No day goes by without someone, somewhere in the skate biz deciding to launch a t-shirt brand. If they’re well-heeled, they might even throw in a couple of boards per season. If commercial skateboarding is the Bubonic plague, random t-shirt brands are the rats: short-lived individually, but flooding the streets in packs. However, once in a blue moon, someone dares the impossible and creates a new skate shoe brand. It happens so infrequently, you might live to see two solar eclipses but not one genuine new shoe brand. If anything, you might see old shoe brands go belly-up in today’s insane market pressure (which, to some, might be the real Bubonic plague). Now, Polar Skate Co’s Pontus Alv has launched Last Resort AB, a dedicated shoe company. Aiming to deliver exceptional board performance while still retaining a classic look, Last Resort’s introductory model, VM001, comes with a suede upper, canvas lining, and a specifically designed outsole. The latter part’s important, though, because it goes to show just how much thought has gone into creating the VM001: the outsole is designed in such a way that no debris can get caught up in it. Also, the shoe last is made in such a way that it ensures a snug fit where you need it, while the ollie zone is double-stitched for increased durability. Another key feature of the VM001 is the full-cotton laces that won’t tear as easily as polymer-mixed ones. The shoes might look simple — and that’s just how Pontus wants to have it — but the thought and design process that led to their final form really wasn’t. Creating shoes is fucking difficult. Last Resort AB makes it so that destroying them isn’t easy, either. You can find Last Resort AB at our web shop and our store in Frankfurt.
