Even if you’ve never been on a skateboard before, chances are you’ve worn and loved skate shoes at some point in your life, even if you didn’t realize it—maybe Vans, or Nike SB Dunks, the kind of brands and styles that broke through skateboarding’s outlaw subculture to become hugely mainstream.
Jamie Thomas has been on a skateboard before, a lot—the man who executed the ground-AND-board-breaking Leap of Faith jump back in 1997 is generally considered to be one of the most iconic and influential skaters of all time.
Jamie’s rise to prominence in the 90s brought with it something even more important than notoriety and reverence—free shoes! As small brand sponsorships—not more than $100 a month at times—grew into signature model shoes, Jamie never stopped skating but also became something else: a skate shoe designer and entrepreneur.
Jamie started his first brand, Fallen, in 2003. Just a few weeks before we chatted, he launched his new footwear-and-more project Warsaw—a skater owned brand, which became increasingly rare in the last few decades as small brands got gobbled up, and corporate footwear giants like Nike and New Balance took over so much of the landscape.
Skate footwear is a different lane for this here Shoecast—unlike most of what we’ve covered over the last half-decade, they’re basically meant to not last very long. Skating, it’s tough on the ol’ shoes.
But 1) we’re committed to periodically probing new footwear directions in 2025, 2) skate shoes have arguably had more influence over what people wear worldwide than just about anything other than Michael Jordan, and 3) the whole landscape, from skater sponsorships, to cycling stylistic trends, to the actual manufacturing is all quite fascinating. Unless you don’t find cooking shoes in 300 degree ovens to be fascinating.
Point is, when the chance came up to get some time with Jamie, I jumped at it. Luckily not off a two story set of stairs.
Give a listen to Jamie below!
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