The éS Man Cometh

An interview with Pierre Andre Senizergues and first look at the limited return of éS Footwear

By Blair Alley

The skate community was shocked in the fall of 2012 when éS announced it was going on a “creative retreat.” However, unbeknownst to most of us, the creative minds behind the brand didn’t stop creating. “A creative retreat is active, it’s not dead,” said Senizergues, one-on-one with us in his Lake Forest office. “It was a rethink for what’s happening in the market for shoes. During the recession, a lot of shops got hammered, a lot of brands got hammered. Maybe there were too many brands?”

During the hiatus, éS saw a constant demand for its product, most notably in Japan. The Japanese market really wanted the iconic Accel, so éS released four colorways of its classic shoe, to Japan only, in November of 2013 and it became the number one shoe brand in the country immediately. People in the U.S. and Europe caught wind and started asking as well. All this culminated in the decision to drop something for February 2014.

What you’ll have the chance to get your hands on are three new éS styles coming in two colorways—red and black. Emphasizing the community and culture of skateboarding, the shoes will only be available in 100 core shops globally—each shop receiving only eight pairs of each style in the two colorways. You might want to call ahead.

The question on many people’s minds, “Is there going to be a team?” Well the answer is, there is no official team, and there are no plans to release more shoes than this limited run. éS is just putting this out there to see how the skate community reacts. No decision has been made on if or when the brand will permanently return. Those pairs that are going to your local shop will never be produced again.

“We wanted to do it February 14 because we love skateboarding. We feel like it’s going to bring some excitement to the retailers.”—Pierre Andre Senizergues

Follow éS on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more announcements. Click through the gallery for more images from éS with thorough product descriptions.

Retailer list: Hit these shops up February 14! Europe, Japan, and South America will be getting their éS shoes in the next two weeks.

Val Surf VV, Boarders Northridge, Boarders, Jack’s, Active, Asylum, Xtreme, Sun Diego, Mainline, Furnace, Pharmacy Hollywood, Brotherhood, Atlas, 510, SPOT, Tactics, 35th North, Cowtown, 303, Board of Provo, Phase II, Premier, Escapist, Kinetic, Homage, Nocturnal, KCDC, Orchard, Pit Crew.