Boyan Stoev doesn’t do things half-heartedly! Whether he’s throwing himself down massive rails, cooking vegan Cannelloni or designing a BMX-specific sneaker––the Bulgarian Boonie hat connaisseur always gives it his best shot.

We sat down with the founder of Skilldash BMX, who got into the business when he was only 17 years old, to talk shop about the first ever BMX shoe made in Europe. So get yourself a cup of herbal tea, lean back and find about more about what makes Boyan tick and how he runs things. You might learn a thing or two!

Hey Boyan, what’s up? Please introduce yourself for all of those, who didn’t read your bike check.
Hey Markus, all is good! I am Boyan Stoev, 25 years old, a BMX rider from Sofia, Bulgaria riding for BSD x SIBMX. I am also the founder of Skilldash, which is a BMX shoe brand.

What have you been up to lately? It seems like you’ve been traveling quite a bit.
Yeah, I am trying to travel as much as I can and it has become essential for me. We recently took a van trip to Serbia and Macedonia with the Skilldash team to film “Railways”, now out on the freedombmx YouTube channel. It was our second team trip and I am truly stoked on the whole experience and the final result. We also rented a cinema in Sofia and organized a premiere event, where people from all over came to watch the video on the big screen.  It was a nice occasion to gather the whole community.
I also recently visited Spain, where my homie Liam Andreu invited me and my girlfriend to his hometown Blanes. It felt like the perfect time to do something I’d been thinking about—invite him to the Skilldash team. He was stoked on the idea, so I gave him a pair of Skilldash shoes, and it was official! We spent the week exploring the coast and filming his “Welcome to Skilldash” video—a mix of solid riding, good times, and vacation vibes.

Then, I took a weekend trip to Stuttgart, Germany, for kunstform’s Stock Session event. That was a really sick one. Lots of fun, cool people and crazy tricks. That was also Skilldash’s first sponsored event in Germany. It was an honor to partner with an iconic shop like kunstform for the event.

I’ve been told, that you quit BMX for a while when you were a teenager. What was up with that and what made you decide to get back into it again?
I never completely quit riding, but there was a period when I was not very active. When I was around 16-17, I ended up breaking my wrist in a snowboarding crash. It took nearly a year to recover, and during that time, a lot of my closest friends quit riding. So after I recovered, the motivation was not the same and I was not riding very often for another year.

Then, on a seaside vacation, I randomly ran into friends from Oneup BMX shop, who were on a team trip. We had a great session at a skatepark there, filmed some clips, and even ended up staying in the same building by accident. I think that was the time when I reconnected with BMX and my friends. I woke up to the fact that there will always be something missing if you are not fully embracing what you love so much and what has shaped you.
Not long after, the guys from Oneup asked me to join the team, and from then on, it’s been nonstop riding, trips, and good times. Among them were Hristo Iliev and Anthony Jelev, my lifelong homies and Skilldash teammates, with whom I still go on dream trips and ride daily.

Let’s talk about Skilldash. How would you describe this brand/project?
In simple terms, Skilldash is a rider-owned BMX shoe brand, fully committed to the BMX culture. It exists to push riders forward, connect them with each other, and inspire creative expression. That’s the vision that drives everything the brand is involved in, whether it’s events, trips, video projects, sponsorships, products, or collaborations with artists. Ultimately, Skilldash aims to grow the BMX community and help it thrive both locally and globally.

“Skilldash aims to grow the BMX community and help it thrive both locally and globally.”

Why did you feel the need to start Skilldash? What’s the idea/motivation behind it?
It started really randomly to be honest. I was always completely destroying my shoes from riding as a teenager. One time we were chatting with my dad in the car and somehow this was brought up. We ended up with the question: Why don’t I just start my own brand and design shoes that are specifically for BMX?

So I started to consider the idea and realized there were no active shoe brands that are rider-owned and exclusively focused on BMX. It was mainly the big corporate brands, or smaller ones that had some presence in BMX, but they were all over the place, trying to be involved with other action sports like Skateboarding and Scootering as well. BMX is a really tight and special community, so I thought it deserves a shoe brand that comes from the inside and fully embraces its culture.

“BMX is a really tight and special community, so I thought it deserves a shoe brand that comes from the inside and fully embraces its culture.”

Where do you draw inspiration from?
Most of all from BMX itself—from the experiences I have as a rider, from all my homies and from the local and global BMX community. Beyond BMX, I also draw inspiration from other sports industries, books, brands and people that I find interesting. Honestly, the world is full of sources of inspiration. You just have to keep your eyes open and make unusual connections that eventually turn into ideas you can then apply to your thing.

You’ve made shoes before and now a new model has hit the stores. Why would you do this to yourself? Isn’t this like the hardest thing to produce ever?!
When I started the brand, I had no idea what I was getting into. It is difficult and time consuming to make a shoe from start to finish, especially when you are going through the process for the first time. But on the other hand, I learned so much along the way, that I wouldn’t exchange that for anything. There are countless issues to solve, which keeps it interesting and makes you constantly improve and acquire new skills. Not knowing what you are really getting into helps to get started and at one point you find yourself too deep in it to step back.

What can you tell us about the shoe? What makes it special? For example, is that a BMX specific sole I’m looking at?!
The SOFIA shoe has been a long-awaited product. It took quite some time to develop, designing both the upper and the sole, making prototypes, visiting factories, and testing. It’s also my first time creating a custom sole from scratch, which was a journey of its own.

