Last Resort AB in Canada — VM001, VM003, CM003 & More at Gallery Streetwear
Skateboard shoes have spent the past twenty years being made by corporations that don't skate for markets that do. Last Resort AB exists because Pontus Alv got tired of looking at that landscape and deciding to do something about it. Alv — the Swedish professional skateboarder who founded Polar Skate Co. and has spent his entire career building things from the inside of skate culture rather than the outside — teamed up with footwear veteran and creative director Sami Tolppi in 2018 with a specific mandate: make the best skateboard shoe on the market, with no corporate interference, no compromises on construction, and no interest in what the mainstream footwear industry was doing. Gallery Streetwear in Kelowna, British Columbia carries Last Resort AB and ships nationwide across Canada. If you're searching for Last Resort AB in Canada, this is where to find it.
Shop Last Resort AB at Gallery Streetwear Canada
Gallery is one of the few Canadian retailers carrying Last Resort AB with genuine depth — not one or two token colourways but the full silhouette lineup across the VM001, VM003, and CM003 models in multiple colourways and constructions. We carry Last Resort AB in-store at 588 Bernard Avenue in Kelowna, British Columbia, and ship to every province and territory in Canada via Canada Post. Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Halifax, Whistler, Victoria, Kelowna, and everywhere in between — Last Resort AB ships from our boutique to you.
The Last Resort AB Story — Pontus Alv, Polar Skate Co, and Dream Four
Pontus Alv grew up in a small town in Sweden in the 1990s dreaming of becoming a professional skateboarder in the United States. That seemed like an impossible mission. It happened anyway. After years as a professional skater, he felt the industry moving in a direction he couldn't connect with — stale, corporate, disconnected from what skateboarding actually was. His response was to start Polar Skate Co., one of the most influential skate brands of the past decade, built entirely from within the skate world with no corporate backing and no compromises.
The skate shoe landscape presented the same problem on a different product. "When I look out at the so-called skate shoe landscape there is something about it that feels off and weird," Alv said. "These huge corporations running things their way." His solution, characteristically, was not to complain about it — it was to build something better. Last Resort AB began in 2018 with Sami Tolppi, after a conversation in Portugal where the two realized they shared the same ambition: create a shoe company, break free from the corporate mold, and make skateboard shoes the way skateboard shoes should be made. For Alv it was dream four — the pro career, the film projects, Polar Skate Co., and now this.
The brand relaunched in 2020 with Pontus fully on board, and the VM001 — the first Last Resort AB shoe — launched right as the first pandemic lockdowns hit. Their response: "Fuck it, we're doing this." The VM001 sold out. The brand's reputation was established in a single release.
Last Resort AB VM001 — The Skate Shoe That Started It All
The VM001 is the shoe that proved Last Resort AB was serious. A low-profile vulcanised skate shoe with a one-piece suede upper, the VM001 is built around a specific philosophy: skateboarding is an art of millimetres, and every detail matters. The foxing tape height is optimised for flip trick durability. The eyelets are positioned higher and closer together to minimize lace contact area and protect the laces. The sole pattern is designed with grip and stability in mind, with slanted angles to prevent gravel accumulation. The last has been modified for a snug fit that adapts after a few sessions to the specific shape of your foot.
The VM001 comes in low, mid, and high-top silhouettes across suede and canvas constructions. The low is the purist's choice — minimal, clean, built for board feel above everything else. The high provides ankle coverage without sacrificing the same construction quality. The canvas versions run lighter and break in faster. The suede versions are more durable and age better. Gallery carries the VM001 in Canada across multiple colourways and constructions — reach out for current stock.
Last Resort AB VM003 — The Evolution
The VM003 builds on the VM001 foundation with a slightly chunkier profile and refined construction details that reflect what Last Resort AB learned from testing the VM001 in real skate conditions. Where the VM001 is minimal and almost severe in its restraint, the VM003 has a touch more visual weight that sits naturally with the wider-leg silhouettes that have become dominant in skate clothing. The VM003 comes in both low and high-top configurations, and the construction quality carries the same obsessive attention to detail as the VM001 — 100,000-step vulcanised durability testing, suede uppers built to last, and the same functional design philosophy throughout.
