Performance footwear has evolved exponentially over the years. Look at the shoes that were winning marathons in the '90s versus that ones winning them now, and you'll find them almost unrecognisable. The same is true of hiking boots, cycling shoes, football boots, you name it. But skate shoes? Not so much.
Until now.
Village PM sits at an interesting intersection. It is unmistakably a skate footwear brand, yet it's shoes look completely alien within the context of skate culture. The founders grew up inside skateboarding, but their professional lives took them into the technical realms of performance footwear, where they learned how small decisions in shape, rubber and construction can alter the way a product behaves. When they came together to create a brand of their own, they were less interested in revisiting skateboarding’s played-out silhouettes and more drawn to the possibility of introducing an entirely different design language.
The result is a shoe that speaks softly but with intent. The asymmetrical toe shape, the climbing-inspired rubber that wraps the upper, and the interplay of suede and protective edging are not stylistic flourishes so much as an accumulation of functional choices. Some of these influences stretch back to childhood summers spent near the mountains, where mountaineering footwear stood out for its clarity of purpose. Others come from years spent working within outdoor brands like Salomon and Arc'teryx, where the line between fashion and utility is becoming fainter. Village PM treats these references as raw material, translating them into something that can withstand the abrasion of grip tape without losing the pared-back presence the founders value.
Village PM: Performance refined
Yet even with this broader design vocabulary, the brand remains anchored in skateboarding. The first months of development involved countless rounds of testing, adjusting rubber formulas and evaluating how the shoe responded to repeated impact. Skaters from the emerging team were brought into the process early, sometimes riding prototypes that barely resembled finished footwear. This period of trial and attention gives the final product its grounded feel. It is a shoe shaped not only by design theory but by repetition, failure and the insistence on getting something as tactile as flick or feel exactly right.
Village PM’s launch took place during Paris Fashion Week, a choice that reflects the founders’ sense of where skateboarding now lives. The culture has long since expanded beyond the skatepark, and the brand acknowledges this shift without positioning itself outside the discipline that shaped it. Instead, it offers a more fluid reading of contemporary skate identity, one that moves comfortably between different creative spaces while keeping its roots intact.
For those who respond to objects built with care and intention, Village PM offers a compelling study in quiet progress. It suggests that even within a saturated category, there is room for thoughtful invention, provided the work remains grounded, functional and true to the pace of the people who will use it.
Next up: The best classic sneakers for timeless style.
