etnies

etnies Girl's Sundance Photo Gallery

The etnies team had a blast hanging out with celebs at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Check out these photos of stars with their etnies taken at the Premiere Magazine Film & Music Lounge.

Jenny McCarthy poses with her new
etnies Plus Slips and etnies owner
Pierre Andre Senizergues.

Maggie Gyllenhaal stops by etnies the
day after her movie "Happy Endings"
premiered.

D.J. Qualls, star of the Sundance show-
stopper "Hustle & Flow," decides on
a pair of etnies Callicuts.

"Happy Endings" writer and director,
Don Roos, with his new Callicuts.

Esai Morales snags a pair of Floyds.

Bijou Phillips can't get enough of her
new etnies Plus Slips.

Shannon Elizabeth gets help lacing up
her new Kitts from her husband,
Joseph Reitman.

Kristen Kirchner from "The Apprentice
3" picks out a new pair of etnies.

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon: The man
behind the myth hangs with etnies at
the Premiere Lounge before picking
out a pair of Artos.

All photos courtesy of Clinton H. Wallace/PhotoMundo International

Sundance: Starting with “Happy Endings”

The Sundance Film Festival opened last Thursday, Jan. 20, with the world premiere of the bittersweet comedy “Happy Endings,” whose star-studded cast dropped by the Premiere Film & Music Lounge the following day and visited the etnies booth. Don Roos, the film’s writer and director, grabbed a pair of the brown and tan Callicut, and Lisa Kudrow, who stars in the film, picked out a pair for her son, who she said would love a pair since he’s really into etnies. Brit Steve Coogan asked for the brown and tan Arto pro-model shoe in a UK size 9 because he wasn’t quite sure what his U.S. shoe size was. He was pleasantly surprised to learn that etnies is distributed internationally, so we not only have U.S. sizes listed on our shoe boxes, but UK and Euro ones too. He also took a hoodie in size medium after modeling a small one for his fellow “Happy Endings” cast mates, who made sarcastic remarks about him not fitting into it. etnies owner Pierre Andre Senizergues was on hand to meet the stars, and chatted with Maggie Gyllenhaal, another star of the film.

Jenny McCarthy also stopped by the both on Friday and fell in love with a limited edition red and silver etnies Plus Slip in size 8. Her sister, Amy McCarthy, had come in right before her and snagged a brown and pink retro-inspired sneaker called the Kitt. D.J. Qualls, a star of “Hustle & Flow,” stopped by the etnies booth and hung out for awhile with his friend, Mike, before choosing a brown and tan etnies Callicut in size 11. Taryn Manning got very excited about our limited edition etnies Plus Golf Slip in camouflage and silver. Normally the shoe isn’t worn with socks since it’s a wedge; however, she joked around that she is a “sock person” and will definitely be wearing socks with hers.

On Saturday, Bijou Phillips picked out a pair of the etnies Plus Slip, while Shannon Elizabeth got some help trying on her new pair of blue and black Kitt from her husband, Joseph Reitman, who also picked up a pair of etnies for himself. Stars from “The Apprentice 3” also came by, including Kristen Kirchner, who took some time to pick out her new etnies.

Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick specifically came into the Premiere Lounge celebrity hangout on Sunday because their kids love etnies. Kevin picked up a brown and tan Arto pro-model shoe in size 10 for his son, Travis, and one for himself in a size 10.5. Kyra admired the camouflage and silver etnies Plus Golf Slip shoe for her daughter, Sosie, and asked for one in a size 6. John Leguizamo didn’t stop to try on his shoes, but took a men’s size 8 black and white Arto pro-model shoe. Cole Williams from “8 Simple Rules” got a pair of shoes as well.

Sunday night, the etnies crew headed over to the Blender Magazine-sponsored Ludacris concert, where we saw etnies Girl and ThirtyTwo rider Alexis Waite, who said she planned to go snowboarding the next day. On Monday morning, we found a bleary-eyed Ludacris hanging out by the etnies booth. We heard that Snoop Dogg and his entourage had chilled by the etnies booth before and after his performance Sunday night, which is probably why his tour manager came back the next day to get three pairs of The Tip. We can’t argue with his taste in shoes.

Schmoozing with the Stars at Sundance

Hollywood A-listers and indie actors alike have descended on Park City, Utah, to attend the Sundance Film Festival, and etnies Girl is there to catch all the action.

