Small board companies & corporate shoe companies

[Thibaut]

Oh definitely, you might fight only a couple of models at Sole Tech that can match Nike in terms of quality... but I try to stick to those few anyway.

[Dima]

Well quality being one thing but innovation and access to wider archive of technologies to dig in.

[Babby]

Skateboarding decided shoes and clothes were more important than boards well before Nike got into the game heavily......

Yeah...and?

[lk130]

I'm trying all new shoes now as a all around test if it'll really make a difference in the authentic skateboarding experience or focus in sessioning

[ChuckRamone]

so suddenly skateboarders care about high technology in their gear? then why don't you guys ride boards with those crazy trucks with hydraulic suspension and shit? bullshit. you guys just want to justify buying into the nike hype like teenage girls.

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

SLAP on teenage girls confirmed

[Level 60 Dwarf Paladin]

Oh tight, another Nike/core thread.

[layzieyez]

Put a swoosh on it and they'll buy this.  It all comes full circle.

[Zurg]

i think a lot of it has to do with whats accessible. seems pretty affordable to get some boards done, if you have no team and a small amount of in house people to pay, it seems pretty low risk. producing a run of even one shoe seems a lot scarier, im sure its a bigger order and you have to worry about sizes and all that and youll never hit the bulk you need to compete with the big guys. is this why skate shoes were all in the $150 range(in canada) 10 years ago?

i guess those cheques allow a lot of start up deck companies to exist, though. but it would also suck to see them call the shots like they did with peter hewitt. it's already too far gone to worry too much about i guess.

i was thinking of this today cuz i felt guilty about buying a bunch of nikes, yet not liking almost any of the content they produce.

[lk130]

Inversely the shoes that last longer you tend to keep

[No1knows]

I love this old interview of MJ talking about the industry the pro and the cons... If you haven't read that ( 2013 )
Always good. Just do what you think is right.  ( I HATE Nike but damn the shoes are good...) just a thought.

http://www.jenkemmag.com/home/2013/07/16/the-marc-johnson-interview/

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

Inversely the shoes that last longer you tend to keep

If the skate shoe industry believed that then we still would be rocking those d3s that someone posted up above. Indestructible skateshoes is a poor business idea, just ask airwalk

[too much]

OP is on point huge trend right now, but wow you guys need to indent your paragraphs...lol

[pabloalvarado]

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Skateboarding decided shoes and clothes were more important than boards well before Nike got into the game heavily......

[close]

Yeah...and?

Someone already mentioned Baker is a good example of board-company and shoes ?

Reynolds won the golden ticket with the THPS first game but anyway he was making a hella cash via Emerica. So the logical thing to do was to start a company. AO is doing the same thing and be his own boss. Same with Staba, PROD, Shane...even Gonz.

I like small brands. I like that the market is not just five companies. So if everyone on Nike own a board company I find that more like a benefit to the lifestyle.

I dont know...I cant hate on this ! 

[lk130]

Shoes looks gotta be above a 5

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Inversely the shoes that last longer you tend to keep

[close]

If the skate shoe industry believed that then we still would be rocking those d3s that someone posted up above. Indestructible skateshoes is a poor business idea, just ask airwalk

[Thibaut]

I love this old interview of MJ talking about the industry the pro and the cons... If you haven't read that ( 2013 )
Always good. Just do what you think is right.  ( I HATE Nike but damn the shoes are good...) just a thought.

http://www.jenkemmag.com/home/2013/07/16/the-marc-johnson-interview/

Sick interview, it popped up recently on my FB feed and that's what actually made me start this thread. I think it's very releveant, but also a bit ambiguous with today's context, with the success of Polar/Palace, etc.  and everyone leaving their board compagnies to start small projects all the while riding for Big-bucks shoe company.

Also, it's funny how in the late 90s-early 00s, before Nike SB and stuff, when I used to see people skating in Nike tennis shoes or else, I used to think "Man, that dude is such a G, he just don't give a shit". Like it was a big rebellion against the nerdy style of skate shoes, everyone wearing èS Kostons or some DC Kalis "just like in the video"... But now, they've actually become the norm.

[Babby]

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Skateboarding decided shoes and clothes were more important than boards well before Nike got into the game heavily......

[close]

Yeah...and?

[close]

Someone already mentioned Baker is a good example of board-company and shoes ?

