Sydney Footwear Candids 7

World's Best Girlfriend; Sydney

This young Korean couple have been spending some time apart, as while he lives in Sydney as a student, she remains in Seoul some 5100 miles away.

However, the day before this picture was taken the couple were reunited when she came to visit on holiday, and with her she brought a special present - this pair of new Nike Lunar Chukka Woven sneakers from the World Cup Pack.

The shoes are available in 3 colourways, each representing different teams in this year's competition and this specific colouring has been designed by the Brazilian designer Nunca in honour of his home nation.

I came away from this meeting with 1 key question though; was he happier to see his girlfriend, or his new kicks?

Cam's Jams; Sydney

Cam is a man who liked making jams.

I've never met a jam entrepreneur before, and Cam is one of the leading lights of Sydney's 'preserves' scene.  Rumour has it that a joke started at a party one night that he should sell jam under the name 'Cam's Jams'.  From that night the name stuck, and Cam is now having the last laugh as his products are in demand and business has been booming. 

It wasn't jam that caught my eye though during our chance meeting (although there is a feint jam stain on these kicks), it was Cam's Air Max 1 Premium sneakers.

Cam recently arrived back in Sydney after travelling Europe.  He needed some new kicks and these caught his eye.

Cam was a great guy, and I urge you to get in touch with him at info@camsjams.com.au if you feel like you need more jam in your life. 

All Signs Point to Sneakers; Sydney

The tagline for I Dig Your Sole Man is; where the style and the street meet - and for this next post the street played an invaluable part in a great sneaker find.  It started when when I saw this sign written on the pavement in Surry Hills;

I decided to follow the sign, and through fate or some other cosmic force I was led to a streetside clothing sale that was being run by a sneaker wearer with some of the most colourful kicks that I have found yet.

Purchased from a San Francisco Nike Store while on holiday in the US last year, it was love at first sight for her as she instantly fell for the style and unique colour of these iconic Nike Nylon kicks.  The shoes were released in early 2009 as part of the Nylon Magazine x Nike Dunk High which is part of a Nike collaboration with Nylon magazine.

She loves the shoes and wears them regularly, and the way in which she is wearing them here is another great example of the current trend for stylish girls dressing down with hi tops.  I should point out though that I have yet to find any other hi top loving ladies with such vividly coloured kicks.

Sydney Footwear Candids 6

Below are a few random candid shots from my travels around Sydney at the start of the Autumn/Winter season. Included in these images is a shot that has a special place for me, it's a shot of my 10 month old son trying on his first pair of sneakers.  

Other candid sneaker shots from the summer can be seen in the following posts;

Candids 1, Candids 2, Candids 3, Candids 4, Candids 5

Market Collector; Sydney

While I'm not always a big fan of markets, I can't imagine many markets around the world have a better setting than the Sydney market in The Rocks, and it was here that I came across the wearer of these 2007 Nike Air Max Light kicks.

The owner is a sneaker collector who works in finance so spends most of his working week in shoes, but at the weekends, he is able to get some wear out of his collection of around 20 pairs of kicks.  He told me that he treats each pair lovingly and enforces strict rotation so that they all get equal wear, and all remain in good condition like the pair above.

Relaxing After The High Life; Sydney

Spotted on a Saturday afternoon were these 2 friends who were catching up for a coffee during a shopping trip.

While I like the composition of the first shot, I initially had reservations about this portrait as the subject is slightly soft.  However, I've grown to like the slight blur as it adds to the hustle and bustle of the streets in front of her bright Nike Lunarglide + kicks.

Through Monday to Friday she prides herself on her shoe collection where Jimmy Choo's, Manolo Blahniks and Christian Loubutins are the brands that take pride of place but at the weekend it's another story.

To help her feet recover from the high life of lofted heels these new Nike's give her comfort and support as she ironically hits the stores and buys more shoes.

Brother-in-law Chic; Melbourne/Singapore

It is with a great deal of honour that I write this post about one of my family members.  Sang Ha is my brother-in-law whose new Puma Clyde's caught my attention at a recent family reunion.  

Sang Ha lives in Singapore and recently picked up these sneakers in a sale.  He went on to tell me that there was a large pile of shoes all mixed together in a store and he saw these classic Puma's which were not only the last pair in the store, but also very conveniently also in his size.  

Classic and eye-catching, Sang Ha's kick's are as cool as his glass of chilled VB (an Australian beer).

Rock Steady Crew; Sydney

Faisal is a hip hop dancer from Sydney and I spotted him with his Charles Barkley Collection Air Force 1 Mid boots while he was walking around Surry Hills with his girlfriend.
He purchased the shoes from Hype DC last year, and they have been a popular addition to his shoe collection which is predominantly Nike based.  These classically styled shoes with great neutral colouring are some of Faisal's personal favourites and he doesn't wear them too often, so I was lucky to catch him in them.
Faisal and his hip hop crew compete in local dance competitions, and his footwear of choice for the dancefloor are white on white Air Force 1's, so if you get a chance to see them in action keep an eye out for Faisal's moves, and his classic footwear.

