Supra was an American

skate shoe Skate or Skates may refer to: Fish *Skate (fish), several genera of fish belonging to the family Rajidae * Pygmy skates, several genera of fish belonging to the family Gurgesiellidae * Smooth skates or leg skates, several genera of fish belongin ...

brand founded in California by Angel Cabada in partnership with professional skateboarders. Korean fashion retailer F&F acquired the global trademark of Supra in October 2020.

History

Supra was launched in 2006, by Angel Cabada in partnership with professional skateboarders

Jim Greco Jim Greco (born December 25, 1977) is an American professional skateboarder. He established Bakerboys Distribution with Andrew Reynolds and Erik Ellington in 2007. Bakerboys Distribution provides distribution for closely related in-house skat ...

Erik Ellington Erik Ellington (born August 9, 1977) is an American professional skateboarder, entrepreneur, and designer. Early life Erik Ellington was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, to Rose Ann Ellington and Charles Luther Ellington. His parents separat ...

, Tom Penny, Chad Muska, and Dennis Martin. Muska has described the founding of the company as an "underground idea, shared between five people, that became a crazy explosion". The brand released a coffee table book in December 2012 that documents its history; in an interview for the book's promotion, Ellington stated "It's amazing to see something be so successful that easily could've gone the other way. I feel blessed, honored and I'm humbled. It's something I'm really proud to be a part of." In addition to serving as a catalog of the brand's products, the book also features the brand's team riders and collaborations, including those with artists such as

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

. On January 31, 2013, Video Director Dennis Martin created a promotional video for Greco's second signature shoe, "The Hammer"; Greco's first signature model was named "The Soprano". Greco explained, in relation to the "Hammer", "I wanted to make a super simple-looking shoe. There's a million shoes out there that are simple, but I really wanted that fusion of vulcanized and cup sole because I like the feel of the vulc, but I like the impact absorbing features of the cup sole". The shoe's design was promoted as "a high performance, lightweight, low-top skate shoe. The upper has a short eye stay, a long vamp, and minimal branding". Supra Footwear was purchased by

K-Swiss K-Swiss, Inc. is an American athletic shoe brand based in Downtown Los Angeles and currently owned by Xtep. History K-Swiss was founded in 1966 in Los Angeles by Swiss brothers, Art and Ernie Brunner. They became interested in tennis after emigra ...

Global Brands, a subsidiary of

E-Land Group E·Land Group (hangul:이랜드그룹) is a South Korean conglomerate headquartered in Changjeon-dong Mapo-gu Seoul, South Korea. E-Land Group takes part in retail malls, restaurants, theme parks, hotels and construction businesses as well as its ...

, in June 2015. In 2018, Steve Harden, former executive leader with

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...

and Oakley, was recruited to relaunch and restructure the Global Supra and

KR3W KREW is a lifestyle brand that was born on the streets of SoCal in 2001. KREW is inspired by the pursuit of never settling, and is now celebrating its 20th anniversary with the brands original Founder and friends, once again focusing on perfectin ...

brands. In May 2019,

Xtep Xtep International Holdings Limited (SEHK stock code: 1368) is a Chinese manufacturing company of sports equipment based in Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong. Established in 2001, the company was listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on 3 ...

disclosed that it was acquiring 100% of the outstanding shares of E-Land Footwear USA Holdings Inc. As of October 2020, F&F acquired Supra Footwear and relaunched the brand in South Korea in January 2021.

Collaborations

The brand has released signature model shoes from team riders, such as Muska, Ellington,

Tom Penny Tom Penny (born 13 April 1977) is a professional skateboarder from Dorchester, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (UK). As of January 2013, Penny is sponsored by the Flip skateboard deck brand and his Cheech & Chong signature deck is one of the ...

, and

Stevie Williams Stevie Williams (born December 17, 1979) is a professional skateboarder who was included in the twenty-seventh position of the "30 Most Influential Skaters of All Time" list that was compiled by ''Transworld Skateboarding'' in late 2011. Early lif ...

. A collaboration occurred between producer and DJ

Steve Aoki Steven Hiroyuki Aoki (, ; born November 30, 1977), best known as Steve Aoki, is an American DJ, record producer, music programmer, and record executive.

and Supra for Muska's signature model shoe. Williams released a collaboration with hip hop artist and entrepreneur

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

in December 2012, promoted as a "synthesis of skateboarding and hip hop".

References

External links

* {{dead link, date=May 2021 Skateboarding companies Shoe companies of the United States Skateboard shoe companies 2015 mergers and acquisitions