Need proof? Just look at the shoe industry: DVS, IPath, and Osiris are making a small comeback. Legacy skate shoe brands that never faded, like Etnies, éS, and Emerica, are constantly re-releasing iconic 90s silhouettes. Classics like the Etnies Sal 23, éS Muska, and Emerica OG-1 are back in action, feeding our nostalgia.

If you’re still reading, it’s because you’re probably interested in the Etnies Snake, originally released in 1996 and now reissued with updated STI technology. The Snake’s clean, iconic design has influenced countless others in the industry. We got our hands on the latest release, showcased by Nick Garcia, and tested them out to see how they perform. Spoiler: they’re just as timeless as ever.

SIZING

The Etnies Snake fits true to size.

DURABILITY

Overall, the Etnies Snake performed well in our 10-hour test. The toebox features a double-stitched panel, which serves as the main defense for ollies and flicks. The stitching remained intact, but the suede developed a hole by the end of the review. This revealed a second layer of reinforcement beneath the suede, adding durability. The toe area, which takes the brunt of trick impacts, showed the most wear, while the rest of the upper remained relatively clean. The sole held up impressively with no blowouts, and the sidewalls showed only minor abrasion.

CUSHIONING

The shoe’s cushioning consists of a simple two-part system: a thin foam insole atop a tapered midsole. The elevated heel, combined with a honeycomb structure, provided decent shock absorption. You can see from the cross-section picture that the honeycomb pattern is the primary cushioning for impacts, while the foam insole just helps to add comfort. While the shoe handles low to medium impacts well, skating anything bigger than an 8-stair may strain your feet.

SHAPE

The Etnies Snake features a slim silhouette from above, with solid volume from the side. The heel and midfoot areas are parallel, and the layered toe design creates a pointed appearance, enhancing flick performance.

BOARDFEELI&IGRIP

The Etnies Snake offered great boardfeel with minimal break-in time. As a cupsole shoe, the midsole initially felt stiff in the back two-thirds, but flexibility grooves allowed the sole to mold to the griptape for maximum board contact. After a few sessions, the sole construction broke in, significantly improving boardfeel in the toe area. The outsole’s tread pattern varies in size, with a finer pattern at the toe and coarser in the midfoot. Throughout the 10-hour test, the sole remained grippy and showed no blowouts, proving durable.

COMFORTI&ISTABILITY

In terms of comfort, the shoe shines with its well-crafted inner construction and just the right amount of tongue padding. The upper strikes a good balance between flexibility and comfort thanks to its mix of suede, mesh, and leather. However, the stiffer leather over the soft mesh in the toe area created a pressure point.

The Etnies Snake offers good stability. The mix of materials from heel to toe, including suede and leather, helped the shoe retain its shape over the 10-hour test. The slim, high-cut heel provides a snug, secure fit without touching the ankle, while the toe area feels similarly secure. The midfoot, however, is looser and offers less support.

SUMMARY

The Etnies Snake offers excellent durability and stability, with solid materials that held up well during our 10-hour test. It provides superb boardfeel and flick performance thanks to its shape, while its cushioning handles medium impacts effectively, making it an all-around great skate shoe.

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Furthermore, Aurelien’s consistency has also propelled him into the roster of the world’s best contest skaters; he’s consistently been at the forefront of all major international contests, from Street League to the Olympics. Here we are now, holding a pair of his Etnies pro model shoes. It feels like things have come full circle for Aurelien, making waves across the global scene and finally coming back home to the French shoe brand started by Pierre Andre Senizergues. Skater owned and operated, Etnies is a perfect fit for Aurelien and only one year after joining the heavy squad of rippers, Aurelien has been presented a well-deserved pro model shoe. We put his new shoe to the test; congrats to Aurelien, and check out the review below!

SIZING

The shoe fits true to size.

