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...

             Agenda NYC is all done and I'm glad to say, as I write this I'm on a plane to shitty California. Just kidding, the truth of the matter is that I've never been and am super excited to see what Agenda Huntington Beach has to offer. I'm gonna try and cover all corners of that place and get as much coverage as possible but hopefully drunken whores and other funny distractions won't get in the way.

What you're looking at now is the Emerica Sneak Peek from Agenda NYC. There weren't a whole lot of new models out this year but their were definitely some pleasing colourways of some of your favorite models.

As stated before, Emerica has such a great line up of shoes; they've been able to take a break from designing and have had the time to concentrate on putting out some unique and not shitty colourways. A new model in particular, that I knew I had to cover, were the Hsu 2's. I think Emerica's fucking brilliant, instead of having consumers wait, the Hsu 2 comes in a mid and low model to please the masses. They both release Spring 12' so if you're not a "mid kinda guy" or you need that extra ankle protection then I'd suggest trying the Hsu 2's.



The Westgate is obviously one of my favorites and it comes back this season with some interesting colourways. We can be honest, right? What the fuck was whoever thinking when they designed that middle colourway!? Whatever, it's all good. I'll let this one slide, but overall I'm feeling the gun metal and cranberry/black colourway. Spring 2012 is when these shoes drop.



What most people don't know is that the G-Code is the premier shoe that inspired me to start Ripped Laces, it's a long sotry so I'll save it for another time but since skating the G-codes, I've had a yearning to get another pair on my feet for personal use. Theses new colourways do not disappoint and I absolutely dare someone to bitch about this shoe, don't be that asshole.

Sorry for the vague details but I figured if you've been paying enough attention to the site then you'll know the deal with all of these great models. Agenda Huntington Beach is tomorrow and I'm fucking exhausted so I'm going to quit typing now so I can save my energy for tomorrow to keep you little bastards happy.

Thanks.