"The Conference originated in 1997 with it's first company"

 

The History

The Conference originated in 1997 with it's first company, the now legendary USD. USD was the boot company that pioneered customisation and brought new ideas and options to the industry, with a team made up of all the legends of the sport. USD's innovations and the creation of UFS meant that replaceable parts grew enormously in demand, and Kizer Hardwear was born, boasting the first ever aftermarket UFS frame and an endless supply of new parts for skates, using new technology, new plastics and original prints and ideas. Taking evolution to the next level, The Conference added its second boot company, Deshi, with the first ever "boot only" project in the industry, a revolutionary new soft boot company with a universal soul system and no liner, run by two of the most influential skaters in rolling, Randy Spizer and Louie Zamora. With the success of these three innovative companies, Undercover Wheels, later known as UC wheels was created with the most competitively priced wheels on the market and supporting some of the most underground yet talented skaters in rollerblading, in other words, giving the new generation of skaters their chance to shine. At this point in rollerblading history, there was a surplus of clothing companies and The Conference saw the need to compliment this with a shoe company, straight out of New Zealand, named Sifika. Over the years almost every rollerblader has owned a pair of Sifika shoes, and it has become a rolling symbol worldwide. If you see someone wearing Sifika, you know he is a rollerblader. As the clothing boom and excess died down, The Conference introduced the evolution of skate clothing. While the old school clothing styles dwindled, Stygma came out with a huge variety of mature, well fitting and dark clothes with a strong element of maturity and recieved cult status internationally with well known music artists of the underground representing the brand. Although Stygma currently lies dormant, the project is far from dead and is in revolutionary planning stages. The Conference family welcomed the already well established brand of Xsjado in 2007, saving it from a death it didn’t deserve. Since joining, Xsjado has flourished and evolved, with big news in 2009 and the team as strong as ever.

 

The Present

- USD Can boast more self owned skate molds than any company in the industry. USD has high end skates that have proven the test of time and become cult status among the elite, while at the same time USD continues to promote rollerblading to newcomer and young skaters with adjustable kids skates and budget price points. With its union to Deshi and the aquisition of the new Carbon Technology that is taking the industry by storm, 2009 is set to see the start of USD back to it’s strongest, unbeatable best. To compliment this USD has an incredible array of soft goods and useful gear such as backpacks, clothing, protection, suitcases and more.

- Kizer Hardwear has always had the widest and most varied selection of frames and as the years go on so too does the evoltion of the company. The Elements Frame and Slimline Frame are just the latest in a long line of succesful innovations in frame technology from Kizer.

- Deshi Boots hit the pinnacle of skate technology in aggressive rollerblading by creating The first ever Carbon skate entirely designed to the rugged demands of skaters in the 21st century and consequently taking the industry by storm, leaving shop-shelves bare as stocks struggled to meet the demand of the customers. Deshi reached its peak with this model and with the future of skating almost guaranteed to be the development of further Carbon skates, Deshi merges with the strength and experience of USD to form an unbeatable union of variety and quality under the name of USD.

- UC Wheels is today a leader wheel brand in the industry thanks to its unique association of strength and creative designs that really really put colour under your feet. UC Wheels have developed the most advanced compounds and have now successfully created what is considered to be the best wheels in rolling with their new line of pro wheels, while continuing to offer quality budget friendly alternatives.

- Sifika also recieved a massive boost this year with the release of the critically acclaimed Irukandji model while continuing to find itself at the top of the shoe game in the rolling world.

- Xsjado, the company always surrounded by mystery and hype is awash with rumours of a new boot surfacing in 2009 and with Shane Coburn still leading the project no one is ever sure what the next masterplan will be, but we can all be sure that it will be worth the wait. 

The Conference supports more events, skaters and inline projects than any other company in rollerblading. With true passion and dedication to the sport it has stuck, obstinate and commited through thick and thin, low points and high points, and it continues to push the boundaries of innovation ceaselessly taking risks with the sole intention of truly pushing the evolution of this incredible sport. Every brand in The Conference family aims to be the leader in it´s sector, and it would be very hard not to see a pioneer element in each of these branches. So, for the future of rollerblading, always look to www.theconference.org