AIRWALK SHOES: 14 Things You Didn't Know About Airwalk
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- čas přidán 8. 06. 2024
- Here’s 14 Things You Didn’t Know about Airwalk Shoes! Things like when Airwalk shoes come out, the logo, the team, commercials, ads, and even what happened to airwalk shoes. We’ll even answer the questions of if Airwalk shoes even still exist anymore.
It’s crazy to think that Airwalk actually started as a Jazzercise company trying to break into the running and exercise world.
Then, Bill Mann realized that his son, who was skateboarding at the time, was wearing through his shoes really quick. Bill realized that skateboarding was a big and growing market, and he wanted to get in on it: So Airwalk was founded, and they began producing some of the first shoes ever with with lace savers; some of the first Airwalk shoes even kind of looked like Converse shoes!
Bill Mann sits down with Sin Egelja, a skateboard photographer from Australia who was working at the Del Mar skatepark. Sin approaches Tony Hawk with the idea of starting a skateboard shoe brand and putting Tony on the team. Garry Davis, an art director at Transworld, comes up with the name Airwalk as the name for the shoe brand.
In interviews about his shoe sponsors, Tony Hawk talks about skating in Air Jordan 1s early on, getting sneaker deals, and potentially shoe sponsors with brands like Puma at the time, before going with Airwalk. Brands like Vans had an importance in skateboarding history at the time, but there was still lots of room for the brand to expand. Then, in the later 90’s, tony migrated on to Adio, and on from there.
Airwalk in its 1990’s prime had an amazing team: Tony Hawk, Jason lee, Rob dyrdek, Sluugo, Danny way, Geoff Rowley, Andrew Reynolds, Andy Mac, Bucky Lasek, Jesse Paez, Tom Knox, Jason Lee, Eric Koston and Christian Hosoi
In the early to mid 90’s, Airwalk produces some of its most iconic shoes like the Prototype, the One, the JIM, the NTS, and the Enigma.
In 1996, Airwalk comes out with a team video filmed by Jamie Mosburg, who also filmed the video “the end” for Tony’s brand birdhouse skateboards at the time.
It features some iconic team members, like Andrew Reynolds, Andy MacDonald, Bucky Lasek, Geoff Rowley, Steve Berra, Tom Knox (not the trendy UK Tom Knox), and Tony Hawk.
Airwalk was sponsoring all kinds of action sport at the time, and had their hands in vert skateboarding, surfing, bmx, motocross, mountain biking, and even basejumping.
In the 90’s, Airwalk fit into the top 5 for ad budgets and spending at the time.
They spend $30 million in 1995, and then they boost their ad budget to $40 million for 1996, as they expected sales to double in that year. Fighting with big players like Nike and Adidas, Airwalk was dumping money into ads to keep a core-status with youth.
They’ve created some wild commercials, like the bed commercial, the aliens commercial, or even the hardcore show commercial in 1996. This is on top of Airwalk promos that they’ve done with Jason Lee, Tony Hawk, Andrew Reynolds, and Geoff Rowley.
Now available on Payless Shoes, Footlocker, or nearly anywhere on Amazon.com, Airwalk would definetly be one of the cheapest skateboarding shoes on the internet.
After 1996, Airwalk began to slowly prioritize big box retail, and got pushed out of the skateboarding core community by other up and coming brands at the time, like Etnies and DC; quickly fitting into the many other sneaker brands you've forgotten about!
Now, Airwalk is back with the Airwalk classics program, working with Jeff Staple (designer of the Nike Pigeon Dunk) to bring you the same classic line. If you want to rep a 90’s look, go ahead, but we doubt that Airwalk would fit into the best skateboarding shoes in 2020. - Sport
Who remembers Airwalk? Did you ever own a pair? What's you favourite Airwalk model?!
Owned a bunch back in the day. The Foster Bros. BMX signature model was what I rode mostly
I had an Airwalk sticker on my Lance Mountain Future Primitive BONITE board. Someone gave it to me. Was a peace sign.
