Brands

ETNIES

In the 80’s the sportswear market was dominated by big and greedy companies. This is the story of one of the first sportsmen to take the future of skateboarding into his own hands with one main goal – giving skate shoes mass appeal. 

Pierre-André Senizergues, a former skateboard champ and a perfectionist when it comes to skate shoes managed to convince the Rautureau brothers to let him sell Etnies in the US. In two years’ time he had increased sales by 700 %, started designing his own sneakers and even supervised their production in Asia. 

Pierre-André is better placed than most industry heads to figure out what skaters need and what appeals to them. When in doubt concerning the shape, comfort or colour of a sneaker he has a solid skater entourage he can consult. And therein resides his strength – he uses the input he gets off skaters in every part of the production process. Etnies released the first ever skate shoes that were designed by a pro skater, a French pro skater at that. 

Although Etnies sneakers were sold in skate shops, Pierre-André was convinced his sneakers could appeal to a larger audience than just the classic skater crowd. Indeed Etnies were in his words “more resistant, more comfy, more urban and more modern than any other shoe”. And, as time would tell, his confidence proved to be founded. By the 90’s Etnies was breaking sales records.

In order to remain close to his roots, Pierre-André then went on to create two new skate shoe brands: És, a more technically developed brand and Emerica a hardcore brand designed for the skate elite also considered as a statement against fashionable trends taken too far. Pierre-André and Etnies’ relationship is a French success story and it looks like the most important chapters are yet to come.

1977: Pierre-André Senizergues picks up his first skateboard.

1982: Pierre-André Senizergues wins the skateboard European championship

1988: Pierre-André designs his first model for Etnies.

1989: Pierre-André sells Etnies on the US market for the first time.

1994: Pierre-André starts a new skate brand: És.

1995: Pierre-André starts his own snowboard brand: 32.

1996: Pierre-André starts his second skate brand: Emerica.

2003: The Sole Tec Institute is born.

Translation Sebastien 2T