Kobe Bryant Lakai

If any of you Laker fans tuned in to the Laker vs. Kings game on Saturday the 26th, you probably saw another All-Star line up besides the Lakers sitting courtside with the likes of Eric Koston, Guy Mariano, Biebel, Chris Roberts, Brian Anderson, Rick Howard, Mike Caroll and Mike Mo (sorry if I missed anyone).
Hook ups from The Maloof's ain't bad at all. Can we get a Playboy suite at the Palms for the next Vegas trip Mr Maloof? Lol.

Did you know Howard and Kobe are undergoing talks about playing for Lakai! Lol. Dig what the tees will look like.
Pic via E. Koston

Vans Syndicate Holiday Warriors

I love me a pair of Vans. I love a pair of Vans Syndicate even more. They're always coming out with some good shit with some good people. Targeted to the more OG's in the skate game (usually means 25 years old +, lol). Only sold at finer skate shops. I like that aspect of the shoe. The Syndicate line usually hosts classic Vans models with very nice material crossovers or special artist/skater collaboration. One of my favorite joints were John Cardiel's Old Skool Pendletons. Sickest/hardest ass Vans I own if you ask me.

(They're the first ones on the left)

I could go all day talking about my favorite Syndicate joints but I had to post this good ish the Syndicate crew is coming out with. Check the vid, then check the shoes. Sick. Vans Mountain Edition x Warriors. Love it. Pick these up if you're planning to launch a tactical strike at your nearest battlegrounds. lol.

Stussy Skate Team? Where Art Thou?

I'm blogging straight outta the Golden Nugget Casino here in Downtown Las Vegas. I figured the drinks are bottomless here as long as I'm around my gambling friends spread out through the whole casino. This weekend was a mini vacation. No work, no stress or anything. It's the first time I've ever gotten an 8 hour sleep in the city.
The guys from the Stussy warehouse out in Irvine, CA were out here for the weekend as well, doing a collective event with Stussy Las Vegas in the form of a sidewalk sale in the middle of the desert @ Las Vegas High. Picked up some threads and thought back. Damn! With how big Stussy is now (or has been) since someone bought the company off Shawn Stussy earlier this decade. WHY DON'T THEY HAVE A SKATE TEAM.


In 2004, Stussy had in my opinion one of the sickest, dopest skate team ever (in my opinion). The roster included Chocolate's Richard Mulder, Scott Johnston and Justin Eldridge, Workshop's Anthony Van Engelen, Listen's Danny Montoya and Chad Tim Tim, Habitat's Rob Pluhowski and Real's Kieth Hufnagel. Please forgive me if I left anybody out since it's been sooo damn long since I've seen the team in full effect.





To me it was how rad everybody on the team was and how diverse yet stylish skaters came to be. Also cuz it was a handful of my favorite skaters. Anyhow, with an average price tag of $24 a pop for a tee, you'd think Stussy could form another skate team. But to the epic proportion of the last team? Maybe not. I forgot to mention how the Stussy ad campaign was at it's best during this time.


Like I said, it was a mini vacation so nooo work. No skate shoes, no drama. Hope everyone had a good weekend. I know I did. See you all soon. Looking forward to the new year. Peace.

Inside the Skaters Closet: Vans Old Skool

Being from Southern California I've been wearing Vans shoes since I was in grade school. Just your typical $30 (then) tennis shoe that you'd wear for everything in a 10 year old's life. I always knew Vans were skate shoes but I had never skated.
The early 90's was when I picked up the stuntwood after being mind blown from watching "clips" of street skating on an ESPN show that played music with action sports back in the day. The Vans Old Skool was the first Vans / skate shoe that I was infatuated with at the time. Im not gonna front, I saw the older skaters wearing em and i thought they were the shit so of course i had to get a pair!
A big first half a year which included learning how to "Ollie" were in Old Skools. The grippy sticky vulcanized sole felt like the board stuck with you and made you Ollie higher.

As the years passed and the evolution of skate shoes progressed (climaxed right before the Osiris D3), we find ourselves back to the basics. Back to the vulc. And although the progression of skateboarding itself is at it's peak, the classics from then are as popular now than ever. Collaborations and new materials and colorways keep it fresh and new.

From the Vans Old Skools to the Nike Blazer and the Addidas campus and even the likes of the DC Mantecca or the Etnies RAP. The classics remain supreme and a skater can always affiliate a certain time in their skate game with a particular shoe. My big ups to the Vans Old Skool.

Ive got a few pairs of old skools now and have been skating in them just for kicks. Which brings me to this question: How do you skate old skools without blowing a hole in the Ollie area the first session? And how long do they last you? Im gonna have to invest in some shoe goo or get sponsored. I'm guessing the pros go through em on the daily! Lol.


Here are my likes and dislikes for this weeks shoe feature Vans Old Skools:

My Likes: A Timeless Classic, to the status of the Chuck Taylor All-Star. Epicly will never go out of style. Comfortable. Grippy sticky soles that Vans has been so famous for. Something about rubber soles that at times, I feel I can walk forever in them as opposed to some of my other shoes with "air" cushion technology. Reasonably inexpensive. New colorways and collaborations keep popping up.

My Dislikes: The canvas uppers (including the ollie area) make it super easy to put a hole through one heavy session of skating. I wish they would back just that one area up for skating. In the meantime, I'll have to shoe goo that baby. They are no longer made in the U.S.A. The red label in the back bottom sole.

With that said, Get your roll on.

Anthony Pappalardo Cons signature shoe

Remember when Kenny and Chany skated for Cons back in the late 90's. I was just thinkin back to Converse's early attempts at the skate game. I didn't think the shoes were actually bad. I guess either they didn't push hard enough or kids weren't buying in. Anyhow, they got right this time around and this pro shoe has been a long time coming. Chocolate pro NYC local, Anthony "Pops" Pappalardo, head ambassador for the new Cons skate team gets the teams' first signature shoe. The shoe has got simple yet means business vibe to it. Vulcanized and shredible cool guy skating (like Pops).
I've seen Pops actually wear this shoe for a while but didn't know what the hell they were (turns out they're his!). The shoe in the picture is the upcoming model for product (red) which is an international aids campaign but the olny difference is the (red) logo. Definately keep your eye out for these and if any of you have a pair of those old kenny Anderson Cons from the late 90's, shout me a holler. Get your roll on.

Mike Carroll X FTC X Lakai

The best skate shop in Frisco and the best skater to come out of Frisco bring you the Lakai Mike Carroll select X FTC skate shop collabo. Carroll has been a founding rider of FTC since the get go. You really can't think of SF skateboarding without these two aspects in mind. Releasing exclusively at FTC shops and Carroll's house 12/12/09.

Circa Sierra Fellers Talon shoe release

If you're on the West side of the West side (Santa Monica). Drop into CCS at the 3rd St Promenade and grab some Circa goods. CCS, been holding it down for skateboarding for years now. Definately a great source for your online skateboarding need. They got great jeans too (for cheap) and better quality than that other retailer/mailorder skateshop that hire wierd ass non-skaters (but hot ass chicks) to work at the shop. You know the one......