adidas Originals Work of Art; Sydney

If you like me think sneakers are a work of art, then adidas Originals are running a campaign through May just for you.  Five of Australia’s best emerging artists have been selected to create work for a very special competition which could see you winning some amazing unique, adidas inspired artwork.

Through May each piece will travel across Australia to key adidas Originals stores: 

Cavill Ave QLD, 

Pitt St & QV Building NSW, 

Chadstone VIC 

and Rundle Mall SA. 

And if you make a purchase at one of these stores while the competition is on, you will enter the draw to win the one-off pieces!  Examples of the some of the amazing art is below with some info on the artists - check it out!

BRIDGE STEHLI

Drawing inspiration from her origins in Graffiti art, Stehli’s works embrace classical and contemporary culture by taking inspiration from popular iconography present in animated films, cartoons, comic books, classic literature and childhood picture books.

HANA SHIMADA

Finding joy in accessible formats such as T-shirts, record sleeves and flyers, Shimada’s work regularly adorns these democratic applications. 

JACOB ROLFE

Jacob Rolfe is a visual artist from Melbourne whose practice is often associated with a dark humour and intense metaphor. Working in both small and large scale, his works offer an essence of truth and fragility amongst eccentric fantasy.

JAMES JIRAT PATRADOON

James Jirat Patradoon's frantic images are inspired by hyper-masculine mythologies of biker gangs, rock stars, professional wrestlers, secret societies, and Facebook, offering an irreverent take on the stoic nature of macho pop culture.

From Head To Toe; The Movie

You might recognise these sneaker lovers from my recent From Head To Toe post after bumping into them at the Sydney Platform Hip Hop Festival.
Not only did I shoot stills of them, but also a video, which is something I hope to add more of over the coming months to my street blog to really tap into the full experience of what this project is all about.
This is something of a pilot so excuse the roughness!

From Head To Toe; Sydney from Sole Digger on Vimeo.

And if the exciting journey into the world of video has got your appetite wet for more adventure stick around as I Dig Your Sole Man prepares to visit new territory! Through May we make our first visit to South East Asia with a look at Singapore's colourful approach to street style!

It all starts on Monday so have a good weekend and we'll see you then.

Feeling Green; Sydney

It's been a weekend of celebration here in Australia, with 5 days of public holidays.  But that wasn't the main reason for excitement in Sydney, as the talk of the town has been last week's opening of Australia's first ever Zara store, a move that many are suggesting will revolutionise the countries retail fashion scene.  Zara was one of my favourite stores in the UK, but at present a tight budget means that my wife and I have had to ban ourselves from going into the store - the temptation is just too much (so yes I am a little jealous - hence this post's title).
So while everyone else is spending, spending, spending, I'm kicking back and enjoying some good free people watching, and that's when I noticed this shopper.
Originally from South Korea he loves Nike sneakers and picked up these Nike Auto Trainers a few months ago.  The bright colourway stood out against the subdued Autumnal colouring with a bright injection of colouring, that was as eye-catching as the vast queues that lined up outside Zara on it's launch day.

Birthday Bling; Sydney

Atlanta is a jewellery designer who often sells her eye-catching work at the Sunday Markets in Bondi.  In addition to her love of edgy jewellery she also has a taste for bold and directional sneakers with a huge collection of innovative kicks that she claims is the size of a shop!

These New Balance shoes are the newest addition to her collection, and are part of a collaboration with the women's clothing store Nine West.  She has never had a pair of New Balance kicks before, but fell in love with them at first sight, and her mates chipped in to buy them as a birthday present.

The metallic detailing on the shoes help's to bring her love of accessories together, and if you like the look of Atlanta's jewellery you can check out her work here and here.

Autumn Street, Sydney

The seasons are changing here in Sydney, and it's not all bad as we say goodbye to the summer as the late afternoon Autumnal light makes the streets look fantastic.

