i always have the opposite thoughts that they redesign because the original was too expensive or difficult. I thought maybe it related to wanting to push the low harder and they weren't happy with it. Haven't tried them on but probably should. I'm sitting on like 4 pairs of the OG's I kept getting them on sale and they are a mid top that has served me really well.
I remember, as I’ve also heard others remark, that the first run of many Adidas Skateboarding and Nike SB models have at least felt like their quality was superior to those that they release later on.
Specifically, the Campus Vulc. I remember there was a Dennis color way that was just black with white stripes and a white sole with maybe some golden accent stitching. These were some of the highest quality shoes I’ve skated to this day.
I also remember the original Janoski’s being of much higher quality before they became so massively popular.
My cynicism wants to believe that this was done purposefully when there was still such a strong kickback against sportswear in skateboarding, to win people over in the first few years, knowing they would drop their quality once people became more loyal to the brands.
But that seems a little too far fetched.