Ild wear shoes that had Shoe goo or freesole on them when i went to school no one u derstood why
I skated Enigmas, VICs, Ones and my faves.. The black Disaster with blue splatter.
@@jeppefriis7925 The Enigmas were so rad! I would kill for a well made pair of NTS right now though...
I started skating in the 00's, and was in a single parent household. We were poor, so we bought shoes at payless. Of course I got a pair of airwalks. I got made fun of by a bunch of skaters at school because of it. But in my cheap airwalk shoes I outskated all of them at very spot I saw them. Honestly, humbled because of it. Airwalk might not be as cool, but it has a place in my heart for being my first skateboarding shoe.
I remember in the early 00's, my friends would always rag on other skaters for wearing Air Walks. We viewed Air Walks as "Poser" shoes, mainly because they were available at Wal Mart. But in retrospect, my friends were just assholes who judged others by what they could afford. In those days Adio and the D3s were all the rage
@@joenavaira466 If you think about it D3's are the biggest poser shoe of all time. Ironic.
Skate whatever you like...when i became an adult i had to buy my own shit and i bought cheap skate shoes and i also skated world industries shoes and i killed it!...as long as your comfortable in them well screw it
Same here...
That`s so strange...I was a from a very low income family growing up in South Africa and skating in the early 90`s, back then Airwalks were the most expensive skate shoes on the market, along with Vision Street Wear...they were R500.00 a pair back then, that was a quarter of my entire fist months pay check at my first real job in 1995...if you didn`t have Airwalks back then then you weren`t taken seriously as a skater at all...
In the late 80s and early 90s Airwalk was the brand to have. I loved them. Everyone wanted Airwalk.
This was cool to watch. My Dad was actually the original sales manager for Airwalk, and although not a skateboarder myself, I had a ton of Airwalk gear - used to give a lot of it way to my classmates.
That’s rad!
@@ShredzShop I remember, soon after relocating to California (I was 13, in fact I have the exact same DOB as Bill Mann's son who helped inspired the brand, Bill and my father had worked together before), that my Dad, my brother and I went to lunch with Billy Ruff and it was the first time I had ever seen Fish Tacos (almost 35 years ago, don't know why I remember this)
14 things you didn't know about Consolidated. Their history is insane
That could actually be really good. Anything involved with Andy Roy usually has a pretty good story.
FUCKING YES!!!!
I watch your videos from Brisbane Australia. Your content is super interesting cheers keep it coming
Yusss pls!!!
Second
Airwalk has always been one of My Most Favourite Brands in Skateboarding
Nice to see it finally getting some recognition
Yesss! Love Them!
*favorite
And go easy on the capitalization
C'mon dude, brush up on your English before using it in public (:
@@dildojizzbaggins6969 🙄 unnecessary critique.
@@dildojizzbaggins6969I'm British when we use the word Favourite we put a U in it
@@dildojizzbaggins6969 Could be worse, I saw this one person recently who literally put a capital letter on every single word in their comment & it was a whole paragraph of text
Everyone when I was skating in the late 80s early 90s wore Airwalk , greatest boots ever and looked great .
Great video, good job guys! Airwalk was an iconic brand until it wasn't. Whatever it had is gone forever. Sad but true.
Thanks for documenting and preserving the history of skateboarding. great content. Will we see some segments on Canadian Companies, like RDS and Skull Skates?
Stoked you enjoy! We have both those brands on our list! Trying to line up some interviews to get better facts!
in the Brazil of the 90's the Airwalk was a "rich kid" shoe, i remember clearly when we saw one "wow check this out bro that dude are using a Airwalk oh my god" lol
Yeah here in Australia they where the rich kids shoes as well , I usually skated converse hightops with self made Ollie pads on them ,
I skated Airwalk for years back in the late 80's and early 90's. I still remember the Jason Lee Airwalk One's, tan w/ gum rubber soles, were a sick looking pair of skate shoes! Still love the tan and gum colorways of today because of them.
