Nike SB

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Nike SB Skateboarding Shoe Styles


NKE 6.0 not SB

Release Dates

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Contents


Information

Nike Skateboarding is a line of skateboarding products created by Nike, Inc. which mainly consist of shoes and clothing (with the occasional umbrella). Nike launched this line in March 2002 as their latest effort to enter the rapidly growing skateboarding market.

Background Information

Before skateboarding was considered a sport worth catering to, skateboarders had to seek out shoes that would hold up to the stress. They glommed onto Vans, which in the 1960s introduced so-called vulcanized shoes, in which a rubber sole was cooked onto the body of the shoe.

Fast forward to the 1980's, although emerging but skateboarding still had a relativly small community to attract serious interests from major shoe makers while they are battling out in the precious basketball territory. This gave smaller companies a chance to gain ground in the skateboarding market, with Airwalk then led the charge, they developed an oversized shoe that combined an inflated tongue, thick sole, suede exterior and air pockets that cushioned the foot. Although Nike had never officially entered the skateboarding market in the 1980's, like its competitors Adidas and the EWINGS many of its shoes (especially the basketball-specific) gained a following in the skateboarding community due to the fact that skate shoes and basketball shoes share many similarities. Strong grips, durable, ankle support and relative comfort were some of the offerings that attracted skaters to them. They were never considered the most desirable skate shoes, due to the 'underground' nature of skateboarding at that time many skateboarders rejected Nike because they believed the brand is too commercial.

The 1990's saw the rise of skateboarding into prominent, and the vast imporvement of skate shoes technology with DC Shoes made major advances in shoe design. It added stronger fabrics, multidensity rubber, gel pockets, plastic eyelets that encased exposed shoelaces and soles with a gumlike grip that improved foot-to-board traction. As skate shoes began to resemble tiny life rafts for the feet, DC 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. In the mid-1990's Nike came out with a rudimentary shoe for skateboarders that failed because technical designs were the rage, skateboarders have moved away from technical shoes and embraced basic, retro styles. The loud, blocky skate shoe has fallen from favor as the hip-hop culture of the 1990s faded. The current trend reflects the punk-rock look of the 1970s. Nike started to experiment with the market by reissuing many of its older models in the late-1990's. [edit]

The Birth of a Brand

By the 2000's, with a gobal population of around 12 million skaters skateboarding grew into a $2.5 billion industry, with $1.6 billion in shoe sales alone. Tradition skate shoe companies like Vans and DC Shoes had grown so large over the years that size does not matter to skateboarders anymore. Nike decided it was time to capitalise on the growing market. With lessons from the past Nike began to employ respected figures from the industry to aid their lauch. Nike started its first strike on the market in 2002 with advertisements in skateboard magazines like Transworld Skateboarding magazine and Thrasher magazine, before hanging out catalogs to hardcore (skater-owned, skater-run) skateboard shops. Because all Nike SB shoes were still in development stage at the time, all publicity pictures in these materials shows riders were in fact skating in the Air Jordan line of shoes. To attract attention and establish itselfs as a major force in the market, Nike has sponsored and participated (with its riders on behalf of Nike) many skateboarding events all over the world. Nike SB was finally launched in March 2003 with a varity of shoes. [edit]

Riders

Ever since the Air Jordan success, Nike has always employ the spokesperson marketing technique to promote its many sports lines. As it is now a common practice for skateboarding organisations (usually product companies, but sometimes larger skate shops) to sponsor riders to promote their products and build company's heritage. Nike SB was launch with a strong team of riders. Present riders include:

  • Brian Anderson
  • Paul Rodriguez Jr.
  • Chet Childress
  • Daniel Shimizu
  • Todd Jordan
  • Richard Mulder
  • Reese Forbes
  • Gino Iannucci
  • Danny Supa
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