From Midnight Skate Sessions In Paris to a Global Launch: The Rise of Village PM

The project began taking shape in 2023, with roughly six months of private development before either founder made the leap full-time. “We felt skate footwear had stagnated,” Basile says. “We weren’t excited by what was out there. We noticed skate shoes were becoming more like pure sports equipment. Something you bring to the session and take off right after. That wasn’t always the case.” That shift signaled opportunity.

Basile’s background in footwear innovation, first at Salomon and later at an outdoor-focused agency in Annecy, France, had exposed him to the distinct visual and functional language of climbing footwear. “Climbing shoes are aggressive. They have a strong DNA,” he explains. “When we talked about doing something in skateboarding, it clicked. Obviously adapted and tweaked, but conceptually, it made sense. Something that combines precision and abrasion resistance.”

The early development phase unfolded quietly in Annecy, in the French Alps, where they went through five or six rounds of in-house prototyping before even approaching factories. This wasn’t about modifying existing tooling or launching another vulcanized silhouette into an already crowded skate market. They built their own last and construction method, utilizing their very own rubber compound. “There was no way we were going to quit our jobs to create another Vans,” Basile says bluntly. “And we didn’t want to use open tooling that other brands share. If we were doing this, it had to be our own foundation.”

That decision carried real weight. Basile had recently become a father and was walking away from a job he genuinely loved. “I wasn’t quitting something I disliked. I was leaving something secure and fulfilling for something completely uncertain,” he says. “But too many things aligned. If we didn’t do it then, we would have regretted it.”

At the center of Village PM’s identity is what they call Rubber Glove Construction — a distinct way of assembling the shoe using rubber, separate from traditional cupsole or vulcanized methods. While the unique rubber formula itself remains unnamed, its application defines the build. Before their own silhouettes were finalized, they stress-tested the concept in the most hands-on way possible. Basile would stay late in the R&D lab, remove foxing tape from existing skate shoes, and glue climbing rubber onto key abrasion zones before handing the modified pairs to Bram for field testing. Bram would skate them at night in Paris, deliberately avoiding high-traffic skate spots to keep the project discreet.

Feedback came quickly and bluntly: too stiff, too soft, perfect flick but painful break-in, not enough stick. The process was iterative, direct, and refreshingly low-tech. “When you’re validating a functional hypothesis, it’s simple,” Basile says. “You test, adjust, test again.”

When the first industrialized samples arrived from potential manufacturing partners, they came in two dramatically different executions. One was immediately promising — the physical realization of what they had imagined. The other looked, in Bram’s words, “like a cardboard box shaped like a shoe.” Seeing both side by side was clarifying; execution would determine whether the idea survived.

Although Village PM made visible waves during Paris Fashion Week in June 2024 with its truck activation, the founders are clear that this was not their true public debut. The truck functioned as a buyers-only showroom, presenting footwear that would ultimately land in stores in March 2025. “Our real launch was March 2025,” Bram says, referencing the premiere of their first video at The Broken Arm and the moment their product officially hit shelves. The distinction matters because one built anticipation, while the other built availability.

Distribution has played a deliberate role in shaping the brand’s perception. From the outset, Village PM targeted two environments: core skate shops — the places where customers buy grip tape and hardware — and fashion boutiques with strong point-of-view in taste. Those retailers often carry communities of their own, effectively acting as cultural filters. The result is a product that feels rooted in skateboarding while being embraced by a broader audience.

The 1PM model established the brand quickly, driven by its asymmetrical lacing, climbing-inspired sidewall aggression, and dual heel tabs that serve both functional and visual purposes. “We didn’t want classic sportswear branding on the side,” Bram explains. “No swoosh placement, no three stripes positioning. So the design elements themselves have to do the branding.”

The heel tabs serve three purposes: assisting entry due to a snugger, more precise fit; interacting naturally with wider pants; and strengthening silhouette recognition from a distance. Some skaters cut them off, others leave them intact — a small ritual that has organically formed around the design.

The subsequent 1.30 model introduced a mellower aesthetic at a sub-€100 price point, reinforcing accessibility within skate shops while retaining the brand’s proprietary last and toe box identity. The recently unveiled 2PM represents what Bram describes as the “second album” moment — evolving the design language into a sleeker, closer-to-the-ground execution while extending climbing rubber onto the upper for lace protection. New tooling, updated volumes, and a refined toe box continue the brand’s functional-first philosophy. “We pay attention to laces and volumes before panels,” Basile says. “Start with the core.”

As momentum builds following its March 2025 retail debut, Village PM is preparing for expanded U.S. distribution beginning in September. While the brand has been accessible online, the move into physical retail in the States marks its first formal step into the North American market. The rollout will mirror its European strategy — a mix of culturally relevant skate shops and fashion-forward boutiques — reinforcing the dual positioning that has defined Village PM from the start. Additional retail partners will be announced closer to launch.

For the founders, long-term success is framed less around scale and more around sustainability. “Growing the team, more models, more distribution — yes,” Bram says. “But honestly, just living our dream five years from now would already be amazing. Having a small impact at our level in skateboarding and footwear.” There is no grandiose language attached to that ambition — just a clear desire to continue refining their craft, expanding thoughtfully, and bringing others along in the process.