DURABILITY

Overall, the Etnies Aurelien has solid durability. Kicking things off, the forefoot upper construction is critical, and features several material overlays. There is a main suede panel made which has a hidden toe cap underneath it and a triple stitched suede element on top of it. The advantage is that once the first layer is ripped, there is another two layers underneath it to serve as a reinforcement and second line of defense. In our 10 hour test, the first panel started to rip in the Ollie- and Kickflip-area within the first three sessions. The panel stayed together, however, the area it is attached to was quite risky. Next to the upper, the cupsole on the side and the heel collar showed also clear signs of wear. The sole, however, which proved to offer excellent durability, did not show any major signs of wear.

CUSHIONING

The Etnies Aurelien features a cupsole that provides a thicker area both in the heel and midfoot areas, but eventually tapers off to allow more boardfeel in the front, where the toe area is thinner. Additionally, the shoe includes a STI Performance Level 1 insole, which enhances the overall cushioning of the shoe. After skating the shoes for 10 hours, the Aurelien can be recommended not only for low impact skating but also for tougher landings as it manages to cushion bails quite successfully. All in all, the shoe finds an impressive balance between good cushioning and boardfeel.

SHAPE

Aurelien and Etnies released a really classic and clean cupsole model silhouette. The shoe is not bulky at all but still reminiscent of 90’s skate shoes and it features everything needed for modern skateboarding. The shoe is well padded in the heel; the midfoot and forefoot areas are quite thin but remain stable due to the material combination of leather with suede, as well as the panel overlays. From a bird’s eye view the shoe looks sleek, which is felt once worn out of the box.

BOARDFEELI&IGRIP

The boardfeel of the Etnies Aurelien is the absolute highlight of the shoe. Right out the box, the shoe’s boardfeel took about 1 hour to break in, and soon after the boardfeel adapted more to the concave of the board. The Etnies designer helped to improve the shoe’s flexibility by making the outsole really thin and keeping a thinner insole forefoot flex area. As for grip, the rubber outsole performed good; no blowout spots appeared in our 10-hour wear test.

COMFORTI&ISTABILITY

For comfort, the shoe is very light and the tongue straps help ensure the tongue stays in place. The padded tounge and collar lining helps to protect the foot and ensure a stable fit. The Etnies Aurelien boasts several shoe construction elements that work together to create a highly stable foothold. One of the key highlights of the shoe is its stability in the midfoot and heel areas. The high heel collar stabilizes the ankle and heel, while the lateral sidewalls feature leather material, where the “E” is stitched on, to help maintain the shoe’s structure during our 10-hour test. The snug fit of the shoe is the result of the padding which is added in all the right areas, and helps support the stable fit.

SUMMARY

All in all, Aurelien’s debut Pro Model for Etnies shines with its exceptional balance of boardfeel and cushioning, topped off with very good stability. With that, the durability of the upper could be slightly improved. All in all, it is a perfect shoe to pay tribute to Etnies’ heritage and reflected the evolution of Aurelien’s skating in this day and age.

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Etnies as a company with French familial ties and still operated as a skater owned business, affirmed Giraud’s decision to make the switch; soon enough he earned himself a color way on one of Etnies classic models, the Veer. Seeing Etnies back Joslin and Sheckler with pro-models, could we be expecting a Giruad pro-model soon sometime next year? In the meantime, we got our hands on a pair of his newly released Veer colorway, and put those Michelin rubber outsoles to the test. Read on below to see how the Veer performed.

SIZING

The shoe fits true to size.

DURABILITY

The Etnies Veer features two main suede layers in the forefoot area. There is a main layer as well as another suede layer on top around to protect the critical ollie and kickflip area. The advantage is that once the first layer is ripped, there is another suede layer underneath it to serve as a reinforcement and second line of defense. In our 10 hour test, the first panel ripped in the ollie-area within the first three sessions, so it helped to have another layer underneath, but in all, the upper durability was average. With that said, Etnies used their Michelin rubber for the shoe’s outsole, which proved to offer superior durability, especially on the side of the sole. This is important since once this rubber layer is gone, all the abrasion from the griptape attacks directly the upper. In summary, the Veer has some good durability characteristics for the sole, but the upper has its disadvantages.