Those were so sick!
Just wanted to say a big Thankyou to you guys... I love these videos, they have really taught me so much about skateboarding... especially the brands we know and love 🤙🏻
Thanks! Hyped you enjoy them!
I still have my mike vallely airwalk shoes in red and black..
When I was growing up Airwalks were amazing. I had a few different pairs. At the time they were the only shoes with great lace-savers, and the sides had rubber to help the sides last. I still have the 1996 Airwalk video on VHS. In the mid- to late 90s they were the best thing out there, in my opinion. This was a great walk down memory lane.
Thanks for sharing! Stoked you enjoyed!
I had like 3 pairs of Airwalk Filo's in the late 90s. they were some durable AF skate shoes with rubber all over, and certain colorways looked kinda dope.
In the mid to late 90s airwalk made some awesome bmx shoes and jeans.
I skated airwalks in the 80s 👍
wanna hear the history of Adio. Kenny Andersons V1 shoe is still one of my all time fav!!!!!!!!!
One step beyond!
Thats the only adio shoe that i liked. I hated the adio models
Same here. I wore them to shreds.
some of those airwalks were amazing for their time.
I owned a pair around 2001 or something. Would buy Airwalk One’s again for sure!
watching from the russian jail's bathroom. thanks for the history lessons guys
Is it true all the toilet water has been converted to pure vodka comrade?
Enjoy the vodka. Salu!
Bring back airwalk is such a nostalgia for me
🔥🔥🔥agreed
Awesome video!!! We are watching from Red Deer ❤ Alberta Fam! Keep killing these videos we love every single one you release!!
That's Rad! I grew up in RD but don't make it back there very often anymore! Gonna try to come back at skate that new park this spring!
Nice of you guys to add some Airwalk history, I grew up with Sin in Australia skateboarding and lived with him in San Diego in 1980`s and 90`s. I also worked for Airwalk in Australia. Sin never worked at Del Mar Skate Ranch but hung there all the time. I came up with the word VIC for the skate shoe, The rise and fall of Airwalk is sad for it could have still been a huge brand. The owner hated skateboarders, Nike offered to by the company in late 90`s but owner refused and a couple of years later Airwalk was sold for almost nothing to some investment firm. Good memory`s.
Thats insane!! Thanks for the comment. 🙏 Sin definitely seems like a character from the interviews and info I read preparing for this. Airwalk is definitely a sad story but an interesting one.
This brand is awesome
and I'm still rocking air walks now
OMG airwalk one! Have those back in junior high.
I’m watching this in a pair of Airwalk One’s, and I own the prototype. BRING THEM BACK!!
Respect!! We would sell them if they decided to do limited stuff for skate shops.
Love your videos. Love the back stories and history. Do if you can the 14 things you didn’t know about H Street.
Good vid as always! Watching from Finland.
Thank you!! 🙌🏻👊🏻
Great video! Thanks for the Airwalk history.
I had a pair of the Airwalk ones back in the day. My best friend had a pair of Airwalk Galaxy 2s that had a thick rubber toe cap that curved around the shoe damn near to the back. Which made them great for ollie's and kickflips and they lasted forever.
fav airwalk was the terodactyl with the lace savers...BRING BACK THE LACE SAVER!!!
Informative. I enjoyed this
I loved my 540 Prototype s in the late 80s and would Love to have them back in the stores again!
Love these vids. Keep it up.
Stoked you enjoy!!
Watching from New Zealand. Owned airwalks back in the day. Thanks for the vids
Keep up the good work , big love from the uk
Had the Airwalk One in the early 90s and they were awesome! Might give them another try
Great video! Thank you for the awesome facts🤘🔥
Glad you enjoyed!!
