The History Of Skateboard Shoes - From barefoot, the first skate shoes, 90's bulk, to modern day... 

What's your favorite skate shoes of all time? AND what shoes are you skating currently?

I remember when I used to work as a server at a sushi restaurant in LA, my manager and my boss were keep nagging at me to get new shoes since they were dirty. One day I came to work with new Vans and as I was taking a customer's orders, the customer looked at my shoes and asked what I liked about my shoes. I told him they were comfortable and I liked the colors (creamy color with pink outlines). He then said he was the designer of it and introduced himself as Kyle Walker. Pretty cool guy.

I miss the days when any pro would get their own shoe. I used to want to have all the shoes my favorite pros would wear. I had the Rob Dyrdeks, Josh Kalis, I had the Rowleys xl2, caswell berrys, you name it. So many iconic pro models. It’s still exciting to see where the future takes skateboarding.

I'm not a skater, but I've always loved the aesthetic, going back to my first pair of Airwalks in the mid-90's. Thanks for the history lesson!

The Sal 23's were king. I still have an old puffy pair stashed away. My grandkids are gonna be stoked to hear stories about them.

Mid 90’s to early 2005 was the best era of skating. Just the best.

I remember skating in Jordan 1's. I was off from 93 from a bad knee injury, started again in 2000, now I'm all about the longboard dancing, and downhill freeride. 56 years young!

I still remember the real thick chunky DC shoes I would get as a kid but I remember as I became a teen I preferred having slimmer lakais, or downright sleek Element shoes. I'll always remember though how my friends who got into skateboarding always loved skate shoes like I did because they were SO padded. Sure some were chunky but the amount of padding was incredible it felt like your whole foot was cushioned in pillows and I never got sore feet.

I’m ride or die Emerica. The Reynolds 3 was insanely good, stuck with them for a good while. I’m currently skating Jon Dicksons pro model and I highly recommend it!

Not being a skater I did wear skateshoes pretty much all my life. Es, Emerica, and DVS all passed by but Etnies remain my shoe of choice till this day.

That D3 celebrity picture montage was amazing 🤘😂 I started skating again after ~10 years due to a knee injury so I'm mostly skating flatground with some Janoskis... when those are done, I'd like to try out some Joslins as I feel my feet are not so well protected. My top 3 back in the day: éS accel OG, Adio Kenny Anderson v1, and Vans Rowley XLT 🤘😎

I really loved Circa Shoes! Adrian Lopez had some Great Pro models from Circa The “AL50” . And the old Mark Appleyard Circa’s in all white were pretty sick too! The “MA207” and “CX205” definitely up there on my top favorite skate shoes ever! Loved that whole era of Skateboarding, the shoes, the style, the skaters! But love it all today as well! Cheers guys,🥂. Have a great day!

Loved all the small facts in this video. Could never get any pro shoes when I was younger growing up but always wanted a pair of Adio Bam's or a pair of Circa shoes. Been skating on and off in Janoskis, various lakai shoes and Koston 1 hypervulcs, all similar and solid af for me ❤️

Skated vans old skool when I was a kid. Just picked up skating again at the age of 27, and the Adidas spezial feels really good to me. Sturdy, tight and I feel close to the Ground with them 😁 Great video as always, youre funny as hell Levi!

Levi cracked me up man. Gotta be my favourite skrateboard historian

Can’t forget around 05-06 Stevie Williams brought out the RBK’s 🔥🔥🔥

Emerica Tilt and Fallen Patriot are my favorites. And speaking of bigger brands, I've been using Reebok Royal BB4500s and they're a beast! Comfortable and durable, they could enter the pro skate industry with the right designs and marketing

When I was really young my dad showed me a video of Rodney Mullen skating at the park (not a skatepark) next to my house in El Centro many years back and I recently found out he actually LIVED HERE. Since El Centro isn’t very big or even popular, the fact that Rodney Mullen lived here is really cool.