CUSHIONING

The Etnies Veer features an EVA midsole that provides heavier cushioning in the heel and midfoot areas, tapering off to allow for more boardfeel in the front where the toe area is thinner. Additionally, the shoe includes a Foam Lite 2 insole, which enhances the overall cushioning of the shoe. After skating the shoes for 10-hours, it was safe to say the shoes had impressive cushioning abilities and were very fitting for gap skating.

SHAPE

The Etnies Veer features a clean and classic cupsole model silhouette. At first glance, the shoe may seem bulky and reminiscent of 90’s skate shoes, but it actually has every feature needed for modern skateboarding. The shoe is significantly padded from the midfoot to the heel, and tapers to the toecap area. From a bird’s eye view the shoe looks quite wide, but when the feet slip in, the shoes is packed in quite snugly due to the padding around the heel collar and sidewalls.

BOARDFEELI&IGRIP

The boardfeel of the Etnies Veer was surprisingly better than expected. At first glance, the sole of the shoe, the cushioning elements and the sheer outward appearance made us think the shoe was quite bulky with limited boardfeel. Right out the box, the shoe’s boardfeel took about 1 hour to break in, and soon after the boardfeel adapted more to the concave of the board and sole of our feet. The Etnies designer helped to improve the shoe’s flexibility by adding a multi-directional tread pattern in the forefoot flex area. As for grip, the Michelin rubber outsole performed solid and no blowout spots appeared in our 10-hour wear test.

COMFORTI&ISTABILITY

Starting with the comfort, the shoe is very light and Etnies added noticeable breathability features with a mesh tongue and a perforated quarter panel. The Etnies Veer boasts several shoe construction elements that work together to create a highly stable foothold. One of the key highlights of the shoe is its stability in the midfoot and heel areas. The high heel collar stabilizes the ankle and heel, while the lateral sidewalls feature leather material, where the “E” is stitched on, helps the shoe maintain its structure during a 10-hour test. The snug fit of the shoe is the result of the padding which is added in all the right areas, and helps support the stable fit.

SUMMARY

All in all, as a cupsole model, the Etnies Veer excels when it comes to cushioning, stability and even boardfeel. With that, the durability of the upper could be improved, as well as some elements of the grip. With this room for improvement, we’re hopeful in seeing if Giraud’s inputs may be idealized in the form of a brand new Etnies pro model.

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SIZING

The Etnies Estrella fits true to size.

DURABILITY

Overall, the Etnies Estrella demonstrated impressive durability during the our 10 hour wear test, with no significant signs of wear that would compromise its longevity.

Looking at the upper, it features a one-piece toe area that stretches to the midfoot where it is stitched to the rest of the upper. This critical suede piece proved to be very durable showing minor signs of wear in the Ollie- and Kickflip-area. If you look closely to the cross-section picture, you can seen Etnies added even a thin rubber layer under the suede to expand the lifetime of the shoe once the suede would develop a hole.

The shoe’s thick sole, especially in the toe area, protects the upper from griptape damage and provides excellent flick. The sole showed actually most signs of wear but did its job well in protecting the upper. Additionally, the shoe offers a hidden lacing system.

A minor negative impression left the durability of the collar around the ankle which showed signs of wear, but this was judged more from an aesthetic point of view.

CUSHIONING

The Estrella’s cushioning performance was all in all good. There are two main elements in the sole construction to create cushioning. The first one is a full length, rather stiff EVA foam cushioning layer to provide impact protection and the second one is Etnies’ removable Pro Foam 1 insole which creates a soft step-in feeling. As a result, the Estrella can be recommended not only for low impact skating but also for tougher landings as it manages to cushion bails quite successfully.

