Supra Douglas Boot in Brown FG Waterproof

SUNDAYS ROAD TRIP from Matt Villaverde on Vimeo.

These should be the cd's of the week, every week.

Leather insole with gold lettering and Donger insignia.

The eS Kellen James pro model that we'll never have.

Whether you saw it or not, weeks ago on our section of the Berrics, we asked the world of young talented skaters to send submissions of their skating for a chance to be apart of our next video shoe review. We got a great amount of submissions from every corner of the world. From Sweden to Florida, we were flattered by peoples response. Thank you to everyone that took the time to submit their videos.

All the submissions were good but I was looking for something truly unique. After watching all the videos, I was about ready to pick my next reviewer. Before doing so I was yelled at by my wife to check my spam mail. At the risk of getting beat for being insubordinate, I checked my spam mail. Sure enough woman's intuition continues to slow down the male species and in my spam mail is where I found my next reviewer. I'm not sure what kind of luck or what kind of fucked up smut porn addict you need be in order to qualify as a spammer but this is where I found my next candidate for our Ripped Laces video shoe review. By no means is John Dilorenzo a pervert or some sicko on the internet but he certainly has some crazy kind of luck in order to end up in the spam section of my emails. After reading his simple yet informative introduction of telling me his shoe size and where I could find his video link, this is what I saw.



After being amazed by his talent, I contacted John right away to tell him the good news. I found it remarkably surprising to have stumbled upon a grateful, young up and comer with all the enthusiasm in the world. He came off much like the white Theotis Beasley. All of his emails and responses ended with "thank you so much" and some use of the word "appreciate" thrown in anywhere appropriate. All and all, he's getting a box. DC properly hooked him up with a pair of the Fix S X Berrics collaborative shoe in order to showcase his talent on the Berrics in the near future.


At the end of the day, the point of the "Brotha from another Motha" section is to expose and appreciate the skaters that never see the light of day. While speaking to John over the phone, I noticed that he doesn't follow the pack but is a natural born leader. He hasn't yet conformed to the crazed Dickies look or the popularity of shitty rap in skateboarding. He's his own person and it shows through his appearance, attitude and more so, his skating. I can't do much for John but give him a chance to have his video up on the largest skateboarding site to date but hopefully that's all he'll need to make it one day.



Thanks to John Dilorenzo for being him and keep an eye out for his much anticipated "Florida Daze" part. It's a film by Mikey Glover that has been in production for over 2 years. It features hungry rippers based out of South Florida. The line up includes Mikey Glover, Derick Glancy, Evan Hamel, Mike Magalhaes, Chris Boylan, Zion Wright, George Hodgkin, Drew Usiadek, and John Dilorenzo. If you want to see more about the video check out their Facebook fan page.    

Keep a look out for the scheduled premier on Mikey Glovers personal youtube channel @ http://www.youtube.com/mikeyyg123. The video is being backed and sponsored by 561 Skate Shop, Shred Shed & Citified Skateboards so be sure to support them and check for local updates.

Peace.

From top to bottom, Week 1 to Week 4

We posted the First Glance for the Supra Skytop 3 back in July and I never imagined that this review would be out 3 months later. Ideally, I wanted any review to be done within a 1-2 month period. The truth is, aside from being extremely busy, the Supra Skytop 3 has been one of the most difficult shoes we've reviewed yet. That's definitely not a back handed remark, the shoe just seems to be indestructible.

I won't spoil too much about the shoes performance before getting into the review but because of it's high grade of durability, I questioned myself on whether to extend the review any further than I had originally planned. The Supra Skytop 3 is a great example of the time, devotion and technology you should be expecting from your fellow skate brands. While taking a step forward in design and support, I feel like we, as an industry are stepping back in time where we test the standards and instead of sticking with what is safe and profitable, we go with whats risky and original. That, in my opinion, is truth essence of skateboarding. Let's get into the review.

The review was done using our month long format and the shoe was skated for a total of 20 hours. Check below after each section to view the grading system. We base our ratings from 1-10. 10 being the best and 1 being the absolute worst. Enjoy.

