Lakai Limited Footwear was introduced to consumers in in 2000 with a rich history behind its team:
Mike Carroll and Rick Howard founded Girl Skateboards in 1993 after breaking away from the World Industries camp and their previous board sponsor Plan B. Chocolate Skateboards was formed to the following year to provide a home for Chico Brenes, Daniel Castillo, Paulo Diaz, Richard Mulder, Shamil Randle, Gabriel Rodriguez and Ben Sanchez. Over the following years, after the introduction of Lakai Limited Footwear in 2000 the collective of Mike and Rick’s brands would become known as the Crailtap camp.
Early riders included Scott Johnson (who would go onto take an instrumental role in with Lakai’s footwear design department), Anthony Pappalardo, Marc Johnson and Brandon Biebel amongst others. Lakai’s first video Beware of the Flare [2002] was the culmination of various European tours and helped the brand build a solid reputation in these early years.
With Ty Evans taking up directorial duties for their next production, Lakai began work on Fully Flared - featuring new blood Mike Mo Capaldi and Alex Olson, UK ‘Royal Family’ members Nick Jensen and Danny Brady, ‘The French Connection consisting of JB Gillett, JJ Rousseau and Lucas Puig, Eric Koston who joined the company in the final days leading up to the video, an anticipated comeback part Guy Mariano and iconic three song ender from Marc Johnson (who would go onto win Thrasher’s Skater of the Year title). After five years in the making, ‘Fully Flared’ debuted in 2007 to be met with overwhelming response. Receiving ‘Best Video’ at the 2008 Transworld Skateboarding Awards, Girl would also be nominated for ‘Best Team’, Mariano for ‘Best Video Part’ and the ‘TWS Readers’ Choice’ category consisting of only Lakai riders. Fully Flared is widely regarded as one the most important skate videos of the 2000s era alongside a cultural icon of modern day skateboarding videos
In 2013, Girl and Chocolate Skateboards released Pretty Sweet which featured many of the current era of Lakai riders. Stevie Perez, Vincent Alvarez and Riley Hawk all have pro-model shoes which are regarded as some of the best within their whole range and other riders Raven Tershy, Sebo Walker and Ronnie Sandoval have received signature colourways. The entire team, even owners Mike Carroll and Rick Howard, are expected to have parts in the next Lakai video directed by Federico Vitetta.
Lakai Footwear has a focus on durability and flexibility. While the majority of the range is vulcanised, Lakai have sought to produce the best of both vulc and cupsole construction with their XLK outsole models. The simple introduction of ‘Co-Bound’ technology (a rubber underlay in key abrasion areas) with Perez’s pro model, ‘The Flaco’, does wonders for lifespan of a vulcanised shoe. All Lakai footwear provides a comfortable, close fit that is certainly true to size although we always recommend trying your shoes on in-store before purchasing! Classic Herringbone treads utilised across the range allow for great traction and grip. To summarise, the brand’s considered and efficient approach to footwear design without any focus on wider audiences allow Lakai to truly embody the ethos of a skater owned footwear brand. Plan and simple - ‘The Shoes We Skate.’
