Sole Technology, Inc., known informally as Sole Tech, is an American

footwear Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, which typically serve the purpose of protective clothing, protection against adversities of the environment such as wear from rough ground; stability on slippery ground; and temperature. *Shoes and si ...

and apparel company, specializing in skate shoe design, production and distribution. The company is owned and operated by Pierre-André Senizergues, a former professional freestyle skateboarder. The company's headquarters are in Lake Forest,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States.

History

Sole Technology was founded in 1996 to be the parent company of the etnies, éS, Emerica and ThirtyTwo brands. The Sole Technology Institute (STI) was established in 2003. STI Lab is a first-of-its-kind

research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in some countries as OKB, experiment and design, is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products. R&D constitutes the first stage ...

facility that conducts biomechanical skate shoe research. In May 2024, etnies, éS, Emerica and ThirtyTwo were acquired by Nidecker Group, a Swiss action sports equipment conglomerate. Following the acquisition, a new company was created to operate the four brands under Nidecker, with Pierre-André assuming the role of CEO for each of them. The Sole Technology name will gradually be phased out.

Brands

Etnies

The company's first and largest brand is etnies. Established in 1986, etnies produces footwear and apparel for skateboarding,

BMX BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation. History BMX began during the ea ...

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suita ...

and

snowboarding Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralym ...

—the brand also sponsors teams in all of these "

action sports Action sports, adventure sports or extreme sports are activities perceived as involving a high degree of risk of injury or death. These activities often involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion and highly specialized gear. Extre ...

." From 2005 to 2011, the company also operated etnies plus, a sub-brand which specialized in limited-run footwear. Etnies sponsored athletes include Ryan Sheckler, Willow, Nick Garcia, Jose Rojo, Chris Joslin and David Reyes.

éS Skateboarding

Founded in 1995, éS produces skateboarding footwear and apparel. The brand subsequently sponsored a team that included professional skateboarders John Rattray, PJ Ladd, Eric Koston, Paul Rodriguez, Ronnie Creager, Chad Muska, Justin Eldridge, Rodrigo Teixeira (TX), Bob Burnquist, Arto Saari, Nyjah Huston, Tom Penny, and Rick McCrank. After announcing a hiatus in mid-2012, the brand returned in 2014 with special edition runs of their shoes distributed to select skateboard shops.

Emerica

Emerica was launched in 1996, and, in addition to selling apparel, has produced a number of skateboarding-themed videos. Their 2013 video, ''MADE: Chapter One'', was offered to consumers at a price of their choosing, with a minimum price of US$1.00 established. In July 2013, the brand released its "Workwear" line, a collaboration with skateboarder Andrew Reynolds. Emerica sponsors a skateboard team which includes Collin Provost,

Ed Templeton Ed Templeton (born July 28, 1972) is an American professional skateboarder, contemporary artist, and photographer. He is the founder of the skateboard company, Toy Machine, a company that he continues to own and manage. He is based in Huntingt ...

, Justin "Figgy" Figueroa, Kevin "Spanky" Long, Leo Romero, Jeremy Leabres, Jon Dickson, Eric Winkowski, Rob Maatman, Dakota Servold, Kevin Baekkel, Victor Aceves and Chris Wimer.

ThirtyTwo

ThirtyTwo, a snowboarding boots, apparel, and outerwear brand, was launched in 1995 by snowboarders and has been privately held since that time. As of September 2013, the brand sponsors a team of snowboarders. ThirtyTwo's Global Pro team includes J. P. Walker, Jeremy Jones, Scott Stevens, Chris Grenier, Chris Bradshaw, Halldór Helgason, Jordan Small, Johnny O'Connor, Joe Sexton, Corey Smith, Dylan Alito, Toni Kerkela, Desiree Melancon, Zeb Powell, Pat Fava and Phil Hansen. Its Global Am team includes Brandon Hobush, Spencer Schubert, Chris Brewster, Toni Kerkela, Benny Urban, Dylan Alito and Johnny O'Connor.

Altamont Apparel

Altamont Apparel was launched in October 2006 as a concept of Justin Regan and Reynolds, who enlisted UK artist Mark "Fos" Foster as the head designer. Over time, the brand has expanded beyond skateboarding to involve musicians and artists.

References

External links

Official website
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071105091722/http://www.soletechnology.com/ , date=2007-11-05 Manufacturing companies based in California Companies based in Lake Forest, California Skateboarding companies Skateboard shoe companies