DC Shoes, Inc. is an American brand that specializes in footwear for action sports such as skateboarding and snowboarding. The company also sells apparel, bags, accessories, hats, t-shirts, and posters.[1]
History
DC was founded in June 1994 by Damon Way, Ken Block and Clayton Blehm. It was originally based in Carlsbad, California, but is now based in Huntington Beach, California.[2] DC originally stood for "Droors Clothing," but since the sale of Droors Clothing in 2004, DC no longer has ties to Droors and is simply DC Shoes, Inc.[3]
On March 8, 2004, DC Shoes was acquired by Quiksilver in an $87 million transaction.[4][5] In 2010, DC Shoes moved from Vista, California, to Quiksilver's headquarters in Huntington Beach.[6] A video entitled Skateboarding Is Forever was released online in 2010 and featured skateboarders Marquise Henry, Matt Miller, Wes Kremer, Evan Smith, and Greg Myers. Apart from Myers and Henry, all of the skateboarders from the video remained sponsored by the company in 2013, and have since attained professional status.
In 2011, the brand underwent a rejuvenation process that included the design of a new flag logo.[7] As part of this process, new skateboard team announcements were progressively made and a series of advertisements, under the direction of new team member Steve Berra, were released online.[8] The other new team announcements were Mikey Taylor, Mike Mo Capaldi, Nyjah Huston, Chris Cole, and Davis Torgerson.[9] Felipe Gustavo was introduced at a later stage.[10][11]
A progression of the brand relaunch was the "Rediscovery" campaign that commenced in December 2011, following the addition of Capaldi and Huston to the skateboard team.[12][9][13]
Co-founder Block died in a snowmobile crash in January 2023.[14]
On February 2, 2025, Liberated Brands, owner of DC Shoes retail stores, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, listing assets and liabilities between $100 million and $500 million. The company announced the closure of all remaining DC Shoes stores, with liquidation sales beginning a week before the bankruptcy.[15]
See also
- Plan B Skateboards
- Extreme Sports
External links
References
- DC. SHOP DC, DC SHOES, INC, 2012, retrieved 20 August 2012^
- Fast Company. Putting Your Best Foot Forward Fast Company, Mansueto Ventures LLC, 12 June 2003, retrieved 18 August 2012^
- About Us DC Shoes, DC Shoes, Inc, 2013, retrieved 14 July 2014^
- Quiksilver, Form 8-K, Current Report, Filing Date Mar 10, 2004 secdatabase.com, retrieved Apr 1, 2013^
- Raha. DC Shoes OKs $87,000,000 offer from Quiksilver The Union–Tribune, 9 March 2004, retrieved 18 August 2012^
- Kari Hamanaka. Big Apparel Makers Post 5% Increase in Local Jobs Orange County Business Journal, June 6, 2011^
- Templeton Elliot. New DC Skate Logo The Skateboard Mag, Strictly Skateboarding, 6 May 2011, retrieved 21 September 2012^
- Commercials Michael Poore, 2011, retrieved 21 September 2012^
- DC LAUNCHES NEW YEAR WITH NEW SKATE TEAM BNQT.com, BNQT Media Group / USA Today Sports, 2 January 2012, retrieved 10 April 2013^
- Masa. DC SHOES – "THE EVAN SMITH EXPERIENCE" freshness, Complex Media, 22 March 2013, retrieved 23 March 2013^
- DCshoesFilm. DC SHOES: REDISCOVER HOME - FELIPE GUSTAVO - PART 1 YouTube, Google, Inc, 17 September 2012, retrieved 29 October 2012^
- DCshoesFILM. DC SHOES: REDISCOVER DC - TEAM 2012 YouTube, Google, Inc, 31 December 2011, retrieved 24 September 2012^
- Amy Sciarretto. DC Shoes Launches Rediscover DC Campaign Artist Direct, Rogue Digital, LLC, 3 January 2012, retrieved 29 October 2012^
- Ken Block killed in snowmobile crash Motorsport.com, 2 January 2023^
- Tiffany Montgomery. Liberated Brands Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Shop Eat Surf Outdoor, February 3, 2025, retrieved February 3, 2025^