Why Skate Shoes are Suddenly Cool Again

If you’re serious about the sneaker game and have been following the trends for a minute or two, you might have noticed that lately Nike SB Dunks have been having a bit of a moment. While they’re the hottest silhouette on the street right now, this hasn’t always been the case. If you look back to this time last year, most sneakerheads wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow at a pair of SB’s.

Nike SB’s and skateboarding shoes have a long and rich history that ties in directly with the sneaker game and here at The Sole Supplier we firmly believe that there’s a multitude of reasons as to why skateboarding sneakers are so on trend right now. We’ve done our homework and now we’re going to dive right in at the deep end and take you through our thought processes!

Before we get started on the rise to fame for SB sneakers in 2020, it’s important to look back to the past and study the roots of the sub-range. Skateboarding itself started to become prevalent in 1970s America, and by the 1980s it was somewhat a phenomenon. The original skate scene was very much a DIY culture, with riders crafting their own boards using planks of wood and roller skate wheels to recreate the feeling of surfing on dry land.

The Converse Chuck Taylor became the shoe of choice for many OG skateboarders due to the durability of the design and the high-top support offered by the silhouette, however this all changed very quickly. 1985 saw Michael Jordan’s first ever signature shoe (the Air Jordan 1) launch to the masses. While it was perhaps the most-loved basketball sneaker ever (and still is to this day), there was another underground scene that instantly took a liking to the Jordan 1 - the skate scene.

The AJ1 was everything skateboarders had dreamed of; it was made from tough leather that was ideal for the rough terrains and grip tape frequented by skateboarders, it had plenty of cushioning around the ankles to ensure proper support and the Nike Air midsole unit dealt with impacts adequately.

Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s skateboarders across the globe frequently opted for both Nikes and Jordans as their footwear of choice, as there was little else on the market that provided the same levels of comfort and support. Fast forward to 2002 and the Oregon-based brand finally founded Nike SB, a dedicated footwear line for skateboarders. The Blazer and the Dunk were two of the first silhouettes to receive the SB treatment and instantly became hugely popular with both skaters and streetwear fans alike.

Shortly after the launch of Nike SB, the hype surrounding the brand quickly grew. The sneaker scene in itself was already thriving across the world, with collectors snapping up the latest releases for their personal rotations (resell wasn’t really a thing, yet). However it was Nike SB that really took this growing subculture to new levels.

While there was already hype surrounding sneaker releases, the limited quantities and collaborative editions of SB Dunks captured the hearts of footwear fanatics like never before. The release of Jeff Staple’s collaborative “Pigeon Dunk” is earmarked by many OG’s as the drop that changed the game, as it was the first to spark riot-like scenes and to be eventually shut down by the NYPD.

Retailers eventually learnt from their mistakes and drops became a lot better handled, but this newfound hype around Nike SB sneakers remained. Collaborations with highly-respected brands and artists started to flood in, with Supreme, Stussy, Futura and De La Soul naming just a few. Of course, as these limited-edition pairs launched the hype only grew, it seemed like Nike SB had a one-way ticket to taking over the sneaker world!

Nike SB must have really felt like they had the world wrapped around their little fingers in those early days, with every sneakerhead worth their salt lining up from the early hours of the morning to try and get their hands on the latest release. However, it’s a well-known fact in the footwear world that trends can come and go very fast. While one minute Nike SB Dunks were the shoes everyone wanted, they were also tossed aside very swiftly after.

As the sneaker industry and sneakerhead community continued to grow, new retailers began to enter the scene and the trends began to change. Previously, chunky classics such as Jordan 1’s and Dunks had reigned supreme over the competition, but the late 2000s and early 2010s birthed a newfound hype surrounding running sneakers. Suddenly, Air Maxes, Gel-Lytes other streamlined runners were all the rage.

Many sneakerheads will argue that the pairs that kickstarted this period were Amsterdam-based retailer Patta’s numerous collaborative Air Max models, which are still regarded as grails for many collectors today. Other high-heat collaborations of a similar nature such as Ronnie Fieg’s various ASICS releases continued this heavy push of athletic silhouettes, while Nike SB was strictly worn by skateboarders during this period.

As this trend continued to peak, it became commonplace for many Nike SB Dunks which would today be considered “grails” to end up in outlets. You don’t have to look too far on any sneaker group or forum to come across a similar tale from an OG sneakerhead. Even incredibly high-heat pairs such as the Nike SB Dunk Low Paris and the Supreme x Nike SB Dunk Low OG apparently hit outlets at one point, although we can’t confirm the validity of these stories!

As we should all know by now, trends come and go. It would only be a matter of time before the old-school classics became fashionable again and that’s exactly what happened. It took a little longer than we might have expected, but it’s now 2020 and the Nike SB Dunk is one of the most popular silhouettes of the year. The hype was undoubtedly kickstarted by Travis Scott’s impressive Dunk collaboration that launched in February, with the Houston-based rapper also regularly rocking limited-edition pairs from the early noughties.

Since then we’ve seen countless super-hyped releases such as collaborations with Medicom Toy, Grateful Dead, Civilist Berlin and many more. Nearly all SB Dunks sell out instantly, with skate shops resorting to running raffles for high-heat products once again. Many collectors sold off their Dunk collections prior to this second-coming of hype and are undoubtedly kicking themselves now, with resell prices skyrocketing to never-before-seen figures. Perhaps this is living proof that the sneaker market really is similar to the stock market, with prices fluctuating drastically due to demand and hype.

Many of you will have read this and will now be thinking - so why are skate shoes suddenly cool again? Well, celebrity endorsements have a lot to do with the newfound hype surrounding them, but the answer is they were never really uncool in the first place! Skateboarding itself is deeply ingrained within street culture and has incredibly strong links to fashion, music and the arts. While skateboarding sneakers haven’t been at the forefront of hype culture until recent months, if you’re a true sneakerhead and this isn’t just a fleeting interest - you’ll already know that skate shoes are vital to the industry.