SHAPE

The Etnies Estrella boasts a clean and classic silhouette that is both stylish and functional. Its multiple foam padding elements, including the tongue, heel, and forefoot area, give it a bulkier cupsole profile. The shoe maintains a consistent width from the heel to the midfoot section before narrowing towards the toe, which ends in a distinctive peak.

BOARDFEELI&IGRIP

The first half of the shoe from the toe tip to the arch is mainly responsible for the boardfeel. The Etnies Estrella offers two key advantages in this regard. The first benefit is a thin front area, reducing material between the foot and the skateboard. The second benefit is the flexibility of the shoe which developed fully after 2-3 sessions and stayed on a high level due to the cut outs on the sole profile as well as sole’s side. Both features helped to feel maximum surface area contact between foot and board while skating.

The boardfeel and the grip are balanced; you can feel the deck for feet positioning while feeling confident with enough cushioning, which helps make bails bearable when you’re trying a trick. Etnies keeps it classic with the Estrella’s herringbone sole pattern which performed solid in our 10-hour wear test.

COMFORTI&ISTABILITY

The most important features for a comfortable skate shoe include weight, ventilation and a well-crafted inner shoe area. Despite the appearance, the Estrella is actually quite lightweight and the inner area is crafted very well with lots of padding. A very positive feature is the fixated tongue which helps keep everything in place and your feet secure. The only disappointment of the shoe is it’s below average breathability.

As far as stability goes, the shoe has pros and cons. On the positive side, the padding, as well as a close cut to the feet, both create a secure and comfortable feeling. While skating, the heel area made a very stable impression due to the higher cut sole (the feet sit below the sole) and multiple outer and inner reinforcement layers. The downside was that the design entrance area around the ankle and achilles heel is cut quite low and sometimes feels like your feet may slip out. Nevertheless, the overall comfort and stability of the Estella were good.

SUMMARY

The Etnies Estrella, Ryan Sheckler’s most recent pro model shoe, convinces us with an excellent durability as well as good cushioning and boardfeel. However, the grip could be improved as well as the low cut ankle and heel area both take time adjusting to.

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The specific model is a colorway released with Nassim Lachhab, an incredible skater from Rabat, Morocco. He has been dropping video parts for Blind and Etnies that blow you away with his effortless steez (crazy bigspin flips down sets) and beautiful scenic spots. The shoe itself looks extremely appetizing, and we were super hyped to be able to test this colorway out: read on below for more details!

SIZING

The Etnies Windrow fits true to size.

DURABILITY

The clean design of the Windrow is the highlight for the overall shoe’s durability. The most notable feature of the shoe is the one piece vamp in the forefoot area. It is very well constructed, as the panels stretch far back to the midfoot and help protect the seams that connect the suede forefoot and synthetic midfoot panel. The seams showed some signs of wear but far less than if they would be positioned more in the forefoot area. The suede has an additional thin rubber underlay beneath to increase durability. In our 10-hour wear test, the suede did not rip severely, so the inlay didn’t show (you can see it in the half cut picture). The addition of this element not only provides more rigidity to the toe area, but also serves as a second layer of defense.

Most wear actually happened on the outsole. The sole is rather thin, but it helped to protect the suede from griptape contact, especially in the toe area. The Windrow features the almost-forgotten-hidden lace loops, which we did not use for our test, but was a nice noticeable feature. Overall the durability of the Windrow is very good, showing small signs of wear in the suede Ollie zone while some seams were slightly worn down.

CUSHIONING

The cushioning of the Windrow starts with an EVA insole. Etnies describes it as Foam Lite 2 molded EVA footbed. This type of cushioning is effective when the EVA element has a certain thickness to absorb skate related impacts. However, the Windrow’s insole and outsole are both quite thin, so the material between foot and board is reduced to a minimum, as seen in the half cut photo. When put to the test, the shoe’s cushioning characteristics are below average and can only handle medium impacts, especially since the heel of the cushioning felt too thin to support larger impacts.