The Sundance Film Festival opened Thursday with the world premiere of the quirky comedy "Happy Endings," marking the start of the top festival in the U.S. for independent film. The movie is just the first of 120 feature films and 82 shorts that will be screened before the Robert Redford-conceived indie film festival wraps up on Jan. 30. This year Sundance has drawn record crowds for 10 days of packed screenings, celebrity sightings and parties, and stars like Adrian Brody, Carmen Electra, Vince Vaughn, Sarah Jessica Parker and Snoop Dogg have arrived or are expected to attend.

etnies Girl has teamed up with Premiere Magazine this year to take part in the Premiere Magazine Film & Music Lounge, an exclusive venue at Sundance that hosts everything from film press conferences and interviews with actors, to film premiere after parties and live concerts, to a celebrity retreat and spa. As part of the event, etnies Girl is giving out shoes and apparel, including the Kitt, Lo-Slip, The Assist Velcro, Lo-Quan-Do, Premiere, Lo-Cut 3, Number tee, and the Stamp and Rare hoodies, to celebrities who come through the Premiere Lounge.

Make sure to keep checking etniesGirl.com for Sundance news and photos of stars rocking their etnies!

etnies Girl Forms Women's Motocross Team

etnies Girl is proud to announce it has signed BlueStarrMX.com riders Tarah Gieger (#68) and Sarah Whitmore (#4), two of the world's best professional female motocross riders, to its newly formed women's team. Both Gieger and Whitmore have just completed a hugely successful 2004 racing season competing in the Women's Motocross Association (WMA) and Loretta Lynn's races across the country and are amped and ready to take their riding to the next level in 2005.

"etnies Girl made a great decision to pick up Tarah and Sarah to represent them in women's motocross," says WMA President Miki Keller. "They are two of the best WMA Pro racers as well as terrific ambassadors of women's motocross."

Nineteen-year-old Gieger, of Puerto Rico, who was featured as "the next big thing in women's motocross" in the August 2004 issue of TransWorld Motocross magazine, started riding dirt bikes at age 10 and began racing at age 11. She won the Loretta Lynn's National Championship in 2004 and finished on the podium at every round of the 2004 WMA nationals, winning round four and finishing second overall.

Whitmore, named "the fastest girl in America" in the March 2004 issue of TransWorld Motocross magazine, is a 20-year-old from Cheboygan, Mich. She started riding dirt bikes at age 6 and began racing two years later. She is a three-time Loretta Lynn's champion (1999, 2000, 2003) and has been one of the top podium finishers in the WMA Nationals for the past three years. In December, Whitmore debuted her ongoing monthly column in RacerX magazine.

Whitmore and Gieger were the only two women to be named to TransWorld Motocross' "top 100 riders" in the magazine's October 2004 issue. They have also been featured in Women's Sports Illustrated, RacerX, Dirt Rider, MotocrossAction and Teen People magazines, and WMA races were covered on "2 Wheel Tuesday" on the Speed Channel and "GKA" (Girls Kick Ass) on Fuel TV.

"As women's motocross continues to gain momentum with increasing media coverage, contests, prize purses, talent and fans, there's no doubt Sarah Whitmore and Tarah Geiger will be at the forefront of the action," says team manager Matt Chapman. "etnies Girl is honored to have the ladies on our team and to show our support for women and the advancement of the sport."

Gieger shows why she's "the next big thing in women's motocross."
Photo credit: tonyscavo.com

Whitmore has been called "the fastest girl in America."
Photo credit: Simon Cudby

The First Skate Team Report of 2005

Happy New Year from the etnies Girl skate team!

Over the holidays, Lauren Perkins celebrated a birthday—her 16th, to be exact. That's right, Sweet 16! Happy belated birthday, Lauren! To celebrate, she headed up to Mammoth Mountain, Calif., with her family. Getting away for some snowboarding made sense, since the weather in Southern California has been so awful lately. Lauren will be back this week, and will head down to the ASR tradeshow in San Diego at the end of the week. The tradeshow starts tomorrow and lasts through Sunday. Other than that, Lauren's M.O. is to skate, skate, skate when the weather cooperates.

Elissa Steamer just returned from Copper Mountain, Colo., to attend a party that Zumiez held there. Once a year, Zumiez invites companies and their team riders out to a snow resort—Copper Mountain this year—to celebrate employees who have reached certain sales goals. The theme of this year's party was Las Vegas—so what happened in Copper Mountain stays in Copper Mountain! All we can say is that Elissa was easy to find at the etnies-sponsored blackjack table. She returned to San Francisco yesterday, and is praying for good weather so she can get back to shredding the streets.

Elissa frolics in the snow at Copper Mountain, Colo.

Dressed to Win: Enter the Teen Vogue Chic Clique Giveaway

Teen Vogue and etnies Girl are teaming up to give you the chance to win an etnies Girl wardrobe. Five lucky winners will be chosen at random to receive five items from etnies Girl, including one pair of the Lo-Slip, one "Tattoo" T-shirt, one "Val Handbag," one "Shakedown" jacket and one pair of "Belize 2" jeans, as well as one item from "Shopping Spree!," to be determined by Teen Vogue magazine. You must enter to win by February 15, 2005, and complete the Entry Form to be eligible.

