Chima Ferguson; Sydney

This week has offered a real mixed bag of sneaker stories, and in Chima we can end with a story of someone whose shoes have played an integral part in transforming his life.
Originally from the Burbs in Sydney, Chima Ferguson's skating talent has seen him become an International star, and is now part of the heralded Vans Pro Skate team, not bad for a kid from Oz!
He was recently back home to showcase his signature shoe and I was lucky enough to meet him, and shoot him (and his shoes) in the above exclusive shots, and this will act as something of a teaser as I'll also be posting an exclusive video I made about Chima too in the coming weeks.  Stay tuned!

In Their Shoes; Shane & Shawn x KangaROOS

Let's take a moment to hop back in time.  It's the late 70s (1979 to be precise) and a brand known as KangaROO's has started making big strides with classic kicks with a secret, a pouch to hold your secret stash.  

The shoes developed a cult following (I even had a pair in the UK in about 86 that I loved.  I should point out that I was only aged 10 at that time so I wasn't really stashing much).

The brand have popped up every now and again with a collab or two over the years, some of which have been fantastic (the Overkill drop was particularly nice), but now, helmed by fashionistas Shane x Shawn, the brand are regrouping and make a big leap with their new 'Revival' range.

In the latest of my exclusive 'On Their Shoes' interview series Shane from Shane x Shawn was kind enough to talk about the brand, the future, and doubling your stash! 

IDYSM: Hey Shawn, how are you, where are you, and what’s going on?

Shawn: I am actually on the plane from LA to NYC. Just finished a mini-holiday over the past 4 days after a great tradeshow showcasing our KangaROOSxShane+Shawn Spring 2014 collection in Las Vegas.

IDYSM: So, who are Shane & Shawn, are you sneakerheads, and how did you came to be involved with the sneaker brand Roos?

Shawn: Shane and I do not consider ourselves sneakerheads. We are true/blue entrepreneurs in the fashion business. Our background is in fashion footwear via our brand SHANE+SHAWN, but we’ve designed for companies such as Fila, Converse, adidas, Royal Elastics, Fubu, Nautica, etc via our freelance design company. We began talks with KangaROOS back in 2011, and we decided that when the brand was re-launched in the USA, we wanted to be a part of it. It has been a great collaboration and a great business relationship.

IDYSM: The KangaROOS brand seems to have been in hibernation for some time, occasionally popping it’s head up to resurface with select collab drops from the likes of Patta and Overkill, so does the ‘Revival’ range suggest a re-awakening?   

Shawn: Yes! Our collaboration is not a one-off..or just limited to a specific retailer.  We just delivered our 2^nd collection at UrbanOutfitters.com, Finish Line, Zappos and some key sneaker shops throughout the USA. We are already working on Spring ’14.

IDYSM: So what’s the plan, how can Roo’s get a jump back into the sneaker game?

(Apologies for the pun).

Shawn: We are doing this by being true to the ROOS heritage. For starters, every shoe HAS to have a pocket. That is what makes us different than any other shoe brand out there. Secondly, the brand was founded as a running shoe by Bob Gamm, so we are putting running shoe elements into every single shoe...from the retro running bottom to the performance materials, even though they are fashion sneakers. Another initiative we have going on is that we have teamed with a great group of emerging DJs around the world to attach the brand to the music leaders around the world. We just launched this in late August, and the buzz has been incredible. It helped us sell out most pairs launched at Urban Outfitters within a week.

IDYSM: I remember when I was a kid the 2 things that got me excited about Roos were the brand’s clean styling and that signature pocket on each shoe – are these elements still relevant today?

Shawn: Shane and I would never make a ROOSxS+S shoe without a pocket. As a matter of fact, most of our new shoes have two pockets. Its all about the private stash. We have also simplified our designs from our 1^st season to the next. I think you’ll love all of the shoes we are putting out.

IDYSM: It looks like you’re planning a double headed attack, with vintage signature styles dropping in the Revival range, with more fashion forward models being released alongside them, what’s the idea behind this?

Shawn: Even though we are staying true to the heritage, the market continues to change as far as what is on trent and what the sneaker head kid is buying. We are always looking to achieve having a great balance of vintage mixed with current trends….such as camo…it still is going strong, so you’ll see it in the collection.

IDYSM: The sneaker game has changed a lot since the Roos heydays of the 80’s.  Where is the landscape for shoes at right now, and is it better or worse than it was back in the day?

