HUF released the HUF Ramondetta Pro on Wednesday, July 10. The shoe is the first under the HUF label for Pro rider Peter Ramondetta. We know of the specifics Peter wanted into the shoe, but Nice Kicks spoke with Footwear Designer Hayden Biener about how the Ramodetta Pro transitioned from an idea to reality, and his role in the creation of the skate shoe.
That reality was put into motion as Nice Kicks called on the talents of local skate enthusiast Ian Cochran to take the Ramondetta Pro for a test ride right out of the box. Check out the video of him in action and his thoughts on the all new HUF option at the end fo the interview, and pick up your pair today from HUF.
Nice Kicks: How did the HUF Ramondetta Pro come about?
Hayden Biener: Peter Ramondetta’s first pro shoe with HUF came about as soon as he joined our skate team. It was a no brainer to have him be the next pro to follow up Joey Pepper (and the HUF Pepper Pro) in getting a pro model shoe over here. He is such an amazing and gnarly skateboarder he deserves it for sure.
Huf Ramondetta Pro Construction Callout SketchNice Kicks: What was the creative process behind it?
Hayden Biener: For Peter, the shoe obviously had to be something that was functional for skating. On top of that it had to look good, as well. It had to be something that people would be stoked to wear. It is a nice, clean skate shoe, but with enough detailing and features to help give it a modern feel. The asymmetrical toecap was something I had wanted to do for some time. It gives the shoe an interesting and appealing toe to look down on, and helps take away unnecessary material that would inhibit flexibility in a key area when skating. I also wanted to incorporate this geometric story into the design, which can be seen embroidered on the eye stay, heel window, heel pull, and the shape of the tongue label, providing a nice added consistent feel to the shoe.
Nice Kicks: So you aimed for crossover appeal as opposed to sticking to a more technical skate shoe?
Hayden Biener: Of course we would like to have this shoe be able to exist in both worlds, with as much importance in the lifestyle market as it will have in skateboarding. There are technical skate aspects to the shoe that I think serve to enhance its visual appeal as well. For example, the triple wrapped toe serves multiple functions in that it creates a nice color pop and branding point on the shoe yet is also a very important asset in terms of being a skate feature. That extra wrap will make the shoe feel more solid, give it more grip for skating, and will essentially extend the life of the shoe overall. We already have some really nice material and pattern stories for the shoe in upcoming seasons, which will definitely demonstrate the appeal this shoe will have in both the skate and lifestyle market.