The VM003 has become the crossover model — the shoe that skaters wear and non-skaters discover. Its slightly more substantial profile works with skate clothing and with the more relaxed, considered menswear that defines the broader streetwear wardrobe. Gallery carries the VM003 in Canada and ships nationwide.
Last Resort AB CM003 — The Cupsole Option
The CM003 brings cupsole construction to the Last Resort AB lineup for skaters who want more impact protection and a slightly different underfoot feel. Where the VM-series shoes use vulcanised construction for maximum board feel and a flat, close-to-the-board ride, the CM003's cupsole provides a layer of cushioning that makes it the right choice for skating gaps, stairs, and impact-heavy terrain. The same clean, minimal aesthetic carries through — Last Resort AB doesn't make ugly shoes regardless of construction method — but the CM003 offers a functionally different riding experience for different skating styles.
Skateboard Shoes in Canada — Why Last Resort AB
The Canadian skate shoe market is dominated by the same corporate brands that Pontus Alv built Last Resort AB to counteract. Nike SB, Vans, Emerica, DC — brands owned by multinationals, designed by committees, and tested on machines rather than by skaters. Last Resort AB is the alternative: a small brand owned and operated by the people who founded it, designed by professional skaters, and tested by skating them until they fail and then rebuilding from what broke. The testing protocol alone tells you everything — while most brands run shoes through 50,000 steps on a machine, Last Resort AB runs them through 100,000. Because they actually care whether the shoe holds up.
For Canadian skaters in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Winnipeg, and Halifax, Last Resort AB represents something that hasn't existed in the skate shoe market for a long time: a credible independent alternative to the corporate lineup, made by people who skate, priced honestly, and built to actually last. Gallery is one of the few Canadian boutiques carrying Last Resort AB properly. We carry it alongside Polar Skate Co. clothing, Dime MTL, Butter Goods, and the other brands that define the independent skate and streetwear landscape — because these brands all belong together.
Skateboard Shoes in Kelowna and Whistler
The Okanagan skate scene has been part of Gallery's identity since the store opened. Todd Daniels, Gallery's founder, helped start Deviate Board Shop in Kelowna — which later merged with Island Snow to become One Board Shop — and has been a lifelong skateboarder. The skate shoe selection at Gallery was built by someone who has worn skate shoes his entire life and knows the difference between a shoe engineered for skating and a shoe that borrows the aesthetic without the function.
For Whistler customers — and Whistler has a real skate community alongside its snowboard and ski culture, one Todd knows well from eight years living there — Gallery ships Last Resort AB via Canada Post with typical one to two business day delivery to the Sea-to-Sky corridor. The brand's clean, minimal aesthetic works as naturally in Whistler's outdoor-meets-street culture as it does in any urban skate scene. Last Resort AB is the right shoe for a Whistler summer.
Last Resort AB Team — Skaters Who Actually Wear the Shoes
Last Resort AB's team roster is a deliberate statement of values. Polar Skate Co.'s Nick Rios, Frog Skateboards' Chris Milic and Jesse Alba, Polar's Dane Brady and Paul Grund, David Stenstrom, Billy Trick, and Ludvig Hakansson — described by the brand as "a team of creative weirdos, where skating is secondary." The team skates in Last Resort AB shoes and provides real feedback that goes into the next model. This is not a team assembled for marketing reach. It's a team assembled because these skaters are the right people to test shoes designed for skating.
Last Resort AB Online Canada — Gallery Ships Nationwide
Gallery Streetwear ships Last Resort AB to every province and territory in Canada. Orders are processed from 588 Bernard Avenue, Kelowna, British Columbia V1Y 6P2 and dispatched via Canada Post with typical delivery of two to five business days to Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Halifax, Victoria, and all other Canadian cities. We are a 5.0-star-rated boutique and take product knowledge seriously. If you have questions about fit, sizing, or which Last Resort AB model is right for your skating style, reach out before ordering — we'd rather help you get it right the first time.