AI, Skateboarding Culture, and Building Iconic Lifestyle Brands | Future Forward with Per Welinder

Per Welinder reflects on his journey from pro skateboarder to brand builder and investor. He shares how AI can be both a business accelerator and a threat to creative industries, how lifestyle brands scale (or fail), and why niche cultures like skateboarding become global forces. He also shares views on Bitcoin, fast fashion, and brand turnarounds like Crocs and New Balance.

Key Topics
[00:00] AI as a business tool and creative partner
[02:00] Generative AI, name/image/likeness (NIL), and Hollywood concerns
[05:30] Using AI to launch lifestyle brands and beat startup noise
[10:30] The future of lifestyle branding and the speed of trend cycles
[13:00] Innovation in skateboarding vs. tradition
[18:00] Skateboarding as a global lifestyle movement
[22:00] Market shifts: Nike vs. On, Hoka, and New Balance
[27:00] Reviving "uncool" brands with creative direction
[34:00] Crypto, Lightning Network, and microtransactions
[39:00] Blockchain’s potential vs. practicality
[40:30] Being a late tech adopter and trusting smart filters

Quotes

• “AI is your friend—especially if you’re trying to figure out what your business should focus on.”
• “Skateboarding became a global lifestyle because you can ride it down Main Street anywhere in the world.”
• “If a brand wants to go mainstream, it has to win the 18–24-year-olds first.”
• “Creative direction is the heartbeat of every successful lifestyle brand.”
• “Bitcoin is the only crypto I’d consider a long-term store of value—it’s not run by one person.”