SOFIA is built specifically for BMX by riders. The shoe is produced in Portugal, making it the only BMX shoe that is made in Europe.
I won’t get too geeky with the technical details, but here are some important features: The upper is made from premium synthetic suede from Spain which is super durable and breathable. It’s got high-density foam padding and protective heel inserts, which definitely help when catching whips or handling heavy impacts.
The insole is as fancy as it looks. There’s shock-absorbing gel in the heel cup, which is a game changer when you’re taking big landings or bailing onto your feet.

Regarding the sole, it is definitely a highlight that took some time to finalize. It’s a bmx-specific cup sole, that hits the perfect balance between grip, stability, shock absorption, and pedal feel.
The bottom has different pattern sections, including braking zones, impact points and grippy patterns. The construction is a stitched cupsole which offers superior impact protection, arch support, and durability compared to vulcanized shoes, making it more suitable for the demands of BMX riding.
Beyond all the technical details, the SOFIA is a shoe that comes from inside BMX culture, made by riders for riders. Oh, and it’s 100 % vegan, too.

“SOFIA is a shoe that comes from inside BMX culture, made by riders for riders.”

Did you do everything yourself or did you have help?
I ran all the processes, but you can’t really do anything like that by yourself. I was lucky to have a lot of people around me, who supported me and helped to get the final result. Friends and riders from my community giving me feedback, ideas and helping with design details; another designer who helped develop the sole and did all the 3Ds; people from the factories, who walked me through all the technical details and worked closely with me to get the final result I wanted; and also my dad, who believes more than me in what I do and is the most supportive person and who helps me tremendously with many aspects of the business. Just to name a few. You always need a tribe, if you want to achieve anything big.

“You always need a tribe, if you want to achieve anything big.”

Do you have any kind of background in the shoe business?
Before I started Skilldash, I had zero knowledge about anything related to shoes. But to be fair, I was 17, so there wasn’t much background to have in general. My family runs a sports swimwear business, which is pretty different from footwear, but there are some overlaps in terms of production, materials, and brand management. Later, I also did a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Business, which gave me some useful insights into running a company. But most of what I’ve learned about shoes came from hands-on experience, through trial and error.

What was the biggest hurdle you had to overcome making these shoes?
Not knowing too many things in the beginning. There was much to learn, and it took a lot of time to figure out every step of the process. Design, materials, production, logistics. You have to ask a lot of questions and make mistakes until you get it right.

Was it difficult to find a manufacturer?
It wasn’t straight away, but it also didn’t take as long as I expected. I was lucky to find a manufacturer willing to work with a small brand like Skilldash, even at minimum order quantities. That’s not always easy in the footwear industry, so I definitely appreciate it.

How long did the whole process take, from start to finish?
From the first sketches on paper to the launch, it took about two years.

How did you come up with the name?
Sofia is my hometown and the birthplace of Skilldash. It’s also the heart of the Bulgarian BMX community, which has supported the brand since Day One and helped shape it into what it is today. Naming the shoe after Sofia just felt right. It’s a way to honor the roots of the brand and give credit to the scene that made all of this possible.

Are you happy with the outcome?
Yeah, I’m pretty satisfied with the result. But I’m always looking at what can be improved next. Perfection doesn’t exist, so the goal is to keep making things better every time.

Will there be different color options in the future?
I don’t want to make any early promises, but ideally, we’ll have more color and model options in the future. It all depends on how this first release goes. If sales go well, it will open the door to expanding the range and developing more cool BMX products.

Do you have a team?
Yes, we do. Our team consists of eight riders from Bulgaria, the US, Spain, Germany and Ukraine: Hristo Iliev, Anthony Jelev, Hristo Enev, Liam Andreu, Andriy Podoba, Nico van Loon, Kyrylo Hordiienko and myself.

Where can people find the shoes?
You can find them on our website, www.skilldashbmx.com, and in partnering shops such like kunstform, The Cut, Oneup and Taken. Soon in more BMX shops across Europe and beyond.

What’s next for Skilldash?
There’s a lot in the works for Skilldash. This year, we’re planning more team trips and video projects while continuing to support and organize local BMX events in Bulgaria. Now that the brand is expanding to more countries, we’re looking to get involved in more international events, connect with even more riders worldwide and collaborate with key BMX shops. At the same time, we’re constantly working on new products and collections to expand our lineup and keep things fresh and progressive.

And what’s next for you?
A lot of what’s next for me is tied to what’s next for the brand. I will be focusing on all the projects and trips we have lined up. I am also planning to spend some time in Germany during summer, riding at the BMX events and meeting up with my teammates from SIBMX and all the other awesome riders there. A big Bulgarian contingency will be at Hammer & Nails Fest in Cologne for example.
On a more personal note, I became a dad to a baby girl about four months ago. Crazy, right? It’s definitely the most special thing that’s ever happened to me, and I’m already fully living this next chapter while balancing it with everything else.

Congratulations! Anything you’d like to add?
Keep riding and stay actively involved in BMX! Film a video, make a trip, be kind to the new BMX kid, support your local BMX shop, go to a jam or organize something yourself. BMX is the coolest culture you can be a part of and we need to push it forward together! No one else is going to do it for us.

“BMX is the coolest culture you can be a part of and we need to push it forward together!”

Shout-outs?
To all my friends and family, who are a part of what we do, to the whole Bulgarian BMX community, to all the people who have supported the brand in any way, and to every single person in the world that rides a BMX bike.
Last but not least, shout-out to my sponsors: SIBMX, BSD, Oneup BMX Shop, Able BMX Co.