Skate Culture

Paul Van Doren opened the first Vans store in Anaheim, California, in 1966, making canvas shoes on site and selling them the same day. Skaters liked the sticky waffle soles, and in 1977 the Old Skool added the side stripe that became the brand's mark. Skate Culture follows the shoes, shops and labels that came out of skateboarding. Supreme opened on Lafayette Street in New York in 1994 with an open floor that left room for skaters to ride straight in. Lev Tanju started Palace in London in 2009 with a crew that skated the South Bank, and its Tri-Ferg triangle logo spread far past the skate world. Nike tried several times to win over skaters before Nike SB launched in 2002 with Dunks sold through independent skate shops, and the plan finally worked. Stussy, Carhartt WIP and adidas, with its Samba and its skate team, show up here too. The coverage stays close to the people who skated and filmed, since they decided which shoes lasted. A pair of Old Skools with a hole worn through the toe is still the most honest review a skate shoe can get.