New Dylan colorways

New HUF model coming sooner than you think

Overview HUF

The HUF Austyn Gillette Pro model

VANS

The new Rowley shoe from VANS

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Unfortunately key-brands of recent years didn’t have a booth, such as Nike, Converse, Etnies…as a result they won’t be covered in this recap. However, here are a few impressions as well as personal highlights of the companies that attended Bright. We will start with Habitat and HUF footwear, two younger companies that are able to claim a solid piece of the skateboard footwear cake for several seasons now. Check back for part II and III and more Fall 13 footwear of brands like adidas, Vans and Lakai later this week.

Habitat Footwear

Following the successful and aesthetically grown up skateboard department, Habitat footwear is cementing their existance with new silhouettes and – besides adidas – the best colorways in the business. Austyn Gillette will have a second pro model coexisting with his first vulcanised shoe, the AG, and the relatively new Kerry Getz signature shoe looks solid as well.

Overview at Habitat’s booth: many subtle earth-toned colorways.

The Habitat AG, Austyn Gillette’s 2nd signature style. The lacing is pushed far towards the heel, so the laces shouldn’t break. It features a very thin and flexible cupsole construction that should offer outstanding boardfeel. One of our favorite colorways of the trade show.

The Habitat Kerry Getz, a slim vulcanised style that features design DNA of his former signature models.

HUF footwear

Hand in hand with the very successful HUF apparel, the footwear division gains more and more momentum. The young company’s success is based on daring design that takes elements of classic silhouettes and mixes them up to something fresh, not just a blatant copy. An example is the reworked and improved Vans Old Skool sibling Southern with the leather patch that we reviewed. For Fall 2013, they will realease new colorways of models such as the Joey Pepper and will introduce the Peter Ramondetta signature style that features a unique toe box. They also keep pushing the lines with a hiking/running hybrid that apparently prebooked very well.

The Joey Pepper signature model in bordeaux and grey, well deserved Mr. Pepper!

The Peter Ramnodetta shoe that will be out in June or July 13. The toebox is pretty unique and an example for HUFs creative endeavors.

The HUF hiking/running hybrid, can you pull it off?

Other Highlights

Alien Workshop has besides Habitat – as always- awesome graphics lined up for 2013. Almost too precious to be skated, these belong on the wall.

For more behind the scenes pictures, the Nike SB 10 years exhibition opening as well as pictures of the “House of VANS” party, have a look at our Facebook page or follow us on Instagram (@weartested).

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adidas

adidas has big plans for 2013. They will release two new Busenitz models, a vulc version of his first pro shoe, minus the football tongue and the ADV. The Busenitz ADVANCED is a complete new cup-sole model with a toe cap rubber lip. Additionally both Mark Gonzales and Silas Baxter-Neal will have an own signature line including shoe colorways and apparel. All in all, adidas definitely impressed with what they are releasing in 2013. As always great colors and materials, with colorways of the very popular Adi Ease done by Fairfax, Eldridge, Gonz and Judkins.

Nike SB

Nike SB is always a highlight at the Bright trade show with their big and nicely built booth. Everything was designed fitting the newest campain #skateeverydamnday.   The models were divided into the categories Impact, Control and Boardfeel. Nike is focussing in 2013 on merging the Nike 6.0 and Nike SB range further together, with interesting new models like the PRod 6 (review in the works), a Chukka-style hybrid boot and a model very similar to the Janoski to just name a few.

Gravis

Unfortunately without new models, but with great colorways and new materials, Gravis presented various versions of the Arto, Filter and the Dylan collection.

Lakai

Lakai as one of the last true „core“ skate shoe brand is continuing in designing innovative shoes that are made to skate. They will offer a new vulcanised boat shoe orientated model in four fresh colors in 2013. Most of the other models offer Lakai’s XLK cup sole construction, which makes it a brand on the forefront of a heavy and long overdue cup sole revival.

