words & image // Zack Schlemmer
This week we turn to the pages of a skateboard magazine for the first time to check out a Vintage Ad for skate legend Eric Koston's very first signature shoe, the Koston 1 from éS.
With the level that Eric Koston is still skating at, it's hard to believe his first signature shoe came out all the way back in 1997. Pretty high-tech for its time, the Koston 1 was the first major skate shoe to use a Nike-like visible air unit for cushioning and helped usher in the late 90's and early 2000's wave of teched-out, athletic-inspired skate shoes from brands like éS, Axion and Circa.
Not only did the Koston look cool, it performed great as well. It was comfortable right out of the box and offered great board feel. The shoe was in production for years, even while later Koston models were released, and came in countless colorways. In this ad we see one its very first in Warm Grey with a clear rubber outsole.
The éS Koston 1 is a bona-fide classic that is considered one of the greatest skate shoes of all time, and (sorry, Nike) definitely Eric Koston's best signature shoe.
