Route One’s Top 10 Skate Shoes of 2025

10. Vans Skate Half Cab Shoes - Black/White

The resurgence of a classic. Perhaps the most recognisable purpose-built skate silhouette of all time, the Vans Skate Half Cab saw a renaissance of sorts in 2025 and is the first shoe to grace our annual list. Rising back to the upper echelons of skate shoe popularity, 2025 saw some new colourways and the odd tweak for the iconic Half Cab, including a fresh WAFFLECUP™ sole take. But our choice for 2025 keeps it simple with a classic colourway for a classic silhouette: Black/White.

9. Lakai Telford Elite Skate Shoes - Cordura White/Spruce

If Lakais can support Chris Joslin stomping a tre down El Toro, you know they’re ready for anything. Number 9 in our list is one of Joslin’s favourites from the Lakai roster, the Telford. We picked out a classic Cordura White/Spruce colourway in the advanced ‘Elite’ model of the Telford to land on our list. Coming complete with padded ankle support and advanced XLK cupsole tech for durability and support, blended with flexible board feel right out the box. P.S. Keep an eye out for Joslin’s signature G-MA colourway of the Telford Low, coming early this year.

8. New Balance Numeric Jamie Foy 306 Route One Exclusive Skate Shoes - Black/Black/Reflective

Back in September 2025, we were gassed to be able to release our New Balance Numeric Route One Exclusive 'Reflective' Pack, a duo of NB’s most popular silhouettes with a colourway from us, inspired by the glow of city streetlights during many a late-night skate, as well as the reflective details on some of our favourite classic running shoes.

You know we had to include both on the list, and like a proud parent, we love them both equally. So, determined by number only, the New Balance Numeric Jamie Foy 306 Black/Black/Reflective sits as number 8 in the list. It was an honour to remix the two-time SOTY’s silhouette with our own vision, and it came out sick, even if we do say so ourselves.

7. New Balance Numeric 440 Route One Exclusive Skate Shoes - Black/Black/Reflective

If you read entry 8, this shoe needs no introduction. Number 7 in our top skate shoes of 2025 comes in the form of the New Balance Numeric 440 Skate Shoes in Black/Black/Reflective, the second half of our Route One exclusive pack. The 440 V2 is a cornerstone of the Numeric lineup, and for our effort, we kept it classic. Black dominates the entirety, letting the reflective accents shine. Read more about the release of the 'Reflective Pack'.

6. adidas Tekkira Cup Skate Shoes - White/Bright Blue/Lucid Blue

The first on our definitive list to also feature on our Best Skate Shoes of 2025 (So Far) blog back in October, the Tekkira Cup, a completely new silhouette added to the adidas lineup last year. We were lucky enough to try these out when we headed to New York in June, and we were won over instantly, especially with the White/Bright Blue/Lucid Blue colourway. It brought together the best parts of ‘90s runners and ‘00s court styles, and blends cupsole comfort with skate-ready functionality.

5. Converse Milton CTAS Hi Skate Shoes - Black/White/Black

A late contender to this list, landing at the backend of the year, is Milton Martinez’s classy take on Converse's Chuck Taylor. The 2019 SOTY put his own spin on what is one of the most iconic silhouettes of all time, and it came out a winner. Most notably, Milton’s CTAS effort daringly removes the classic toe cap, adds Chuck 70-inspired stitching, Martinez branding on the tongue and a cheeky Spade artwork embroidered on the heel and printed on the insoles (sockliners, to our friends across the pond).

4. Nike SB Air Jordan 4 Retro SP Skate Shoes - Summit White/White-Navy-Neutral Grey

Two years after its debut in the Nike SB lineup, the Jordan 4 returned in April. This time, Pine Green made way for Navy. A reworked sole construction from the OG improved board feel and grip for skating, whilst the ’89-inspired toe box brought forward an enhanced fit and impeccable flick. SB remained as close to the original, timeless Air Jordan 4 design as possible, whilst reflecting differences in culture and practice with skate-ready tweaks. Read more about the AJ4. 

3. adidas x Mike Arnold Handball Top Skate Shoes – Core Black/Core Black/Semi Impact Orange

Mike Arnold sits as one of Britain’s finest exports, rubbing shoulders with the best in the business and never looking out of place. In 2025, he landed a second signature colourway for adidas Skateboarding with the Handball Top, a Core Black & Semi Impact Orange effort. This shoe and its fiery colourway was so different to everything else we saw this year, it was always going to land high on our list. Arnold and adi took the classic archive court shoe and reenvisioned it with the aesthetics of sparks, smoke, and exhausts. 

2. Nike SB x Eric Koston Air Max 95 Skate Shoes - Obsidian/Speed Yellow-Midnight Navy-Navy

Pulling up to our ranking as runner up: Nike SB’s second entry to our list, the Nike SB x Eric Koston Air Max 95 Skate Shoes. The SB division have never been shy of borrowing from other areas of Nike’s lineup and archive, but this was probably the boldest of their co-opting efforts to date. We could have picked the launch colourway of the Air Max 95 (Summit White and Cactus Flower) for this list, but we felt that Koston’s signature just edged it, due to his influence on decades of street skating, as well as the nod to Koston’s Thai heritage, and the Obsidian/Speed Yellow-Midnight Navy-Navy colourway which echoes Nike SB’s classic Nike “Michigan” palette.

The Nike SB Air Max 95 aimed to bridge the gap between skate shoes and what Koston calls ‘chillers’: a shoe which is clean, comfortable, and free from the rips, holes, and scuffs of daily sessions. Nike rebuilt the 95 from the ground up, trimming weight from the original higher-sitting shoe, adjusting both insole and tread for enhanced boardfeel and flexibility, so you are effectively sitting ON the iconic Air Bubble. This one was unlucky to miss out on top spot. Read more about the AM95 x Eric Koston.

1. New Balance Numeric 933 Andrew Reynolds Skate Shoes - Tan/Teal

And without further ado, it’s time to announce our favourite skate shoe to launch in the great year of 2025. After months of rumours, redesigns and teasers, in May, New Balance finally released the 933, Andrew Reynolds’ first signature shoe with the Numeric, and it didn’t disappoint. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find a more anticipated shoe than the 933 that actually lived up to its hype. It represented one of NB Numeric’s most technologically advanced shoe to date, bringing together New Balance’s skate tech together with the Boss’ unmatched attention to detail and experience.

The shoe is heavy on the running/sports shoe influences through a skateboarding lens, especially from heritage NB running shoes, namely the 990, because Reynolds wanted to focus on fit, support and feel, and, well, because it looks sick. If you want to read more about the 933, check out our blog from the launch of the shoe.

There have already been a stack of sick colourways released for the 933, but we decided to go with the Tan/Teal as our shoe of the year.

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