DC shoes

Next to adidas one of the surprises at Bright. Mike Mo Capaldi and Mikey Taylor have signature models in 2013 which are light, slim and well-designed. DC impressed furthermore with good materials and basic colorsways for current models like the Cole Light S.

Emerica

Emerica will release many familiar silhouettes in 2013 as well as the new Bryan Herman model, the „Herman G6“. It features a newly designed and innovative cup sole unit to upsorb impact and seems to attach great importance to breathability judging from the mesh panels.

HUF  

Huf had a bigger booth compared to last year and they are going to expand in Europe with an own distribution based in Germany. The Choice will be released in several new and good looking colors and long time style-favourite Joey Pepper gets his debut pro model on HUF.

Vans

Unfortunately Vans had a “no pictures of new models” policy, which is okay and was respected. What can be told though is that apart from new colorways of the Vans Stage 4 they reissue the first Geoff Rowley pro model in 2013, special editions include a Motörhead collab.

Events

As always there were uncountable evening-options to relax from the tough Bright business during daytime. The Civilist store had a pop-up shop together with Pointer footwear as well as a Stussy one with loads of limited edition stuff.

Nike had a great event for the Levi’s X Nike SB collection. They had a mini ramp inside one of Berlin’s crazy old buildings, offered free beer and burgers on a rooftop with a perfect view…you can’t ask for much more.

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VANS Stage 4:

One of the oldest -if not the oldest- skate shoe brands out there surprised after years of sticking to the classics with a technical but still subtle model. The Stage 4 features the new “wafflecup” sole, an almost one-piece upper and new sunken eyelets.

Converse KA1 vulcanised:

Cons has an equal approach as Vans: stick to the classics and keep it low-tech. Again, this brand tries something new in 2012 with a new vulcanised sole unit. Same pattern, different rubber mixture for more grip and a bright, baby-blue color. One of the first models to adopt it is the KA1 vulc, as seen in the picture (please excuse the bad quality…). Furthermore, the KA1, Kenny Andersons original model, has been redone and features an improved cupsole in fall 2012.

adidas Lucas Puig:

adidas skateboarding presented itself stronger than ever: bigger booth, classic as well as innovative models, nice colorways and always the best craftmanship. The highly anticipated Lukas Puig promodel didn’t dissapoint in person. I don’t want to reveal too many of the technical features right now, but it is light and thin, but still offers support…and the never-seen-before toebox design looks great and unique.

Lakai Marc:

Lakai didn’t disappoint either. It is one of the last true “core” skate shoe companies which has been brave enough to believe in cupsoles since years. Their unique and time-proven XLK sole unit spreads trough the whole collection now. The team loves it, so the models have it, it’s that simple. Many styles are offered in two options now, vulcanised or XLK-cupsole. Newest member of the XLK-family is the Pico. Pictured above is one of the few remaining, but still exciting vulc models, the “Marc”, which has to be seen in person to be fully appreciated.

Nike Blazer:

Picture: www.dunkbar.de

Nike will fuse the Nike SB and 6.0 programs into one in 2012. The first hints were already visible at Bright. Nevertheless, they overall impression of their booth was: they will continue to make very good skate shoes. Lunarlon, which has been introduced with the Koston 1, will spread into more and more models and the Blazer, one of the classics, got redone, too. It features now a toe stiching resembling the original Blazer design with the toe bumper, the vulc sole seems slightly thinner and ,one of the best features, the collar features now a very soft and stretchable, achilles tendon-friendly, heel panel, as seen in grey in the pictures (to the left).

Habitat Austyn Gilette:

Since no pictures leaked so far of this new model and since it is not an “everyday”-design, we will stick with a brief description of it for now. It features a sole unit similar to the Garcia and is overall boat-shoe inspired. At the same time it doesn’t look like a Janoski or another Vans Chukka low at all…a very unique design. It has 3 lace holes and the lacing is pushed far towards the heel, rounded up with a sidepannel design that reminds of the OG Emerica Johnson.

All in all skate shoe design is more brave again in 2012 compared to the last few years. Companies try again to be different, innovative and exciting, which we appreciate a lot.

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