Nike SB

Nike’s first attempt at entering the world of skateboarding came in 1997, but due to the mentality of the current skate scene, there was little love for the major sporting brand. It took another 5 years for Nike’s next crack, which came in 2002 with the launch of the Nike SB brand. Among the first shoes to be released on the label were the Nike SB Dunk Low and the Nike SB FC; this was the initial jump in the right direction for the brand, crafting well-designed footwear that was specifically engineered with the famous Zoom Air for the needs of skateboarding. 

Nike SB then sought to establish its skateboarding team with the recruitment of high profile team riders, including: Paul Rodriguez, Eric Koston and Stefan Janoski. This resulted in the bloom in pro model footwear, including the Nike SB Eric Koston and Nike SB Paul Rodriguez, who have both since had multiple designs and models, arguably the most innovative to date is the Nike SB Eric Koston 3 Hyperfeel, which was the first of its kind to utilise the sockliner within a skate shoe.

Though in his own words, the design and initial construction took a little convincing with Nike SB designers, it has to be said that the Nike SB Janoski from Stefan Janoski is commercially their most successful shoe to date, which has undergone numerous colour ways and designs such as the Nike SB Janoski OG, Nike SB Janoski HT Deconstructed and the Nike SB Janoski Max.

In recent years Nike SB have started to revamp classic footwear from its back catalogue, the majority originating as basketball shoes, this includes: The Nike SB Dunk, Nike SB Blazer and the Nike SB Bruin.

It’s no secret that Nike is a giant in the shoe world, incorporating such technology as Nike Zoom Air, Hyperfeel and Dri Fit within its ranges. With this Nike undeniably continue to push what’s possible within skate shoes.

Nike SB have dropped some heavy collaborations, most notably Nike SB x Soulland, Nike SB x Numbers and Nike SB x Concepts.