In case you don’t follow skateboarding or just like the ambience of living in a cave, Scott is an amazing pro skater, and one of the first white dudes on Chocolate Skateboards (way to break those barriers!). On top of making a name for himself on four wheels, Scott’s always been known for his impeccable personal style. So when Scott transitioned into shoe designer at Lakai, no one was surprised. As the saying goes, if the shoe fits…

When did you decide to become a shoe designer?
There wasn’t a time I said to myself, “I’m gonna be a shoe designer.” I guess the first sign of interest was when I got my first iMac. I would play around with Illustrator and teach myself to draw. I got into drawing shoes and submitted one to Lakai; it ended up being my first pro shoe. Through the years of having pro shoes, I’d go into the design office and work closely with the designers. Most pro shoes are made without much input from the skater. What prompted my career change is age. I’m not getting any younger and I’ll eventually have to hang up the pro board. So better get started on the future than try to hold onto the past.

Your first pro shoe on Lakai was definitely the best-looking shoe in the line, but the shoe was never made. How frustrating or disheartening is it to do all the work and produce a sample, only to have the shoe go into the vault?
I was bummed that shoe didn’t make it. It skated great and for that time in skate shoes, it had a good shape and a nice low sole. Years later everybody is asking for it. That always happens. The market is far behind what we want to make. It’s very frustrating that you can’t do exactly what you want with the design. Sales will always slow down the progression of design. Sales will always look at what’s done well in the past and request more of that. At the end of the day that’s what it’s all about, making shoes to sell. It’s fun to tackle the challenge of making something you like that is also received well in the market.

Lakai makes strictly skate shoes, but do you ever get the urge to design something that isn’t built around the abuse a shoe can take from griptape? Will there be a Scoot’s secret stash?
I’ve been thinking of that a lot recently. When I have the extra time I’d like to start working on a shoe of a non-skate nature. We could release something that is off the normal skate style. It just comes down to when we have the room in the line.

Would you still wear the black Lakai Staple with the fake red Prada tab on the heel? How do you feel about designs or cues that’re so obviously borrowed?
When we did that obvious bit it was very new to Prada. It wasn’t really their trademark thing at the time. So we thought we found something outside our market that would be cool to apply to ours. Now it’s Prada’s swoosh.

What attracts your eye to a particular shoe?
Shape is everything to me. Toe view is most important since you have to look down at it.

The silhouettes of shoes have slimmed down a lot in the past couple of years, and the market seems to favor simpler, classic, almost retro shoes at the moment. Do you think that’s just nostalgia, or was design simply better previously?
Nostalgia is a big part in what’s going on right now. The classic look is running everything right now. Everybody wants to look like a pro from the ’80s. Also the key purchases that go on right now are men buying items they wanted as kids but didn’t have the money back then, whether it’s BMX bikes, sneakers, or whatever.

Where do you see things going from here? Are designers just going to increase the height of high tops until they hit your knees?
I think it’s gonna go back to tech, but with a more refined, cleaner look. It’ll have elements from classics, but modernized with new outsole constructions and materials.

What are your favorite shoes?
Nike Wovens might be my favorite. That is the one shoe I got into collecting when they first came out. I’m glad I still feel that way about them since I have so many pairs.

What are your everyday, go-to sneakers?
Lakai Manchesters and Chuck Taylors.

Any new brands impressing you right now?
Visvim. The brand started out making a few shoe styles. Now they put out a full line with bags, clothes, etc. The quality of materials they use is on another level. The owner of this Japan-based brand is so gnarly I’ve heard he consults for Comme des Garçons.