Shawn: I think it is better. The sneaker culture used to be very niche..where now, you can’t look through any fashion magazine or runway show without seeing some sort of sneaker influence...just look at the sneaker wedge..luxury brands are selling them at $1k +. It is appropriate to wear suits with sneakers now..Many of the boundaries that existed in the 80’s no longer exist so there is a bigger market for brands like ours.

IDYSM: What influences you?, and how do you plan to bring these influences into Roos?

Shawn: We are influenced by everything. There is nothing we do that we cannot find something that will inspire us in some way. We travel a lot and read a lot, so we are always downloading images into our brains and taking notes to help shape our designs and brand aesthetic and marketing.

IDYSM: What does the future hold for you and Roos?

Shawn: We are looking to grow more with Urban Outfitters and more key sneaker shops. We are also starting to gain interest overseas, as it looks like we’ll be launching in the Phillipines soon. Eventually, we’d like to launch more accessories and apparel, but now we are focusing on making ROOS a strong player in the lifestyle sneaker market for years to come.

IDYSM: I always like to end my interviews with this question…what’s on your feet right now?

Shawn: Easy. Black & white KangaROOSxShane+Shawn REVIVAL. :-D

Cezwan; Sydney

Unlike Manuel who earlier this week whose shoe's represented a story of salvation from everyday boredom, Cezwan's life is immersed in kicks 24/7.

As the brains behind the fantastic Australian site Primo! he and his crew have their finger's firmly on the pulse of what's going on around the world in fashion, culture and kicks, and have established a respected voice on what's hot and what's not.  

Needless to say Cezwan take's his approach to style pretty seriously, which you can see in this considered look of Ksubi Grey sweater, Channel Zero beanie, Tom Ford glasses, and neighborhood x OriginalFake selvedge jeans, which is finished off with some Nike Grey Mayflys.

It will be no surprise to hear that Cez is a big kicks collector, with a stash that by his own admission has got a bit out of hand, but if you've read Primo you'll know that the team have a pretty opinionated view on kicks, and he's known as being a tough man to impress.

So the Mayfly's should consider themselves lucky that Cezwan not only likes them, but likes them enough to have snapped them up in multiple colourways.

Induro Hi Hat

For the sneaker heads, bear with me...kicks do get a mention, but read on first.
I should start this post with an apology, as this is something I have been meaning to post for a while, but the irony is that I have been using this product so much lately, I haven't had a chance to stop and write about it!
Through my work I get the chance to work with a lot of new and exciting gear, but to find something I use nearly everyday is quite rare.
That however changed when the good folks at Induro in the US decided to share their latest fantastic tripod with me. The Hi Hat is a small tabletop tripod, built with the same high level quality of all Induro tripods, but in s smaller table top size, making it perfect for a lot of the content I shoot, including pack shots for stills and video ( I even had a slider rigged on this a couple of days ago) and even some reportage street shots too.
Versatile, robust and easy to include within your kit, the product has become a mainstay of my kit and if you're looking for something small, strong and agile to keep your low level shooting legit then I can't recommend this product enough.
A big thanks to Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Induro Tripods INDURO PRO and to Converse Converse Australia for the fantastic Missoni collab Auckland Racers that modelled so beautifully for these shots.

Manuel; Sydney

Manuel is a man who uses sneakers as pure liberation.  With a career in finance his Monday to Friday grind see's him immersed in dullness...numbers, suits, shoes and general all round colourless monotony.

However, when it comes to the weekends he likes to break off the shackles and add some colour to his life with his kicks.  

His shoe of choice is the Onitsuka Tiger Serrano, a shoe he has in 3 colourways all of which offer a bold colour injection into his look.  Like many OT wearers he likes the brand's accessibility, wearability and comfort, 3 elements that put a spring in his step as he transports himself a million miles away from his dull worklife.

VOR is art

When the German Premium shoe brand sent me some of their fantastic product, I was instantly impressed with the attention to detail.  The shoes are chic to look at, and fantastically made.  If you add to this the incredibly well thought out boxes that double as a display case it dawned on me that these are shoes to be enjoyed of works of art - so what would happen if they were displayed in an Art Gallery?

To test this, I displayed them in the Sydney Salerno Gallery, and the shoes hadn't been on display for long before an art loving customer was captivated by the shoes.  She had gone into the gallery to look at paintings, but the shoes were the thing that drew her attention.  And this is NOT a stunt, this is all genuine! 

