DVS Shoes
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| Industry | Skateboarding |
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| Founded | 1995 |
| Founder | Tim Gavin, Brian Dunlap, Kevin Dunlap, and Mike Dunlap |
| Headquarters | United States of America (US) |
| Products | Footwear, clothing |
| Parent | Sequential Brands Group |
| Website | www |
DVS Shoes is an American footwear and clothing company that specialises in products for skateboarding, moto, and snowboarding. The name DVS is derived from the word "devious". As of December 2013, the company is based in Westminster, in the Orange County area of California, US, and is a subsidiary of the Sequential Brands Group. The company defines itself as "... driven from the pursuit of building product that embodies the sports the company athletes breathe every day. With roots deeply embedded in skate, the company has the platform to develop truly technological products that bring the riders personalities to life."
DVS was founded in 1995 by Tim Gavin and brothers Brian, Kevin, and Mike Dunlap—the distribution company Podium Distribution was formed and the Lakai Limited Footwear brand was a latter addition to Podium's group of brands (the Matix clothing brand was Podium's third brand). Almost immediately, the company signed Korean-American skateboarder Daewon Song who, as of June 2015, continues to represent the brand. Following a Chapter 11 filing in 2012, Podium Distribution ceased to exist as a company. DVS co-founder Gavin explained the origins of the company in an interview that was published on June 14, 2013:
I was never the dude that thought he had to be around just skateboarders. I was always very open-minded. So when my skate career was over, I started moving around in LA a lot, spending time in different neighborhoods and embracing new friends. I ended up meeting these dudes who surfed around Malibu. It was these brothers who began telling me how they wanted to start a skate shoe company. Cool, I can help you with that. I’m surrounded by the best guys in skateboarding. I’ll put the team and marketing together, you guys can finance it. That was DVS.
In May 2012, DVS Shoes filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing increased costs in China (where the brand's products are manufactured) and the general downturn in retail sales—as a result of the global financial crisis—as the reasons for the filing. Shortly afterwards, DVS was acquired by the Sequential Brands Group and resumed normal operations, signing new sponsorship agreements with motorcross rider Brian Deegan and professional skateboarders Torey Pudwill and Song.
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