Monday, August 15, 2011

R.I.P. eS footwear

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.

16 comments:

  1. Randomly came across your site, I like the well written article about this topic. My buddy actually works for Sole Tech, and I think they'd be proud of what you wrote up about the hopefully temporary demise of one of their offerings.

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  2. Thank, comments like yours are why I do this. Please spread this post around and educated skaters about this topic.

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  3. Dude....this is shocking. Hopefully they'll resurrect the company at some point because they made some damn fine shoes. Thanks for the notice.

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  4. When I started skating I got a pair of eS's at my local skate shop and they were the most comfortable shoes I have ever skated in, I skated over 10 pairs of eS's, it's disappointing to see a company go down like this.

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  5. I had six pairs; 4 were the black ones. Skate well, last long, and you get to feel like pj. Cant believe eS is done.

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  6. Wow ! what an interesting blog with nice pictures.Thanks for sharing this information.Your information is really
    informative for us.
    Nice blog on Skate Boarding .
    Keep sharing more & more..

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  7. Accels were one of the few wider skate shoes. I just bought Escosses and they feel liKe pointy prince shoes. KSL Dos was like that too (but Emerica). Herman 2's felt good. I thought the Ecosses would be like that. Still breaking them in. But I hope they feel better soon. I still use ripped up Accels from years back.

    I have a few flipped out pairs. Will send pics in the future. I really like the Accel. No foot cramps. No pins. No needs. Just good protection and nice boardfeel.

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  8. No needs ... Meant no needles. As in "pins and needles".

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  9. I had no idea the company ended, I'll cherish and preserve my beautiful Bobby worrest Es shoes. They were very comfortable, stylish, and lasted a long time. I'm now using supra cubans

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  10. Koston's first shoe model was the best!

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  11. How tragic!!! this is a sin!!! Es certainly was my favorite brand of all time. I remember my es scheme shoes which lasted for a year and a quarter (i kid you not) back when i was practicing for a year how to ollie and kickflip. Those were the best shoes ever. yeah i 've had some bad es's too. But Es is a respected icon of skateboarding and the legacy it leaves is a lesson to all. skater owned, skater loyal, and not no sell-out Nike sb's or whatever lame cookie cutter crap. prioritizing quality over quantity (fashion) just shows their loyalty to REAL skaters!!

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  13. I still can't believe this. I read somewhere that owner of Es chose to scrap it because it was not doing too well in business. Personally I believe its a bad choice on his behalf to completely stop business. Es was truly a poineer of a unique approach to skateboarding as was DC or Fallen for example.

    It's a pitty and I really do still see loads of potential in a company such as ES. I hope it recovers.

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  14. i always felt es made the shoes to be skated in. it wasnt style the accel was the best shoe ever. ive owned at least ten pairs and i can stack the shoe boxes to the ceiling. it should been osiris with those wack colorful high tops

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  15. I have to be honest, it's a shame that es are dead, but they were the worst quality skate shoes I ever owned. I had two pairs in a row start falling apart before I even got to skate in them. It's strange too, because I've been using Emericas for years, and they're amazing quality, despite being owned by the same company.

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  16. I have not cried so hard since the crocodile hunter died......R.I.P. ES

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