A skirt and a skateboard hardly seem made for each other.

1 day ago

3 min read

One is associated with tradition and femininity, the other with movement. One carries generations of cultural history, while the other has become a symbol of youth, freedom and rebellion. Yet in Cochabamba, Bolivia, young women are bringing the two together, rolling through the streets in brightly colored polleras.

#AndeanIdentity #WomenInSports #PolleraPower #CholitaSkaters #ImillaSkate #AymaraPride #QuechuaCulture

Since 2019, ImillaSkate has brought together Indigenous Bolivian women who skateboard in traditional clothing, wearing the pollera alongside bowler hats and long braids. The collective was founded by three young women in Cochabamba, growing from a shared interest in skateboarding and a desire to reconnect with their Indigenous roots. The pollera carries a complicated history. Traditionally worn by Aymara and Quechua women, the skirt has also been associated with the social identity of the cholita. For generations, Indigenous women wearing polleras experienced discrimination and exclusion in Bolivia. Clothing could become a visible marker of ethnicity and class, affecting how women were treated and which spaces they could enter.

Ulloa, K. G. (2022, November 8). ImillaSkate: la nueva generación de cholitas bolivianas que toman el mundo. Vogue México. — Ulloa, K. G. (2022, November 8). ImillaSkate: la nueva generación de cholitas bolivianas que toman el mundo. *Vogue México*.

Against that history, seeing a pollera at a skatepark creates an unusual image. The skirt is no longer still. It lifts from the ground as the skateboard moves, follows the body through turns and tricks, and becomes part of a sport that has traditionally been associated with young men in jeans and hoodies. UNESCO describes ImillaSkate’s approach as a way of practising the sport without hiding their Indigenous identity, instead making it visible. There is also something practical about the challenge. Skating in the layered fabric is not necessarily easy. The skaters have had to learn how to move, balance and perform tricks while wearing clothing that was never designed for skateboarding. Yet that difficulty becomes part of the image: the pollera adapts to movement, and movement adapts to the pollera.

Their skating takes place in public spaces, too. Ollantay Park in Cochabamba was developed on a site that had previously been used as an illegal bus parking area. ImillaSkate began practising there even before the park officially opened and later started a skate school for children in the surrounding area. The space became more than somewhere to practise tricks; it became somewhere to gather, teach and make their presence visible. That sense of community extends beyond Cochabamba. ImillaSkate has organised free skateboarding workshops for girls and women across Bolivia, including in Tarija, Sucre, Potosí, La Paz, Oruro and Santa Cruz. Their activities aim to encourage women’s participation in skateboarding while promoting empowerment and intercultural understanding.

For younger generations watching them skate, the image of a woman in a pollera on a skateboard can begin to feel less contradictory. Tradition does not have to remain still, and cultural identity does not have to belong to the past. It can move through new spaces, take on new forms and belong to a new generation.

Tradition keeps moving — on four wheels, through the streets of Cochabamba and throughout the country, where they teach younger generations how to glide, ride, and fall. The continuous movement carries the pollera forward, giving tradition a new way to be seen, worn and lived.

If this story left you wanting more, you don't have to travel all the way to Bolivia to get closer to skate culture. In Milan, the Skate & Surf Film Festival celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2026, with screenings and skateboarding events as part of a special programme. The Milan event took place on 7 June, while the festival also announced a July edition in Vicopisano, Tuscany. Although these editions have passed, the festival's official website is worth following for future screenings and events. For those interested in experiencing skateboarding firsthand, Milan's Fuori Campo programme is also running sports and creative activities in public spaces through December 2026, including skateboarding initiatives. Keep an eye on local announcements for upcoming workshops and opportunities to get involved.