How did Airwalk fuck up so badly?
They had the best team, amazing ads (DHS photos etc) and incredible unique shoes.
What the fuck went wrong?
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They were fully the biggest brand at one point weren’t they?
They had a problem with their supplier so missed a season, lost their distro and half the team left.
That’s not enough to kill a brand in the way that Airwalk died though.
It must’ve been bought out by retards who understood nothing and run into the ground.
Their shoes have been on Sports Direct shelves for so long - god knows.
Just think of what kind of shit should’ve come from these silhouettes…
Caveat - I know it probably looks a bit wack now but compare that idea to any other shoe outside classic Vans/Etnies and it had so much potential. Completely unique
Enigma for me.
See above.
They are an amazing looking shoe.
I’d wear them now if I could buy them.
When I was doing research for the last quiz, I was amazed to see how many people Airwalk had sponsored and how many pro shoes they handed out. Found an ad for a Steve Berra pro shoe in an old Thrasher! Found a prototype for a Rune Glifberg pro shoe (possibly done at the same time as Rowley was getting a shoe?). Saw Andy Stone in one of their ads but also mega vert guys like Bucky Lasek. Seemed like a massive operation.
When I started skating, they were the budget brand sold in All Sports with an Andy Mac pro model. So strange. It must have fallen apart in like 2-3 years.
I seem to remember it being something about them blowing out their distribution, not controlling their brand strategy etc, ended up in really shit stores then no one would touch them.
Exactly what happened with Powell etc. The biggest brands got pushed aside by a new movement . A look orchestrated by a few to take over.
i normally don’t get anything interesting from Provost but think he actually brought something different in this tour vid. there was definitely a lot less of him being annoying
the big spin impossible thing was good
Jorge Simoes is next level. the line with the switch frontside flip tail thingy jeeeeez
They adapted sharpish, they made The One then, which was absolutely massive. And it was a great shoe.
Airwalk Jim’s were the end I’d say.
That was 93/94.
Then it just got godawful.
The trouble was they used really cheap sole methods, no midsole.
That was a good interview, his Airwalk shoe was quite nice for the time and I love that they touched on how long he’s been preparing for his golden years!
This is superb:
First song is amazing.
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Simple followed their route, which was too big too soon. Airwalk, VSW and Vans were the standard skate shoe companies when i started in 89, soon followed by Etnies and later Sheep. Airwalk didn’t seem to respond soon enough to skate trends of cutting down high tops or ditching skate shoes altogether for Puma States, Adidas Gazelles, etc., whereas Etnies did with their Low Cut shoe. Then Duffs and DC came out around the same time in 93/94, soon followed by Dukes, and they were all edgy, new and cool brands with the shoes and teams to match. Airwalk just didn’t, Simple went from small 1/4 page ads in Thrasher to sponsoring Ross in Friends and Vans nearly went the same way into irrelevance in skating. I think it looked like they were trying to leave skating behind and appeal more to non-skaters and casual wear, like Vans does these days.
Saying that, it seemed that everybody bar Rowley had left Airwalk by 99/00 and it was a big thing that he was still there by the time he joined Vans, which for me really was the point where Vans turned it around and made themselves interesting again. Looking back then, Vans were on every non-skating, indie music kid feet over here, the Simon Woodstocks and Willy Santos models in particular - probably because of Schuh and Office to be fair.
Random one, Neo wears some sort of Airwalk boots in that famous bullet time scene on the rooftop.
- it’s around 1.10
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This is something I’ve never heard of and can’t find any reference to. Were people literally cutting the logos off their shoes?
Isn’t this part old?