Cool video. I’m actually surprised more emphasis wasn’t put on Vision Street Wear. They were huge in my area in the late eighties.

this was really enjoyable! Learned some things I wanted to know more about, happy to see es and other lesser knowns included and some airwalk :D

yes! i love the comedy in this one and also how you referenced yrself these videos keep getting better!

My favorite era will always be the late ops and early 10s Fallen Pro Team - so many iconic skaters with their own pro model, I owned so many Fallens. Still my favorite brand and very happy they were able to come back

Until recent years when I really started revisiting skateboard history I didn’t realize how early I got in on it lol I do definitely remember it going from the rejects skating to it being pretty cool

This was so informative and entertaining! Thank you for this episode!

Can't believe you didn't mention iPath Cats and Grasshoppers... The grasshoppers were my favorites hands down. I also remember enjoying skating DVSs and Etnies tho I don't remember the models.

Man this was well researched, well executed and hilarious😂😂🤘🏼 Fave shoe of all time: Reynolds 2

I skated in 2006 - 2010. So I was there when the D3s and those adio bulky shoes where a thing. But my favorite shoe was the Chukka Low. They had good board feel and just had enough padding.

This was dope!! I got the Airwalk Prototypes for Christmas when they came out but they wore out kinda' quick, so I went back to just Converse white leather (like Natas used to skate before he had his own shoe.) Then Half Cabs for like YEARS....The first Nike's, all the P-Rods, Janoski's, meanwhile every Gravis, DC, Etnies, etc. Now I'm skating some Silas' Adidas and have a pair of Ishod Nike's for my next skate shoes.

thank you for your time and effort, Good Stuff

My favourite shoe when I was younger was the Emerica G-Code. Loved Bryan Herman, loved Emerica. Had probably 3 pairs in a row. Definitely would like to see another reissue of that shoe since I didn’t get my hands on any the last time they re-did it

I'm a newbie when it comes to skate shoes. I followed the pro scene casually since the late 2000s, but I never really paid attention to their shoes. Up until I started looking into it more, I couldn't have named any other skate shoe brand besides Vans, Nike SB, or Osiris since those were the brands that people wore for style most often. My first proper skateshoes that weren't cheap vans from Walmart were the Emerica Dickerson.

I started skating in Jr.high 2010s time and I used to think skateboarding has been around for a long time... crazy that skateboarding is not actually too old and many new things can be done in it. Just have to be creative enough. I know realize how creative skaters were back in the day for creating the skateboarding I know now, under appreciated pioneers. Skaters now are still creative, dont get me wrong aha I wish I was also. Great vid!

great job! amazing video! love from Brazil!!!

Top 3 shoes: Vans Rowley XLT, 2003 Vans TNTs and Adio Kenny Anderson V1s. Had my feet in a lot of Circa and iPath too. My selection is pretty limited these days with a size 14 foot but I've got some Emerica I really enjoy, but as time goes on I find more and more that Vans is king.

I was born and raised in Portland and the Savier skatepark was crazy.

My first pair of skate shoes was a pair of Airwalk Ones back in 96 or 97. They were blue/grey/tan/black suede with a white rubber sole. I've owned several other pairs of Airwalks over the years and I think its cool that they've been making a comeback lately. I also had the legendary Circa CM 901. The OG Muska pro shoe with the stash pocket in the tongue. Each shoe could easily fit about a half ounce of weed, plus they just looked so damn fresh! I also had quite a few pairs of DC's, Globe, Emerica, Vans and Etnies. The Etnies Czar is another one of my favorite iconic skate shoes from the late 90s/early 2000s era. Last but not least, the Half Cab is possibly one of the most universal, classic skate shoes ever. I don't think I've ever met a skater who hasn't owned or wanted a pair at some point.

Another Killer Video! Vans everyday all day! I LMAO when I saw the gif of the guy making it rain. That's My boy George at his wedding. And he's an old school skater. Y'all have immortalized him! He's going to laugh his ass off when I show him this. Keep the heat coming! 👊🔥🤘

i`m currently skating nike blazer mid 77s and i think they are really good but a little bit too grippy. i feel like i could start learning double flips with them :D

Dude, Levi killed it on this one. Had me laughin’!

