An odd introduction that makes sense in the end
Footwear giant Sketchers has, what some might consider, a bit of a naughty business model. By naughty, I mean they are if we are being nice, copycats. If we are being more honest, they rip off successful designs and sell them as Sketchers models. This is after their legal team has worked out the costs of being sued, versus the profit from doing a cheaper version of a style someone else has designed and brought to market – allegedly.
Remember Tom’s espadrilles? Buy a pair and a needy person got a pair for free? Very laudable.
Sketchers brought out Bobs. Buy a pair, 2 pairs are given away. Laudable or cynical?
Remember those MBT shoes with the curved soles, to help the overweight burn more fat, whilst actually giving them knee problems leading to legal action? Sketchers did them too.
Incidentally, their “Shape-ups” shoes got them sued to the tune of $40 million by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission). Yikes.
They see something iconic or popular in the market and make their own, then stick an ‘S’ logo on it. It’s worked well for them and they have a huge business. One that can absorb multi-million-dollar fines and lawsuits.
But wait, you ask, why am I writing about Sketcher’s sketchiness in what is purporting to be a post about the much-loved Etnies Sal 23 reissue shoe?
The reason I mention this classically American skullduggery is because I first became aware of such shenanigans in the ’90s when I saw baby blue Etnies Sal 23s in a Sketchers store, except….they weren’t Etnies. I assumed (incorrectly – I was 18) that Etnies had sold Sketchers the design after moving the shoe out of their range. Nope. They had seen a great product, worn by skaters all over the world, endorsed by one of the coolest people ever to pick up a board and thought, let’s rip that one off. See? Naughty. BUT right on top of trends and this is my point, the Sal 23 was a huge shoe for mid-90s skateboarding.
Who is Salvador Lucas Barbier
For those who don’t know – and I am appalled if you don’t, Salvador Lucas Barbier (hence the SLB badge) is one of the fathers of modern street skating. Most people would agree he is up there with Natas and Gonz and deserves to be recognised as such.
He rose to prominence riding for Tony Magnusson and Mike Ternaski’s H-Street Skateboards, which was the coolest brand in the late 80s. They had riders like Matt Hensley, Ron Allen, Danny Way, Brian Lotti and too many others to mention. Literally, there were too many riders to mention. This resulted in Mike T breaking off with Sal, D Way, Mike Carroll etc to form Plan B. That’s another story though.
Check out Sal crushing handrails in Hokus Pokus before you were even an egg:
Sal was involved in the very early days of Plan B alongside Mike Carroll, Sean Sheffey, Rick Howard, Matt Hensley, Colin Mc Kay and Danny Way.
You can see Sal in Plan B’s Questionable Video from 1992, rocking the Etnies Rap Hi in Red to the floor. Not many people can pull off this look – but Sal can. You probably can’t. I definitely can’t, although I would like to.
Note how Sal easily transitioned from 80’s grabs, one foots and nose bonks to tech double flips, pressure flips and back foot flips with ease in this part, despite being “old”.
Old meant over 20 in early 90s skateboarding because we were all kids and just didn’t know any better. There were no 30 year old skaters, let alone 40 and 50-year-olds hanging on to show us the way. Good thing there are now, otherwise who would buy these nostalgic beauties, eh?
Sal’s name has always been synonymous with style, both in his skating and his brands which he went on to found, including Aesthetics Apparel, Elwood and 23 Skateboards.
The Sal 23 Pro skate shoe
The Sal 23 was a killer skate shoe and led the way in low-top pro shoes in the mid-nineties (apparently the coolest time ever if you reference current popular culture). Everyone was wearing them unless you were sponsored by Airwalk and then you DEFINITELY wanted to be wearing them.
