Extreme sports didn’t always been given the respect that they now get. Every extreme sport from skateboarding, snowboarding to motocross and surfing have had to wait to gain the recognition they deserve. As a result of this new found recognition many sports brands have now emerged producing equipment, clothing and footwear for their respective sports. Many of these apparel and footwear companies have grown and crossed over into the mainstream. For many of these clothing and footwear brands this is something that was never planned and just happened to them as many of these brands were started by skateboarders, surfers and other enthusiasts.

Etnies skate shoes and clothing was started by a young skater called Pierre Andre Senizergues when he moved to California in the 80’s to pursue his dream of becoming a pro. Senizergues went on to win a number of European and World championships and made a name for himself as a pro skateboarder. In 1988 Senizergues began designing and testing his own brand of Etnies skate shoes in order to create footwear that was comfortable, stylish and durable.

In the years that followed the Etnies brand began to gain recognition and were being sold across the globe. You can now find footwear like this in all parts of the world much like other brands. Now it is possible to find everything from Etnies in Trowbridge to DC skate shoes in Bath. During this time Pierre looked to expand his apparel and sneaker empire under the Sole Technology label by expanding to feature three other clothing and footwear labels to compliment the Etnies brand; Es, Emerica and Thirty Two. The Sole Technology Institute was set up to research into the impact and movement caused by skateboarding on the human body in order to produce better footwear.