunity. It's a gap in the market, a blank canvas. I love that because snowboarding is that. It's one of those sports where no one's really telling you what to do and how to do it. It's up to you to have your own style, your own way to approach the sport, so I've always loved that. And obviously, a play on my name."
The brand is in its early stages, but White has posted many photos on Instagram using a Whitespace snowboard with the signature stripe down the middle in recent competitions. In the past, White was sponsored by and used Burton Snowboards.
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"I'm so excited to put those out there, you know, put all of my years of riding, my expertise, all my energy, all my focus into one brand and make something really special," White said toward the end of the video.
The 50 limited-edition snowboards that were signed by White are sold out, but four other types of boards are still available, including a youth snowboard. Next season, the brand will release additional products including activewear. White is currently in Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
In addition to Whitespace, White had his hands in another creative endeavor during 2021. He asked the late fashion designer Virgil Abloh for advice on starting his own brand. A friendship blossomed and so did a custom Louis Vuitton snowboard case for the athlete. On Saturday, Feb. 6, White posted a photo of himself at the 2022 Winter Olympics with his snowboard in a sleek black case with the LV logo in the center. The white stripe coincides with the Whitespace branding. The caption reads "Virgil was here." Virgil Abloh died in Nov. 2021. He was the artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear collection.
In a previous post, White detailed his friendship with the late designer and how the custom snowboard case and a matching custom guitar case came to fruition.
