The History Of Skateboarding Shoes...

According to most sources, the first shoe to ever cater specifically to skateboarding would be Vans...

"In 1976, skateboarders began wearing Vans shoes and asked to have different colors combined on them. Again, Vans reacted to their customers' wants and on March 19, 1976, came out with the first Era--in red and blue. This shoe was designed by two professional skaters, Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta. Over the next few years, many different color combinations were introduced into the Vans line. The Slip On was added in 1979 in a multitude of color combinations and quickly became the craze of Southern California. " (Source: Vans History)

However, Vans wasn't the only shoe that skateboarders originally adopted. A much larger brand known as Converse began being adopted too. The "original" Chuck Taylors with their low profile and simple design were considered an acceptable alternative by most skaters of the time period.

Not alot of recorded history occured in the next 10-15 years in the realm of skateboarding shoes. Except, that Vans began to tailor specific shoes for skateboarders who were continually getting more complex in their aresenal of tricks.

Probably, the most notorious skateboarding shoe of all time is the éS Koston 1 pro-model by Eric Koston. In 1997, Pro Skateboarder Eric Koston debuted his K1 model as detailed in this brief history here. Although official statistics have never been released about the sales of this shoe it is widely believed that it is the greatest selling skateboarding shoe of all time. Obviously, this isn't counting the multi-useful Original Chuck Taylors or Vans. But, in the single sense of a skateboarding shoe designed specifically for tricks featuring the introduction of an "ollie-pad", extra-thick tongue and sturdy ankle to prevent injury.

Following in the footsteps and success of éS , Vans, Converse came along several next generation skateboard shoe companies. Including DCShoecoUSA, Etnies, Globe, Circa, Emerica, Osiris. They featured various professional models, team models, and random designs. Based off of their success and continued market demand even more "new-age" companies popped up such as Adio, DVS, Lakai, iPath which are often referred to as Third Generation skateboard footwear companies.

Recently, newly found skateboarding companies have been formed off the heels of the continued success of skateboarding as a sport. These Fourth Generation companies are known as Fallen, Gallaz (Globes Womens Division) , Hawk Shoes (Tony Hawks Kids Shoes) , and now Supra.

The history of skateboarding footwear is long and often lost, misunderstood and overlooked. This page was created as a tribute to preserve the history of the skateboarding shoe and its creators.

If you have anything to contribute to this page please contact us, thanks!

Last Updated: Thursday, September 28, 2006