![[Interview] The journey of Epic Grindshoes: From the ’90s to today](https://www.theretailbulletin.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Oli-Epic-Grind.png)
[Interview] The journey of Epic Grindshoes: From the ’90s to today
In the world of extreme sports, the right gear can transform an ordinary activity into an extraordinary adventure.
At the core of Epic Grindshoes is the groundbreaking “sandwich sole” design, which combines the essential elements of a comfortable sports shoe with an innovative grindplate. This unique sole offers superb cushioning, grip, and an easy-to-use grindplate, making it perfect for both walking and grinding. The progressive groove design ensures excellent rail lock while maintaining a low profile. Raised corners enable grinding on curbs while keeping a safe plate-to-ground distance, preventing unwanted contact with the ground during regular walking.
To delve deeper into the story behind this innovative brand, we spoke with Oli Benet, Brand Manager of Epic Grindshoes. Oli shared insights into the origins, challenges, and future of the grindshoe movement, along with key background from Joe Minisquero, CCO (Community Chief Officer).
The revival of grindshoes: A passion reignited
The story of Epic Grindshoes began in 2019, but its roots trace back to the 1990s. During that era, grindshoes, then known as Soap Shoes, captivated a generation of thrill-seekers. Among them was Matthias Knoll, now the brand owner of Epic Grindshoes. Matthias’s enthusiasm for Soap Shoes led him to become an official distributor, and his passion for these unique shoes never waned.
Joe Minisquero elaborates on the brand’s revival
“The decline of the grindshoe movement left a void in the market. However, the resurgence of parkour and freerunning sparked a renewed interest in grindshoes. Imagining a walk turning into an epic journey where one could grind on anything, the idea of reviving grindshoes took hold.
In Germany, during a meeting with Matthias, the idea was broached: “Lately, all I can think about is how much we should bring back grindshoes.” Matthias’s immediate response was to retrieve an old pair he had saved for years, proclaiming, “YES! I’ve been saving these for a while, waiting for the right time to do it myself – so let’s do it!”
Building the dream team
The enthusiasm was contagious. Soon, a dream team of riders, designers, photographers, and videographers was assembled. Their shared love for grindshoes from back in the day and their excitement for this new venture fuelled their collaboration.
Oli shares more with us…
What inspired you to revive grindshoes and create Epic Grindshoes?
Epic Grindshoes was started by a group of people who were already heavily involved in sports that involved grinding down rails, ledges, and spending all their free time in skateparks. All these action sports have one thing in common: you need to lug something around with you to be able to perform these tricks, be it a skateboard, skates, or a scooter. We just couldn’t stop thinking about how cool the concept of being able to jump and grind anything without needing any extra equipment other than your regular shoes. We knew this had existed in the ’90s, we had used them back then, and as we couldn’t stop thinking about it, we decided – “let’s bring them back!”
A new era of footwear
Epic Grindshoes offers a unique blend of comfort and the thrill of urban exploration. These shoes feature multiple lacing options for enhanced control and comfort, along with a rugged construction for durability. They allow users to innovate and combine grinds with anything, opening up endless possibilities for new combos and tricks. This innovation could even lead to the birth of a new genre of extreme sports: Free slide.
Who do you see as the primary audience for Epic Grindshoes?
The quickest to adopt the shoes have always been inline skaters, as the grinding position and experience is very similar – feet directly grinding without them being on another object such as a skateboard or a scooter. But even so, anyone can get the hang of it pretty quickly. It is something for everyone, whether you already practice an action sport or not. Also, it has opened up a whole world of creativity and innovation for parkour enthusiasts. Back in the ’90s, it was a phenomenon in its own right, because it’s a lot of fun!
The legacy of Soap Shoes
The concept of grindshoes originated in the 1990s with Soap Shoes, which integrated a plastic grindplate into regular footwear, combining the rail-grinding power of rollerblades with the comfort of shoes. While Soap Shoes are no longer available, their legacy lives on through Epic Grindshoes.
Powerslide: The Foundation
The journey of Powerslide, the parent company, began in 1994 with the inline skating boom. Founded by Roll-Knoll and Stefan Goehl, Powerslide quickly expanded its product range, eventually creating its own brands. By 1997, Powerslide had realised its dream of developing unique products, including the innovative Vi skates, Doop skates, and the first carbon aggressive skate, USD Carbon. Powerslide’s dedication to innovation and excellence continues to drive the company forward. With a wealth of ideas and passion, they invite everyone to join them on their journey into the future of extreme sports.
How do you engage with the parkour, freerunning, and broader action sports communities?
On launching the brand, we received mountains of messages from very well-known parkour and freerunning athletes, as well as many others from other action sports. People like Bob Reese showed some amazing combos on the shoes, and the immensely popular Braille Skateboarding YouTube channel featured multiple videos of the shoes in action. Our team of riders is also very active and they post innovative and exciting videos regularly. With it being such an exclusive product, it gets people’s creativity going. We’ve seen a lot of great videos of skateboard and scooter combos as well.
Join the revolution
Epic Grindshoes aims to revive the grindshoe movement and inspire a new generation of action sports enthusiasts. Whether you’re into rollerblading, skateboarding or simply love the thrill of an epic grind, Epic Grindshoes offers the perfect blend of style, comfort, and functionality.
What are your plans for the future of Epic Grindshoes? Any new products or innovations in the pipeline?
We are currently working on some enhancements to the grindplate and outer, and adding some extra protection. There won’t be big changes as people are really enjoying the shoes as they are, these are for a pro-model coming later this year.
How do you see the grindshoe movement evolving in the next five to ten years?
The great thing about the grindshoe movement is that it’s a blank canvas. The newer generation of action sports enthusiasts wasn’t around to experience the shoes in the ’90s, and there wasn’t the huge parkour and freerunning movement that there is now. With it being a product that is inexpensive compared to the majority of other action sports, we think that the potential is there for a great community of riders that could be constantly innovating and surprising viewers with new, original, and awe-inspiring tricks. Hopefully grindshoes can unite current action sports enthusiasts as well as new users who are searching for that adrenaline trip!
How many stockists do you have globally?
We are currently in just over 50 shops all over the world.
Epic Grindshoes is not just about footwear; it’s about reigniting a movement and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in action sports.
