Czech designer drawing girls to skateboarding

Czech designer drawing girls to skateboarding

Czech artist Lucie Blaze is exhibiting a line of one-off skateboards with the aim of getting more girls to ride.

"I used to be a designer for different skateboard brands back in Czech Republic and I realised they never asked me to design boards particularly for girls," she says. "So I decided to make my own."

She may not be the best skater in the park, but what Blaze is really good at is design. Today she opened an exhibition in Auckland showing her one-of-a-kind skateboards for girls.

She grew up in Czech Republic, following her skater brother around, and says the skateparks in New Zealand are a little different from home.

But anywhere she goes, male skaters dominate and that's something she'd like to change.

"You can wear pink and go to skatepark, but it's also about changing these boys' attitude towards girls," Blaze says.

And Blaze says girls don't just have to jump on a skateboard -- they can just design their own boards.

The proceeds from three of her works will go to Connect the Dots, a charity with a focus on helping young women through creative arts. Blaze will run workshops with them later in the year.

"That's probably the best thing about the exhibition, that I can help someone else," she says.

If you're feeling generous, or you're just a brave boarding babe in the making, the exhibition is on at Studio One, Auckland until February 25.

Newshub.