Reynolds won the golden ticket with the THPS first game but anyway he was making a hella cash via Emerica. So the logical thing to do was to start a company. AO is doing the same thing and be his own boss. Same with Staba, PROD, Shane...even Gonz.

I like small brands. I like that the market is not just five companies. So if everyone on Nike own a board company I find that more like a benefit to the lifestyle.

I dont know...I cant hate on this ! 

Agreed.  It's a very similar situation...

My original point still being that publicly traded companies now, effectively own and dictate the course of 'small' brands.  Nike will probably never make hardgoods because they have already successfully outsourced it.

[Dima]

so suddenly skateboarders care about high technology in their gear? then why don't you guys ride boards with those crazy trucks with hydraulic suspension and shit? bullshit. you guys just want to justify buying into the nike hype like teenage girls.

Well I rather skate shoes longer than 2 weeks(time for all soletech vulcs that I have ever had took to go bald and unskatable including every Vans shoe for that matter).

Also I am pushing 30 so my feet hurt in those previously mentioned shitty shoes and not to forget growing up liking rap music and seeing all of them guys rep sports brands so I have had a liking to sports gear for a long time.

I also love the football/climalite shirts cause they actually breathe and are meant for active sports.

Been skating nothing but adidas cupsoles for the last 4 or so years and now could not be more stoked on the adiprene on the sucius.

And skate the all the other stuff what I have found to work for me or think of being the highest quality/technology.

Also what the fuck it matters to you what someone else wears/likes?

[ChuckRamone]

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so suddenly skateboarders care about high technology in their gear? then why don't you guys ride boards with those crazy trucks with hydraulic suspension and shit? bullshit. you guys just want to justify buying into the nike hype like teenage girls.

[close]

Also what the fuck it matters to you what someone else wears/likes?

I'm talking about the contradiction between skateboards being basically primitive technology, because skaters want it that way, and saying you want shoes that were produced based on the latest athletic technology. The durability thing I understand but really how much more durable can skate sneakers be? They will all fall apart fairly rapidly.

[Dima]

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so suddenly skateboarders care about high technology in their gear? then why don't you guys ride boards with those crazy trucks with hydraulic suspension and shit? bullshit. you guys just want to justify buying into the nike hype like teenage girls.

[close]

Also what the fuck it matters to you what someone else wears/likes?

[close]

I'm talking about the contradiction between skateboards being basically primitive technology, because skaters want it that way, and saying you want shoes that were produced based on the latest athletic technology. The durability thing I understand but really how much more durable can skate sneakers be? They will all fall apart fairly rapidly.

Alright maybe I should have also elaborated on big money corporate shoes also fit better, have better impact protection(thanks to technology) and general comfort thanks to having superior experience in footwear production.

And we are not talking about no D3s here or like Kenny Anderson Adio shoe but just generally better upper and sole material that last a bit longer, obviously all shoes are gonna fall apart eventually.

Talking about boards, I think it has been debated that basic maple 7 ply board just work the best.There has been all sort of innovations tried in boards but none of those have really worked(some dwindle carbon fiber experiments,habitats bamboo plies to full aluminium boards etc...)without impacting the user interface negatively in terms of being too heavy,too stiff or just does not feel right.

I assume people would skate more ceramic bearings if they would be more affordable, all though they pay themselves back with lasting much longer than their metallic counterparts.Do not think it is a stretch to say that is an example of an superior technology also.

And urethane formulas for wheels are constantly being worked on to find the perfect one.


ps. you were also calling people who skate nikes teenage girls so it sounds quite personal to you but who am I to say what is your deal.

[ChuckRamone]

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so suddenly skateboarders care about high technology in their gear? then why don't you guys ride boards with those crazy trucks with hydraulic suspension and shit? bullshit. you guys just want to justify buying into the nike hype like teenage girls.

[close]

Also what the fuck it matters to you what someone else wears/likes?

[close]

ps. you were also calling people who skate nikes teenage girls so it sounds quite personal to you but who am I to say what is your deal.

[close]

it was just a little hyperbole, like teenage girls being convinced that one direction is great.

skateboards could be far more technologically advanced, especially the trucks. have you ever seen some of the trucks on longboards? but most skaters like simple, traditional designs when it comes to skate equipment. the newer generation of skaters, however, wants high tech shoes with their low tech boards. I only care because I think it will suck a lot if one day nike monopolizes the skate shoe market. I don't care what shoes you wear, bro. if you wanna rock the swoosh, go for it.