Why Skate Shoes?

Is there any difference between skate shoes and tennis shoes or sneakers that actually makes any difference when you're skating? You might think that skate shoes look a whole lot cooler, but is there any practical reason for purchasing them? Surprisingly, yes.

Starting in the early 1980s, the skate shoe started to emerge as a viable product, following the rise in skate board purchases and increased public acceptance of skate boarding. Initially, the choice between skate shoes was rather poor. Airwalk was one of the original industry leaders, but did not have a considerable amount of competition until the mid-1990s. At this point, the model for the skate shoe was also rather crude, as there was little competition and somewhat dubious assumptions about what skaters would need in a shoe.

Brands like Vans, manufactured by the Van Doren Rubber Company (see why they shortened it to Vans?), Element, and Quicksilver were Airwalk's early competition for skate shoes until larger shoe companies decided to try to capture a share of the boarder market.

Nike and Adidas, both of which have good reputations for making quality sports shoes, attempted to create skate shoes. Neither company made significant headway into the market. This is potentially because boarders, who are often looked at as riff-raff, do not want to conform to major brand shoes, but prefer to purchase something from a more exclusive, niche brand, like Quicksilver.

Companies such as Vans, Quicksilver, and Airway have created similar prototypes for a skate shoe. All of their models include common elements: a thick tongue (to prevent skaters), a strong ollie pad and soles, and good grips. All of these features are essential to a skate shoe—and are part of the reason why purchasing a skate shoe is preferable to tennis shoes or sneakers.