The first Emerica Ed Templeton shoes and Mike Vallely Etnies with the lighting bolt on the back were my go to shoes when I was skating a lot in my teens (1999-2004) .. and Salman Agah Vans were my first ever skate shoes! They were rad and still one of my favorites! Currently skating Feiyue.. Wish that brand would hop on the skate band wagon , because their shoes feel awesome to skate in 🤙🏻

We're going back to basics now, man!

I was hoping you'd had mentioned my favorite brand of the mid 90s, Simple. They had a shoe with neoprene around the ankle, so there was no need to keep the laces tight, and they were super durable

Airwalks were my shit in the 90s. I've owned DC and DVS shoes, Etnies and Adios. Chucks were usually my favorite for comfort but, at 33, I bought my first pair of Vans and they're the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn for anything at all. I have really flat feet which might have something to do with my opinion but that pop cush insole is worth it's weight in gold.

Great video!!! Very informative

Axion Kareem Campbells and the guy Mariano’s were always classic imo

Lee Ralph barefoot pro model shoe

My three favorite skate shoes? Es Accel OG, jordan 1s, checkerboard vans. if i dont say osiris d3. The new Es Hi-5 look interesting though

I just remembered Airwalk Flames, with the lace saver - best shoe ever, so metal.

I remember rocking black/blue airwalk prototypes to high school, to skate, and to band rehearsals back in the late 80's

Levi . . . you da man !!! I skated from 5 to 15 years old. Just got back into it after my divorce , just before covid I'm a 45yo engineer from New Zealand. Had to re-learn everything Used to rock PUMAs now I skate in Etnies "Chris Joslins"

I used to wear a lot of Etnies in the 90s and 00s, some DCs and es’ mixed in. Always super chunky. I actually recently picked up a pair of Cervantes from Fallen, and they’re super comfortable, more streamlined than I used to wear. They’ve got a nice added touch of the rubber coming up over the toes and along the side of the foot a bit to protect the suede from grip tape.

Funny how, if I remember well, the kid in the video of "It's the end of the world (as we know it)" by REM has a classic Tony Hawk's hairstyle and wears blue Nike Air Jordans while doing tricks on his skateboard... everything about it is so legendary

I think we are going to see more eco friendly and eco sustainability in skateboard shoes. Also with the advent of the current popularity of the cruiser/penny type/biscuit board amongst the general population. We are going to see more brighter color and patterns in more casual skateboard shoes. I think we're going to see more specific professional grade shoes for specialty skateboarding. Ultra comfortable almost a barefoot type shoe for surfskating. Some specialty type shoes with a custom fit and extra support with an ultra sticky sole for downhill/slalom/LDP/Freestyle.

My favorite three skateboard shoes of my 45 years of skateboarding? #1 from 1974 and I'm amazed we haven't seen a modern retro style version yet the original. P.F. FLYERS #2 and I have faithfully supported and worn them from 1977 until about 2005. CONVERSE ALL STAR HI TOPS #3 Not skateboard shoes at all. Bought a pair in 1979 because they looked cool and inadvertently found that they were awesome skateboard shoes; probably due to the application they were made for;the hardtop tennis courts. PUMA HARD COURT TENNIS SHOES I currently own and skate one pair or another on a daily basis. VANS SK8 HI VANS SK8 HI TRIP OUTDOORS COMFY CUSH VANS SK8 HI JEFF GROSSO LIMITED EDITION RE-ISSUE

Top 3: 1- És Koston 1 (bring these back!!!!!!!) 2: És Accel Slim 3: És EOS Honorable mention: any ADIDAS skate shoe (not regular ADIDAS)

I’ve been skating Vans old skools since 2003. Worked for Vans for almost 3 years and tried lots of others while I was there. Still went back to old skools. I also used DC AVATAR and Globe Grasshoppers but went back to old skools

Future of skate shoes is hopefully returning back to the core companies. Top 3 shoes are Half Cabs, Es Muskas and Emerica Rowley 3s But Emerica Pillars are moving up higher on the list every day.

