Adio Footwear cuts skate team

Allen YingJoey Brezinski, pictured here at the 2009 Red Bull Manny Mania in NYC, will have to find a new home for his very skilled feet.

On Monday, team riders and many staffers for Adio Footwear were let go by the brand, according to Marketing Director Travis Howell. The team, which consisted of pro skateboarders Chris Troy, Joey Brezinski, Jordan Hoffart, Ronnie Creager and ams Anthony Shultz, Moose, Nick Tucker, Elliot Sloan and Aldrin Garcia are now footwear free agents looking for new homes.

Owned by K2 Sports, Adio is licensed out to the Anthony L&S Footwear Group (AL&S). AL&S produces footwear for several major clothing brands including Levi's and Polo. Team Manager and Marketing Director for the brand, Howell told ESPN that Adio would likely keep making shoes and selling them through discount channels. "But no more team. No more marketing. No more office in California," he said. "I feel really bad for the team. For many of those guys, Adio was their main income."

Adio team rider and Powell Peralta pro Jordan Hoffart speculated reasons behind the shoe brand's demise. "Basically there were factory defects on top of shipping delays on the first season of shoes which caused a lot of our accounts to cancel their orders," Hoffart noted. "It cost the 'boss heads' a grip of money and sent the company into a panic. They didn't really understand the value of skateboarders to begin with, so instead of taking the loss and regrouping, they saw it as an opportunity to cut our whole program. Pretty shortsighted in my eyes, but I'm just a skateboarder -- what do I know?"

Adio had been releasing their latest video offering "Moving Forward" since August, in individual parts online. Hoffart and Chris Troy's parts debuted on Aug. 16 and Oct. 14, respectively, and skaters were anticipating the rest of the video -- including a part from Ronnie Creager, the newest addition to the pro roster who was added earlier this month. Adio's last full-length video release was 2001's "One Step Beyond."