Josh Kalis 7th signature model the JK7

After being...

Josh Kalis 7th signature model the JK7

After being on DC since 1999, Josh Kalis has seen a thing or two. Especially in regards to signature skate shoe design and development.

The parties, the tours, the filming, the demos, the signings and the fans are one thing, but when a skater gets into designing their own signature shoe they've opened up a whole new can of worms. And Kalis is used to those worms, as Holiday 2007 marks the seventh signature shoe in his series of technical, performance skate shoes. Here, he fills us in on the process, the technology, and the reactions as he looks back on his extensive (and always popular) list of pro models. Plus, what we can expect from his latest, the JK7.

There just always seems to be ways to improve. If there weren't, everything would get boring.

I am about to drop my 7th shoe. The first shoe came out in 2000.

Before my first shoe, I wore the Boxer, then the Lynx. When Dyrdek's 2nd shoe came out, I wore those, then the Howards.

I never really thought I'd make it so far. Maybe a little. But I used to dream my first shoe would look like the Lynx.

I would have to say my first shoe was my favorite shoe of all time... at the time. I wanted a shoe that looked hot, and also was comfortable. It was both. To me it was perfect, at the time...

Currently, my favorite skate shoe is the number 7. It hasn't come out yet, but I've been able to skate it and it's hot. It looks incredible, you can feel your board, and it's light. It's by far my best looking, best feeling shoe.

Form and function-it's a mix of the two. You can't have one without the other.

My best shoe hands down. It looks amazing, and skates even better. I took some of my favorite features of my past shoes and integrated them into this new shoe. This shoe has form AND function.

I think people will be surprised by the durability of the shoe. The weight of it is spot on for what you need to skate. And, it will last a lot longer than expected. I think that's because of the DGT™ and the Super Suede™. Not to mention the shoe looks incredible.

I'm a big huge fan of Super Suede™. I love that stuff.

I always look to see what's hot on the streets. I try not to bite any other pro shoes... so most of the ideas are from the designer's heads and mine. We kinda start from a blank shoe then fill in the blanks until it looks just about right.

The next skate technology discovery? I'm not sure, but maybe a way to keep shoes from losing their shape. After you skate a shoe for a couple weeks, you have to tighten them up. It would be tight to never have to tighten them. They can just stand strong and never have to be choked up.

I wanted to find a way to have a clean look as well as some of the DGT™ on my new shoe, so I used DC's Performance Wrap Cup Sole. It seemed like this was a perfect idea. It makes my foot feel closer to the board and gives me a bit more board control.

I believe it's the perfect skate shoe.

Added: November 15, 2007
Producer: dc shoes
Copyright: dc shoes
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