Probably the nicest guy in skateboarding today, on and off the board, Ronnie Creager has blessed us with some product from his new brand, Etcetera. During the month of October, we'll be taking a closer look into Etcetera products which include two types of strongly constructed insoles and an ankle stabilizer for those of you with fucked ankles. I have no doubt in my mind that Etcetera will exceed our expectations much like their founder. If these products are as good as Ronnie, we'll be seeing them for a long time. Look out for the review to drop soon and check out the Etcetera Project online for more details.

Shout out to Bobby Spero for suggesting we review Etcetera products. Thanks Bobby! Bother him on Twitter!

Not to long ago I was lurking on our Ripped Laces FB, just dicking around not doing much. Occasionally I post, answer any shoe related questions you might have and chat with you about a shoe you're interested in. I may not know everything but I do pride myself in being able to help you guys out and field some questions. As I was just chilin on Facebook, I get a chat notification. It was from a dedicated reader and skater, Dave Van Housen.

Dave hit me up on Facebook chat and wanted to know if I had any suggestions on Vegan skate shoes. We went back and forth trying to figure out what canvas skate shoes could last the test of time and not rape your wallet in the process. I, myself, use to be Vegan for 5 years so I know this situation too well.

Since the mid 90's, vegan friendly shoes haven't been as easy to obtain without putting a tremendous hole in your wallet and shoes. Most vegan friendly shoes (when I say "most" I mean Ed Templeton and Geoff Rowley models) use to be indestructible and better than performance suede. They would always have a nice, thick rubber toe piece kinda like the Emerica Templeton 4. Since those days are over, I dug deeply into my skate nerdery of a brain and looked online to help Dave find a solution to his problem. In the end, I told him that a CONS CTS in canvas should do the trick. It has a solid rubber toe cap to manage his kickflip problems and has a strong layered toe box to handle some abuse. In helping Dave, I also came to a conclusion myself. I must review a canvas skate shoe.

Originally, this review started because Timothy Olson of Roger skateboards asked me if I'd like to do an Adidas review. I was all like "Fuck yeah, brah!" and he was all like "Oh-kay…..brah" and the rest is history. Weeks later, I received a package from Adidas to find the Ronan and the Adi-Ease. Obviously, I wanted to skate the Ronan and feature them in our reviews but after remembering my conversation with Dave, I knew that skating the Adi-Ease would make for an interesting and insightful article. It all lined up incredibly well so here is your Adidas Adi-Ease shoe review.

The review was done using our month long format and the shoe was skated for a total of 20 hours. Check below after each section to view the grading system. We base our ratings from 1-10. 10 being the best and 1 being the absolute worst. Enjoy.

As you might've read or completely ignored, we suggested not to skate The Edgar out of the box and to give it a 1-2 day breaking in period. Now, because we're completely impatient and have no sense of direction, we went ahead and skated the Edgar right out of the box. The Edgar is so tempting that we caved and tested it out for 4 hours to let you know what potential battle you'd be facing. Here are some of the our conclusions.

The Edgar can be skated out the box but you'll have a difficult time. We strictly did it because we're insanely impatient and wanted to test them out asap. As stated before, it's a stiff shoe and despite it's wide appearance, it feels somewhat narrow. This is all attributed to the hidden rubber toe cap that lays beneath the suede. It's added layer is ultimately what makes the shoe in itself stiff. For those with larger and wider feet, I'd suggest to carefully decide whether you want The Edgar that bad. For myself personally, speaking from a wider foot point of view, I can say that the pain is worth it. During the 1st and 2nd hour of skating, you'll feel slight discomfort on the sides of your foot. It isn't overwhelming enough to add any blistering to your foot or toes but nevertheless it's something that cannot go unnoticed. During the 3rd and 4th hour of skating the shoe, I felt it loosening up a bit and making my skating a little easier. It's one of those shoes that pay off in the long run after dealing with some minor setbacks. The hidden rubber toe cap is a bitch at first but overall adds to the durability and takes an extreme amount of damage like nothing. Skating them out the box felt uncomfortable but was awesome in retrospect. The height and placement of the toe cap is in perfect position to do any flip trick with ease. Normally, with a shoe like this, you wouldn't even attempt any flip tricks on the first day because you'd end up annoyed and flustered. But again, we went against the grain and broke the rules to see how far our boundaries stretched. I did try some flip tricks at the very beginning of skating The Edgar and I'd say about 75% to 80% of them were successful. Now, I'm no Cory Kennedy but because of the positioning of the toe cap and it's height, with a simple flick of the ankle, all flips tricks seemed plausible.

