Roadtest; Nike Air Max+ 2013

Welcome to the latest in my 'Roadtest' series where I get up close and personal with some great new Nike product in this short video.
In this instalment I put the Nike Air Max+ 2013 through it's paces.  As a performance shoe that also offers some streetwear clout, this shoe will appeal to different people for different reasons.
Since Tinker Hatfield paved the way with the first Air Max back in '87 the shoe has come a long way, and this latest incarnation has some serious swagger with style and comfort balanced with a pricepoint that won't see you breaking the bank for a shoe that holds a worthy place in this iconic's shoe's history.
For more info on the Nike Air Max+ 2013 go to www.nike.com.

Terry; Melbourne

Terry has recently started doing the Melbourne post runs in the suburb of Fitzroy, and needed some cheap shoes to help him on his daily route which at this stage is taking 6 hours.

He’s hoping to shave a couple of hours off and get it down to 4 hours which is no easy feat, and he’ll be relying on his cheap charity store kicks to get him through.

He didn’t have the money to pick up some high tech performance shoes so he’s intending to to do this all with a basic pair of plimsolls, so good luck Terry, here’s hoping you can put in a First Class effort.

Crumpler; Melbourne

 

 

My good friends at Crumpler really are leading the way in ensuring that style and practicality fuse perfectly, with their array of bags, cases and luggage that ensures I always have whatever I need within easy reach.

While in Melbourne I couldn’t resist checking out their new Prahran store on Chapel St, a fantastic space that showcases the great product in impeccable style.

Whether you’re after small pouches for every things, bags for work and pleasure, or some heavy duty for luggage – the store has everything you could want and more!

Address: 182 Chapel St, Prahran VIC, Australia; Contact: 03 9529 7837

Gregory; Melbourne

Melbourne is renowned for many things, and to many it’s known as the cosmopolitan and cultural epicentre of Australian style, something that Gregory is helping to add some International flavour to.

Originally from Brazil Gregory is a dancer now based in Melbourne and I bumped into him when he was on his way to his Yoga class.

Something else Melbourne is renowned for is a fascination with wearing the colour black, but Gregory insists his monochrome look is not merely Melbourne inspired, simply his own look which fuses his own influences from his travels around the world.

Of course, his shoes link into this story as his all black All Stars were picked up in Buenos Aires in Argentina when he was looking for some black, cotton based footwear and these shoes have been in his collection for a few years now, which showcases some great care from him in keeping his shoes looking still pretty fresh.

An ‘All Star’ in his own right, Gregory not only dances countless styles but also shoots photography too, and in everything he does he loves contrast so expect to see more of him in monochrome outfits as he chasse his way along the streets of Melbourne.

Your City; Hong Kong

I've had an amazing time in Hong Kong and met some amazing people, and I thought it was fitting to sign off on this Hong Kong season by hearing from some of incredibly talented and inspiring people who I met along the way.
All young creatives who know their city, I've asked them to tell me about Hong Kong in their words in the first of my 'Your City' series, allowing those who know their city best to tell us about it.
A big thanks to everyone for making me feel so welcome, and I hope to be back in Hong Kong again soon.
Next week, we're off to Melbourne so have a good weekend and I'll see you on Monday.

Miki; Hong Kong

Miki's seemingly innocent appearance makes her look a less then likely candidate to be wearing some shocking pink kicks, but it's her desire to shock that made her look so interesting for me.
Purchased from the fantastic Hong Kong designer store I.T., she specifically chose these eye-catching kicks to contrast her regular choice of monochrome outfits, with the most vivid colour possible breaking up her look.
As we have seen in Hong Kong, the common sneaker trend seems to be larger than life styles, detailing and colourways, and Miki's flamboyant footwear choice affirms this with maybe the brightest kicks I have found yet.

Nike Air Max Engineered Mesh Pack; Preview

Nike Air Max Engineered Mesh Pack (top to bottom); Air Max 1 EM, Air Max 90 EM, Air Max 97 EM, Air Max 95 EM

For those of you that follow IDYSM’s Facebook page you will have seen some recent images from the new Air Max collection that has just dropped in Australia.

