Skate Footwear FW2024 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Globally the market is tough right now, however with all things considered it’s still pushing on, determined to bring the best skate footwear to the table for next season. Hurdles there are a-plenty, but brands are striving to do all they can to stay on course. When considering the current economic climate of Europe, people are being much more selective with their spending on non-essential purchases. Lukas Steide – Sales Manager at ‘Hours Is Yours’ said: “Market demand is constantly changing due to the uncertain economic environment whereas the footwear segment is driven by a very loyal customer profile at the same time. This is exactly where the opportunity sits for new brands with a clear USP and brand direction.” Skater-owned brands are getting an upper hand here, as although there are fewer around these days “there is an appetite on the market for a clean and casual product developed and designed from skaters for skaters” as Lukas continued.
Alessandro Urso -Sales Director at C1RCA mentioned that: “Most of the brands were finding trouble collecting shoe orders due to significant stock quantities in stores.” DC’s EMEA Marketing Lead- Emmanuel Labadie said for them however that: “specifically for DC, we can feel a recovery and traction of the brand and this must be coming from a combination of a strong program with good stories, good vibes coming from riders and a good range of products.”
Price Points
As mentioned above, the current economic climate isn’t looking great, which is making footwear brands struggle to keep their price points within reach of many consumers. It looks like most are increasing their price points slightly. Alessandro from C1RCA is aware they have to consider the spending power of their audience, saying “C1RCA keeps price points flat. Our policy is not crossing the border of RRP €99,00, while our average RRP price is €88,00. Lukas from Hours Is Yours was proud of the fact their shoes aren’t rising in price, saying “Establishing a coherent and competitive price structure has been one of our key premises.”
Collections
SoleTech’s three siblings Etnies, Emerica & éS have some exciting projects coming next season. Michael Morey, Footwear Designer and Merchandiser at Emerica said: “Braden Hoban, the rookie pro who has been on fire for a couple of years gets his first signature shoe this season, as well as a new hi-top style from the magical mind of team OG Kevin “Spanky” Long.” Etnies are introducing a technical version of their successful Barge LS model, called the Barge Plus. Rick Marmolijo – Design Director of Footwear at Etnies explained: “It features a double wrapped foxing tape for stability, the STI Performance Level 2 insole and a new GeoHex tread pattern designed with a beefier tread in the forefoot and heel for durability.” éS are continuing their ode to the 90’s, with a new silhouette based on a retro style called the Two Nine 8.
DC will be celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, with some powerful collaborations on the cards, including a Lucien Clarke exclusive shoe that’s sure to be a show stopper. The mighty Chris Cole will be bringing a brand-new design for Fallen – ‘The Prowler’, “a culmination of Cole’s footwear legacy, blending the best elements from his past shoes into an instant classic” as Ronnie Mazzei, CEO of Fallen announced. After what seemed to be truly Tom Knox’s year with several outstanding parts and a pro shoe, he’s passing the torch to Franki Villani, who’s got a new shoe coming out next season. Nick Pappas – Senior Product Manager at New Balance Numeric said: “We will be launching Franky Villani’s 417 in a low top cut. It will feature the same vulcanised tooling as his original mid top, but the upper has been redesigned as a low top and has more of a relaxed fit than its previous iteration.”
Collabs
Hot off the back of their first video, Skater-owned Hours Is Yours are working on another Thrasher Magazine project, and a collaboration with Jon Dillo’s new board sponsor Jacuzzi Unlimited. New Balance Numeric will be continuing on with their powerful year, producing various colourways with their non-signature riders that put a special twist on some of their team models.
Nick from NB Numeric also said: “We also have some really good skate shop collabs dropping on our 440 and 480 models.”
Emerica are going the opposite way regarding collaborations after several seasons of heavy hitting brand crossovers, as Michael from Emerica said: “These projects are always exciting, but we’ve noticed a saturation of collaborative products in the market. This season we are taking a step back to refocus on team-based projects.” Fallen Footwear will be bringing back the ‘Pawn’ – “a fan favourite Billy Marks shoe in a special collaboration with the band- Manchester Orchestra” as Ronnie at Fallen said.
Design & trends
The main trend for next season continues to explore and celebrate the 90s/2000s big shoe resurgence. Brian Barber – General Manager at Osiris said: “Again, the chunky silhouette and increased tech appear to be on the rise. Seems like consumers want footwear with a less generic appearance.” Alessandro from C1RCA agreed, saying “Chunky retro styles from the late 90s are performing great. Colourway-wise, white uppers will rule the game.” Sticking to this theme, Fallen will be bringing back older models as Ronnie their CEO explained: “As we continue to produce new models, we want to revisit some of our best sellers in the past, so we are doing our first ever limited guest shoe with former rider Garrett Hill and his pro shoe the Corsair.”
New Balance on a different note, are not necessarily just going big for the sake of big. They’re also communicating with their skate team to produce what they want to skate. Nick from NB Numeric said: “You’ll see a lot of dark coloured soles on our S224 offering as it was something that came up in requests from the team fairly regularly.”
New technology
Advances in technology mean new materials and higher performing skate footwear. Whilst some traditionalists long for the simple, low vulc silhouette, there is most definitely room for more tech-heavy shoes again. Combine that with the aforementioned 90s resurgence and you can add more tech features to a bigger shoe. C1rca this year introduced “significant upgrades of the insoles for several pro models- namely a premium breathable PU sockliner for 50 PRO EV; Gel Infuse™ Cushion insole for cold cement series (CX201R – TAVE TT – 805), to name a few” as Alessandro explained. Emerica will be using their new ‘Enduraseam technology’ on the Hoban, with “a rolled edge toe cap with triple stitching, protecting the shoe from abrasion and extending the shoe’s life” Michael said proudly. Etnies aren’t bringing any more new tech to the table, however they are seriously pushing their new Michelin sole – first introduced with the Aurelien Michelin cupsole design in Spring 24. éS similarly aren’t introducing anything new, however as Michael said: “There’s plenty of mainstay tech features across the line to love, including ‘Energy Foam’ insoles and midsoles, ‘Thermothane’ welded panels and underlays, and even the return of the ‘System O2 airbag’ on the Creager.
Sustainability
An added bonus of the advances in technology also makes an impact on the sustainability of shoe production, and this is an ever more pressing matter. Minimal waste is a key factor, and Lukas from Hours Is Yours is aware of this, saying: “We like to be cognisant of who we work with for production to ensure there is little waste throughout the process.” Brian from Osiris said “sustainability is always a concern and we do our best to use sustainable materials when possible.”
Etnies have always had a passion for trying to stay conscious with production and they will continue their current ECO line that uses non-leather materials. “Even our packaging uses natural cardboard, less ink and no glue,” Rick from Etnies announced proudly. New Balance Numeric are also constantly striving to apply new sustainable tech to their shoes, however they also want to build shoes that will last. Nick from NB Numeric said simply: “By building shoes that last longer, our consumers are sending skated shoes off to the landfill less often which also contributes to sustainability, from an end-of-life standpoint.”
Summary
It’s shaping up to be an interesting season, with perhaps some stormy waters to navigate. Hopefully having already survived the issues brought on by COVID19, your favourite skate footwear brands can stay afloat through this fluctuation in the market. We’ll wrap up this FW24 Retail buyers Guide with some things to watch out for next season in the highlights below.
Brand Previews
