DC Shoes
DC was founded by Ken Block and Damon Way in 1994. The name comes from the legendary clothing brand Droors Clothing. The young footwear brand quickly gained great popularity in the skateboarding scene, which was mainly due to the innovative designs and the first-class team. People like Mike Carroll, Danny Way and Rick Howard were among the first team riders. Later team riders like Brian Wenning, Josh Kalis and Stevie Williams further manifested the brand's image. It still maintains a strong fanbase that can be traced back to this era. In the early 2000s, DC released their first full length skate video. "The DC Video" became a huge success and caused open mouths worldwide. This video also featured Danny Way's Mega Ramp for the very first time.
In 2004, DC was acquired by Quiksilver. In the years that followed, DC drifted away from its original aesthetic and had some problems redefining itself. Numerous changes within the team were the result. Over the years, names like Mike Mo Capaldi, Chris Cole, Steve Berra or Nyjah Huston were part of the team, but the success of the new marketing strategy took some time to come.
Around 2016, DC started to focus more on old classics like the DC Lynx and put together a new team of die-hard street skaters. 90s aesthetics was the new recipe for success and numerous reissues helped the brand to new fame. Shoes like the Kalis OG or Williams OG enjoyed great popularity. DC certainly owes part of its success to the Sabotage Crew from Philadelphia, whose VX videos revived the Love Park myth.
Today DC is a skate shoe company with top products in every price range. The team around John Shanahan, Josh Kalis, Kevin Bilyeu or Brian Panebianco always provides stylish, medial output. In addition to high-quality skate shoes, there is also a large clothing line and numerous accessories.