Gravis is Back and I Don't Like it

Yep, Gravis is making a come back. Not globally or in the US, but in Japan. To be clear, Gravis as a brand has always available in Japan, despite ending in America. I guess brands work differently overseas. When éS first went under in 2012, Japan kept selling the red Accel OG.

A teaser for Gravis Skateboarding posted by @GravisJapan

Gravis was founded in 1998 under the Burton umbrella, but the skateboarding program didn't begin until 2006. Most people, including me, remember Gravis for their infamous Dylan shoe released in 2010(?). A skate shoe heavily inspired by dress shoes, perfectly complimenting Dylan Rieder's personal aesthetic and style. The Dylan was a shoe like no other at the time: a sleek, minimalist leather shoe. I like to describe the ordinary skate shoe of this time to be in a transitional period where shoes were becoming slimmer but were still relatively well cushioned, carrying over the chunky shoe DNA from the years prior. Examples include the Lakai Mike Mo, éS First Blood and Habitat Quest.

A shoe way ahead of its time, the Dylan

As with any sudden change or difference, the shoe caused quite a stir.

"Definitely got some shit for them, but I fucking dig 'em," Rieder said in Part 3 of his Epicly Later'd episode.

This was a pretty brave move for Gravis and I commend them for it. A shoe vastly different from any other offerings was going to be hard sell, yet the company still did it. Today, the shoes have gained a cult-like following with an Instagram page dedicated to the shoe. A pair is available to purchase on eBay for $499 AUD.

I was not skating around the time of Gravis. Based on their YouTube page, though, I can only assume that the brand combined style and aesthetic with skateboarding. With names like Arto Saari, Kevin Terpening and Jake Johnson, Gravis definitely wins for most stylish skate team.

In 2012, Gravis, along with their skate program, closed doors. But the brand continued to sell shoes in Japan. However, the brand was different. The models in Japan offer a bulkier silhouette, departing the sleek and stylish DNA the brand was known for.

Getting a lot of black Air Force 1 vibes from this... yuck

But as I was scrolling through my explore page on Instagram, I came across this really stylish skater from Japan: Mana Sasaki. It's funny that he's sponsored by both Huf and Gravis, companies whom Dylan also rode for and had pro model shoes with. Looking through his posts, he places a clear emphasis on style, despite it looking forceful at times.

Formerly a rider for Asics Skateboarding (also exclusive to Japan), Sasaki began tagging Gravis back in January of this year. In addition to Sasaki, the current team is Kenya Okuno, Shogo Tanaka and a recent addition of Joshua Nishimiya. It's interesting to note Okuno is the team manager for Gravis Skateboarding as well.

Side Note: As I was looking through Tanaka's clips, I saw him wearing high waters and no-show socks... rough start.

A promo video for Gravis was uploaded back in May in an artsy black and white video, giving us a taste of what the new riders will provide. It's revealed at the end that Gravis Skateboarding will fully launch in April 2023.

Currently they are showcasing a shoe called the Filter. Perhaps a rerelease of the original Gravis shoe with the same name.

The "new" Filter

The response in the comments have been mostly positive. Though one comment raises some concern inside of me, "Bring back the Dylan."

Yes, if the Dylan were to be remade, it would sell incredibly well. But is it morally correct? Something about selling a pro model of a well respected pro skater seems wrong. Especially if this division of Gravis Skateboarding is unrelated to the American Gravis. If this new Gravis Skateboarding were to revitalize the Dylan, then I've lost all respect for them.

I also thought it was pretty funny that the captions were in English. Sure the audience may be global, but the product is only available in Japan. I did call them out on it with my burner account, but I was left more confused.

Thanks for the support @ariefyogi12

This brings me to another point: why do brands create a page for an international audience, and yet still use English in the captions or don't even bother writing a caption? @LakaiTokyo just reposts riders' posts and when they do post something, the caption is in English. At least run it through Google Translate! Shoutout to @NBNumeric_Japan though, at least their captions are in Japanese.

Anyways, the current website for Gravis is under maintenance, but if you would like to see their current [atrocious] offerings, feel free to click here or visit @GravisJapan on Instagram. If you want to strictly follow their skate program, visit @Gravis_Skateboarding on Instagram.