The Comprehensive History of Skateboard Shoes, From Barefoot, to the First Skateboard Shoes, to the Bulky 90's, and to Today's Modern technology of Skateboard Shoes!
We’re going to take a deep dive look into skateboarding shoes, how they have evolved over time, new technologies, new trends, and how they relate to what was going on in the world of skateboarding at the times these shoes were released!
THE 1950’s:
The 1950's was the dawn of skateboarding, with the first commercially produced skateboards hitting the market; these first skateboards were commonly sold at grocery stores. One of the first commercially sold skateboards was known as the "Roller Derby"
Skateboarding was dubbed "Sidewalk Surfing," as enthusiasts could be seen gliding barefoot down sidewalks, capturing the public's imagination with this novel pastime viewed as a delightful toy.
THE 1960’s:
In 1962; Val Surf becomes the first surf shop to sell skateboards, making it the worlds first skateshop! Also in the 60's; the original Skateboarder Magazine Arrives, which is known to be the world’s first skateboard magazine ever made!
Skateboarders Featured in Skateboarder Magazine are commonly seen in either bare feet or very thin shoes that provide a similar barefoot feel while protecting your feet from getting too beat up.
In 1965; Randolph Rubber Company, releases the first ever skateboarding shoe advertised to skateboarders, the shoe was known as the Randy “720” Skateboard Sneaker. The Randy 270 Advertised tougher rubber on the “toe & heel”, making the shoes ideal for skateboarding. These shoes were created to feel like skating barefoot (very thin) and were very good for turning and doing spins. The Shoes cost $14.95
During this time skateboarding wasn't very popular, the public saw it as just another toy that's time had passed, similar to toys like the Slinky and the Yo-Yo
A year later on March 15, 1966; The Van Doren Rubber company launched in Anaheim, California. A custom footwear shop that would make boat deck shoes. they would go on to become fairly popular with skateboarders, through this they had received the nickname "Vans", this nickname would go onto become the name of the company as they shifted to skateboarding footwear. Stacey Peralta had said in the book “Made For Skate”; that Vans was the first company “to recognize us as skateboarders”
1970’s:
In the early 1970’s (1972) the Polyurethane wheel is introduced by Frank Nasworthy, this gives skaters tons more control, and skateboarding tricks leap forwards with progression.
Check out the history of skateboard wheels blog!
In 1976, Stacey Peralta, Tony Alva, & Vans design the world’s first “skate shoe”. Meaning the first ever shoe designed for skateboarding. The Style #95, known today as the Vans Era. Later on in 1977 the Style 36 is released AKA the Old Skool
In The late 70’s famous skateboard manufacturers like Makaha and Hobie skateboards began to make skate shoes. A lot of rubber companies and random shoe companies start seeing interest in skateboard shoes at this time as well. Large amounts of skaters start wearing court shoes from other brands including Nike, Adidas, and Converse. As skateboard tricks are getting more technical, the high top styled shoe is exploding! During this time skaters can be seen wearing shoes like the Nike Blazers and Jordan's.
Amidst the popularity of high-top shoes in skateboarding Vans releases the Sk8-HI aka the Style 38.
Adidas attempts to make a small push into skateboarding in the late 70’s showing their interest in the sport, something Nike Would not try to tap into for decades to come.
Finally, in 1978, the Ollie is invented by Allan “Ollie” Gelfand , this is a big deal to the wear of shoes as the act of doing an Ollie ended up destroying the thin shoes skateboarders had been wearing at the time.
1980’s:
Moving into the early 80’s, High-top shoes were becoming a statement piece for all skateboarders, and as the shoe style became more popular, the high tops kept getting bigger and higher
In 1984, the iconic skateboard video "Bones brigade video show" comes out, the video goes on to change the way skateboarding is perceived completely
IN THE MID TO LATE 80'S STUFF GETS REALLY INTERESTING
In 1986, ‘ethnics footwear is started, which turns into what we know today as Etnies. 1986 was also the year that AIRWALK footwear is founded, these early AIRWALK shoes tended to look very similar to the Vans and Converse shoes that were popular during this time.
In 1987, the iconic video "Animal Chin" is released; Every skater in the intro is wearing Jordan 1’s, apart from Tony Hawk who is seen wearing the iconic Vans Sk8-His. Around this time Nike is still disinterested with skateboarding. Craig Stecyk had a friend at Nike who sent them Jordan 1s. Seeing these skateboarding All-Stars wearing these shoes meant you’d see the cool street skaters like Gonz in them as well.
