 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1986 |
| Headquarters | Lake Forest, California, U.S. |
Key people | Pierre André Sénizergues |
| Products | Shoes, apparel |
| Parent | Nidecker |
| Website | etnies.com |
Etnies (stylized as etnies) is a French-American footwear brand based in Lake Forest, California, United States, and is owned by Sole Technology, Inc. [1] The company sponsors professional skateboarders and BMX riders, LAB more and releases signature shoe models.
The company was launched in 1986 [2] and following the end of his professional skateboarding career, current owner, Pierre André Sénizergues, commenced design work at etnies shortly after the company's formation. etnies was an emerging European brand at the time that Sénizergues joined the company and he was responsible for designing the "Senix", "Lo-Cut", "Low-Top Rap", "Intercity" and "Scam" shoe models. Sénizergues subsequently introduced the brand to the US and proceeded to build Sole Technology, with the addition of the Emerica, éS (on hiatus between 2012 and 2014, but back in production), and ThirtyTwo (snowboarding brand created in 1995) brands. [1] [3]
In 2003, etnies and the city of Lake Forest, California, opened etnies Skatepark of Lake Forest, the largest public skatepark in the state, at over 40,000 square feet (3,700 m2). [4] The park has been used for a Sole Technology-sponsored skateboard competition, entitled "Goofy vs. Regular (GvR)"—goofy-footed skateboarders competed against regular-footed skateboarders—that was held in 2007 and 2008. [5] [6]
