Lakai

Shop now for Lakai skateboard shoes and skate t-shirts, crews and jackets. Lakai is one of the most respected skateboarding shoe brands out there, as a result of its status as a brand created, operated and owned by skateboarders. In skate footwear terms this is as real as it gets. Lakai was founded in 1999 by Girl Skateboards head honchos Mike Carroll and Rick Howard, who wanted to make an original contribution to the skate footwear market.

Formed under the Crailtap Distribution umbrella which pulls together Girl Skateboards, Chocolate Skateboards, Fourstar Clothing and Royal Trucks, the O.G family vibe of Lakai is evident, with many of the usual suspects from this elite extended skateboarding family earning a spot on the brand’s team roster. Alongside Carroll and Howard themselves, the likes of Brandon Biebel, Jesus Fernandez, Marc Johnson and Guy Mariano fall under this category.

‘Beware of the Flare, a European tour video released in 2002, introduced many people in the skateboarding world to Lakai as a force to be reckoned with, and became something of a cult hit. It’s a gripping tale of injury, shredding and hi jinks, not to mention gold dust appearances from the lesser seen O.G team members Anthony Pappalardo and Rob Welsh.

Since that time Lakai’s team roster has gone somewhat international with the inclusion of legit full sponsorship for the cream of the European skate scene , including France’s JB Gillet and Spain’s Jesus Fernandez, not to mention the homegrown talents of England’s Nick Jensen and Danny Brady. After a long and cruelling filming campaign the brand released its flagship full length offering Fully Flared in 2007, to global critical acclaim, and raised the bar once again for innovative technical skating. Lakai is too legit to quit, and with the new L.A blood of Vincent Alverez and Stevie Perez, it’s future is in good hands.

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