Nike Skateboarding
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nike Skateboarding is the Nike brand for its line of shoes, clothing and equipment for the skateboarding market.
Contents |
[edit] History
In the 1980s, skateboard companies started to pop up around the globe. However, skateboarding still had a relatively small community—not enough to attract serious interests from major shoe companies, who were battling it out for precious basketball shoe territory. This gave smaller companies a chance to gain ground in the skateboarding market. Airwalk led the charge, developing an oversized shoe that combined an inflated tongue, a thick sole, and a suede exterior. Although Nike never officially entered the skateboarding market in the 1980s, many of its shoes gained a following in the skateboarding community because skateboarding shoes and basketball shoes share many similarities. Strong grips, durable ankle support, and relative comfort were some of the offerings that attracted skaters to Nike shoes. However, they were not considered the most desirable skate shoes due to the "underground" nature of skateboarding at that time, and many skateboarders rejected Nike because they believed the brand was too commercial.
The 1990s saw the rise of skateboarding into prominence and the vast improvement of skate shoe technology, with DC Shoes making major advances in shoe design. The company added stronger fabrics, multidensity rubber, gel pockets, plastic eyelets that encased exposed shoelaces, and soles with a gumlike grip that improved foot-to-face traction. Airforce One 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. The loud, blocky skate shoe fell from favor as the hip-hop culture of the 1990s eventually died out. The current trend reflects the punk-rock look of the 1970s[citation needed]. Nike started to experiment with the market by reissuing many of its older models in the late-1990s.
In 2007, after failing four times to enter the skateboard market, Nike SB had emerged as a successful skateboarding company by manipulating demand for the shoes by keeping numbers down and signing many well-known skateboarders. By keeping numbers down, skateboard shop owners could sell the shoes for as much as five times the suggested $65 retail price.[1] Critics contend that Nike still has not penetrated the skateboarding market and would point out that most of the demand for Nike SB shoes has come from shoe fetishists self-described as Sneakerheads. Nike executive Sandy Bodecker admitted that 80 percent of the shoes were initially bought by this demographic.[2] Due to the high prices caused by the artificial scarcity of the shoes, it is highly unlikely that a person would actually use the shoes for skateboarding, as such an activity would tear the shoes up rather quickly diminishing their collectible value.
2007 also saw Nike SB release a brand new video entitled 'Nothing But The Truth' which featured the likes of team riders Brian Anderson, Paul Rodriguez Jr, Wieger Van Wageningen, Stefan Janoski and Omar Salazar.
[edit] Controversy
Since the arrival of Nike SB, much controversy has surrounded their priorities and motives. This has led to the founding of a campaign by Consolidated Skateboards called the "Don't Do it Army",[3] which claims that when skateboarding originated (also snowboarding and surfing), Nike had no interest in the business. Now, the Don't Do it Army claims, that skateboarding is gaining much popularity, Nike is simply "cashing in" on the industry by selling shoes.[4]
In late June 2005, Nike received criticism from Ian MacKaye, owner of Dischord Records, guitarist/vocalist for Fugazi & The Evens, and front-man of defunct punk band Minor Threat, for appropriating imagery and text from Minor Threat's 1981 self-titled album's cover art in a flyer promoting Nike Skateboarding's 2005 East Coast demo tour. This was especially controversial due to MacKaye's staunch DIY ethic and the culture behind his band being appropriated by a multimillion dollar corporation.
On June 27, Nike Skateboarding's website issued an apology to Dischord, Minor Threat, and fans of both and announced that they tried to remove and dispose of all flyers. They state that the people who designed it were skateboarders and Minor Threat fans themselves who created the ad out of respect and appreciation for the band.[1] The dispute was eventually settled out of court between Nike & Minor Threat. The exact details of the settlement have never been disclosed.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||
