0 The Desirability of Skate Shoes in Modern Culture

The Desirability of Skate Shoes in Modern Culture
By Claire L Andrews

Skate Shoes

A well known fashion among young people today, skate shoes have a well established place in the high street. Specially made for the sport of skateboarding, the shoes had since rapidly become part of mainstream culture. Since this change, they are widely sold throughout the high street and in online retailers.

The Design Features of the Shoes

In order to perform their function usefully, the shoes are designed to have a variety of different style and manufactured requirements.

First they should have a sole that grips the board solidly. This is best done cheaply with a cusp-like design on the sole, gripping the flat surface of the board. The soles of the skate shoes are designed to be thick and tough, to endure the knocks from skateboarding during their use, and to withstand shocks from rough landings. The seams of the shoes would have to be of a high quality, as the shoes should be able to survive rough treatment during their usage. Using suede results in a skate shoe that is both breathable, easy to make, and strong enough to withstand scrapes, as well as provide some form of protection for the feet. Lastly the shoes only ankle high, so despite not providing much support for the joints, allow for freedom of movement instead, which is why they are recommended as the footwear of choice of other types of hardwearing footwear such as work boots. Some shoes even have some form of toe protection, usually from a shaped plastic piece, to incorporate extra protection.

Skate Shoes

Since their inception, it is also plain to see that they convey a certain image, alongside the casual wear of skateboarders, which makes them desirable for everyday use. Being both strong and resistant, and very practical in everyday use, they are also a fashionable choice for youngsters. However they are not very cheap these days, especially since hitting the high street, as brand name mark up has caused prices to go beyond £50 a pair. However even at this price, they represent an investment of footwear that can last years, while other pairs of shoes would not last nearly as long through continual usage.

Since reaching the high street, the shoes have become massively popular, with both male and female shoes available from a wide range of brand names. Either from a sport shop to an individual retailer, there is always a large choice of skate shoes available to choose from.

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