As the proverb goes ‘there’s nothing new under the sun’, which may or may not be the case for a lot of things but it’s feeling increasingly true in the world of skateboarding, as late 90s fetishism continues to reign unabated. Not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with that, nostalgia is a heavy trip and if there’s nothing new being brought to the table then why not dine out on the past?

 

 

 

The Rowley XLT was originally released in 2001, towards the end of a period of unrivalled innovation and creativity in skate footwear, brands had distinct aesthetics and identities, and designers really pushed the envelope of what was stylistically appropriate and acceptable, though not always for the better. It was however certainly more interesting than the era of homogenous vulcanised footwear that followed a few years later, which, ironically was somewhat catalysed by the launch of Geoff's previous Vans pro model, the ‘Classic’ in 1999.

 

 

 

The XLT included some of the best in legitimately useful technology - the ‘XLT’ being a novel contraction of the words ‘Extra Light’, and it was. Yet it eschewed the fussy aesthetic of some its peers in favour of a more retro sports brand look, in hindsight it was something of an outlier but now with that gift it looks like the perfect bridge between what came before and after.

 

The reissued XLT in partnership with Dime is available from October the 5th.