Gonz, TG and Natas start taking street skating to new levels. These iconic skateboarders do the first grinds and slides on handrails! In 1988, Converse launches a skate program and Chuck Taylor's end up being very popular. Loads of other shoe brands are making chuck knock off shoes during this era (Santa Cruz, Vision, etc.)
During 1988 to early 1989, the iconic NATAS shoe comes out, followed up by the Caballero Vans shoe. Strangely, Tony Hawk was the biggest name in skateboarding at the time but did not have a pro shoe. At the time Tony thought a pro shoe would be weird or corny. Both the Natas shoes and the Caballero shoes were very popular High Top skateboard shoes.
1990’s:
THE EARLY 90’S:
In the early 90's, skateboarding was changing, the explosion of street skating is starting to take over vert and this shift in style rapidly changes the needs and wants of what a skater looks for in a shoe.
In 1992, Steve Caballero notices street skaters cutting down the Caballero pro model and taping them, seeing this he goes to Vans with the pitch of making the half cab an official model for Vans. The Half Cab shoe was an instant success, and is the longest running signature skate shoe in history. Today it is very hard to find a pro that has never owned or been seen in half cabs over the years. Due to the legacy of the Half Cab, Vans is Celebrating 30 years of the shoe in 2022.
DuFFS:
In 1993 Duffs is launched under World Industries with a unique design and advertising campaign.
This recognizable design helped to make DuFFS a commonly known name in the world of skateboarding shoes. However, in the mid 90's, with many competitors having entered the scene, DuFFS basically faded out of existence.
DC SHOES:
In June 1994 Damon Way, brother of Danny Way, and College friend Ken Block decide to start "Droors Clothing". Eventually they dropped this name and started to make skateboarding shoes, becoming DC Shoes.
DC would become one of the most influential skateboard shoe brands with team riders including Josh Kalis, Rob Dyrdek, Danny Way, Colin McKay, Rick Howard, Keith Hufnagel, Stevie Williams, and more iconic skateboarders through the years.
AIRWALK:
In 1995 AIRWALK drops the first Tony Hawk & Jason Lee pro model skateboarding shoes.
Today AIRWALK is not the brand it once was, becoming what's commonly known as a "Walmart brand".
ES:
In 1995 ES footwear launches with an insanely talented team of skateboarders including Sal Barbier, Tom Penny, Eric Koston and Chad Muska.
The "Sal 23" and "Accel" were the most influential shoes released by the brand. These shoes have created a continued cult following of skaters to this day.
MID-LATE 90'S:
During the mid to late 90's Skateboarding was beginning to achieve a massive mainstream resurface, the skate shoes during this era began to receive massive influence from Basketball and other sports.
VANS MIKE CARROLL SHOE:
In 1996 the Vans Mike Carroll Shoe drops
This shoe is very obscure, having a short lifespan in its time. These days there are quite few videos and articles about them.
EMERICA:
In 1996 Etnies's American companion called Emerica drops. Check out our YouTube video about this iconic brand below.
ES KOSTON 1:
In 1997 the Es Koston 1 drops. This skate shoe had an an "Airbag" in the heel of the shoe and an exposed polyurethane midsole. This was Eric Koston's first pro model skate shoe.
SHEEP SHOES:
In 1997 we saw the release of Sheep Shoes. Etnies released sheep as a price point alternative to their most popular models, without the use of suede. These shoes ended up being victim to high import fees on canvas material, leading to having no cost difference to suede shoes. Sheep was discontinued after a very short run.
GLOBE:
In 1994 Globe was founded by two Australian brothers. Rodney Mullen and Chet Thomas were their head team riders with multiple pro models.
DVS:
In 1995 DVS is founded by Tim Gavin and friend. The DVS team had consisted of some legendary skaters including Daniel Castillo, Chico Brenes, Tim Gavin, Keenan Milton, Daewon Song, and member of the Nine Club podcast Jeron Wilson.
OSIRIS:
Osiris had been founded in 1996. You may know them by their most iconic shoe, released in 1999, known as the Osiris D3.
AXION:
In 1998 AXION came out. The team had some heavy hitting team riders including Gino Iannucci, Guy Mariano, Brain Anderson, and Kareem Campbell.
ADIO:
Adio was created in 1998 by legendary skateboarder Chris Miller. The team included Tony Hawk, Jamie Thomas, Steve Berra, Bam Margera, Jeremy Wray, and even olympic gold medalist Shaun White.
LAKAI:
Lakai is started in 1999 by Rick Howard, Mike Carroll, and Tim Gavin. Check out our video on the history of Lakai below!
CIRCA:
Circa was founded In 1999 and was one of the most beloved skateboarding shoe brands during its lifetime.
