Soap (shoes)

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Soap was a brand of athletic shoes designed specifically for grinding, similar in concept to aggressive inline skating. The shoes were introduced in 1996 by Chris Morris of Artemis Innovations Inc. under the brand name "Soap." They featured a plastic concavity embedded in the sole, enabling the wearer to grind on surfaces such as handrails, ledges, and pipes. The brand gained popularity through online communities and live demonstrations, and Soap shoes were featured in the Sonic the Hedgehog video game franchise. The brand faced legal and financial difficulties and was sold multiple times, eventually acquired by Heeling Sports Limited (HSL), the company behind Heelys. Soap shoes were inspired by rollerblades and aggressive skating. Chris Morris, a former Rollerblade employee in Torrance, California, developed a shoe with a grind plate embedded in the sole for grinding. Morris enlisted the design firm Concept 21 to create a prototype, leading to the founding of Artemis Innovations, which sold Soap shoes for the first four years. In 2001, Morris lost control of the Soap license due to legal issues, and the remaining executives sold the brand. Soap was then acquired by In-Stride, a company primarily known for wrestling gear.