Currently still a beginner, and starting to learn how to Ollie. I can kinda do an ollie while stationary, and I’m trying to get over the fear of falling while rolling. I can cruise around with no issue, I can ride down hills, and I haven’t had any injury’s besides a few bruises and a scratch. Currently I skate red chuck taylor all stars, that have a bit of wear on the extra rubber on the front of my right shoe (I skate goofy) I LOVE the board feel, and they’re very breathable since they’re so thin. Before I had red vans skate hi’s that I had to return because they didn’t fit right. I have to say I prefer the board feel and thinness of the converse over the vans, and the converse are way more flexible. Overall I love converse and are some of the best skate shoes imo.

Levi, you're not washed up. You're just getting started.

DVS Revolutions. Can’t find any evidence they existed, but they were instantly comfortable, perfect amount of cushion and board feel, and looked dope too

Levi is too funny with his sarcastic self centered jokes 😭😭

I feel you skipped over an important period from 90-95. Everyone was wearing thinner Vans low tops, Puma suede/Clydes, Etnies (later called Locuts), Adidas Shelltoe, or a similar to skate shoe to an AirWalk Jason Lee. When the big puffy shoes came out, many of us laughed and thought they were ridiculous at the time because they looked so goofy.

LOVE the video AND the editing, as a fellow youtuber, i can tell you put in a LOT of effort. anyways, good video, keep it up

Shoutout to P Rod's 'Today Was A Good Day' Nike ad and the Always Sunny building at 13:19

i think..90s is the best ever skateshoes ❤️❤️

Not a lot of love for Vision Street Wear, I was loyal user from the mid 80's- to the early 90's. Would love to see a video on them alone!

I recently picked up a pair of vintage CX205s in decent condition. The cup soles needed regluing where the glue had perished with age, but both the soles and the uppers are in good condition and I was stoked to get a useable pair of Circas for skating in. I used to buy the CM902s back in the nineties, but I wore the crap out of them and the price for a pair in even shit tier condition now is insane! Same with my second favourite shoe the Savier Staba model, which was amazing but wore out even quicker than the Circas did lol. I always used to blow the airbags within a week or two of getting new shoes, but I wish they still had airbags in skate shoes, and that they were just as puffy and fat as back in the day. Honourable mention to the DC Commando, as that was probably my third place shoe. I have a bunch of old half worn DCs I skate in, and they're pretty replaceable, but boy I wish Savier would relaunch, or that Circa would make more than one model of shoe now. They still sell the AL50, which is a decent shoe, I have a pair of those in pretty light worn condition but it's because they're not as good as golden age late nineties shoes were. The big companies ended up pushing out the skater owned small business in the end, even if it took a few years. But the tech level of skate shoes towards the end of the nineties was amazing. Now we're back to nineties style tennis shoes being worn, instead of building on those wicked tech shoes. Nike and Adidas know they don't have to put money into innovative technology, there's so few core brands left there's no real competition anymore. Crying shame in my opinion. I have Nike SB shoes, and they're alright, but they're just not my thing. I like a chunkier shoe after thirty plus years, and perversely a narrow board, which are almost as hard to find now as fat shoes lmfao. Edit: The Adidas at 10:41 I have a pair of somewhere. I only remember my pair having the ClimaCool badge on the front of the tongue, I don't know if they were the Mark Gonzalez signature ones or not. I'll have to pull all my old shoes out and have a look through them sometime. I'm pretty sure the ClimaCool are only lightly worn because I didn't get on all that well with them. They were lightweight but felt kinda stiff and cheap, the worst of both worlds compared to what I'd ordinarily wear. Re-edit: The best tech innovation was Saviers interfuse technology. The shoes using that were so tough and long lasting on the uppers. Even if the soles wore through super fast comparatively.