We're going to continue to face the Edgar and give you a full month review in the future. Look out for it and see how well we really did against The eS Edgar.
Peace.

A staple in any house hold kitchen

Before every review, we place careful consideration into effect so that each review is as appealing as the next. The shoe & brand should represent a quality that we would love to recognize, a unique design and offer some form of new technology during the process.

When we reviewed the eS First Blood awhile back, we threw all those thoughts to the side. They were still our guidelines but we strictly just wanted to skate the fuck out of that shoes. It was the best and most organic way to skate them. Normally, after reviewing more than a dozen of shoes, reviews can potentially become more of a "job" than actually skating. Sure, you get to skate free shoes but you have to make sure you're on top of how many hours have gone by, record the data and then publish it before you get blacked out wasted. On top of this, schedule each review carefully to make sure everyone of them remain relevant. This can all be very tedious and at times annoying. You're starting to see what I'm talking about, right? But I'll save my bitching for a later time and wipe my pussy now so we can continue on with this post.

Luckily, every so often their is a shoe that I would actually love to skate, even if I had to pay for them. This was the feeling I got when we were approached to review the eS Edgar. It's a shoe that brought back all these feelings of nostalgia from the First Blood review. Sure, it wasn't long ago but it did in a sense reminded me why I started doing these reviews. When we first started out, we paid for every single shoe out of pocket up until the C1RCA Gallant review. Since then, shoes have been piling up and everything has been getting crazy. Regardless of that fact, we still push on to let you know what shoes are durable and worth your hard earned money.

This post is titled "Ripped Laces v.s. The Edgar." Why? I don't know, it sounds cool but also, it's about showing the initial test we put it through and our "breaking in process."

1st Test of The Edgar

In order to make this article work, we had to get into the "Bobby Worrest" state of mind. Which leads us to our first two photos. Before doing that, we had to figure out the blueprint of the shoe to make sure it could clench our ice cold beverages.

2nd Test

At first, we tested it with an Australian beer to see if it could hold it's extra large bee-ear. We then moved onto a Heineken. This was possibly the best review I've ever done.

Our Blueprint

Our testing isn't at all complete. This was just sort of a cock tease of whats to come. Check back in tomorrow to see the first day of skating The Edgar.

You should all have my head for not putting this review out sooner. The fact of the matter is that I've been looking forward to filming a review rather than convincing you with my words. I've come to the point where I feel like I'm hypnotizing readers instead of actually showing them how good some products really are. Unfortunately, the realities of life get in the way and in between scheduling dates and losing footage, the video review just couldn't get done. We made a valiant effort but it's all gravy…or wavy…Whatever. Anyways, back to the review.

I've had these King Foam insoles for about a month now and they're worth every dollar. They haven't gone thru any specific or major changes, such as flattening, deterioration or tearing. They've also been in and out of different model shoes in order to see how well they perform in different silhouettes. From cupsoles to vulcanized shoes, the King Foam insoles best quality is the ability to adapt.

Some information or advice towards using King Foam insoles are the following…Please note that I do not work for Footprint so you're taking advice from some fucker behind a keyboard who may be abusing his power….Just kidding.

