Oof.
I would love to know if this has any impact on Lakai’s sales. I suspect it barely moves the needle for sales though and will just be something sales people namedrop when they’re trying to get shops to stock Lakai.
I assume they will release a Joslin pro model at some point. Maaaaaaybe that will do something?
Skate shoe game is pretty brutal right now for legacy brands.
To be fair, I did google Lakai shoes after seeing that part, didn’t buy any, I thought they had gone down the tubes
etnies has just had a nightmare 18 months (Or year, visible to public).
I’m actually not involved with etnies at all and haven’t been for 14 months - but its been a bummer to see how much damage is being done.
…Dudes hired in who last 6-8 months because their egos send them entirely the wrong way and eventually when their shit comes to market and they see the reaction, they run.
The triple tongue isn’t awful but it just can’t exist as one big thing. It needs to sit behind a ton fo amazing skate stuff. Which previous short term employees just removed.
Bummer.
Anyhow - some of the stuff going on behind the scenes over the past two months has been super good. I think (hope) that in 18 months, the conversations and reactions are going to be very, very different because I think it’ll feel much more like an etnies people can respect.
Not sure it’s that great for any brand, a lot of stuff seems to end up on sale now from I can see.
I’d like Lakai to do some stuff which is similar to when they were first around. The Howard 1 was pretty nice:
Yeah but who would buy them? They have a completely different audience to market to now. They just have to nail the Joslin shoe. Not that I actually care what happens to Lakai…I’d rather see them sink tbh.
As sad as it sounds….same. Had a few pairs a number of years back and they were decent. The Guy Mariano XLK I really liked (the thin cupsole one, 2012?) and I think the Salford. A Telford I may have skated in too. All decent enough. Manchesters felt too heavy so I gave them away.
Let’s be realistic, Lakai without Rick and Mike is basically the shoe version of Blueprint 2.0.
I just look at the current line up and it all looks pretty boring really, I’ve no idea what design would actually sell now as we’re living in a time when D3’s fly off the shelf.
Yeah what’s with that? I’ve seen more D3s on randoms than I ever saw the first time they came out like 25 years ago.
This is the bit where I thought “theres no way Joslin will get SOTY” purely on that association alone.
MC was a SOTY and (via Daly City) an SF local. So the Thrasher connects run deep with him…and I genuinely thought that was enough to block a Lakai SOTY ever happening.
Mind you, if we work on that standard then every shoe company is probably out.
Best shoe Lakai ever made were those Howards that were a One star rip off.
Shoeprint
Bit sad/disappointed.
Went to skateshop to get some es TJs.
First, they didn’t have my size.
Second, they cost 130euros
Third, I was willing to bite the bullet on the white and red pair out of blind faith and support for my 4eva Soty but seeing them in real life they are not full suede but instead have that shiny plasticey looking white leather panels instead. Unfortunately that sort of detail isnt worth the asking price.
The black/blue/white ones are suade i think. Im tempted, but have enough shoes for the next 3 years.
Same just trying to show love
This isn’t an excuse. Always get more!
Mine turned up this morning. Super comfy out the box and they’re the right balance of a bit padded without being full 90’s space clog.
Rollersnakes have the 298’s for £47, very tempted but don’t have enough baggy trou to wear with them.
Such crazy proportions to those, wish they were the same size as the K2. Pretty sure I’ll try those Swift 2’s though.