Lakai
The driving forces behind Lakai are none other than Mike Carroll and Rick Howard. Both decided that they wanted to contribute to the skate shoe industry by establishing their own company and over the years, created classics like the Lakai Griffin or the Lackey Portmore. You can shop the newest Lakai skate shoes, hoodies, T-shirts and accessories in our skatedeluxe skate shop.
Everything You Should Know About Lakai
Lakai was founded in sunny California in 1999 by today's skate legends Mike Caroll and Rick Howard. The skate shoe brand is built on the commitment and pride that both skaters have invested over the years into the Girl and Chocolate brands. Both left the DC Shoes team to explore their own paths and breathe new life into the skate community.
With their focus on creating an atmosphere that is supportive and motivating, Lakai has earned great respect from the skateboarding community since its founding.
Lakai Skate Shoes – "The Shoes We Skate"
Lakai skate shoes are considered classics among skateboarders around the world. In addition to their, consistently clean and aesthetic designs, Lakai also pays attention to the technical features.
Since September 2014, Lakai has been putting out shoes with a specially designed cup sole under the title "XLK". Specially-shaped side walls of the sole provide a particularly firm hold in the shoe. Through intelligent design, the high weight of the cup sole is reduced. Vertical flex zones and a unique rubber compound provide increased flexibility and board feel.
But fans of vulcanised soles are also spoiled for choice with Lakai. The Lakai Staple is tried and true and has been very popular amongst skaters for years. We took a closer look at the Lakai Griffin and did a Wear Test just for you.
The Lakai Skate Team
Respected by everyone in the skate community over the years, greats such as Eric Koston, Alex Olson, Lucas Puig and Mike Mo Capaldi have all skated for this Californian shoe brand.
Riley Hawk has long since developed his reputation and respect in the skateboarding community. In the latest Lakai full-length video "The Flare“, he had the last part coveted by all skaters and blew everyone away with his incredible skating. But that was not the end for Riley. Shortly thereafter, he brought yet another impressive part for his Shep Dawg crew. His performance is clearly what earned him his nomination for the Thrasher Skater Of The Year.
In addition to Lakai veterans like Danny Brady and Vincent Alvarez, the master of all things Transitions, Raven Tershy, and all-rounder Stevie Perez among others.
The Lakai Skate Videos - "Fully Flared" and "The Flare"
Much like the other brands distributed by Crailtap, Lakai has received a considerable amount of attention for its video productions. Lakai's first full-length video "Fully Flared", produced by Ty Evans, Cory Weincheque and later Oscar-winner Spike Jonze, won the 2007 Video of the Year award at the Transworld Skateboard Awards. It was one of the first skateboard videos that used high-resolution cameras and became a cult movie of the skate scene.
The highly-anticipated follow-up came a decade later with the full-length video "The Flare". Longtime Crailtap cameraman Frederico Vitetta brought a fresh perspective to the production. He had a vision and he let the entire Lakai team become part of it. First-class skating, new points of view, and the special Lakai Team vibe make the video a worthy successor to the classic "Fully Flared".