As stated, these insoles should be used to increase comfort and support for those shoes that make your feet ache after a full day of standing or skating. I have a flat foot and I could tell you that they lowered the pains in my ankle from standing substantially but don't necessarily increase arch support. When Alex Figueroa first skated the C1RCA Widows, we went filming and he attempted a 50-50 to a large 6-foot drop. After several tries, he refused to skate it anymore after feeling some unwanted heel bruises coming together. Alex then skated the Widows with the King Foam insoles and felt a massive difference. Even though King Foam insoles thoroughly adapt to any model shoe, I'd say that they would work best with most vulcanized shoes rather than cupsoles. Traditional cupsole models always feature a patented formula for added protection instead of maximizing boardfeel, which explains the demise of its popularity since the 90's. The vulcanized shoe of today depends on a solid insole in order to subject your feet and lower back through the pain you put it through. Let's be honest, their isn't a better feeling in this world then boardfeel, but I can actually think of one better…..being able to walk when I'm 65. I'd honestly recommend, if they fit correctly, to put the King Foam insole underneath those paper thin stock insoles you're given when slipping on new shoes.



Since the demise of eS, I've paid homage to the late and great company by skating in Accels. These aren't the OG ones, they're the reissue series from last year with the Ortholite insoles and heel counter shank around the heel of the insole. No doubt that the stock insole is great but after skating a number of days in a row, my feet did started to feel sore. These King Foam insoles have the same depth in height as the stock insoles, but what sets them apart are their clean non-perforated bottoms.

Some insoles already come micro-perforated in order to add breathability and decrease the possibility of fungus build up in your foot. Unfortunately, these micro-perforated insoles do potentially lead to wear and the loss of buoyancy in the insole. The King Foam insoles do not have any openings or holes in them which may lead to flattening, ripping or loss of comfort. Another honorable mention is the weight to the insole. They don't have a remarkable amount of depth to them but supply enough cushioning if you plan to use the King Foam insole alone. This practically opens up endless possibilities to how you'd like to use King Foam insoles. Layered or Alone, the insoles perform remarkably.

As stated before, at $15.99, King Foam insoles are a must. Even if you don't intend on using them all the time, I'd suggest having them as a solid back up plan when it comes to skating large sets and/or drops.

Thanks to Jason at Footprint for getting this review together and expect more from FP in the near future. I hear they've got some crazy things in the works.

Ripped Laces success hasn't grown over night. It's taken hard work and dedication. We've been recognized for so much of our hard work that we're proud to say that Jerry Hsu himself has approached us to introduce his First Glance. The Hsu 2 Fusion from Emerica is next up in our list of reviews. We asked him to provide a few words on his new shoe and here's what he had to say... (photo below)


The Hsu 2 Fusion is the next shoe to be featured using our video reviews but more importantly it's the 2nd Asian shoe review we're doing this month. The first one is the Converse KA-ONE and we spoke on whether Kenny Anderson holds the key to eternal youth. Their is still no confirmation on this but hold tight, we'll get you your answers. Now, we're moving onto the Jerry Hsu 2 Fusion from Emerica. It's entirely the opposite of Kenny's shoe. Jerry reintroduces us to his mid-loving ways and adds a few bells and whistles to this shoe. It has an in-sown toe cap, which hids the stitching from any unwanted blow outs and has a very comfortable and refreshing silhouette. I'm extremely happy to say that this latest mid-top doesn't look like a halfcab so thank God for that. Oh, I almost forgot, here's the english version of what Jerry had to say about his shoe.


The review should be out by the end of the month with a full video behind it. Oh and btw, we're looking to get this shit hole off blogger and make it legit. Any graphic designer out their wanna make some mula....? Hit us up at RippedLaces@gmail.com

Peace.

        So as in the post below, I told you that September was going to be crazy. Normally, if you've been checking on Ripped Laces, you've notice that we've been know to give out a sneak peek of our up and coming reviews. This just goes to show that you never know when some exclusive review will be coming through the door. The Prod 5 review just sort of fell on our lap. Originally, we were going to have 2nd Nature skate shop owner and man of newly found Quartersnacks fame, Doug Brown aka "Pretty White Boy Number 1" do the review but seeing as how he's a busy man, we went with the only back up plan possible, Chris Pierre-Jacques aka Lil Chris.

