Globe International
(est. 1985, Melbourne)

Globe International is a board-sports brand whose shoes, apparel and skateboards are designed in Melbourne and purchased globally. Founded by brothers Stephen, Peter and Matt Hill, Globe launched their first line of skate shoes in the 1990s, later expanding their product range to become a world leader in premium skateboards.

Responding to consumer demand for more environmentally friendly products, Globe’s G3 Bar Skateboard Deck, designed in 2017 and updated in 2021, incorporates environmentally sustainable construction methods. An innovation on the standardised seven-ply Canadian Maple board, the deck is comprised of a bamboo face and structural veneer with Canadian Maple support plies and is laminated with a bio-resin derived from recycled and plant-based sources, resulting in significantly less use of forest harvested wood and pollution than a regular skateboard.

Globe’s Dimension Shoe, first designed in 2020 and updated in 2022 by Globe designers Morgan King and Riana Hart, is aesthetically inspired by Globe’s heritage pro-shoe, CT-IV, conceived by Melbourne designer Derek John Yuen and professional skateboarder Chet Thomas. The CT-IV was one of the most popular skate shoes of the early 2000s and remains one of the best-known skate shoes of all time. The Dimension Shoe is a layered, vulcanised high-top designed purely for skateboarding and is made from recycled natural leather fibers from traceable pre-consumer leather wastage. The outer sole is made from rubber with 10 per cent algae.

The Hill brothers, all skaters themselves, were instrumental in developing the Australian skateboarding scene, publishing skateboard magazines and tour-ing professional skateboarders for public demonstrations. Today Globe International has headquarters in Melbourne, Los Angeles and Hossegor (France), and was floated on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2002. Globe’s original crew of skaters, surfers and snowboarders have expanded to include an international network of designers and riders that are united by board sports, street culture, media, design and film.