As a skateboarder, I'm curious to know if people that don't skate think that skate shoes are appealing? They are really comfortable and I know a good amount of non-skaters who wear them, but I want to know your thoughts.
I don't find them comfortable. They lack support in my experience. They can look good though, no questions asked. I used to wear Nike SB's all the time, back in the day.
They were really cool in 1999. I'm not sure what is cool now. I grew up in the Northwest (Washington State) and I wore Simples with everything. I wasn't even a skate-boarder. Most of my friends wore skate shoes. I'm not sure they are so popular now. I see most kids moving back to a more preppy and athletic look it seems like. But then there are always the outliers who tend to make the non-cool things cool again. I say where what you like.
I don't mind them. I used to wear a few pairs back in high school. Nowadays, regular flats and sneakers are my go-to footwear. They're more comfortable and easier to walk in than skate shoes, in my opinion. Again, I keep saying this, whatever floats your boat. If wearing skate shoes is your cup of tea, then you should go for it. This is a diverse world. It stands to reason that everyone has different tastes.