L.A. Premiere of "Getting Nowhere Faster" Tonight

"Getting Nowhere Faster," Villa Villa Cola's latest video, showcases women's skateboarding at an explosive skill level, and includes additional scripted footage featuring multiple female skate crews who find themselves in all sorts of mysterious circumstances, such as skatepark hauntings and being stalked by a magical life-sized talking doll.

The Los Angeles premiere of "Getting Nowhere Faster," a new video produced by Villa Villa Cola, the all female skateboard crew, and sponsored by etnies Girl, will take place TONIGHT, Friday, Jan. 7, at The Vine Theater (6321 Hollywood Boulevard) in Hollywood at 9 p.m.

In the past 10 years, the subculture of skateboarding has become a mainstream attraction receiving unprecedented attention; yet, somehow, niches of highly talented skaters have remained largely unknown. During these 10 years, Villa Villa Cola has sought out female skateboarders from all over the world and is now ready to showcase their talents in "Getting Nowhere Faster," the first video to capture the true essence of female skaters in the same fashion that the predominantly male skateboarding videos have throughout the years.

The project features skateboarding from the most talented group of females ever assembled, including professional street skaters, vert pioneers and X Games champions such as Vanessa Torres, Amy Caron, Cara Beth Burnside, Elizabeth Nitu, Faye Jaime, Alex White, Patiane Freitas, "Nugget," Lauren Mollica, Van Nguyen, etnies Girl's own Lauren Perkins and Lyn-z Adams Hawkins, among others. "Getting Nowhere Faster" also showcases the work of a wildly creative and passionate crew of videographers, photographers, designers and artists, including Lisa Whitaker, Lori Damiano, Tiffany Morgan and Nicole Morgan. The willingness of these unique individuals to go against the grain and pursue their passion is sure to inspire as well as entertain.
Villa Villa Cola's previous videos, "Striking Fear Into the Hearts of Teenage Girls" and "Defeating Projections," were distributed both domestically and internationally and have been featured in film festivals and publications, where they have received awards and critical acclaim.

Visit Villa Villa Cola or the "Getting Nowhere Faster" website for more information and to preview the movie.

Snow Team Report: The Roxy Chicken Jam

On Saturday, Dec. 18, Park City, Utah, was blessed with sunny blue skies and not an ounce of wind in the air for the Roxy Chicken Jam. etnies and ThirtyTwo riders Alexis Waite, Leanne Pelosi and Laura Hadar, B Team rider Jacqui Berg, and International riders Cuca Aranda and Vera Jensson showed up representing to their fullest. The girls were stoked to be cheering each other on as they kept taking hot laps during the event, and threw down with impressive runs including Cab fives, backside 180's, and boardslides to frontside sevens.

Here are the results:

1. Natasza Zurek (CAN)
2. Pricilla Levac (CAN)
3. Torah Bright (AUS)
4. Silvia Mittermuller (GER)
5. Leanne Pelosi (CAN)
6. Alexis Waite (USA)
7. Jessica Dalpiaz (USA)
8. Jacqui Berg (USA)

Boost Mobile, the presenter of the Roxy Chicken Jam, put up $3000 for a rail jam progression session. etnies and ThirtyTwo rider Leanne Pelosi pretty much dominated the rail jam as she stomped a frontside semi on / semi off and a Cab 180 along with a handful of other tricks. It was pretty impressive to see how much progression Leanne had over the rest of the girls. After the 30 minute Leanne Pelosi Rail Jam Show was finished, Leanne was awarded the $3000, 10 percent of which she generously donated to the bar so she could celebrate with the rest of her friends after the contest. Congratulations, Leanne!

It's a beautiful day for a Chicken Jam!

The site of the Leanne Pelosi Rail Jam Show

Ladies...Start your engines!

Alexis (left) and Leanne smile for the camera.

Ah, the thrill of victory. Congrats, Leanne!

Surf Aid Collecting Donations for Tsunami Victims

Surf Aid International (SAI) is now collecting donations for an immediate disaster relief project that will be initially focused on Nias Island, Indonesia. The emergency response will aid 20,000 victims of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Southeast Asia on Dec. 26. This project will include disease prevention, as well as injury and illness treatment. SAI's medical team comprised of doctors, nurses and other medical specialists will be mobilizing to Nias on Jan. 10, 2005.

If you'd like to support this special project, please make a donation to Surf Aid International. All donations will be matched dollar for dollar by the New Zealand government.