That was really good. Super-informative. Thank you very much. (I remember having Airwalk Vic Blotch and a bigger one that looked like the Prototypes. I’m looking for a new skate shoe and love the idea of getting a pair of Airwalk One’s.) Watching in England, UK
Thanks Simon! Stoked you enjoyed and got a little nostalgic! I would definitely skate some Airwalk One's or Jim's in 2021!
Than you so much for all these videos!!! I'm old, stopped skating in 89' but bought a board and built a rail during lockdown.
Awesome! Glad you got the spirit back! Also, glad you enjoy our vids!
i don't know about you guys, but i remember airwalk more as a payless shoe brand than a skate shoe brand.
then again, i started skating in 2019.
Yea, they used to be a lot different.
In the 80's they were good 👳 but your right they're useless now . Skate siempre
Late 80s and early 90s, they were great.
I literally still wear the Airwalk JIM Plastic shoes, and love em! :)
Old ones? Or re-issues?
@@ShredzShop I have a bunch of pairs from their original run in the mid 90's - but those aren't really wearable because the plastic will peal right off from walking in them. I keep them as display pieces (I collect sneakers lol) I have a bunch from the 2011 re-issues in the plastic black that I wear. They were built much better in the 2011 re-release. I really wish Airwalk would bring back the Burgundy color JIM Plastics though.
@@JTShine Thats sick! I want a pair of the Jim shoes in the basketball fabric haha
In the 90’s my favorite shoe was the Airwalk NTS 2 with the rubber toe. Now the only shoe I wear are Adidas (shell toes) superstar. Keep up the good work!
Stoked you enjoyed! I wish I could get a good pair of the NTS or Jim shoes today!
Normally watching in truck putting off walking into the office when I would rather be skating.
Appreciate the channel. You can te the shop has a real passion for skateboarding.
Let Airwalk come back. Us 80s kids want another go at it.
Love love love Airwalks
thanks for all the skate history - also love your Canadian accent that only comes out on certain words like ABOOT! keep it going man love the channel.
haha thanks Dan! Stoked you enjoy!
dude im so glad you made this video, airwalk and vans are all i ever skated
Stoked you enjoyed!
Little ignorant me's first pro shoe was a silver Buckey lasek airwalk in 2001. Grown, jaded, hater me wishes we could do to nike, adidas, cons, and newbalance what we did to airwalk.
I was in middle school when Airwalks 1st hit the scene & loved them! My favorite ones were red & black w/ the suede protective laces cover. Money was tight but those shoes were so well made they last the whole year so I got a fresh pair right before school started every year in middle (6th, 7th, 8th grade) school. Even had the very early 90's styled baby blue & high viz yellow ones!
Sk8 or die!
Airwalk was my dream shoes when i was in grade school. Thanks Shred!
In the 80's I used to skate airwalk "Vic's" . . The lace cover one , they were sick too . 👳 They were good back then but just mass produced and crappy now .
Skate vans pro these days .
Never knew Vics bombed commercially, I loved them 😄
Such a great video (as always )
👏👏👏👏👏
I was actually reading they did super well in certain places like Germany haha
Brings back memories. 😌
I loved the Airwalk ones!! I had two pairs!!
Dang I can't believe I remember when Tony Hawk left Airwalk; I feel old! I didn't know their team was stacked like that though.
Airwalk bruiser ( I think ? ), blue and black Mike V used to wear them, Prototypes were class also, neither were cheap in the uk, we either wore those or vision DV8’s.
Quality video love this stuff 👊
I had the Airwalk Ones and they were dope as hell, wish I could get a pair today
Airwalk needs to bring back a high quality reissue of the Enigma.
They did a few years ago. I still have them.
Webs and Velocities were my favs!
Watching from the Philippines. Recently purchased the airwalk one seeies out of nostalgia. Wish they would release the prototypes here
Watching from Arizona!