Scott is on Shot; Sydney

Scott is a Visual Merchandiser for the great Australian store General Pants and after spotting him with a friend one Autumn morning we got talking and it turns out we have much in common.
- Scott is a fellow blogger and runs a new street photography project (see more here).
- He describes his style as preppy - ditto, although I think he trumps most of my outfits with this well planned and well executed look.
- And he loves lo-fi plimsoll style shoes - here he is wearing a General Pants brand, Peace by Piece which I hadn't heard of before, but after looking around find that they do good simple shoes at a good price point.
Good work all round Scott - I like your style.

Going Dotty; Sydney

No, don't worry there isn't anything wrong with your eyes, this is merely an abstract experiment on a reportage shot - I was on a bus which had some strange advert covering the windows which on the inside gave small perforated holes to shoot through.
It's an interesting look, but don't worry, it's just a one off and won't become a regular thing.

Spring Court - New Sydney Store now open

Spring Court are a brand that I love due to their practical, comfortable and effortlessly chic products.  I often wear Spring Court's and was delighted to be invited to shoot the brand's newest Sydney Store.
Based in Potts Point the store shares the stylish decor of the flagship Surry Hills store with a wide range of Spring Court's, and the more formal shoe brand Schmoove, which coincidentally is run by the Grandson of the Spring Court founder.

Here are some shots from the store, check it out at 22 Macleay St to see this season's' great collections (including my personal favourite, the fantastic all black low cut C2) but be quick as they're selling out fast!

 

Waiting For Autumn; Sydney

This shot isn't in keeping with my usual style, but I liked the way it turned out with it's subdued autumnal colouring which is consistent in everything in the shot from the trees to the guy's outfit.

Ice Cold Puma; Sydney

You may remember my recent preview of the exclusive Sydney pop-up store at the Atrium.  As the first ever Australian sneaker related pop-up store this history making innovation ends this Thursday - so get to the store quick to check out some amazing footwear and apparel.
And the exclusive's don't stop there as if you're in the mood to check out something completely different, then the Puma Freezy Freakies range is just for you; 4 different styles of shoe that change colour!

Your Exits Are Here and Here; Sydney

Originally from Seoul, this Air Hostess was in Sydney on a stopover as she strolled around in her chic outfit, punctuated with her simple and timeless All Stars.
At this time of year there is lovely subdued light around the city as Autumn takes a hold, and I loved the way that the light helped enhance her shy and reserved demeanor in these pics.
Her choice of footwear for all stopovers due to their practicality and comfort, she picked these

Volleys of the Ages; Melbourne

If you want to take in some good Aussie culture with a sneaker twist, then head to the Well Worn Volleys online exhibition.

Volley have been running their campaign over the past few months to find some examples of some of the most well worn and well loved iconic Aussie sneakers ever made, and online you can see the final 30 pairs of shoes with info on their stories.

My personal faves include the pair in the above pic which are steel toe safety Volleys which were painted by their owner to look like WW2 fighter planes!!

Hamish; Sydney

Hamish is a good friend of Hoops', who I met one weekend as they got in some skating practice in Sydney's Hyde Park.  

Hamish is sponsored by adidas, but despite their increasingly impressive Skateboard range he is always committed to wearing the same shoe, the classic Ciero.

He loves the shoes' classic style and has a variety of colourways, but through his hard skating each pair only lasts a couple of weeks before they get donated to the local charity store so expect to see Sydney's vintage clothing lovers wearing some barely worn classic 3 Stripes in Hamish's neighbourhood.

Getting Around Town; Sydney

Hoops; Sydney

 

Sydney's Hyde Park has always been a hotspot for skaters, and in meeting Hoops (in the above pics) I learnt that skaters love the location due to it's great wide open spaces, fantastic views, and most importantly for checking out all the hot women that walk through the park.
Hoops is a hardcore Vans fan and has countless pair's of Eras which through the increasing amount of work I am doing shooting skaters is proving to often be the shoe of choice for many of the skateboard community.