One of the more irritating quirks of the skateboarding shoe business is its bigger-bolder-better attitude. Some days, the whole industry seems to consist of small town jocks bragging about their pimped-out rides at some Walmart’s parking lot: who’s got the sickest paint job? Who’s got the best shiniest spinners? Who’s got the biggest Red Bull fridge jammed into their center console? In the skateboarding world, those and other world-shaking comparisons easily translate: Who’s got the best impact cushioning? Who’s got the best in-sole graphics? Who’s got the biggest Red Bull fridge jammed into the tongue of their oversized 90’s parody D3s?
Luckily, Nike SB steps in to save our day, and releases the highly anticipated Deconstructed Pack. The classic line-up lists the Dunk Low, Blazer Low, and Janoski High Tape (the one with the increased sole height for those who having to navigate around the large puddles of Red Bull at their local scooter park). The Deconstructed Pack does exactly as advertised; it removes all the unnecessary lining, stitching, and over-the-top color schemin’ that threatens to water down Nike SB’s core competence: creating some of the best effin’ skate shoes out there. Of course, your daily skateboarding needs will be addressed by the still sophisticated tech underneath the Nubuck leather hubs of each “Decon” shoe. We’re not only talking about the specs, like their Zoom Air insoles, mind you, but also about their insanely sleek looks. The color’s called “light bone,” and it takes the reduced design to another level. Some smart designer told us once that minimalism is a form of sovereignty. Well, we usually don’t use ten-dollar words like that, but we think he might’ve been onto something there. You can buy the Nike SB Deconstructed Pack both at our web shop and at our store in Frankfurt from January 11.