Despite his short time on earth, Chris has earned his reputation as the local ATS (All Terrain Skater). He's been killing everything in his path for as long as I've known what woman want, meaning forever. I'd like to think that Chris came out of the womb flicking his foot so it must've been a natural transition from the chooch to the board. Now, because this isn't our traditional review where myself and the reviewer receive a pair of shoes, their is only so much I can say about the shoe seeing as how I actually didn't get a pair. Normally, companies send us shoes for review but thankfully Chris took the initiative and supported his local skate shop.

Screen shot of Chris Pierre-Jacques doing our latest video shoe review.

I'm looking to hit you over the head with so many updates this September. We've got the following reviews coming out this month:

• King Foam insoles in-depth written and video review.
• Adidas Adi-Ease review and how canvas is going to be the next trend.
• Supra Skytop 3 shoe review and why you should spend your parents money on it.
• Converse Ka-One video and written review.

At the very top is a photo of 2nd Nature Family and 5boro flow rider Chris Pierre-Jacques ripping up the next video review we're hosting. Any guesses? The video is going to be up this week. Keep posted. On another note, check this out. It's the greatest thing I've ever recorded, totally topping the first steps of my unborn child, without a doubt.



For the full collaborated video, check out Jenkem Mag's article

Peace!

These are the "House of Marley" brand headphones. It's a new brand coming on to the market started by the Marley's to tap into the ever-growing headphone market. They sent me these headphones to do a review on there quality and sound but truthfully I'm no professional in that field. I mostly deal with letting you guys know what shoes suck and what will last you for your buck. So, because I cannot test these, let alone keep them, what should I do with them? Originally I was going to give them away in a contest format. The format was going to consist of contestants smoking a lot of fucking weed and then doing the best tricks possible on video. Maybe even to the sounds of the late/great Bob Marley. Unfortunately, I have to ship these headphones back to the "House of Marley" making this only an idea fading away into existence.


So now, I'm temporarily stuck with these headphones, that I can't keep or give away, but I must review them. Here's my review:

This type of "House of Marley" headphones are a high-tech in-ear design for deep bass and sound proof performance for maximizing the listening experience. When I wore them to skate, I couldn't hear shit but the music and the vibrations from my rolling wheels on the crusty ground. There is additional information on their site but they fail to show you how the headphones come after purchasing. The HOM headphones come equipped with a eco-friendly sack for storing your headphones for all occasions. More importantly, I tested how much weed the sack could hold. This Rasta inspired, eco-friendly sack can contain a quarter ounce of that good sticky icky, which translates to about 7 grams. Perfect for a stylish weed storing system.

For additional info, check out www.thehouseofmarley.com

Hurricane Irene has passed. Thankfully, the hype of the hurricane didn't actually fulfill it's full potential. Unfortunately, during these times there have been some reported injuries and deaths. We hope that everyone's family, friends and loved ones are safe.

Ripped Laces Hurricane Survival Kit:

California, Why are Arizona's more than a $1 in your state?

 Since our eS appreciation post from 2 weeks ago, a lot has happened.
I've gotten a great amount of emails from you, the reader, telling me your thoughts on the latest skateboarding tragedy. Scuba Steve has created a blog to commemorate the memory of eS skateboarding and last but not least, eS has been announced in Thrasher's KOTR 2011. Granted, this is all great news but will any of it be enough to bring back the brand we love? If eS is actually in KOTR and win, will we be seeing eS making it's monumental comeback or prolonging it's inevitable fall?

The Ka-One hasn't been out for too long but the man behind the shoe has. Kenny Anderson has probably been skating for two decades now; so what makes him your favorite skaters' favorite skater? Could it be his effortless style that makes his skating so timeless? Or is he himself timeless? Does he posses the key to eternal youth? Kenny is Asian and they've been known to be sworn to secrecy when it comes to their ancient medicines and herbs. An abundance of clues suggest that this rumor may be true; one of them being his long, silky and voluptuous head of hair. Could his shampoo and conditioning styles be as smooth as his skating?

These questions have lead to me dig further and further in search of an answer. So what do I need? I need an Asian skateboarder to skate these shoes and make them look as good as Kenny does.