Look and Listen, Melbourne

Boat shoes are very hot at the moment and I loved the way in which these casual shoes played a key part of this Melbourne store owners look.  Found on Brunswick St in the recently moved boutique clothing store Heist, the store owner had a great look that fused eccentricity with urban chic.  From the rolled up jeans that accentuated his footwear, to his pose, to the styling of the store I was really happy with these shots as so much of his sense of style and personality came through.

I have titled this post 'Look and Listen' for a reason.  I don't normally push products on here but I recently broke my iPhone headphones while shooting for the site and in the store I found some amazing new headphones from a Swedish brand called AIAIAI.  From their fantastic capsule style packaging, to their own clean design (check out the site for some cool colour schemes), the earphones have amazing sound quality (which has won awards), have a fantastic style and come at a great price.  Keep an eye out for this brand as if you need any new earphones I would definitely recommend them.

Sneaker Freaker Interview

A big shout out to Mafia at Sneaker Freaker who interviewed me recently for a great article about I Dig Your Sole Man.  You can check out the full article here.

Don't Try This At Home; Sydney

I'm sure we've all experienced the stress and strain of deciding what to do when a pair of beloved shoes gets past their best.  Whether it be through wear and tear, dirt, stains or in some cases even the smell it can be tough working out the best way of trying to keep your kicks as pristine as possible, and for this All Stars lover he decided to take drastic measures.

He made the boldest move that can be made in sneaker cleaning and decided to use the washing machine.  As you can see these classic black hi tops are now green - so be warned and don't take sneaker cleaning lightly.

Lost and Found; Sydney

This sneaker wearer only left the house in these Nike SB kicks because of pure chance.  Purchased in April 09 in New York these SB Dunk Lo sneakers have been kept in his closet for a few months and were only worn on this day as the owner couldn't find his Havianas.  

The shoes work great with his outfit and it led me to wonder how different his look would have been if the sneaker gods had conspired against him and forced his footwear choice to be different.

Lonely Sneakers; Sydney

If you're going to own only 1 pair of sneakers you would want a neutral, chic, and stylish shoe that could go with your entire wardrobe, and this sentiment was shared by the owner of the above 'John Varvatos' Jack Purcells.
On holiday in Sydney from Los Angeles where he works as a movie Accountant (I should have pitched my script to him!), these are the owners only pair of sneakers which he loves as they will go with any outfit.

New to Town; Melbourne

This sneaker lover had only moved to Melbourne 3 days before I spotted him while he looked for part time retail work in Fitzroy's boutique fashion stores.  His dream is to find work as an actor in his new city, and if his acting skills are as sharp as his urban look then I don't think he will have a problem.  

He had previously worked for Lacoste on Australia's Gold Coast which is how he came across these shoes which he wears at least once a week due to their smart/casual look, and their ability to go with any outfit.

Three's Company; Melbourne

On a sunny day in Melbourne I found these 3 mates on Brunswick St, and I liked the way in which each embodied a different sneaker based style.

From left to right; the first owner is a big vans fan, and owns pairs in white, red, black leather, and purple, and these are 1 of his 2 black canvas pairs.  He likes the way the shoes look with no socks and jeans, and this new(ish) pair were recently bought as a straight replacement for another black pair that got worn out.

The 2nd sneaker fan is wearing blue Vans.  He wanted to specifically wear these shoes on a sunny day as he feels blue Vans look best with shorts and with winter on the way he will only have limited chances to wear them together over the next few months.

The final sneaker fan is wearing a pair of Tretorn boots, and this is the first time that he has worn them with shorts.  He liked the look so much that he gave it a 9 out of 10. 

Cort Out; Sydney

I spotted this innocent looking Hong Kong-ese sneaker lover in Paddington when he was out shopping with a friend.  He is a student studying in Sydney, but for some reason seemed determined to pretend that he didn't speak English.  However, he hadn't warned his friend about this little game so she was very confused as I asked questions in English, before she then translated them (with a very confused look on her face) before he then replied in English.

It took a while to get the information I needed, but he eventually crumbled and told me in English that he purchased these classic shoes in China about 6 months ago and he wears the shoes every day.

Shoes of the summer; #1 - Spring Court

So, here they are, my #1 shoes of the summer are ... (drumroll please) ... my black Spring Court G2 Black Leather kicks. 

I am a recent convert to the Spring Court brand, but have instantly fallen in love with these versatile kicks that can be used as a pivotal part of any smart or casual look.  The shoes are incredibly soft and get increasingly comfortable the more you wear them, and I've been told use a different leather each season that breaks down easily to fit your foot.  

These G2's are a classic and chic alternative to some of the other plimsolls around and I foresee these shoes having pride of place in my wardrobe for the foreseeable future.

Please email me to let me know your thoughts and opinions on your own best shoes of the past few months, (regardless of the season if you're from the Northern Hemisphere).  Submissions must be sent to digyoursole@gmail.com, with images no bigger than 627 pixels wide.  

Please put "Favorite Shoes 09/10" in the subject line and I will post the top submissions on the blog.

Have a great Easter. 

Sole Digger