One of the best skate shoes ever designed was Airwalk Jesse Paez pro model. Had multiple pairs in a the yellow and blue colorway. Awesome shoe. One of the most durable shoes I have ever skated. BTW I still rock multiple Jims, and a pair of old 86's in red and grey colorway.
I skated Airwalks in the early 2000's, I was around 16 and when I started going to the skate parks I made friends with a lot of skaters and they would tell me I needed better shoes, so dudes would give me their old skate shoes. I skate goofy, so guys who skated regular would hand me down their old shoes! I thought it was so cool!
That's rad!
I loved Airwalk Vics back in the day.
Airwalk shoes were the best!!!
Hey i watch most of your videos, I'm from Argentina, you cool people. Saludos
Damn! That's rad! Hopefully we make it out to Argentina on a skate trip at some point!
The lasek 2s with the inner neoprene sock was the best!
Wow this is so interesting
Great story...used to have ones in early 90s...big hi from Croatia (former yugoslav country)
In Germany mid 90s it was either Vans or Airwalk. That was it! 😢
The Jason Lee was my favorite skate shoe back in the day. It was a gem in the time of brick shoes and looked dope as f, first gum sole skate shoe too.
Loved those, and the ads him playing tennis were some of my favourite skate ads of my all time.
I LOVED the Airwalk Jims. Had a Black pair, a green pair, a white pair, the limited blue ones with the plaid inside. Wanted the fuzzy tennis ball ones, but they were pretty damn nerdy.
i had still today new airwalk one, but my first sk8 shoes was airwalk-vulkan, second was airwalk velocity, third was airwalk nts, and then i bought airwalk ''one'' for collection this was really good shoes.
I used to wear airwalk to skate .in 1992.
in México city. BEYOND, NTS. VELOCITY, ONE ..ETC .The best in 90s
I'm 42 and other than a pair of docs all I own is airwalk. It's an addiction at this point. And getting harder to find. Uk and Japan are still putting out nice cuts here and there. Maybe it's just nostalgia. Me missing a time before cell phones and tiktok.
PS the NTS was the best shoe ever made.
Nostalgia hits hard!
JC Penney and Forever 21 have lots of Airwalk sneakers.
Genetic was my first shoe that I carried Bucky Lasek (Pat Channita model actually had Metal in the toe Ollie guard) Airwalk subbrand
Their ads were so funny
Still have my last One's almost New! Don't skate with it but it's to walk with.
video on lakai footwear maybe? :) good job guys!
Would be a rad one! 🙌🙏
@@ShredzShop would love to learn more about my Favorite skate shoe brand! 🙏🏽
I skated Airwalks for years!!!!
They were the best back in the day!
Wearing a pair of Classics as I write this! Bring back the Walk!
I actually just managed to track down a pair of brand new Vics which I always thought were super iconic... I had them in the late 80's and always really liked them. Can't find them at all these days as all the reissue stock from a few years back has pretty much disappeared. Really liked the Prototype 540s with the lace saver too but can't find them easily anymore either!
Also... as nice as the reissues are, you just can't beat the OGs as they were just that bit chunkier, with the texture of the rubber toe protection a bit "spikier" and also about a 1/2cm deeper around the toe box... I just think it looks better and also makes the toe box look a little more compact which makes for a better overall aesthetic in my opinion 😄 I also had to customize my reissue Vics by stitching an extra velcro flap above the existing velcro on the side of the shoe where the lace saver attaches in order to wear them comfortably, because the lace saver is just too short to wear the Vics without lacing them super tight!
Man, I wish I had a time machine so I could go back to the 80s and pick up some OG Vics 😂
I was good friends with sin, great times with him. He was a generous and funny guy, lost contact with him when he went to the States and heard he came back to aus a broken man before he passed away. He is sadly missed by all.who knew him..
i did like my airwalks when skating in the 90's .. they weren t cheap overhere in europe, they did last longer too so made sense. never gonna forget the prototypes and the ollie pads.. fun back then, thought they vanished indeed, nice to know the comp s history, merci Levi :)
When I was in middle school as a teen in the mid 90s airwalks were hip and only like $19 then. Later circa 2000 my dad got a pair of the classics and wasn’t hip at all but loved them and that’s around the time airwalks went big box. It’s sad what they’ve become but then again look at Eddie Bauer, Mossicino, Reebok, Starter, OP, Avia shoes etc. all once great and now at Walmart/target or worse.