Combining classic Air Max Silhouettes with Nike Engineered Mesh the Air Max 1, 90, 95 and 97 have all been revamped with a lighter, leaner and more flexible design that ever before for the Nike Air Max Engineered Mesh Pack.

The pack has had the sneakerheads talking - especially about the Air Max 95 version that see's the original graduated paneling on the upper revamped with a one tone upper, but thats what engineering does - refines, and intends to improve, which doesn't always please everyone.
My pick are the Air Max 1's, but the range should have something for everyone as you can see from the pics above taken after Nike were kind enough to send the kicks my way to shoot.
Engineer your way to stores now to check them out.

Behind The Brand; Gram

While in Hong Kong, I caught up with Alexis Holm the Creative Director behind shoe brand 'Gram'.
The brand is renowned for it's clean and elegant approach to shoe design; with timeless styles matched with innovative colourways and patterning, and no style names exist, as each shoe is simply named by it's weight (shown on the heel detail).
Based in the Square Street store that he runs with fellow Scandinavian Designer David Ercisson, the space is an inspiring design workshop meets store, and was the perfect setting for the latest in my 'Behind The Brand' series, allowing us to hear about Alexis' relationship with Gram, and the past, present and future for the brand.

Brian; Hong Kong

I love a sneakerhead who lives and breaths a passion for shoes, and Brian's life has become his favourite kicks shown in the picks above.

He picked up these 2012 Nike Footscape Wovens in a sale, but it didn't take long for them to become ever present on his feet, offering him the perfect fusion of style and comfort that he needs for work and play.

These may have been his first foray into the world of the Woven, but he's already looking out for his next pair, and I see his sneaker future and the Woven being closely intertwined.

Converse x General Pants; Stud Your Own

 

Looking for a stud this weekend?  Not like that!, come on your lot, get your minds out of the gutter.

From Next week, our friends at General Pants Co. are launching an exclusive offer to customise your new Converse Sneakers with FREE stud packs at selected stores. (Hashtag: #gpxconverse)

The Pop Up will travel around Australia soon, but starts at the Bondi Junction store which is where I went and subtly customised my own kicks (see bottom pic).  It's great fun so check it out...plus most General Pants stores have air conditioning, so if you're in Australia and struggling with the heat like I am then this could be perfect!

Tina; Hong Kong

Tina is a property project manager whose standard work attire is what she describes as smart/casual.

She doesn't wear a great deal of colour, and her shoe of choice to top off the look is the ever reliable Converse Jack Purcell.

She only wears shoes in black or white as they go with everything, and I found Tina and her shoe taste a refreshing find in a city that largely seems to display premium brands and elaborate design (as my street finds from Mon and Weds this week will illustrate).

These shots were taken in the suburb of Sheung Wan, an area of Hong Kong that's becoming revitalised with an influx of designers and artisans but still retains an 'old world' feel, so it seemed the perfect setting of these shoes that remain a timeless classic.

Roadtest; Feit Dsrt Kudu Suede Cloud

The good folks at Australian Premium shoe brand Feit were kind enough to send some shoes my way to roadtest, so I thought I would showcase the fantastic Dsrt Kudu Suede Cloud in this short video featurette, the first in my 'Roadtest' series.
The shoe isn't cheap, coming in at just under $400 (Aus), but what you get for that price is something with premium materials made with precision, care and hand crafting so if you can stretch to the cost, you will be getting your hands on a piece of considered design that I am very impressed with.
With the shoes come cork insoles and a Feit bag, but the star of the show is the shoe itself which I rate extremely highly for style, value and comfort; the 3 categories my Roadtest's will consider.
For more info on Feit product go to www.feitdirect.com

