The OG Dennis Busenitz signature model that started it all. A classic skate shoe inspired by the vast Adidas archive of footwear designs creating a modern classic.
The Tyshawn is Tyshawn Jones' first signature shoe for Adidas Skateboarding. Available in both a mid & low-top design inspired by '70s & '80s basketball shoes.
Inspired by retro low-top basketball silhouettes, the Adidas "Nora" is Nora Vasconcellos' signature model. An exceptional talent, Nora is the first woman to have a signature skate shoe for Adidas.
As mentioned at the top of this page, Adidas Skateboarding officially entered the skateboarding market in 2006, however, as many of you reading this will be aware, those classic three stripes have been seen on the feet of some of the most prominent skaters in the industry way before then.
In fact, during the '90s some of the biggest names in skateboarding joined the Adidas family, with skaters such as Lance Mountain, Mark Gonzalez and Quim Cardona all seen representing the infamous three stripes. For those reading this wondering how Adidas managed to have a skate team before they had made any skate shoes, let's have a quick look into it!
No skate team, no problem
By the mid-nineties, Adidas had already solidified itself in street culture. Hip-hop groups such as Run DMC and Beastie Boys were often seen wearing styles such as the Campus, Gazelle or Superstar whilst on stage, as well as on the front of their album covers. Not only that, these Adidas silhouettes effectively became THE shoes of choice in the world of B-Boy dancing throughout the late '80s and onwards.
Run DMC
Beastie Boys
As we all know, skateboarding and street culture are incredibly aligned, with both forces often feeding off of each other for fashion and music inspiration. Luckily for skateboarders, the Gazelle, Campus and Superstar were all great designs for skateboarding too. With flat sole units, hard-wearing uppers (especially the Superstar with the incredibly durable shell toe design) and a reputation for being the shoe of choice within street culture, Adidas found themselves in a fantastic position in the skate world, without even having to try particularly.
Adidas basically ran with this up until 2006. Well, that's not strictly true, not only had Adidas improved some of their classic designs with improved durability, board feel and cushioning under their 'Equipment' range, but they had also released some skate-specific silhouettes. The only issue is - sorry if you are reading this, whoever designed these shoes - the designs were awful. Aside from the skaters on the team who were asked to wear them, designs such as the Adimatic and the Norton were just too ugly for most skaters. It was the classic silhouettes that people wanted to skate! Lesson learnt.
Adidas Skateboarding launches
This then takes us to 2006, the year Adidas officially announced its intention of becoming a major player in the skate shoe market, and I think we can all look back nowadays and agree they did a fantastic job of it!
Skateboarding is an incredibly difficult market to enter, with skateboarders being super weary of outside forces coming in and ruining something so precious. So when Adidas announced it was going to go headlong into skateboarding, they had to do it right. Obviously, they had history on their side, with their branding being fairly commonplace in skateboarding for a decade before, but that was skaters themselves bringing Adidas into the scene, not the other way around. Luckily for Adidas, they did do it right, with their promo video 'Korean Dance' dropping the same year, consisting of a then relatively unknown roster of skateboarders including future cult legends Lem Villeman and Raul Navarro who absolutely killed it in the video. On top of that, Dennis Busentiz had also been put on the team, someone universally loved for their unbelievable skating.
Once accepted into the skate-sphere, Adidas continued to thrive. 2009 marked the year they would unveil their first ever pro skate shoe with Dennis Busentiz being given the green light to design what is now possibly one of the most iconic skate shoes in the history of skateboarding, aptly named the Busenitz. Not only that, Adidas was using its background in sports footwear to position itself as one of the most technologically advanced skate shoe manufacturers available.
Dennis Busenitz
For the most part, the silhouettes kept a vintage appeal, but the technology inside the designs was often head-and-shoulders above their competitors. The Campus ADV for example held basically the same aesthetic it ever has, but the function of the shoe compared to what Quim Cardona would have been skating in the '90s was vastly different. Moulded EVA sock liners and lightweight EVA midsoles are used in pretty much all of the Adidas skate models, as well as features such as 'Geofit' collars, stabilising heel counters, and the highest quality materials possible.
No surprise then that Adidas now have one of the best skate teams on the planet, with three of the past five SOTY's being Adidas team riders!
Quim Cardona
Mark Gonzalez
Adidas Skateboarding FAQ's
Do Adidas shoes fit true to size?
Adidas shoes tend to fit true to size, however, if you are considering UK sizes Adidas will come up about half a size smaller than most other brands. This is due to the way Adidas do the size conversion from US and EU sizes.
Do Adidas shoes come with spare laces?
Unfortunately, there is not a straight answer to this one. Some do, some don't, it really depends on the style.
What does "Schmoo" mean with regards to Adidas products?
Schmoo is the name given of the adapted Adidas logo created by skateboard legend and artist Mark Gonzalez.
Can I skate in Adidas shoes?
In general most Adidas shoes you would find in a sports shop are not designed for skateboarding in. However, we specifically stock the "Adidas Skateboarding" collection, which means all the Adidas shoes stocked on Supereight are designed for skateboarding in.
What is the difference between an Adidas "Busenitz" and a "Busenitz Vulc"?
The original Adidas Busenitz skate shoe was designed by Dennis Busenitz who based the sole design on the Adidas Spezial cup sole. The Busenitz Vulc is a version of the shoe that has been adapted to fit on a vulcanised sole unit. The two sole options offer different performance properties and board feel.
