All we have to do is look at specialty retail over history when it comes to categories nike wanted to enter- soccer, golf and running.
they came in a similar fashion talking about limited products for limited distribution, the exposed these sports to a broader consumer, brought in new consumers/participants, and then went and got them "hooked" on nike and in the end drove them to their own stores or larger sporting good chains they could sell cheaper products to at better margins.
straight up i have kept my mouth shut on nike because i know they kept a lot of shops open during some real shitty years...first when "core" brands expanded their distribution and left the specialty retailer looking for alternatives and then when the economy went to shit. these retailers could count on a few nike drops per month to keep the doors open. i get it. but now. BUT NOW i hope all these specialty retailers are looking at the wolf in sheep's clothing and rethinking their commitment to what is probably going to be the same brand that will be a driver of them finally having to close up shop. the "specialty" is gone. consumers will be able to buy skate models everywhere. same goes for vans. i wear vans almost 100%, but they are doing the same thing opening up their own doors on top of their specialty dealers. they dont care. they still do some specialty segments that drive a bit of biz, but in the end, their slitting throats too. cons never got their shit together to be a voice in this shoe discussion and adidas, for as ill as they are right now, dont know their head from their ass at the top of the company and will probably follow nike down some expanded distribution with the good shit once they see nike do it for 6 months...they've never been leaders in anything other than soccer and they got their asses handed to them there once nike decided they wanted that biz.
back to the "core" guys. most of the creative talent has been swooped from these brands. both in design and marketing. bigger checks, bigger budgets and bigger titles stole them away. so you got guys with little experience, 5-15 million dollar brands, and a core at all costs mentality running these og skate shoe brands. the thing is, the new gen of kids dont know any better. they dont know skate without nike, so core brands are preaching with fist in the air to a gen of kids that look at them as old men...which we kind of are.
in the end what am i writing all this for? cause our fate is sealed. dont hold on to old ideals. support companies and brands that make good product for your dollar, that return the favor by sponsoring and paying your favorite pro's fairly, that do their marketing jobs by putting out videos, sending the team on tours and support the overall skateboard community....
if you look at it like that, you see what brands are at least spending your money you give them responsibly towards skateboarding. the past is the past. we cant go back to core values of 15 years ago. we have to redefine what the core values are for the new reality of the skateboard industry.
and yeah, i work in it. i have from a shop kid back in 92/93 to working at multiple loved & hated brands today. i love it too much. i think the saddest part is watching the retailers i have become friends with these past 15 years be forced to make biz decisions not based on their gut, but based on survival which leads to our state of specialty retail 2012.