SHAPE

In general, the shape and silhouette of the Etnies Windrow is very slim. The model has a slightly wide cut in the heel area, but offers closer contact within the midfoot section and the toe section, which improves board contact. The model has a low ankle height. The long shape of the toe area, and the suede material, provides a great flick. Etnies added stitching on top of the panel to help with flip tricks and foot positioning orientation. The shape of the Windrow can be recommended slim feet.

BOARDFEELI&IGRIP

The half cut picture reveals the simplicity of the sole construction. The model has a very flat sole from heel to toe, so it is extremely flexible. Flexibility helps the sole to sink into the concave and griptape. With regards to boardfeel, the Windrow as a cupsole model excels and competes on the same level as a vulcanized model. The thin sole in combination with the fine treaded pattern lead to a well rounded grip. Overall, the grip is definitely on the upper level of cupsole grip.

COMFORTI&ISTABILITY

The comfort and stability of the shoe has ups and downs. Firstly, we’ll start with the ups. For starters, the Windrow is extremely lightweight. Also, the low profile model fits well to your foot, especially within the mid- and forefoot area. The tongue and heel collar are well padded so when you wear the shoes, it’s a cushioned feeling. The combination of suede and synthetic upper materials has its strength when it comes to stability. The midfoot area keeps the foot in place and prevents any horizontal movements within the shoe. Although the upper material did not stretch out at all during the test, it still got soft and lost rigidity. The heel area is soft and the low cut did leave the feeling like it could slip out. So overall, the comfort is good but stability is average.

SUMMARY

Etnies’ Windrow x Nassim Lachhab colowary proves to be a sleek and stylish low-profile cupsole model that excels in durability, boardfeel and grip but could use some more technical features to enhance the stability and cushioning.

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Sizing

The Etnies Marana Vulc fits slightly bigger than average shoes, we suggest trying it on at your local skateshop before purchasing.

Durability

The Etnies Marana Vulc features a recently popularized shoe technology; a rubber coating around the toecap. This greatly improves durability in this area, even though there was still visible wear during our 10h test. The sidewalls lived up to our expectations as well. The lateral part of the sole is protecting the suede whilst conserving the amazing flick. Moreover, the sidewalls don’t offer any seams that could tear. Even the Etnies logo is printed on. The only visible weak spot is the mesh material around the heel area, which tore rather quickly.

Cushioning

As shown in the cross-section, the Etnies Marana Vulc features a slim sole and a foam insole. The insole is constructed of STI Evolution Foam, a really lightweight material. This provides enough cushioning without sacrificing boardfeel, especially for below average impact skating.

Shape

Compared to other vulcanized models, the Marana Vulc is shaped rather wide. Even though padding in the tongue and heel area kept the shoe in place, we wouldn’t recommend this shoe for those with slimmer feet. For those with wider feet, the shoe ends in a pointy toe to help you control your flips.

Boardfeel and grip

The Marana Vulc focuses on boardfeel and grip. The already mentioned thin sole construction provides great boardfeel with direct contact between grip and board, even when skated straight out of the box. Grip is balanced really well, too. The flexible sole and the deep sole pattern did their part; grip did not decrease throughout our whole testing period.

Comfort and stability

Overall, the Etnies Marana Vulc is comfortable. The lack of seams on the inside makes sure no annoying pressure marks are possible. But the rather wide cut leaves lots of space in the general heel area, which leads to the need of lacing the shoe rather tightly. Weight and ventilation are below average, mostly because there is hardly any chance for humidity to get out the vulcanized sole is rather heavy. Stability is satisfactory, especially due to a stiffening plastic element in the heel. Overall shape stability is fair, the only part of the shoe that showed significant changes after our 10 H test was the opening of the shoe, which got a little wider.