Eddie; Hong Kong

This find showcases some special shoes for a special occasion, as Eddie is dressed to impress for a very important meeting.
On his way to meet his friends newborn baby for the very first time, he wanted to ensure he was looking sharp so from the array of shoes in his collection he opted for these Dolce and Gabbana Spazzolato Patent Leather Boots. 
As I found in HK, Premium labels are commonplace and it seems that dressing up for a hospital visit even requires high end designer kicks that cost a small fortune (for me anyway).
Eddie's look revolves around designer labels, and he's not alone as in HK they are everywhere and while Eddie did admit to having 1 pair of Converse in his shoe collection, it's a collection dominated by high end labels like D&G and Louboutin.  
Patent leather has been a feature for some premium labels (Lanvin made a feature of it in their kicks this year), but it begs the question, how long do these expensive shoes last before they're off trend and you need to replace them with the next style?  
It's not cheap to always be on trend when dealing with these expensive premium labels, so I hope Eddie's friends and their baby appreciate the effort he went to!

My Shoes; Hong Kong

I spend a lot of time focusing on what you guys wear on your feet, but I do get asked all the time what I wear, so I thought I’d share what I’ve been wearing for my time in Hong Kong. 
I should admit that I’m a terribly indecisive packer so this may seem like a lot for what was essentially quite a short trip, but trust me, each shoe was carefully chosen for a specific role during my time travelling.

PF Flyers Centre Core Lo

These PF Flyers plimsolls may look pretty basic, but they are so comfortable they have been my 'go-to' comfort shoe over the past few months.  You may not see too much of this brand, but their product is great.  It's simple, easy to wear, and makes a great travel shoe for long flights.

New Balance 576; Lake District Pack

OK, I don’t love these shoes, I LOVE them!  I've always had a soft spot for this UK made NB pack since it's 2011 release, and the shoes don't just look great, but are also comfortable enough to keep me going through a full day of street shooting, and slick enough to be work in the evening afterwards.

Clae Ellington

The dressiest shoe option that I packed, these smart Clae Ellington’s were worn for a few meetings and swanky resturant visits…come on, it can’t all be work, work, work!

Nike Free Run 2

Lightweight and easy to pack, these Nike’s were packed for exercise purposes.  They were used once, exercise did not really feature on the schedule as much as I initially feared.

Puma x Alexander McQueen Deck Mid - Brown Marmot Leather

It wouldn’t have been much of a trip if I hadn’t come home without any new additions to my collection, and I picked up these great shoes from the Puma x Alexander McQueen collab range, an apt reminder of HK due to the amount of interesting collabs and Premium labels that are on display on every street.

Aqus; Hong Kong

It's interesting how the appeal of specific brands can vary from country to country, and it didn't take long in HK to notice that Reebok appears to be a more visibly dominant street force here than in other countries.
Leading the way for Hong Kong's dedicated Reebok fan base is Aqus, a committed Insta Pump Fury fan, a shoe that he feels perfectly fuses function and form with a retro feel.

These Insta Pump Furys are the favourites in his 10+ collection of the silhouette that since it's release in 2003 has been re-released countless times through in-house and collab inspired redesigns.
Such was Aqus' passion for the Fury I came away feeling a lot more love for this shoe than I initially had.  It's probably a bit too showey for my own taste, but in some ways the Fury symbolises a lot about the overall HK scene, vibrant and colourful with a nod to retro styling. 

Teresa; Hong Kong

Meeting great people is my favourite part of operating IDYSM, and Teresa must be one of the nicest people I've met on my travels.
Originally from Manilla, Teresa is based in Hong Kong and with her in-depth knowledge of the sneaker game, a passion for street culture around the world, and a dynamite personality it's easy to see why she why she's in the role of Marketing PR Manager for Puma Asia Pacific.
During her time in the role she's acquired a substantial collection of Puma kicks, and the pair she chose to wear for the above shots were carefully selected.
The MY-41 Anniversary edition sneaker dropped in 2010 to celebrate PUMA and Miharayasuhiro's collab reaching it's 10th anniversary.  The style, MY-41, is one of the few styles that has been re-issued every season due to its popularity and this commemorative edition features a gradient colorway and incorporates the beloved Japanese cartoon character "Pumaneko." The shoe comes with a special edition Pumaneko miniature acrylic toy (although Teresa has lost hers much to her dismay!).
A huge thanks to Teresa for sharing not only these shoes, but also her time, expertise, and a ham and cheese toastie!