This was still early days for Pro shoes and they were rarely bestowed on team riders. Steve Caballero had the eponymous Caballero and the ever-popular Half Cab out on Vans. Natas had the first pro shoe out on Etnies around the same time as the Full Cab in 1989/90, which was a bulky high top with patterned rubber ollie pads and embossed heel pieces. Incidentally, reissuing a shoe like the Natas would end up around £150 or more these days because of its complexity to make, according to the guys at Etnies. We might be waiting a while for that one then…
The Sal 23 made its debut in 1994, sitting alongside other Etnies classics like the Lo Cut, Intercity, Scam and Screw. All clean styles with a clear lineage, leading to the Sal 23, which was similar enough to look classically Etnies but elevated. Other than the Vans Half cab, the only other high-profile pro shoes were both on Airwalk – the Jason Lee and the Tony Hawk. Danny Way and Colin McKay were soon to hit the market in a big way with pro models on DC shoes but had not arrived yet. To my eyes, unlike the Sal, which has stood the test of time, these other shoes look pretty dated these days and only the Danny Way DC has been reissued in a limited way.
Etnies marketing manager Kev Parrott pointed out something fascinating about this shoe – Sal Barbier had retired from Pro skating before this shoe was even released! Retirement deck on Plan B skateboards and everything.
As mentioned earlier, Sal is best known for skating the Etnies Rap Hi in Red to the floor in the Plan B 1992 Questionable video. Like many pros from the time, this man retired way too soon. Nevertheless, Sal’s undeniable cool and credibility in skating facilitated one of the most iconic pro shoes ever.
The popularising of this shoe also fell to the next generation, especially East Coast rippers like Donny Barley and Reese Forbes. Good thing Dan Wolfe made Eastern Exposure 3. That video made these guys some of the most famous skaters in the world and the Sal 23 was on their feet for some of their best lines.
Donny Barley in Toy Machine’s Welcome to Hell wearing Sal 23s – you can see the iconic white 23 on the heel throughout to part. You’ll see the Sal 23 was there for the invention of the Barley grind!
And how can we forget… The Chief in the same video with one of the most iconic parts in skateboard history wearing the Etnies Sal 23 throughout.
It wasn’t just who was wearing them. Sal had designed the shoes to look great and to be worn with wide-set laces and puffed-out tongue. Dope as hell.
The 2015 Sal 23 reissue under the éS moniker
When we started Supereight, Sole Tech decided to reissue the Sal 23 on éS. The Etnies guys were gutted as they knew the shoe would sell great! The Sal Mid and Sal 97 were éS shoes and they rereleased them too in the great éS relaunch of 2015. It made sense to do the first shoe through éS and they cunningly changed the iconic 23 on the heel to an ES. Fun!
Then they put a 20 on it. I don’t know why.
This shoe was very similar in build to the Accel slim. A favourite shoe of mine, and a staple in the éS range for the last 10 years. They skated exactly the same as the Accel Slim, shared the same sole unit, and other than the retro paneling, were basically interchangeable.
Without an original Etnies Sal 23 to compare it to, one might think it was a pretty faithful reissue but in truth, it was a modern facsimile. Close, but not that close.
Behold, the Etnies Sal 23 in all its retro glory
Now under Nidecker, Etnies has come back to do this reissue properly. The tongue is more padded, the sole unit looks like the original – it’s thicker and double stitched (nice and durable) and there is a neat rubber ollie pad on part of the side panel, running down from the eyelets, just where you need it. The heel has the iconic stitched 23 back in place. The inners aren’t the usual terry but a white PU soft lining just like the original, both colours sport standout white laces and the fabric SLB badge label takes pride of place on the tongue.
The black colourway also has white contrast stitching and a white slice on the sole unit, breaking up the black 400nbs rubber sole nicely.
When is the release date?
The quick strike was originally planned to release in November 2024 but is now looking more likely to launch at the very beginning of 2025, including 2 OG colours – the Black with contrast stitching and white laces for outstanding 90’s dopeness and the ever-popular Brown / Gum classic so you can cosplay as pre-E’s Tom Penny. Good things come to those who wait as they say.
A Future SLB line at Etnies
In related news, Sal has recently been announced as the creative director of a new Etnies SLB line. Shoes take about 18 months to develop from concept to available on the shelf, so they will be launching in spring 26. No doubt the product is going to be amazing. Note those red to-the-floor samples in the background of the above image of Sal…
Oh, and the much-hyped and respected OG white with black sole will be released in Spring and Summer 2025, along with the Black and Brown colourways.
If you don’t want to wait until then, get on this “Holiday 2024” quick-strike as it is a very limited release.
I’m having a pair of the Black in a US 10 so I can pretend to be Reese Forbes but with none of the pop.
…Or talent ; )