Street Side Kstyle; Sydney

Weekends in Sydney are littered with garage sales.  Newspapers devote pages to the wheres, whens and whats of the varied goods on offer, and you never know what treasures you might find.
I stumbled upon this collection of kicks by complete surprise, as this comprehensive shoe collection was put on offer to passers by in Bondi, and this array of rare sample shoes got my attention with it's variety of great brands, styles, colours, and textures.
There were some amazing shoes on offer, but you would expect nothing less from one of the leading figures of Australian Fashion.

Free Thinking; Sydney

I've been quite open about my fondness for the Nike Free shoe (as you might remember from this post), and my mate Chris who owns The Running Company in Bondi played an integral part in the shoe's design.
After working with Nike for 9 years Chris joined the Nike Free team as an EKIN (Nike backwards - he needed to know the product from back to front) and teamed up with the shoe's designer Toby Hatfield (the brother of Tinker Hatfield who worked on a number of Jordan shoes).
The shoe was designed using all manner of physiological, orthopaedic and technological innovations to create a ground breaking shoe that reduces the amount of support that it gives and in return it actually strengthens your feet.
As you can see from the pics the Free is a big part of Chris' business and the shoe is going from strength to strength as it's variety of colourways and evolving incarnations get increasingly popular.
The shoe offers a great fusion of style and function and has helped many people in the same position as me to alleviate pain in their feet/ankles/legs so Chris and Nike, keep up the good work.

Brighten Up The Day; Sydney

Shorter days.  Torrential rain.   Cold temperatures.  Yes, the winter is here in Australia, but it's not all bad news as it means that sneaker lovers across the country are hanging up their Havianas and dusting off their favourite kicks.

It was particularly miserable this weekend and the gloomy conditions were less than ideal for shooting, but the look of this sharply dressed sneaker owner brightened up my day.
Alexa is a singer/dancer originally from the UK and she picked up these kicks while working in the US about 5 months ago and wears them as often as she can for performing on stage, dancing or shopping on wet winter weekends.

The Waiting Game; Sydney

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Sometimes when you see some sneakers that you like it can be rewarding to prolong the wait and savour the chase.  

This laid back sneaker lover had seen these great Generic Surplus sneakers in the stores and had instantly taken a shine to them.   However, the one thing stopping him from making an impulse buy was the price.

After shopping around he found the kicks in a supply shop and picked them up at a fraction of the cost.

It was well worth the wait and he now wears them as often as possible, and the shoes work great with his urban style. 

Colour Co-Ordination 101; Sydney

I've been lucky enough to meet sneaker fans from all over the world but I'd never met anyone from Uzbekistan until I met this very well colour co-ordinated kicks lover in Sydney.
She has travelled to Australia to study, and within her limited luggage she sacrificed other belongings for the sake of a wide range of kicks that have been painstakingly chosen to cover a wide range of colours to work with as many outfits/looks as possible
This 'Autumnal' ensemble typifies how she uses shoes as an integral part of her look and you can see that the kicks work as an anchor point to her entire outfit, bringing clothes and accessories together.

Braving The Frontline; Sydney

This post has inspired me to put a question out there to all you sneaker lovers; what's the furthest you've ever gone to get a pair of kicks? 

Van was recently on holiday in Bangkok and saw these knock off plimsolls in the shopping district of Silom, and he was determined to pick up a pair before he returned home.
However, with the Thailand anti-Government riots in full swing the district became a warzone meaning that Van had to brave the frontline of the red shirts protests in a mission to get his shoes.  

Now back home, Van can wear his kicks amidst the slightly less confronting environment of the Bondi Sunday markets where he sells his own art based waterproof wallets through his company Walart.

So hit the contact button and tell me how far you have gone to get some kicks and I will post the best stories on the site.

Body of Art; Sydney

Heath is an Internationally renowned tattoo artist who works at Steel Lotus in Sydney.
It wasn't his tatts that caught my eye when I spotted him in Sydney though, it was his flamboyant Miami Vice themed Reebok Pump Court Victory 2 kicks.
By combining their 80's themed colouring with great detailing and the brand's cult classic Pump technology the shoes are instant classics that sit well with Reebok's current retro 80's feel.
Heath is not a collector but admits to buying lots of sneakers and has always been a big Air Force 1s Fan.  However, that all changed when he got these unique 80's influenced Reebok's last year, which have led to him getting hooked on the brand's Pump shoes and he now scours stores around the world for new Reebok releases.

Inaugral Sole Man Awards; Most Popular Shoe

Despite being nearly 100 years old, the Converse All Star is showing no signs of ageing as it romps home to win the 'Sole Man' award for 'Most Popular Shoe'.

The All Star is an integral part of many people's lives and looks, and the near limitless choices of detailing and colouring on offer allow the classic shoe to fit with any wardrobe.  It is arguably the most versatile shoe on the market, and in the past 6 months I have seen the shoe used in a wide variety of different looks, all belonging to an equally wide variety of people, and below are some of my favourite shots.

I hope you've enjoyed this week's 'Sole Man' awards.  Have a great weekend and it's back to business as normal again next week with some great new street finds!

Inaugral Sole Man Awards; Most Popular Brand

Congratulations Vans.  Your kicks clearly have a fond place in the heart and collections of sneaker lovers everywhere which is why you pick up the highly coveted 'Most Popular Brand' award.

With a strong range of accesible styles and a wide array of colourways, Vans truly have something for everyone with a range of classic shoes that work with any style, outfit or occasion.
Below are a few of my favourite Vans's shots from the past 6 months.  Tomorrow, the end of the week and it's the big one...Most Popular Shoe.

Inaugral Sole Man Awards; Rock Star of the Year

For this post I was looking for a post with edge, style, and the essence of rock.  While the owner of these Reeboks came close, the award has to go to the All Stars loving 'Ronnie Rocker'.
I met Ronnie in January when he was putting up fly posters for a new bass player for his band Lust in downtown Sydney.
As you can see his appearance is bonafide rock and roll, and he wears his All Stars 24/7 making him my Sole Man Awards 'Rock Star of the Year'.  Rock on Ronnie.

Inaugural Sole Man Awards; Most Well Worn Shoes

Back in January these well-worn, and well-loved shoes caught my eye at my local skate bowl.
These Nike SB kicks are designed to replicate the look of an adhesive that skaters use to strengthen their shoes called 'Shoe Goo'.  Ironically the shoes have become so battered from skating that they needed extra reinforcements, so its been down to some trusty old gaffer tape to keep the shoes active for more continued wearing.
The shoes have clearly been through a lot so I think the least I can do is award them the 'Sole Man' award for Most Well Worn Shoe.