I only have 1 Asian friend and he's already doing another shoe review for me so thats out of the question. I'll have to improvise. Whats the closest thing to an Asian? I don't know but I do have a good friend who pisses me off on a daily basis simply because he skates as effortless as Kenny. He's Italian though...

It's common for Italians to be sworn to secrecy, we're getting warmer... And although he doesn't study herbs and medicine, he's been known to smoke a whole lot of it so I think this might be my best bet to getting closer to finding out if Kenny Anderson is truly ageless....The review should be out in two weeks.

Ripped Laces Shoe Reviews: The Widow with Alex Figueroa from Ripped Laces Video on Vimeo.

Its the 2nd time that C1RCA has been featured on Ripped Laces and we've got nothing but love for them. They've been backing us since the beginning and that why it's even more of a pleasure to have them be a part of our first video review. This video review is something I've been yearning to do since we first launched and I've been lucky enough to be surrounded by good people who happen to be amazing skaters. My tester, Alex Figueroa, is an OG from the 2nd Nature clan and has been skating like it's his last day on earth since I've met him. He skates fast, eats shit and loves it all.

Testing info:
Alex skated this shoe for approximately 2-3 weeks using our "1 hour-a-day/5-day work week" data system. Assuming that everyone has a job/life and sometimes can only find 1 hour per day to skate, we've compiled the tests to simulate around your work week. Alex went far and beyond our expectations and skated the Widow for 2 hour sessions each day, for 5 days a week. The shoes in the video review are the result of skating for over 20-30 hours/2-3 week test.

C1RCA Widow details:

• Vulcanized skate shoe
• One-piece toe cap with a reinforced ollie toe box for extended durability
• High-grade abrasion suede
• Fusion Grip outsole
• Dura-Lock insole for extra protection featuring a shank heel insert.

Sizing and Style:
The C1RCA Widow by Peter Ramondetta is a true to size skate shoe, so you'll have no trouble picking these out from your local skate shop or conveniently getting them online. The style of the shoe itself is very traditional but, with a twist for more originality. With each C1RCA Widow, you can expect intricate colorways and some new looks that need introducing. The model that Fig' skated in the video is the Black/White Hackey colorway, it seems limited because I haven't been able to find it anywhere online so make sure if you see them to scoop em' quick. The industry has been running with color trends that have been getting a bit old recently so I'm really glad to see these "Drug Rug" Widows.


Sizing grading: True to size
Style grading: 10, It's the simple black and white skate shoe that we all want, with some drug rug detail.



Comfort, Cushion and Support:
As I'll probably say over and over again in this review, the Widow is a simple, put on and go skate shoe. The comfort is that of a slip on, but with light padding and thick suede so you won't have that exposed and scared feeling when the board may comeback to hit your feet after your kickflip has betrayed you. It's simplicity is something that I plan on highlighting because very few shoes can come in such a straight forward package and deliver top performance. Normally, when you compare a shoes feel to that of a slip-on, it can be taken somewhat back-handed, not with these. I mention the fact that they have a slight resemblance to a slip-on to mention it's accommodating insole. This Dura-Lock insole will provide the protection you need throughout the heel and will get slimmer towards your toes. Dura-Lock insoles are on the slim side but offer some advantages as far as arch support and heel support. The heel area is surrounded with a hard plastic, aka "shank", to keep the heel of your insole in place for higher grades of protection from heel bruises and blistering.

Shoe padding grading: 7
Insole grading: 7

Boardfeel and Grip:
This section of the review is going to be easy to explain because as we mentioned before, Fusion Grip has been tested before and impressed us thoroughly. The Widows were skated right out of the box, meaning the boardfeel was their from start to finish, no question about it. The Fusion Grip will obviously stand the test of time and it's durability rates as one of our highest. It's herringbone tread continues to complement the shoes simplicity and classic design.