NIKE:
In 1996 Nike tried their first entry into the skateboard world. At the time skateboarding was still really a really niche subculture that didn't take kindly to corporate brands coming in. Their shoes at the time were also not the prettiest and didn't skate very well. Team rider Bam Margera used to wear és accels and glue Nike logos onto the sides of them.
2000’s:
By 1999, skateboarding had exploded into the mainstream, largely thanks to the smash hit video game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. This surge in popularity coincided with the progression of skateboarding to increasingly daring and complex tricks, necessitating more durable footwear to withstand the impact of hard landings that pros were taking.
During this time, skate shoes became a ubiquitous fashion statement, worn by skateboarders and non-skaters alike. Skateboarding shoe companies experienced rapid growth and began exploring opportunities beyond traditional skate shops, aiming to capitalize on their newfound popularity and expand their market presence.
REYNOLDS EMERICA PRO:
In 2000 the Andrew Reynolds Emerica pro drops.
D32001:
In 2001 Osiris releases the D32001
NIKE SB:
In 2002 NIKE SB is launched, this is Nike’s 3rd attempt at answering the world of skateboarding shoes. They Launch with the dunk, which was interesting when you consider the heritage of Dunks and Jordan 1’s in skateboarding.
FALLEN:
In 2003 Jamie Thomas leaves Circa to found Fallen.
VOX:
In 2006 we get VOX footwear. (no comment)
ELEMENT FOOTWEAR:
In 2006 Element Skateboards steed into the the shoe market.
CONVERSE RE-LAUNCH:
In 2009 Converse re-launches its skate program with more durable fabrics and shock absorbing insoles to compete with other skateboarding shoes on the market.
SUPRA:
In 2006 we see Supra hit the market. Supra was founded with iconic skateboarders including Jim Greco, Erik Ellington, Tom Penny, Chad Muska, Furby, Stevie Williams, Lizard King, Terry Kennedy, and many more.
GRAVIS DYLAN SHOE:
In 2009 Gravis launches the iconic Dylan pro model shoe.
NIKE SB JANOSKI:
In 2009 Nike SB releases the Janoski, it is now on their wall of top selling Nike shoes of all time.
2010’s:
By the 2010s, skateboarding shoes were slimming down as technology advanced rapidly. Skateboarding itself had become both a mainstream phenomenon and a niche subculture. Women’s skateboarding saw tremendous growth, reflected in the rise of specialized women's skate shoes like the Nike SB Bruin High, Nora Pro, and Lizzie Pro. This era ushered in extremely technical skateboard footwear, designed to meet the precise needs of skaters with enhanced durability, performance, and style.
HUF FOOTWEAR:
In 2010 Huf Footwear is launched out of the popular clothing brand HUF. These shoes have a cult following among some skateboarders due to the quality and style of the shoes. Check out the story of HUF in our video below.
NEW BALANCE NUMERIC:
In 2012, the shoe company New balance launched Numeric, New Balances Skateboard shoe program. Numeric has proved themselves in the skateboarding world by producing high quality footwear trusted by a stacked team of pro skateboarders including Jamie Foy, Andrew Reynolds, Brandon Westgate, Franky Villani, Tiago Lemos, Tom Knox, Jake Hayes, Ronnie Kessner, and more.
NYJAH PRO SHOE:
In 2018 Nike SB launches the Nyjah Pro.
AVE PRO SHOE:
In 2019 Vans launches their most advanced shoe at the time, the AVE. This is a pro model shoe for Anthony Van Englen.
NEW BALANCE NUMERIC 306:
In 2019, following his skater of the year win in 2018, Jamie Foy gets a pro shoe with New Balance Numeric called the 306. The 306 contained the tech of modern skateboarding shoes without an overly technical look, making them popular among skateboarders and typical customers. 
2020’s:
In recent years, skateboard shoe pro models have become less frequent. Brands such as Last Resort AB, Cariuma, and Straye have opted not to release pro models for their team riders. Instead, companies like Vans have been focusing on releasing colorways for team riders rather than fully designed pro shoes. This trend reflects a shift in the industry, emphasizing collaboration and personalization over traditional pro model releases. However brands like Vans and New Balance have continued to release pro model skate shoes to this day.
NEW BALANCE NUMERIC 1010:
In 2020 we get the Tiago Lemos pro model 1010. The 1010 was advertised as the most technical skateboarding shoe ever made.
What do you think the Future of skateboarding footwear will look like? Let us know in the comments below!
Angelo
You guys forgot the biggest skate brand of all times, it is impossible to talk about skate shoes and dont talk about that brand. You know the brand for sure.