A big thanks to the Salerno Gallery and VOR.

Music: Silence Await by CDR.

Amber Jane Isabella; Sydney

Yes, she's kooky, but Amber Jane Isabella is committed to a unique look that sneakers play a key part of.

She dresses in one uniformed colour from head to toe each and every day, and she always punctuates the outfit with a matching pair of kicks.  

By her own admission this is a more conservative look than what she's used to displaying as she often puts in hair extensions and matches loud and brash colours but even so, this 'all white everything' look has had a fair amount of attention paid on it and is pretty carefully considered from the hair bow, to the necklace and bag down to the Nike AF1s.

She was in a mad rush which left me still shooting as she boarded her bus, but even though her time with me was fleeting, the memory of this obsessively colour co-ordinated sneaker wearer won't be.

Onitsuka Tiger: 'Your Town Your Tracks'

It's been hectic here at IDYSM HQ lately but I can finally share some of the exciting stuff I've been working on, starting with the Onitsuka Tiger 'My Town, My Tracks' campaign.

You'll be seeing lots of this campaign over the coming months online, in magazines, and in stores, so keep an eye out for the stills and videos showcasing the brand's great new women's and menswear collections.

Everything was shot (and in the case of videos also Directed and Edited) by yours truly and the first images to be rolled out are the above shots of Phoebe and Dean which kickstart the campaign on OT's Facebook page.  Check it out now!

Nathan; Sydney

Say hi to Nate, a mate of mine who it's taken way too long to feature on IDYSM.  He's a very talented Editor that I have the pleasure of working with regularly on when I'm Producing different TV shows, and when we decided to rock up to the office in some pretty special kicks there was no doubt that it was finally time to give him his IDYSM debut.

Nate's a big sports fan and his shoes reflect this interest with most of his kicks being skate related, but in these DC P.K. Gatsby shoes his love of BMX'ing is also clear to see.

Only 1500 pairs of these shoes were dropped worldwide to celebrate the 2007 limited edition project named '30 Years of Radness' which honoured the original P.K. Ripper bike and saw DC produce this select and highly sought after shoe which features the SE wings embroidered on each shoe side, a P.K Ripper heel tab, an insole with a classic BMX racing image and a colourway that mirrors the custom P.K. bike colourway. 

A great effort from Nate, I just wish he spent this much effort on his jokes which are quite possibly worse than mine (which is saying something!).

Carol; Sydney

As the whole point of IDYSM is to unearth the stories behind the shoes, over the years I have been able to often get a sense of a subject’s story before talking.  I have learnt to pick up on signs from their shoe choices, while look and behaviour can also start to paint a picture, but in the case of Carol's story when I first saw her all I could see was a blank canvas.

Well, you may have realised from the less than subtle puns above that Carol is an artist.  She spends a lot of time on her feet creating works of art, but these days it’s not easy for her as a skiing accident has meant that her knees are gone, requiring her to wear shoes that can offer her as much comfort as possible.

As an artist style is an obvious consideration for her too, so Converse All Stars have become Carol's shoe of choice, straddling that line between function and form.  

While her chic look comprises of monochrome and grey's (Carol is addicted to greys apparently) and her footwear choices abide by this strict code too, she balances this with an array of colourful artwork.

A big thanks to Carol, not only for stopping and chatting but also for showing that sneaker culture involves everyone, everywhere!

Crumpler Preview

Wren

Crumpler x P.A.M. (middle)

Basics

Vis-A-Vis Collection

As many of you will know, we’re very proud at IDYSM to class the Australian luggage brand Crumpler as good friends and they’re kind enough to ensure I travel in style and comfort for any possible shooting scenario.

Last week saw them preview some exciting new collections, which could be the brand's biggest and best yet.

The Wren label see’s the ladies catered for with some considered pieces that will weave seamlessly into your everyday lives (and that’s not just my opinion, my missus also thinks the collection is fantastic!).

Crumpler's 2012 collab with P.A.M. was hugely successful, and the 2013 collab is in my mind even better still.  A great array of bags, in some great colourways/designs straddle that fine line between great styling with tangible practicality, definitely one to watch.

Basics have also been given the Crumpler treatment with an array of simple yet well considered options at a very humble pricepoint.

And finally the brand’s first foray into hard cases has been revealed with the Vis-à-vis collection, which offers a new look for the brand but still contains the Crumpler ethic of considered design and practicality.

Don't just take my word for it though, check out Crumpler's fantastic range now!