Adidas has challenged the skate scene head-on (Yamamoto).
Adimatic" was focused on action sports such as skateboarding and BMX.
Yamamoto:Thinking back, '96 was a time when bands and skateboarding were mixing. It was like skate punk. It was a time when everyone was reading "BOON" magazine and skaters were anarchic. At that time, skate-specific shoe manufacturers were making great strides, and major sports manufacturers were following suit. At a time like this, Adidas was able to compete head-on under its own brand name, and I think that was what "Adimatic" and "Norton" were all about. Some of the major sports manufacturers dared to change their names and launch new skate shoe brands.
Egawa:The market was dominated by manufacturers specializing in skateboards, and while major sports manufacturers such as Adidas entered the market, there was trial and error, and music and skateboarding came close to each other in terms of fashion. It was a time when various cultures were mixed in perfect balance. At that time, the "Adimatic" was a sneaker that was gaining popularity as it crossed all cultures.
Yamamoto:Therefore, I remember that more sneaker freaks, people in the fashion and band worlds wore them rather than the hardcore skaters.
Egawa:At that time, skate shoe designs were becoming more and more high-tech oriented. They were voluminous, the tongue was thicker, and there were mysterious plastic parts everywhere. The laces were loosened to the point of being too loose.
Michel:What was the reason you wore your shoes with loose laces?
Egawa:I didn't want to squeeze my shoelaces (laughs). Also, my clothes were big, and I wanted to look like a B-Boy. I liked the balance between the thick pants and the voluminous shoes when I looked down at my feet. I also had a mysterious aesthetic: the further apart the shoe lace holes were, the cooler they looked (laughs).
Mr. Egawa, you have a bird's eye view of these trends, but you have never worn them, have you?
Egawa:I was an innocent (laughs). I guess I wanted to say, "Adimatic? I don't know anything about that" (laughs). (laughs) I really didn't like to wear the same clothes as other people, so I immediately painted them in different colors, and sometimes I took off the logo that symbolized the brand.
Michel:That's a great idea! I guess I'm not satisfied with the existing ones, or I would self customize them.
Egawa:This kind of taste is due to Mark Gonzalez. He puts stickers on his shoes, paints them himself, cuts off the high cut to make a low cut, and in any case, his ideas are free. And his riding is equally free and cool. I was quite shocked when I saw him for the first time, and I am still influenced by him to this day.
