History of Nike Skateboarding Shoes
Before skateboarding was considered a sport worth catering to, skateboarders had to seek out shoes that would hold up to the stress. They glommed onto Vans, which in the 1960s introduced so-called vulcanized shoes, in which a rubber sole was cooked onto the body of the shoe.
Fast forward to the 1980’s, although emerging but skateboarding still had a relativly small community to attract serious interests from major shoe makers while they are battling out in the precious basketball territory. This gave smaller companies a chance to gain ground in the skateboarding market, with Airwalk then led the charge, they developed an oversized shoe that combined an inflated tongue, thick sole, suede exterior and air pockets that cushioned the foot. Although Nike had never officially entered the skateboarding market in the 1980’s, like its competitors Adidas and the EWINGS many of its shoes (especially the basketball-specific) gained a following in the skateboarding community due to the fact that skate shoes and basketball shoes share many similarities. Strong grips, durable, ankle support and relative comfort were some of the offerings that attracted skaters to them. They were never considered the most desirable skate shoes, due to the ‘underground’ nature of skateboarding at that time many skateboarders rejected Nike because they believed the brand is too commercial.
The 1990’s saw the rise of skateboarding into prominent, and the vast imporvement of skate shoes technology with DC Shoes made major advances in shoe design. It added stronger fabrics, multidensity rubber, gel pockets, plastic eyelets that encased exposed shoelaces and soles with a gumlike grip that improved foot-to-board traction.
As skate shoes began to resemble tiny life rafts for the feet, DC Shoes began to dominate the skate shoes market. In the mid-1990s, skate shoes went mainstream. Their evolution was influenced as strongly by popular culture as by the demands of skateboarding. In the mid-1990’s Nike came out with a rudimentary shoe for skateboarders that failed because technical designs were the rage, skateboarders have moved away from technical shoes and embraced basic, retro styles. The loud, blocky skate shoe has fallen from favor as the hip-hop culture of the 1990s faded. The current trend reflects the punk-rock look of the 1970s. Nike started to experiment with the market by reissuing many of its older models in the late-1990’s.
