Skate shoes or skateboard shoes are a type of footwear specifically designed and manufactured for use in skateboarding. While numerous non-skaters choose to wear skate shoes as they are popular in fashion, the design of the skate shoe includes many features designed especially for use in skateboarding, including a vulcanized rubber or polyurethane sole with minimal tread pattern or no pattern, a composition leather or suede upper, and reinforced stitching to extend the life of the upper material. The most important aspect of skate shoes is that they have flat soles which allow the skater to have better board control.
Skateboarding was originally denoted "sidewalk surfing" and early skaters emulated surfing style and performed barefoot. By the mid 1960s, skateboarders wore Keds and Chuck Taylor All-Stars, which had flat rubber soles that provided traction before griptape was common. Plimsoll-style boat shoes manufactured by the Randolph Rubber Company and Vans were developed as the sport became more widespread. [1] [2]
As skateboarding focused on ollies in the 1980s, durability in footwear became more important. High-impact tricks resulted in the increased popularity of higher-cut shoes, and Vans, Vision Street Wear, and Etnies introduced high-cut models by the end of the decade. A popular shoe at the time was the Air Jordan 1, which was affordable and provided grip and protection. In the 1990s, low-top builds dominated the market as tricks became more flip-oriented. [2]
In 1999, Cara-Beth Burnside became the first woman to have a signature skate shoe. [3]
Skate shoes can be split into vulcanized and cupsole models. Vulcanized shoes are flexible and have good board feel, while cupsole shoes offer better protection and support. [4] Shoe innovations include preventing "heel bruises" (damage to the heel area of the foot caused by harsh landings), enhancement of "skateboard feel" through increased flexibility, and increased grip traction allowing for more predictable handling.
Many features of a skate shoe are designed to increase durability. Skate shoes are subjected to the abrasiveness of a skateboard's grip tape regularly; this is why skaters tend to go through shoes quickly. Super suede, action leather, and plastic reinforcing the toe box help to extend the life of a skate shoe. Lace loops and protectors are designed to prevent laces from ripping by shielding the most common areas that come into contact with grip tape. Other common features include reinforced stitching to prevent ripping, and wider shoe width so that there is more contact with the board, with thicker tongues and sides to compensate.
Technical features include:
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. Though the human foot can adapt to varied terrains and climate conditions, it is vulnerable, and shoes provide protection. Form was originally tied to function, but over time, shoes also became fashion items. Some shoes are worn as safety equipment, such as steel-toe boots, which are required footwear at industrial worksites.
Converse is an American lifestyle brand that markets, distributes, and licenses footwear, apparel, and accessories. Founded by Marquis Mills Converse in 1908 as the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in Malden, Massachusetts, it has been acquired by several companies before becoming a subsidiary of Nike, Inc. in 2003.
A climbing shoe is a specialized type of footwear designed for rock climbing. Typical climbing shoes have a tight fit, an asymmetrical downturn, and a sticky rubber sole with an extended rubber rand to the heel and the toe. Different types of shoes can be better suited for different levels of technique and routes.
Sneakers (US) or trainers (UK), also known by a wide variety of other names, are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise but which are also widely used for everyday casual wear.
Sole Technology, Inc., known informally as Sole Tech, is an American footwear and apparel company, specializing in skate shoe design, production and distribution. The company is owned and operated by Pierre-André Senizergues, a former professional freestyle skateboarder. The company's headquarters are in Lake Forest, California, United States.
Etnies is a French-American footwear brand based in Lake Forest, California, United States, and is owned by Sole Technology, Inc. The company sponsors professional skateboarders and BMX riders, LAB more and releases signature shoe models.
Chuck Taylor All-Stars or Converse All Stars are sneakers manufactured by American fashion brand Converse. Initially developed as a basketball shoe in the early 20th century, its design has remained largely unchanged since its introduction. The shoe consists of a stitched upper portion, and a toe cap and outsole usually made of rubber. Although Chuck Taylors are made of various materials such as leather or suede, the original and most widely known version is made from cotton canvas. The innovative detail of the original shoe was the "loose lining" of soft canvas that was intended to provide flexibility and prevent blisters.
Chad Muska is an American professional skateboarder, musician and entrepreneur. In November 2012, Skin Phillips, editor-in-chief of Transworld Skateboarding, described Muska as "one of the most marketable pros skateboarding has ever seen."
Nike Air Max is a line of shoes produced by Nike, Inc., with the first model released in 1987. Air Max shoes are identified by their midsoles incorporating flexible urethane pouches filled with pressurized gas, visible from the exterior of the shoe and intended to provide cushioning to the underfoot. Air Max was conceptualized by Tinker Hatfield, who initially worked for Nike designing stores.
Nike Skateboarding, primarily known as Nike SB, is the Nike brand for its line of shoes, clothing, and equipment for skateboarding. Nike Skateboarding won the 2020 Webby People’s Voice Award for Best Home/Welcome Page in the category Web.
Leo Romero is a professional skateboarder whose early skateboarding influences included Heath Kirchart, Jamie Thomas and Andrew Reynolds.
Cleats or studs are protrusions on the sole of a shoe or on an external attachment to a shoe that provide additional traction on a soft or slippery surface. They can be conical or blade-like in shape and can be made of plastic, rubber or metal. The type worn depends on the environment of play: grass, ice, artificial turf, or other grounds.
Nike Blazer is a sneaker manufactured by Nike. It was originally released in 1973 as a basketball shoe.
Street skateboarding is a skateboarding discipline which focuses on flat-ground tricks, grinds, slides and aerials within urban environments, and public spaces. Street skateboarders meet, skate, and hang out in and around urban areas referred to as "spots," which are commonly streets, plazas or industrial areas. To add variety and complexity to street skateboarding, obstacles such as handrails, stairs, walls, flower beds, bins, park benches, picnic tables, and other street furniture may be traversed as single tricks or as part of a series of consecutive tricks called a "line."
DVS Shoes is an American footwear and clothing company that specialises in products for skateboarding, moto, bmx, mtb and snowboarding. The company defines itself as "... driven from the pursuit of building product that embodies the sports the company athletes breathe every day. With roots deeply embedded in skate, the company has the platform to develop truly technological products that bring the riders personalities to life."
Supra was an American skate shoe brand founded in Los Angeles, California by Angel Cabada in partnership with professional skateboarders. Korean fashion retailer F&F acquired the global trademark of Supra in October 2020.
Nike Dunk is a line of shoes released by Nike in 1985. Originally released as a basketball shoe, the popularity of the shoe among the skating community also led to the creation of a variant used for skateboarding. The shoe is offered in low-, mid- and high-top styles.
Self-tying shoes are designed to automatically tighten once the user puts them on. Such types of "smart shoes" were initially depicted in the 1989 science fiction film Back to the Future Part II.