I hate to be the tinfoil hat guy (especially because it interferes with the messages my guardian angel delivers through the fillings in my molars)…,
But,
Doesn’t it seem like every time non skate shoes get popular with skaters, the companies jack up the price?
Club Cs used to be cheap, so did Sambas, then boom… huge price increase.
It’s kinda bullshit.
My own take and observation on this lies in how skaters are "ahead" of trends or "create" the trend of what's popular in steet shoes or clothing. With that, I think much of our timing on the spiked interest of the shoe comes right before they hit big with the general public (and prices go up).
This is likely because marketers for these big brands are forecasting trends and paying attention to subcultures that truly appreciate/enjoy the shoe/garment/etc. They use that in their next QX sales meeting to produce more or drive up prices since they expect it to hit with the general public shortly after. Skaters, for example show their shoes off (directly and indirectly) so they know they get the exposure to bank on the risk of it growing outward.
Maybe others feel similar or different or I'm pretty removed in this since I'm not an insider to these companies