Emerica is one of the best-known skate shoe brands in the United States. It started in 1996 and it’s the brand of Andrew Reynolds, Heath Kirchart, Leo Romero or Spanky Long, and of videos like This Is Skateboarding and Stay Gold. Today it’s not what it used to be: since 2024 it has a new owner and a much smaller team.
Here you have Emerica’s history, where the name comes from, who bought it, its videos, its best-known models and who skates for it now.
Where does Emerica come from and why is it called that?
Pierre André Senizergues, a Frenchman and freestyle world champion, brought etnies to the United States and made it one of the first skate shoe companies in the hands of a skater. Emerica was born in 1996 inside that world, and the name is a mix of etnies and America: in the United States, the shoes were sold as “etnies America”.
While etnies opened up to other sports, Emerica stuck with skating. The brand was set up as the more direct, simple line, with shoes without a lot of frills, and it signed skaters like Jamie Thomas early on and, in the late 90s, Andrew Reynolds. The idea was to have a wall of shoes in shops with several brands made by skaters.
The logo, an “E” that skaters recognize instantly, was designed by Yogi Proctor.
Who owns Emerica?
Since May 2024, the Nidecker Group, a Swiss family-owned snowboard and action sports company. It bought four brands at once: Emerica, etnies, éS and ThirtyTwo (snowboards). The price wasn’t published.
Until then, all four belonged to Sole Technology, the company Senizergues founded and ran in Lake Forest, California. With the sale, the Sole Technology name will fade away. Senizergues stays on as CEO of the brands and keeps a minority stake.
The two years since have been about adjustments. Spanky Long has said that tough decisions were made to keep the company going and that the staff behind the brand is small, three or four people. He has also said they’re no longer in survival mode, although he hasn’t seen the books.
Emerica timeline
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1996 | Emerica is born, and so is Sole Technology as the parent company |
| 1997 | First video, Yellow |
| Late 90s | Andrew Reynolds’ first model arrives; in 1998 he was Thrasher’s Skater of the Year |
| 2003 | This Is Skateboarding, two years of team touring |
| 2004 | Kids in Emerica |
| 2007 | Wild Ride; Jerry Hsu signs |
| 2010 | Stay Gold; Leo Romero, Skater of the Year |
| 2013 | Made: Chapter One, pay what you want with a one dollar minimum |
| 2016 | Made: Chapter Two |
| 2018 | Jerry Hsu leaves the brand |
| 2019 | Andrew Reynolds and Emerica part ways after about 20 years |
| 2021 | Emerica puts the whole of Stay Gold on YouTube for its tenth anniversary |
| 2024 | The Nidecker Group buys the brand |
| 2025 | Spanky Hi x Lottie and the Jollymane promo |
The Emerica team
90s and early 2000s: Jamie Thomas and John Cardiel appear in Yellow. Over time came Andrew Reynolds, Heath Kirchart, Ed Templeton, Chris Senn and Kevin “Spanky” Long, who signed around the time of This Is Skateboarding. Leo Romero won Thrasher’s Skater of the Year award in 2010.
The 2000s and 2010s: Jerry Hsu was on the team from 2007 to 2018 and had several models of his own. Brandon Westgate, Bryan Herman, Justin “Figgy” Figueroa, Collin Provost, Jeremy Leabres, Jon Dickson, Rob Maatman, Eniz Fazliov, Dakota Servold, Victor Aceves and Chris Wimer also came through.
Reynolds left in 2019 after about 20 years and later moved to another shoe brand. Hsu, Herman and Westgate also left over the years.
Current team: on the brand’s website you’ll find Spanky Long, Leo Romero, Figgy, Jon Dickson, Stu Kirst and Matisse Banc. Spanky Long also acts as creative director without an official title, and Patrick Franklin has joined to help with video and ads. He has explained that they want to bring in riders slowly, without rushing.
Reynolds also founded Baker and the clothing brand Altamont, which was part of Sole Technology. You’ll find Baker’s story on our Baker page.