Boardfeel grading: 10
Grip grading: 10



Durability:
If you check out the video, you'll be just as impressed as I am about the Widows durability. Fig' skated on and off camera for approximately 20-30 hours combined and the shoe was still in one piece. It's durability is credited to it's high abrasion suede throughout the shoe and it's one-piece toe cap. The reinforce ollie patch/toe box is just an added bonus, along with the perforated holes in the toe cap, when slipping on the Widows.

Suede grading: 10
Fusion Grip grading: 9

Summary:
Most of the time, I'm just as worried about a shoes performance before putting it through testing. Vulcanized shoes can only last so long nowadays, which would explain the high pattern in performance cup soles showing up more often. If you're going to continue to want to skate a vulcanized shoe and are looking for the suede and outsole to die out together and not one before the other, I'd recommend the C1RCA Widows. It's a self-explanatory shoe with no gimmicks or bullshit. When you try them on, you'll know if they're for you or not. I'm more than confident to say that they'd last another 2-3 weeks.

Special thanks to Alex Figueroa for skating and testing the Widows for us, Whatdup Fig-adonna!? His interview is coming later in the week. And a major shout out to Mario and Holli over at C1RCA for supporting our testing.

Thanks guys.

eS appreciation

I think that the overall concept of another skater moving from team to team or a board company dying out is a little more easy to swallow than a deeply rooted shoe company fading out of existence. When it comes down to it, the end of eS comes off more like a end of an era. The era when skateboarding was much more simple, tricks weren't as complicated and style was more appreciated and valued.

I've been paying attention to skateboarding for the larger half of my life. It's literally consumed every living part of me, as I'm sure it has you. Skateboarding isn't like your fathers beloved football, baseball or any other sport you can think of. Regardless of the "leagues" and "tours" competitions sprouting from skateboardings growing popularity, skateboarding will always continue to be something original, organic and unique. I say this with the intentions of paying tribute to one of the premier skateboarding brands in the business, eS footwear. Their mission was clear since the beginning of their existence, to provide comfortable, durable and the best footwear by skateboarders, for skateboarders. Obviously staying true has it's downfalls, as seen in the Epicly Laterd Oyola series, but it is to be respected and admired. eS sacrificed fashion popularity for durable designs and continued to stay true to their skateboarding roots to the last days of their demise. Nowadays, skateboarding is probably, in my opinion, one of the most popular activities to date; it has the similar appeal and boom as the hula-hoop had back in the 50's. I can only hope that, following in the hula-hoops foot steps, that skateboarding popularity eventually dies. As stated in many people opinions, not just mine, skateboarding must fade out in order to bring back order to it's original roots. After all, skateboarding is just so saturated nowadays. I know that some of you may completely disagree with what I'm saying but for those of you who don't know, eS was solely skater owed and operated unlike some companies today. This only allows the company to do so much as a small brand without bringing in outside investors, such as Adio did when they were taken over. Adio footwear, after dealing with financial hard times, eventually caved and brought in a bottled water entrepreneur to help stay afloat during their troubled times. Obviously, that didn't help so much after the company's betrayal of their dedicated team. In the end these investors want to cut out those unmarketable skaters, looking to be out of the lime light, to save a buck. So in the end, should we be mad at outside investors, who have never even stepped on a skateboard or do we embrace them in hopes that they'll keep our beloved and troubled companies alive? I don't know, I clearly only know so much of what goes on behind closed doors of "corporate" skateboarding.

The 1st pair of shoes I ever bought my girlfriend were Koston 7's.

What I do know is this…Rather than pouting and being upset at the end of eS, we should all take this as a lesson to never forget the brands that molded skateboarding into what it is today. With each dollar you have a vote, all I'm saying is be conscious of what you're supporting and always remember to give back to skateboarding as much as it's given you.

Thank you to everyone that ever contributed to eS.
For additional information concerning the eS hiatus click here.

Also, My good friend Bobby Spero of Vu and Durkl sent me some photos of his beloved eS shoes (above).

Feel free to send your pictures to RippedLaces@gmail.com and I'll be sure to put all of your photos in one of our next posts.
Peace.

This brand, let alone the shoe, needs no introduction at all. What you're checking out here is the Vans Half-Cab reissue series.

