Etnies (stylized as etnies) is a footwear brand based in
Lake Forest, California
Lake Forest is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 85,858 at the 2020 census.
Lake Forest incorporated as a city on December 20, 1991. Prior to incorporation, the community had been known as El Toro. Following a vote in 20 ...
, United States, and is owned by
Sole Technology, Inc. As of 2013, the company sponsors professional
skateboarders
Skateboarding is an action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation. S ...
and
BMX
BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation.
History
BMX began during the earl ...
riders, LAB more and releases signature shoe models.
History
The company was launched in 1986 and following the end of his professional skateboarding career, current owner, Pierre André Sénizergues, commenced design work at etnies shortly after the company's formation. Etnies was an emerging European brand at the time that Sénizergues joined the company and he was responsible for designing the "Senix", "Lo-Cut", "Low-Top Rap", "Intercity" and "Scam" shoe models. Sénizergues subsequently introduced the brand to the
US and proceeded to build
Sole Technology
Sole Technology, Inc. is an American footwear company, specializing in skate shoe production and distribution. The company is owned and run by Pierre André Senizergues, a former professional freestyle skateboarder. The company's headquarters ...
, with the addition of the
Emerica, éS (on hiatus between 2012 and 2014, but back in production), and ThirtyTwo (snowboarding brand created in 1995) brands.
Skate park
In 2003, etnies, along with the city of Lake Forest, California, opened
etnies Skatepark
Etnies Skatepark of Lake Forest (stylized as etnies Skatepark) is a public skatepark located in Lake Forest, California, United States. It is the largest free skatepark in the state, with an area of over . The skatepark is owned and operated b ...
of Lake Forest, the largest public skatepark in the state, at over .
The park has been used for a Sole Technology-sponsored skateboard competition, entitled "Goofy vs. Regular (GvR)"—goofy-footed skateboarders competed against regular-footed skateboarders—that was held in 2007 and 2008.
Charity work
In 2012, the brand donated free shoes to people who were, at the time, "homeless and needy" in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
, US as part of an
Easter
Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samue ...
"shoe drive". Two thousand pairs of shoes were given away and a video of the event was also published, in which etnies CEO, Senizergues, conducted interviews with shoe recipients. etnies-sponsored athletes, Devine Calloway, BK, and Andy Bell, etnies staff, celebrity volunteers and the city's mayor at the time,
Antonio Villaraigosa
Antonio Ramón Villaraigosa (; né Villar Jr.; born January 23, 1953) is an American politician who served as the 41st Mayor of Los Angeles from 2005 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Villaraigosa was a national co-chairman of Hillary ...
, also participated in the event.
Buy a Shoe, Plant a Tree
In addition to the company's charity work, etnies has also launched tree-planting projects in
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
and
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
under the title of "Buy a Shoe, Plant a Tree". In Costa Rica, etnies committed to planting a tree in the Maleku rainforest reserve for every pair of Jameson 2 Eco shoes that were sold, and sponsored athletes, Benji Weatherly, CJ Kanuha, Chris Del Moro, and
Ryan Sheckler travelled to Costa Rica in March, 2011 for an inaugural tree-planting ceremony. In 2012, the project was then expanded to Brazil, in partnership with the Trees for the Future organization; the Brazilian initiative involved the planting of 100,000 trees within
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaW ...
's Atlantic Rainforest throughout 2012 for every purchase of the "Jameson 2" and "Jameson 2 Eco" men’s and boy's shoes, as well as the girl’s "Caprice Eco" and "Circe Eco" shoes. In 2012, Senizergues stated, "We play in our planet, and we need to take care of it. Through our Buy a Shoe, Plant a Tree project we are excited that everyone can come together to be a part of the solution – giving future generations the opportunity to see and experience the benefits these life-giving rainforests bring to the Earth.”
On April 22, 2015, Etnies celebrated
Earth Day
Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EarthDay.org (formerly Earth Day Network) including 1 b ...
by announcing a milestone in the program: its one millionth tree planted. The brand also announced that the program, now called "Every Shoe Plants a Tree," will continue in 2015, with every pair of Etnies purchased this year becoming a tree planted in the rain forest.
Filmography
;Skateboard
*2007: ''Restless''
*2018: ''Album''
;BMX
*2002: ''Forward''
*2007: ''Grounded''
*2017: ''Chapters''
Sponsorships
Current Skate Team
* Chris Joslin
*
Ryan Sheckler
* Aidan Campbell
*
Matt Berger
Matt Berger (born October 10, 1993) is a Canadian skateboarder, competing in the street discipline. Berger currently resides in Huntington beach, California
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California, located ...
* Trevor McClung
* Nick Garcia
* Barney Page
* Nassim Lachhab
* Jake Wooten
*
Andy Anderson
*
Aurélien Giraud
Past Skate Team
*
Rune Glifberg
*
Sean Malto,
*Mikey Taylor
*Jason Dill
*Ali Boulala
*
Arto Saari,
*
Elissa Steamer
* Willow
* Mike Vallely
Current BMX Team
* Nathan Williams
* Chase Hawk
* Aaron Ross
* Ben Lewis
* Tom Dugan
* Devon Smilie
* Reed Stark
* Jordan Godwin
* Jordan Okane
References
External links
Official website
{{Running Shoe Brands
Clothing brands of the United States
Skateboarding companies
Snowboarding companies
Clothing companies established in 1986
Companies based in Lake Forest, California
Shoe companies of the United States
2000s fashion
2010s fashion
Shoe brands
1986 establishments in California
Skateboard shoe companies