Winter Colour

Being from the UK, I'm used to winter being a monochrome experience of grey skies and black clothes. In Sydney however, even through the coldest months of the year there is vibrancy and colour at every turn so here's some Sydney winter colour for you in various forms.

Running Ahead of the Competition; Sydney

For many people, sneakers are not just a lifestyle product, but a functional, performance item.

That's certainly the case for my mate Chris, who you may remember from this post a while ago.

Chris used to work for Nike and was instrumental for developing projects such as the Free shoe, and is now involved with developing another project that is taking Australia by storm.

The Running Company is a specialist company designed to match people to the right shoe.  They have the stock, expertise and passion to work with anyone that walks through the doors of their increasing number of stores across the country.

I recently visited the companies newest store at Potts Point in Sydney which offers the same great stock and staff as the companies other stores, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to get performance footwear, apparel or accessories.

Get Your Skate On Pt 2; Sydney

Lovely Laura - The Movie

You may remember Laura from this post a few weeks ago. When we met she also kindly agreed to take part in a short film allowing her to tell her own story, in her own words.

My last video was really popular so hopefully you will like this one too!

Lovely Laura; The Movie from Sole Digger on Vimeo.

Dining on Gourmet; South Korea

Our good friends at Gourmet are taking their love for kicks and gastronomic delights to a whole new level with an amazing pop up store in Seoul.
If you're in Seoul this week and are looking for a true Gourmet experience then check out the Thunder Burger x Gourmet pop-up store for burgers, fries and sneakers!

Address: Noksapyeong Subway Station (Line 6), one stop before Itaewon

Go down the hill towards the tunnels under Mt Namsan for about 100m

Ch-Ch-Check It Out; New Balance

Our good friends at New Balance have been running a great campaign over the past few months at www.nb574.com.  The campaign is currently in it's last phase and it's well worth checking out!

Also worth checking out is our fantastic New Balance comp which is still running until midnight at the end of Thursday 30th June - you can win some great prizes, including some Limited Edition sneakers, so click on the competition button on the right to see how to enter!

Who Said The Rain is a Pain; Sydney

For most people in Sydney the winter is a dull and dreary time where the usually fantastic weather is washed away, but thanks to Fiona she is injecting some colour into the recent wet season with her Nike Rain Boots.
Picked up at her favourite urban style store 'Energie', in her favourite city 'Rome', she feels she has found the ultimate rain shoe that fuses sneaker design with waterproof materials.
The shoes are available in 4 bright colours, and while the style is an acquired taste Fiona told me her beloved shoes get lots of comments.  They may stay in the wardrobe for most of the year, but they certainly make a big splash when then rain starts falling.

Refuge Island; Sydney

It wasn't this guy's clothing that got my attention, more just his look and demeanor which had a very clean but serious tone to it.
He works in a Sydney salon and was outside having a cigarette break, just someone I stumbled upon really whose appearance I found interesting.

Sugar Sugar; Sydney

We've all had shoes that we've had for so long that they become part of us; moulded to fit us perfectly they're more comfortable than a pair of slippers, and worn so often they become synonymous with how we look.
That is just the case with this shoe owner that picked up these suede desert shoes from the Japanese store Sugar Sugar 4 years ago.
Simple, clean and timeless, she wears the classic shoes for all occasions, and who knows, with a bit of TLC maybe she can get another 4 years out of them.

Making Dad Proud - Happy Birthday Son!

It's my son's 2nd birthday today, and as part of his present he is rocking some great new Vans (which I couldn't resist getting him before the special day).

I also couldn't resist posting a couple of pics of him getting, wearing and playing in his new shoes - Happy Birthday son you are the most amazing, adorable and stylish son a Dad could ask for.

On A Mission; Sydney

This isn't my first subject who works for the clothing store General Pants (see here).
This sneaker lover thrives on working in retail so that he can keep rocking his unique look, and wear some of the great clothes that General Pants sell.
As a sneaker fan he used to love skate shoes, but has now moved into a phase of wearing and appreciating the simpler and cleaner designs of Cons and Vans.
These All Stars are 4 years old and have been with him on a recent trip around Europe; in his own words he said 'I've been on a mission'.
I'm not sure what that means, unless General Pants is a cover and the dress code at the CIA has just got a lot more casual.

Get Your Comp On

Hi everyone, just a quick reminder about our current New Balance competition.  It runs until the end of the month, and if you want to get your hands on some amazing Limited Edition kicks then click on the competition button on the right.  It couldn't be simpler - enjoy!

Living Rough, Looking Good; Sydney

Bjorn and Emily are currently enjoying an 18 month holiday that has taken them on an epic journey  from their home in Scandinavia to Australia.  They currently have 3 weeks of their vacation left, and due to running out of money are now living in a car!  But that doesn't mean to say that their poor financial situation has had a negative effect on their style.

Emily has a great eclectic street look which she punctuates with her bright red Cons.  She's had the shoes for 2 years, and there's plenty of life left in them yet.

As for Bjorn he rocks a skater look and also uses sneakers, but his Fallen kicks are another story.  After too much skating he's relying on a heavy dose of Shoe Goo to get them to the end of their trip.  Personally, I'm worried they might not make it!

Bjorn - maybe you should enter our New Balance comp - hit the competition button on the right to win some amazing Limited Edition New Balance kicks.

Get Your Skate On Pt 1; Sydney

 

As the winter months bring the cold, wet weather and dull light that photographers hate I was stuck indoors trawling through some old shots and found these images that I haven't posted yet.  I loved them at the time, and I love them now so I hope you like them too.

My work is getting a great response from the skate community, something I'm very grateful for as I love shooting the colour, action and fascinating people that the skating world offers - so I can't wait for the weather to improve to get back out there.

Pt 1 today, Pt 2 in a couple of weeks.

Calf Work; Sydney

Lovely Laura; Sydney

Laura is a receptionist at a studio space that I was invited to for a recent fashion line preview.  She had a great look and I couldn't resist getting the story behind her look before I left.
Laura loves urban style, and loves wearing sneakers.  She has a medium sized shoe collection which was mostly chocca with Cons and Vans, but that all changed when she saw these Nike Vandal High Supreme VNTGs.
She picked them up years ago, and has kept them in tip top shape so they look as good today as they did when she got them.  Laura is now a serious Nike convert now and is planning to tick off a few more shoes made by the brand with the famous tick.

Laura was kind enough to also tell me her own story in her own words, so stick around for another I Dig Your Sole Man video in the next couple of weeks.

Site Update

The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed some activity at the top of the homepage recently so I thought I would give you a quick guide to how things are growing at IDYSM HQ!

Firstly, we've had a row of buttons linking to our social network connections for some time where you can access our Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, LinkedIn, Bloglovin and RSS Feed connections by simply clicking on the logo buttons at the top of the homepage.  Added to these buttons are now also YouTube and Vimeo buttons where you will also be able to check out video content - which I will be adding to very soon!

Also, the ASOS banner at the top of the page is not only a hook up with a fantastic source of great fashion, but also a chance for me to make some money to help cover the increasing time the site takes to run.  Any purchase you or your friends make through clicking on the ASOS banner on IDYSM helps me keep the site running, so please bear me in mind if you're going to make a ASOS purchase!

Let's also talk about what I can give you as our fantastic New Balance comp to win some AMAZING Limited edition sneakers is still on, click on the COMPETITION banner on the right to enter.  Good Luck!

Cheers
SD

BAM Brands

In the 'I Dig Your Sole Man' world, style may start with the feet, but it certainly doesn't end there.
It's great to have more and more brands related to street style taking an interest in the project and I was delighted to get an exclusive invite from BAM Brands to check out a preview of some hot new lines from some of their key brands.

Below is an intro to the brands with some exclusive shots showcasing what's going to drop next season that you won't see anywhere else - so enjoy!

Study Footwear offer stylish footwear all made for a great cause.  The man behind the line is Chris Stamp, the brains behind the LA shoe brand Stamp'd.  Study offer a lower price point shoe and run a program called 'Study for Schools' where a portion of profits are recycled back into schools.  So what's not to like about the brand?

Flocks are a Premium footwear label from Melbourne.  The brand combines high quality footwear and accessories using the finest Australian materials in timeless designs.

Handcrafted with a strong attention to detail, Flocks offers truly unique natural products including the luxuriant innovation of fleece insoles!

Vasuma is a Swedish eyewear line with a great sense of humour.  Around the world glasses wearers have been bullied on the playground for generations, so, using the name 'Vasuma' (which roughly translates to mean 'Eyewear Snake') the brand have devised a range of sun and opthalmic glasses each named after snakes that show that that eyewear is cool, hip, and dangerously chic.

Handsom is an Australian label that got me salivating over it's beautifully crafted, but understated designs.  Inspired by English heritage, the line uses clean and classic designs that make each piece a timeless classic.  3 words to summarise my thoughts on Handsom, wow, fantastic and wow!

Vanguard is a premium Australian street wear label with an edgier groove than Handsom's.  

Combining elements of a variety of sub-cultures ranging from skating to hip hop, punk, grunge and new wave the brand stays true to it's Australian roots despite becoming an ever-growing global brand that is getting more and more interest.

Military Maneuvers, New Balance Classics; Sydney

As this Korean couple were admiring the golden sands of Bondi Beach, I couldn't help but admire the sand inspired New Balance x Undefeated collaboration sneakers that were sitting by their side.

Rather than draw on the surf culture influences of Bondi, this shoe (which was Undefeated's first collaboration with New Balance US) uses design influenced by the Gulf War's Desert Storm operations to create a colouring, styling and detailing that makes a great shoe.

As a New Balance fan I would urge this sneaker fan, as well as all of you out there to check out our great competition this weekend where you can get your hands on some fantastic Limited Edition New Balance kicks - click on the COMPETITION banner on the right.

Have a good one.

SD