 Summary

The Etnies Marana Vulc is a good vulcanized skate shoe. Grip and boardfeel are the major keypoints here, whilst cushioning and shape are a little off. If you have rather wide feet and are having a hard time finding a well-fit vulc model, this model’s made for you.

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When a new shoe is introduced one year earlier than planned, there must be something special about it. In this case, the public demand for the newest Ryan Sheckler pro-model made this happen, especially after it was crowned as the „most durable shoe I ever skated“ by Ryan himself.

Flashing the red model with the obvious white Etnies logo at various Street League and X-Games events along with the clever use of social media lead to an ever-increasing momentum of hype. As a result, Etnies decided to release the Marana to the public way sooner than they initially planned, and the success proved them right. Weather the shoe can live up to these new levels of hype can be read in the following lines.

Sizing

The Etnies Marana fits true to size.

Durability

Needless to say, the most noticeable feature of the Marana is the toecap. It’s made of a soft plastic-like material and although it may look a little unfamiliar at first, it does its job extremely well.

After 10 h of skating, the suede below the cap is hardly visible. This key feature is especially advantageous when learning new tricks and the abrasion takes place in the same small areas over and over again. Other areas of the Marana proved to be very durable as well. The sole shows only few signs of wear and the lateral sidewalls are protected to some degree by the rubbery Etnies logo, which is one of the main contacts of the griptape in this area. Even the shoelaces stayed mostly intact due to the clever placement of the eyelets. The only thing that suffered mentionable abrasion was the mesh-material around the heel-area, which is torn up easy, especially when doing heelflip-variations.

Cushioning

As shown in the cross-section, the Etnies Marana uses a foamed midsole of yellow „STI Evolution Foam“ as well as a „Pro 1“ PU – insole, both innovations of Sole Technology and its STI lab.

Fancy names for sure, but for good reason since they are actually able to provide a lot of cushioning. Overall the model is build for high impacts and the combination of a dampening midsole with a rigid outsole unit manages to absorb ground reaction forces due to bails very well.

Shape

Contrary to belief, the Marana doesn´t feel as bulky as it might seem at first sight.

Even though there is quite some cushioning in the tongue and heel area, the contact between foot and shoe still feels close. The shape itself is rather wide, which is great news for people with wider feet that nowadays might have a hard time finding properly-fitting models. Moreover, the broad, slightly rounded toecap provides surprisingly good flick and control.

Boardfeel and grip

After examining the shoe’s boardfeel it is clear that the compromise between cushioning/boardfeel resulted in a larger focus on cushioning and protecting the foot.

The foamed midsole and especially the stiff outsole decrease the overall boardfeel to some degree. For that reason models with a vulcanized sole are ahead of the race here. However, after some time wearing and skating the Marana, the boardfeel increases noticeably since the sole becomes softer and more flexible. This also increases the grip of the sole since the shoe starts adapting better to the concave of the deck. Again, it can’t entirely be compared to vulc-like standards, but the Marana still provides above-par grip.

Comfort and stability

The overall craftsmanship of the Etnies Marana is great. The small amount of stitching inside and non-existent tongue-straps make it a very comfortable shoe. The only drawback is that the heel-lock is relatively weak, which means that the shoe has to be tied rather tightly to provide a proper fit without the foot slipping out. This is partly due to the very soft upper part of the shaft, which prevents blisters and increases comfort to some degree, but noticeably decreases the heel lock. The Marana provides a great amount of stability and supports the foot at the most critical points. Even though heel-lock is rather weak, the overall rigid and supportive construction compensates this flaw very well. It is able to provide a very secure feeling while skating due to the stability of heel area and sole unit, especially if you are aiming for bigger gaps.

Summary

The Etnies Marana is a shoe that lays focus on durability, cushioning and stability, to some degree at the cost of boardfeel. If you are mainly skating heavy impact spots or are aiming for maximum longevity for your buck, this shoe will suit you well.

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PDF file: Etnies Bledsoe low review

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