I think I just gave it an introduction....Nevertheless, what you're looking at here is straight skateboarding nostalgic porn for any OG out their reminiscing of them "good ol' days". If you look closely, it's a collaboration with past Thrasher magazine covers from skateboardings' greats. I've heard that the boxes themselves are going to have those classic Thrasher magazines covers printed on top of the box, matching the shoes inside. Their isn't much else to say but a generic "get em fast!" which you probably should. Expect these beauties out Spring 2012.

                   Agenda California is all done and I had an amazing time. I'm definitely not accustomed to the smooth ground and I was seriously addicted to those red curbs. Thanks to everyone that may my stay incredible.

Fallen has yet to be featured on Ripped Laces so I'm hyped as a pig in shit. Their are a ton of new pro models, which I'm really excited about because Fallen seems to be at the forefront of supporting their team riders with signature colorways and pro models. Check out the new releases from Tom Asta, Billy Marks, James Hardy, Slash and some fucking awesome collaborations. Fallen also seems to be introducing some new and soon to be common technology with FLX. FLX or Flexology footwear construction uses a lightweight eva midsole and provides the heel protection of a cupsole designed shoe with the similar boardfeel and break-in timing of a vulcanized shoe. Be on the look out for models featuring FLX.

Fallen X Lowcard Collaboration, Forte SP 12

I've heard nothing but great things about the Forte but have yet to skate them. I've heard it's performance has continued to gain praise with the Forte mid. Honestly, the mid isn't at all that high but is strategically put together to give you the protection where you need it without the bulky or sometimes uncomfortable, and overwhelming feeling of a mid.

Fallen Forte Mid, SP 12

Spring 2012 looks promising with the release of James Hardy's pro shoe, the "Rambler". Their has been some debate as to whether it's too soon but if you've seen his Real part then you know that he deserves every bit of it. The Rambler features FLX techonolgy and is reinforced with a heavy-duty suede throughout to expand the shoes life span. James Hardy did it right by also reinforcing the ollie area in the Rambler, so expect to be wearing these for a while.

James Hardy "Rambler", SP 12

Slash delivers another potential classic. Slash's 2nd signature shoe from Fallen is appropriately dubbed "The Easy". His new shoe is as simple as can be and is a "put on and go skate" kinda shoe. It looks great for dressing up or dressing down and theirs probably little to no break in period.

Slash pro model 'The Easy", SP 12

 The "Vice" is the latest signature shoe from Billy Marks and Fallen footwear. It's another simple skate shoe that you can throw on and enjoy anywhere, from the skate park to the casino. The Vice has a traditional one piece toe cap and comes with custom Toy Machine art work on the insole to give you that extra sect power you'll need to make your next trick. It features heavy-duty suede, just like most models on Fallen and has a vulcanized sole for your instant skating needs.

Billy Marks signature model "Vice", SP 12

The Bomber is a team signature model that I couldn't ignore. The colorways alone make this shoe extremely appealing and it's traditional silhouette is a classic in the skateboard world. The Jack Curtin model in particular looks amazing and was my personal favorite out of the four colorways. 

The Bomber, Jack Curtin colorway, SP 12

 If Tom Asta wasn't popular enough, his 2nd signature shoe from Fallen Footwear was at Agenda Huntington Beach. His 2nd shoe is named the "Seventy Six" and is the most technically advanced shoe in the Fallen line. The Seventy Six comes with FLX technology, a slim low-profile cupsole design and features heavy-duty suede throughout the upper. It also comes with a premium high impact performance insole for extra protection and has a 400 NBS outsole to increase grip and durability against abrasion from griptape and the dirty streets of your city. The Seventy Six is the perfect combination a high tech 90's shoe without all the exra straps, air bubbles and weight.

The "Seventy Six" by Tom Asta, Sp 12

That wraps up our Fallen Sneak Peek but come by tomorrow, I'll have another one already lined up for ya. Sorry for the late posts but you'll understand eventually. I've been working on a huge project! Nuff Said...

Peace...