If it wasn't for the big box though alot of us wouldn't have had skate shoes. $100 for a pair of Etnies wasn't an option for me, but $30 Airwalks from Sportchek was, even though I wore some off brand shoes from Canadian Tire.
Well that’s great for you and indeed the greedy bigger compAnies wanted 4-6x what skate shoes were worth then. My point is they went big box and sold out and that I’ve never met a real skate that wore airwalks. In my day which was 90s, yes Etnies, Eamerica, even Vans we’re a bit popular although not like now where they are trendy and everyone from 60 year old wanna be hip old dads to 8 year old girls wear vans but have never skated.
I used to love the Prototype series.
He definitely sleep s in that helmet. Thank you guys. From nj
Love NJ! Glad you enjoyed the vid!
The Jason Lee's were sick.
Watching from a van in Maine I love all the 90s skater content
Hi mainer.. Lol! I'm in Maine also.
Where at
I'm near Dover-foxcroft area
Right on I'm in the ellsworth area
I still own a pair of Airwalk Ones from the 90s. I never hear about this brand but owned a couple pairs in the 90s. The skate shoe brand was called Duffs. They were my favorite. It would be cool if you could maybe do a video on those. I just haven’t seen one made yet. Not sure if it is worth doing or not but those were great shoes.
Yea! Duffs were owned by Steve Rocco and the world industries camp!
80's airwalks were legend they should reissue some
You can get the re issue prototypes in the UK
I love their neptunes 🔥🔥🔥❤️
Miss my air walks,they were the shit
Had a few different pairs over the yrs but me pair of Green NTS's were the best....
The forrest green NTS were my fav! Also the yellow ones. Too good!
@@ShredzShop indeed and they made sum rad as shoes over the yrs.I thought the Vic was huge $ wise,here in Auz felt like every 3rd skate kid had a pair I know I did lace savers haharr...
I remember having a pair of Jim Shoe in green color back in 1993. They should bring them back in many colors
watching from London England. I've only ever had one pair of airwalk's, my dad got me them when he had a work trip to toronto, got them from a big box store no less, I can't remember them really. I can't recall them being very good. back then I rarely left my neighbourhood so would get shoes from the sports supply shops, usually vans Armbrusters.
Nowadays I see airwalk Pivot's or Proto's on sale at Sports Direct all the time. Previously they had vision's, which I found wore out quickly just walking, so I'm reluctant to pay the money when for another 20 I could support a skate store and buy a core brand like Emerica or Lakai.
Yea, its weird times. We have older guys coming in looking for Airwalk and Vision shoes and I have to explain that they don't sell them to Skateshop's anymore.
This is just as good as Love Letters!
Appreciate the kind words! Nothing is as good as Love Letters though ;)
Yep. My very first pair of skate shoes were Airwalk. '92/93 High Guy was my first board. Although we did mess around on 80's boards before.
Got a High Guy board in my collection!
@@ShredzShop It was a board I traded an old snowboard for, but I was stoked because I already knew Guy from videos and then I got to go to a shop and choose a board I got a John Montessi Gargamel Smurf board. Was a New Deal slick.
my very first legit skate shoe Airwalk Velocity in the early 90s.. used a Hawk pro model too traded in for my Creature deck with my friend who was Goofy(im regular)..Thanks Mike :)
Airwalk 540, enigma my jam
I remember in the 80s wanting some airwalks and a powell peralta deck but I ended up with some vision street wear and an off the wall deck fml