The Design Museum and StockX have teamed up once again as part of the Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street exhibition to bring to life a comprehensive timeline of skate shoe design.
Curated by cultural storyteller, Samutaro, and featuring photography from Atiba Jefferson and Marcel Veldman, this digital timeline explores the influence the skate scene has had on 21st Century sneaker culture and tracks the key moments of skate’s journey from the ramps to the runway.
Discover how Eric Koston’s and Kareem Campbell’s signature shoes took design cues from Jordan and Reebok in the 1990s, before exploring how skate brands such as Osiris, DVS and DC have inspired modern-day designs from A$AP Rocky, Prada, Louis Vuitton and more.
Check out some of the key moments below or hit the button to view the timeline in full.
1992: Etnies Lo Cut
The trend of flipping other labels’ logos was rampant throughout the 1990s, and Etnies was taking it to extremes. While parodying the marks of Nike and Fila for their own logo, landing them in legal hot water, the brand also introduced the rotated E branding on the Lo-Cut, reminiscent of Adidas’ three stripes.
1995: Duffs KCK x Kareem Campbell
Before going on to found his own footwear company, Axion, in the late 90s, pro skater Kareem Campbell channelled his love for Reebok’s Workout Lo into the design of his signature Duffs model, the KCK. Campbell borrowed elements such as the gum bumpers as well as layered eye stays, and the shoe remains a cult favourite.
1995: DC Legacy 1 Dime Grey Neon 95
The Nike Air Max 95 revolutionised sports footwear upon release, and with a robust air bubble design lending itself perfectly to landing large gaps, it’s no wonder skaters took keenly to it. DC paid tribute to the style with their wavy-uppered Legacy silhouette, even putting them out in the classic ‘Neon’ colourway.
2005: éS Kosten 7
Photo by Amazon
Since Nike has made Air Jordans, skateboarders have been skating them. Loyalty to the technically innovative shoe line is perhaps shown most by the industry’s equivalent Jordan-figure, Eric Koston. With nods to Jordan 11s and 12s already obvious on previous silhouettes, Koston turned to the rich pebbled leather uppers of the IIIs for his final shoe on éS.
2007: Rick Owens “Vans”
Photo by Horror Vacoul
American designer Rick Owens has a knack for reworking iconic sneakers with “The Ramone” and “Dunk” modelled on signature Converse and Nike hi-top models. In 2007, Owen’s pursued Van’s “Old Skool”, retooling the canvas sneaker in luxury leather and an exaggerated silhouette.
2019: A$AP Rocky x Under Armour SRLo
A$AP Rocky did the unthinkable in 2019 by rebooting the ultra-chunky Osiris D3. Working together with former Osiris skater Dave Mahew, they reconstructed the original body of the sneaker while maintaining all the elements that made it so gnarly when it came out in ‘98.
