From the board to the boardroom – Later Skater is the Gold Coast fashion label turning 90s nostalgia into fashion with purpose
There comes a strange point in adulthood when the clothes you once lived in don’t necessarily fit the life you live anymore – figuratively, at least. You’ve got work, responsibilities, places to be, maybe a kid or two, but that doesn’t mean you suddenly want to dress like an entirely different person. For Gold Coast mum-of-two Arly, that sartorial middle ground proved surprisingly difficult to navigate. So, she filled the gap herself with Later Skater.
Later Skater is Arly’s answer to growing up without completely growing out of the person you used to be. Drawing on the skate and surf culture, loud music and sense of freedom that shaped her 90s upbringing, the Gold Coast fashion label creates relaxed pieces designed, as Arly puts it, to go “from the board to the boardroom”.
The current collection leans into that nostalgia with oversized, boxy button-up shirts alongside relaxed tees, hats and socks, all designed to slot easily into the realities of adult life. The Shaka Shirt is a case in point – a structured, oversized button-up splashed with a playful hand-drawn embroidered shaka that feels equal parts throwback and grown-up. It’s the kind of piece that can be thrown over shorts on the weekend and dressed up when Monday rolls around.
While the range certainly looks the part, there’s much more behind the name than a nod to skate culture.
In 2013, Arly unexpectedly lost her older brother Ben – her best friend, workmate and champion. The final voicemail he left her ended with a casual sign-off, “Later Skater”. More than a decade later, as Arly was rediscovering her own sense of identity after becoming a mother, those two words resurfaced. They became the name of the label and, eventually, the beginning of something much bigger.
You might like
Through her own experience of grief, Arly noticed that some of the easiest conversations about loss happened in unexpected places, often with complete strangers who simply understood. Now, Later Skater is helping her create more opportunities for those connections through a developing Grief Support Project, with a portion of every sale helping to fund events for people navigating loss.
For Arly, it’s just the beginning. The hope is to grow the Grief Support Project through regular events, supported along the way by a clothing label that will always carry a little piece of Ben with it.
What started with a wardrobe problem has become something far more meaningful – clothes for people who have grown up but have no intention of leaving every part of their younger selves behind, while helping make one of life’s hardest experiences feel a little less isolating.
Shop Later Skater here, or follow along here for news of upcoming events.
Want to see more stories from InDaily Qld in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily Qld as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily Qld". That's it.