You can pretty much tell straight away as your feet hit a new pair of kicks if they are going to be able to withstand the forces of nature that skateboarders are up against on a daily basis. Three weeks before my toes hit these new Marc Johnson’s, I was skating another pair of skate shoes that i’m sure were not even made for skateboarding, and just pushed out their to service the Dad brigade like so many are these days. Those shoes gave me a tasty heel bruise and didn’t have any cushioning whatsoever, but these new Lakai’s are the complete opposite, and enabled me to really have a crack at some new stuff due to the confidence factor. On first skate, straight out of the box, I knew I could run out of tricks and be confident that my heels were not going to be pummeled. The result, the best fucking sessions ever. Seriously.
I guess every brand has some sort of marketing chit chat to give their products but the Lakai people call it ‘Pu Shock’. It’s that crucial support needed, that’s derived from their design of absorbing impact through the sole. The last time I had a Pu Shock was back in 1991, whilst living in a student house full of skaters. The garage was housed as a dumping ground and had a blue bucket in the middle to host the eggs. The contents of this amassment were poured over a neighbours car on the eve of an LSD party that got out of hand and took the party to complete standstill. Confusion amongst many who were present was indeed priceless. Their faces bemused, disgusted and generally twisted like liquorice sticks.
Anyway, back to the shoes. These are by far the best kicks that have graced my feet this year and even come with a little Thrasher logo on the heel and KOTR branding on the tongue if you fancy the collab version. If not, they also come in various colour ways without. Put them on your Xmas list today.