Nothing cooler than showing up do Del Mar Skate Ranch with custom ordered Vans hightop in the early 80s!

8:20 R.I.P Ken Block

The Vans Rowley XL2 was hands down the best skate shoe. Timeless style. Great for skateboarding. Never understood why they never brought it back.

Great video as always!

love the last resort highs. good looking and great to skate in. the new insoles looks very nice as well.

biden wore it best

absolutely love this video, good good shit

Favorite 3 sneakers when I skateboarded in the early to late 90’s as a teenager were the Adidas Samba, Converse All Stars and Airwalk Ones.

When I was 14-17 I had a sick pair of C1RCA hi-tops, I can't find pictures of them anywhere online but they were this nice light brown plaid, super comfy and stylish with my cargo pants.

Audio Bam Margera model, Rowley XLs, and Circa Muska’s were my old favorites, now I love the Kyle Walker Vans

Of all the shoes my first official pair I personally chose at a shop was the half cab. God what a shoe. I wore them in to the ground and skated the bottoms flat. I just wish I could buy full Cabs, I love hi-tops but they only release every once in a blue moon.

Etnies Arto Saari were amazing but my favorite was the PRod2 by Nike SB. Also, I thought you'd bring up lace gaurds! They were a must-have in any new shoes, once discovered

Thanks Levi!! Super interesting.. my fav was the es Koston!

Gotta love the all black halfcabs with white laces

13:18 instantly recognized this spot as the corner next to Paddy's Pub in It's Always Sunny

Very cool and interesting skate shoes history, I will always choose the classic authentic navy blue vans from 70's as my favorites! Next ones are black fallen chief and jameson etnies.

11:30 thanks for reminding me I missed out on those eytys 😫

I LOVED my ODS (Old Dirty Smolik's) with the Velcro on the back. I also used the first Penny Hardaway Nike basketball shoes. They had a FAT rubber on the side that was a really good ollie pad. Couple other favorites were these burgundy low top duff's and a pair of Nice Skate Shoes.

i've worn Etnies for 25 years. the Czars were an early favorite, they had the BIGASS tongues and the E's on the sides, but i got into the bmx side so it's either Taj's or Rooftops, although mike vallaley's were pretty solid for bmx too.

My favorite skate shoes - vans era, jordan 1 lows, Tyshawn Jones, ishod Wair’s, Osiris D3 and some honorable mentions but that’s probably my top 5 off the top of my head

DC clocker 2 was the most iconic for me.

I started back in the Jordan 1 era; also wore my fair share of Chuck Taylor high tops; picked up some Kostons once and loved ‘em; can’t remember the rest… These days I’m keeping it old school - Chuck lows daily and forever.

How do I not remember that Nike ad? That was hilarious!

currently im skating a last resort and it is bussin. its the perfect middle between thight nike sb and the brighter vans shoes

Levi makes this channel so fucking good!!

Loving all that Tommy G footage, Levi you're not washed up and the hate mail is hilarious! My Kyle Walkers kick ass by the way.

I've probaly owned like 30 pairs of accels alone. I was so happy when es came back . i had a few pair of globe and vans in between when they went out but they never lasted as long as my accels. The accel plus were my favorite though. Everyone at my local area. Ridge lumber in Baltimore county, was wearing them in the late 90's early 2000's

I was rocking the Etnies & the DC's in the mid to late 90's. I definitely preferred the full suede Etnies though.

I just started skateboarding. I already had converse all stars. They're low and fit my style perfectly. I hope they'll do their job on the board

“Skrateboard” Epic video fam 🤙🏽 It’s mostly about Levis skate history too 💯

06:01 *The O.G Vision Street Wear in SUEDE are my fav shoes of all time* I had two pairs, one in olive green and one in blue suede....like Elvis haha

Please do a video on converse skate history! 1. Converse cons ctas 2. Osiris D3 3. Vans Half cab.

Shoutout to Daniel Lutheran, he had some truly beautiful pro model shoes for Vans a few years back, easily my favorite pro shoes