Still Skating and Celebrating
"If you look at market data, we are currently one of the top two or three footwear brands in skateboarding/boardsports and bigger than the brand ever was in its heyday of the late 80's or early 90's." - Eric Dreyer, Airwalk
True. Airwalk was the king of skate shoes in the late 80s to early 90s, superseding Vans reign of the 70s. And with Airwalk's popularity of their Jason Lee, NTS, and Enigma models, the brand soared and eventually expanded its wings into more commercial outlets. As Airwalk grew into a giant, many loyal buyers began to feel the brand's appetite to bite into a broader spectrum of consumers, including appealing to non-skateboarders, had superseded the brand's loyalty to the sport.
When Airwalk was turned over to Collective Licensing International in 2004, the Colorado-based company which also owns Vision, Sims, and Lamar, a new breed of sneakers had flooded the market. It was then that skaters really began to feel the workmanship that they once admired in Airwalk had become too automated, mass-produced, and no longer "skater-specific". As a result, the brand's well-deserved street credibility began sinking into oblivion.
Yet despite its bumpy history, many old school skaters today would love to see the brand make a giant comeback. Let's face it. The old school designs of skate sneakers from the last three decades were way slicker and "screamier" compared to today's lesser extreme models. Vision's psychedelic and electric designs were cutting serious edges back in the day, and Airwalk's rubber madness and chunky styling gave inspiration to sneaker brands exactly two decades later. Ironically, those same skateboarders who say Airwalk sold-out are now wearing shoes by commercial sneaker giants like Adidas and Nike. The same day those skaters said to themselves Airwalk became too commercial for them, they switched to Puma Suedes and Adidas Gazelles -- until Nike slammed the Dunk into the picture.
So, what does the future hold for a brand like Airwalk, which still has some weight it can turn back into gold, but first has to re-win the support of a very wish-washy consumer base? Here to set the record straight and to discuss Airwalk's direction into the complicated millennium is Eric Dreyer, VP of Brand Management for Collective Licensing:
