Van Fan; Sydney

Originally from Portobello Road in London, Darin now lives in Sydney, and is an avid Vans fan who has been wearing the brand's shoes for 30 years.
Darin loves the brand's simple styles and always makes sure that he has pairs of Vans in a range of colors.  After recently wearing out a white pair he purchased these new 'White Authentic' kicks a few weeks ago and when we met was wearing them in so they looked less 'brand spanking new'.
Although he has most color-ways in his collection already he is looking for a retro pair in the red/blue combination coloring that isn't available in the stores anymore, so if anyone see's them please let me know and I will post the info for Darin.

Love/Hate; Sydney

We've all been there.  We've excitedly bought new shoes then once we start wearing them realise that we don't actually like them that much.  

Thats' exactly what happened with the owner of these unusually colored anthracite, abyss and orange blaze Nike Dunk Hi kicks.  

Purchased 12 months ago from Foot Locker in Wellington, New Zealand the owner wears the shoes for comfort but doesn't like the coloring and wishes he had bought some Blazer's instead.

New and old; Sydney

This stylish sneaker loving couple caught my eye with their contrasting footwear.  

The couple have recently returned to Sydney after spending some time living overseas and for the owner of the Black Nike Blazer Mid Boots it was a chance to be reacquainted with some old favorites.  Originally purchased in London, the black and red Blazer Mid boots have been sitting in storage in Sydney for over a year, and he was happy to be wearing them again.

As for the pristine white plimsoll boots, their owner has had them for some time after purchasing them in Bondi over a year ago.  But while she loves their look, she always struggles with their lack of comfort. I got the feeling that they won't be packed when the couple embark on their next overseas trip.

Footage; Sydney

Phil runs Footage, a great independent sneaker store that was recommended to me by Marcello who I featured on here recently.
Original sneakers can be hard to find in Australia so Phil takes pride in the fact that Footage mostly stocks only limited ranges of shoes imported from the UK and Japan, and with only 49 pairs of each shoe available in the store styles can sell out fast.
When we met he was wearing some great 2-tone Vans Era kicks.  This style sold really well when Phil was selling them in his store a few months ago, and are a good example of how Vans are currently making great shoes that appeal to everyday people and not just skaters.

Found in a Lane; Sydney

The owner of these intriguing Nike Dunk High kicks lives in Hong Kong, but was visiting Sydney to see his parents. He purchased these shoes from the amazing Hong Kong store Lane Crawford who I was coincidentally introduced to a few years ago by my wife who was the store's London Account Manager.  I have never been to Hong Kong, or Lane Crawford (yet) but if these shoes are anything to go by though I will be heading straight to the sneaker section.

As have I, the owner has suffered from some serious ankle injures over the years which has meant that sneakers have been his most common form of footwear.  However, as I know myself, it isn't always easy to find shoes that combine style with the appropriate levels of comfort and support.

He bought these Limited edition Dunk's as an impulse purchase and has lived in them ever since due to their comfort, great neutral coloring, and interesting brogue detailing.

Going Dotty; Sydney

I have seen a few pairs of Spring Court shoes around lately, who for many make the ultimate summer shoe with their lightweight footwear in timeless designs.  However, it's very rare to see their shoes in anything other than monochrome color-ways, and I had yet to see a pair as colourful as these.

Spotted in Paddington Market, the owner of these shoes is a Textile Designer originally from New Zealand whose eye for detail was drawn to the embroidery and coloring of this unique shoe.

Fear the Fabre; Sydney

Picture the scene.  It was a Saturday afternoon, Sydney was hot and humid, the overcast skies gave less than ideal lighting, and I was tired and hungover.  So imagine my horror when I found out that the owner of these 6 month old Onitsuka Tiger Fabre boots is a Fashion Photographer.
I have much to learn as I develop my photography skills (today I learnt that it's no easier when I'm overheated and hungover) so I felt rather nervous shooting a pro, but his classic urban summer look warranted featuring on the site, especially as he apparently lives in these shoes and wears them all the time.
Onitsuka Tiger are celebrating their 60th birthday, and renowned for their classic styles, Fabres are currently a very popular style due to the recent trend for hi tops.

The Modfather; Sydney

Paul moved to Australia from the UK 18 years ago and is an ardent Adidas fan who will only wear shoes with the 3 stripes on them as he loves the brand's retro styling.

His girlfriend gave him these Rom shoes as a Christmas present 2 years ago.  She chose them not only for their unique coloring, but also as their name is a reminder of home for Paul who is originally from a town just outside of London called Romford.

During our conversation Paul made 2 interesting claims; 1) Paul Weller stole his hairstyle.  And 2) that he has never seen anyone else wearing these shoes in this coloring.  The gauntlet has been laid; if you own a pair please email me a pic and I will post it on here for Paul to see. 

Thanks 4 Jordan; Sydney

Marcello is a big Sydney sneakers fan who shops around the world to get the shoes that he wants.  He recently travelled to New York to visit stores like Classic Kicks and Alife Rivington, and also regularly uses sites like Pick Your Shoes and Kix Files for imports that you can not easily get in Australia.
Marcello rarely wears these Jordan IVs (he also has some Jordan Is and Jordan VIs) so I was lucky to see him in them.  Jordan III's & IV's have always been my personal favourite Air Jordan styles and as you can see, they still look as good today as when they were launched in 1988/89.
Along with his mates who are also sneaker enthusiasts, Marcello is about to open a new Sydney cafe called Kichma so keep an eye out for their food, refreshments and their kicks.

Sydney Footwear Candids 5

My Little Pony; Sydney

This stylish student caught my eye with his retro Pony kicks.
Pony are the forgotten Brooklyn brand whose shoes can be quite a rare find on the streets these days.  After seemingly disappearing, the company had a relaunch from a new San Diego base in 2008 and are now putting out a number of shoes with a simple retro feel (Foot Locker US stock a wide range of Pony shoes including the great Feed the Cat Mid in various colourways).
This student's shoes were a good example of the brand's new direction with their classic style and simple colouring that worked really well with his style.

Shall we Samba?; Sydney

These 2 sneaker loving friends were returning from the supermarket when I spotted them in Sydney's Potts Point.  Both are sneaker lovers, and while the owner in black had some simple black plimsolls on, the owner in red really caught my eye with her classic Adidas Samba shoes.  Originally designed in the 1950's as an indoor football shoe the Samba has become (after a few tweaks and redesigns over the years) a timeless Adidas classic.

Admittedly the Samba is designed as a men's shoe, but if you've been following the blog you will remember my recent post 'Stuck Together' where I found a male skateboarder wearing some great women's kicks, so it just goes to show you that if you find shoes that you love then anything goes.

Fashion Monster; Sydney

Nathan is at the forefront of Sydney's style scene and is one of the few people whose appearance can outshine the Australian weather.  He is also a really nice guy.

We met up over the weekend and he didn't let me down when he turned up with his amazing Puma Mecha King First Round boots that were part of one of his typically sharp, stylish and colourful ensembles.  

Part of the Puma Japanese Monsters Pack released in early 09, these kicks are very rare collectors items (rumour has it that less than 30 pairs of these shoes exist) which were given to Nathan by a friend and are very rarely worn.

The shoes are modeled after the Mechagodzilla monster (a fictional character that was introduced to some of the Godzilla movies in the 1970's) and their unique detailing includes chrome coloring, rivet encrusting, and under the tongues you will find info on the shoes/monster's skills and attributes.  
In short, I cannot resist the temptation of saying that this is a monster-ly fashionable shoe.

Sydney Footwear Candids 4

Lady Dada; Sydney

In a post from my London trip in December I suggested that 80's influenced shoes from Reebok could be big in 2010, so it was great to find Sally in Sydney who shares the same view.

Originally from Adelaide, Sally is an artist and she purchased her beloved classic black Freestyle Hi boots while living in Berlin about a year ago to work on collages inspired by the Dada movement.  

Berlin is a fantastic city with a sensational sense of style and you can see the influence of the German underground scene on her stylish look, of which her shoes play a key part.

Neon by day; Sydney

These bright Nike Dunk High Nylon Premium kicks in Black/Pink Neon proved an eye-catching find on Sydney's Oxford Street with the shoe's brightness adding an interesting accent to the owner's simple monotone outfit.
Released in Spring '09, the shoe's bright colouring is indicative of the 80's influence that is evident in a lot of the styles, themes and color schemes currently seen in sneaker design.

Special Delivery; Sydney

By day this sneaker lover is a courier but I caught him at the weekend when he can put the stresses of urgent deliveries aside.  

He went on to tell me that he has 2 sneaker loves; Jordans and Vans.  He has around 4 pairs of Jordans but chose his Vans on this day for a 'skateboard pimp' look (his words, not mine).