Emerica’s videos
| Year | Video | What it has |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Yellow | The brand’s first |
| 2003 | This Is Skateboarding | Two years of touring, with Reynolds, Spanky Long, Kirchart and Templeton |
| 2004 | Kids in Emerica | With Spanky and Romero |
| 2007 | Wild Ride | |
| 2010 | Stay Gold | Directed by Jon Miner, parts from Reynolds, Romero, Westgate, Figgy, Hsu and Kirchart |
| 2013 | Made: Chapter One | Pay what you want, with a one dollar minimum |
| 2015 | Stay Flared | With Lakai |
| 2016 | Made: Chapter Two | The brand’s fifth video, with Reynolds, Herman, Spanky, Hsu and Figgy |
| 2017 to 2021 | Young Emericans, Wet Hot Emerican Summer, Green and THIS | Shorter videos |
| 2025 | Jollymane | Promo with Stu Kirst, Figgy, Patrick Franklin and Spanky |
This Is Skateboarding covers two years of team touring, filmed by Mike Manzoori and Jon Miner. The story goes that Emerica donated over 200 pairs of shoes to Seattle schools in exchange for being able to use a Jimi Hendrix song in Reynolds’ part.
Stay Gold is the one people remember most. It came out on September 1, 2010, runs about 56 minutes and was the brand’s first full-length in seven years. Jerry Hsu filmed his part between injuries: filmer Jon Miner has said he had ankle surgery and two or three knee surgeries during the shoot.
Emerica’s shoes
Emerica has lived mostly off signature models. Reynolds ended up with 13: Reynolds 1, 2 and 3, The Boss, Reynolds Light, AR Slim, Reynolds Cruisers, Reynolds Low, Reynolds Low Vulc and the G6 versions, among others. Spanky Long had the KSL1 (2005), the KSL Dos (2007), the Spanky (2008) and The Situation (2011, also in a vegan version). Jerry Hsu had the Hsu and the Hsu 2 Fusion, and Leo Romero, the Troubadour (2013). Heath Kirchart had his own Shifter HK.
On the brand’s website today, models like the Wino G6 Slip-On, the KSL III, the Seneca, the Moca and the Spanky Hi stand out, along with an “Animal Friendly” line with no animal-derived materials.
| Technology or feature | What it is |
|---|---|
| G6 | Cushioning Emerica uses, for example in the Wino G6 Slip-On |
| Double-wrap vulc | Vulcanized sole wrapped twice around the foot |
| Cupsole 400 NBS | Stitched rubber sole, like the one on the Spanky Hi |
| Full-length EVA | Midsole that cushions the impact across the whole foot |
The Spanky Hi is the high-top version of Spanky Long’s model. The Spanky Hi x Lottie edition came out on April 10, 2025 in a limited run, with an embroidered tongue and an insole featuring art by Mike Gigliotti. It has a high collar to support the ankle, double stitching and a rubber cupsole.
A “vulc” (vulcanized) sole is thinner and gives better board feel, and a cupsole takes more of a beating. If you’re torn between one type and the other, there’s more info in our guide to the best skate shoes.
Emerica compared to other brands
- Versus Vans: Vans is a much bigger brand with more variety outside skating. Emerica is a small, skate-only brand, and its models tend to be simpler.
- Versus Nike SB: Nike SB makes lots of limited editions that people collect. Until 2024 Emerica was a skater-run company, and now it belongs to a Swiss group but is still run by its founder.
- Versus etnies: they’re sister brands. Etnies is more varied and covers more sports, and Emerica stuck with skating.
- Other connected brands: Reynolds founded Baker, and Pontus Alv, of Polar, skated for Emerica before starting his own thing.
Who is Emerica for?
For anyone looking for a classic skate shoe, with a traditional profile and that feel of the 2000s videos. The low-top cupsole models work for stairs and rails, where cushioning matters, and the vulcanized ones for people who prefer to feel the board. The Spanky Hi is for anyone who wants more ankle protection.
If you’re starting from scratch, before the shoes you should get your board set up right: here’s how to build a complete skateboard. And to understand what the videos are talking about, the dictionary explains tricks like the kickflip or the ollie.