Sam; Sydney

Spotted in Bondi, Sam was a man on edge, rocking a new combo that was pushing him out of his comfort zone.

To give you something of a backstory, Sam is a sneaker collector who has spent years refining his tastes in skate shoes, but he has a spontaneous streak that see's him pushing his tastes.

The first examples of this comes from the above shot of him holding his phone, which shows some Nike SB Janowski's he was inspired to hunt down from Japan after meeting a Japanese tourist wearing them (coincidentally you can follow Sam's Instagram at @shotbysam).  Hmmm, someone who approaches strangers to talk shoes - a man after my own heart!

Anyway, the shoes he is wearing are another example of Sam's spontaneous streak.  These bright red Vans Era's were a recent 'on the fly' pick up, but they haven't had much action as Sam's concerned that they are 'too' red.  

He decided to break them in with this combo of trousers and kicks as a first time pairing, and he was so dubious about it not working he kept some black Nike's in his car in case he felt the need to change.

Committed, prepared and daring - I say power to you Sam.  Yes, there is no doubting that the shoes are red (very red in fact) but power to you for trying them, and I guess all sneaker wearers of Sydney should be warned, as his next spontaneous move could be approaching you to hunt down the next style that takes his fancy.

Exclusive; Chima Ferguson x Vans Signature Pro Shoe

Everyone's sneaker story is of interest to me on I Dig Your Sole Man, but when someone makes the journey from the Sydney suburbs, to becoming a world name, and landing the Holy Grail of having a Signature Pro shoe named after them it's guaranteed to get my interest.
Case in question is Australian skater Chima Fergusons, whose first signature Vans Pro skate shoe has generated a lot of interest around the world, and   I was lucky enough to get some exclusive time with the supreme skater to discuss what skating means to him, and how stoked he is to be involved with a shoe collab like this.
Overlaid with vision of a skater wearing the shoes, the video showcases inner city skating in Sydney, the city where it all began for Chima.

A big thanks to Anthony De Sylva, and Music; Sydney - On The Run by Dupree.

Sara; Sydney

Spotted in Bondi, Sara was taking in some ocean views (as you can see in the reflection of her shades) on a sunny Sunday afternoon, but was happy to take a break to talk shoes.

While she's committed to always rocking Hi Tops (mostly from Vans and Cons), her tastes are plain and pure - black and white shoes only, and these black all leather All Star Hi Tops are her current faves as in her words 'they have a bit of gangster about them'.

She's had these shoes for 3 months, and plans to rock them through the summer, but with a collection of 30+ pairs of shoes these are literally just a drop in the ocean.

adidas x The Iconic; Sydney

adi-lovers (myself included) were out in force in Sydney last week at a party to celebrate the new online partnership between retail site The Iconic and adidas.
The Iconic will now be selling Originals and Performance from everyone's favourite Trefoil'ed brand, and such was the excitement of this relationship a party was thrown.
Drinks were drunk, a shoe wall of classic adidas silhouette outlines saw everyone channel their inner-Ronnie Fieg and decorate shoes, and female DJ Trio the Faders repped some great Adidas gear and some loud (honestly it was loud and it's not just me getting old) music.
I went retro and chucked a 35mm camera round my neck to take it all in - enjoy and check out The Iconic now for your adi-fix.

Recap; Shoe Art

Normal service resumes tomorrow so for the last of this recap season I wanted to share this little collection of shots that I hope showcase some of my weekly reportage work from this year.
I try and inject some of this stuff into each week's posts, with the aim of these shots being to capture what I hope is some of the natural art, personality and spectacle that the sneaker world can bring to the streets.
There's no real brief on these shots, just candid moments I come across where something catches my eye, and to be honest, I love the variety it conjurs.
Back to normal tomorrow with fresh new content - hope to see you here then.

Recap; Hypebeast x Futura

Another vid to revisit today, this time the Hennessey x Futura vid I made in Melbourne earlier this year after spending the day with the legend that is Futura.

There's not much I can say about the guy either than he was one of the nicest, humblest people I've met, and when you think of what a pioneer he is that's a pretty cool achievement.
This vid got a lot of love, so thanks to the likes of Hypebeast, Monster Children, and Freshness, and all the other sites that ran it as shooting this was a busy day and I definitely needed a drink at the end of it.

Recap: Danny Clayton x Palladium

Meeting people who live life to enjoy it is the best thing about this whole IDYSM experience, and in meeting Danny earlier this year I met someone who is living life and loving every second of it.
As the renowned host on Channel V he gets to do some pretty cool stuff and he needs kicks that keep up with him - as we found out, Palladium's are his brand of choice for gigs, parties and those everyday 10 meter stage dives we all do on an average day...and he has the pic to prove it!

Danny and Palladium's in a 10m stage dive...yes, they both survived.

Recap; Jeremy

In nearly 4 years of shooting, Jeremy from August stands out as one of the slickest guys I have shot in Sydney.  
He works at the store luxury brands store ASSIN which leads the way in terms of streetwear, so it's perhaps no surprise that he was impeccably dressed with an assortment of high end labels including Undercover, and Mihara Yasuhiro in a look that was finished off with White leather 'Rubber Soul' shoes from Italian brand OXS.
High end fashion sneakers are obviously becoming more and more of a mainstay on the shoe landscape but it's not just about having the shoes, it's about how you wear them - and in my mind Jeremy nailed it.

Recap; Highs and Lows x Reebok x Hypebeast

Sydney, I do love you, but when a bug spreads it wipes out everyone - including me.  I've been hit by a doozy lately, so while I'm taking a short break I thought it would be a good chance to spend this week checking up on some of my fave IDYSM action from 2013.
First up is the video I Directed, shot and Edited for Hypebeast commemorating the Perth store Highs and Lows Reebok Classic 30th Anniversary collab shoe.
A series of these vids were made around the world, and my contribition had a great response so thanks for all of you who showed your love on Hypebeast, IDYSM, Vimeo, You Tube and everywhere else it went out.
While I always enjoy working with Hypebeast and Reebok it was great to meet the Highs and Lows team, and they and their crew couldn't have made me more welcome in Perth which is another reason I have chosen to feature this vid this week.

Preview; Puma Trinomic XT 2 PLUS

After the recent ASICS GT-Cool Preview, it's time for another exciting exclusive as we're honoured that our good friends at Puma have decided to share the hailed Trinomic TX-2 Plus with IDYSM ahead of this week's drop.
Dusted off from the Puma archives, the brand's hexagonal Trinomic technology was evolved in the late 80's when running technology and style was crossing over to streetwear.  The famous hexagons first appeared in 1990, a time when the tech got everyone talking (which if you think about it is not so different to today with the buzz created by the likes of the Free and Flyknit technologies).
But, this isn't about new trends, this is all about OG, which is exactly what this drop is; the return of the OG Trinomic XT2 Plus.
The attention to authentic OG'ness filters down to the great colourway of Glacier Grey and Flouro Yellow, and even the OG box the shoes come in and shows that the shoe is another timeless classic from the brand in design and tech as these things are the comfiest things I've worn in a while.
Along with the XT2 Plus the XT1 is also reappearing this week - they're both shoes that look as good now as they did nearly 20 years ago - 'Tri' and check them out!

In Their Shoes; Joy Yoon

The Queen of the Infleuncers?  Can I call her that?  I think I just did.

Joy Yoon holds an illustrious list of credits such as ex-Editor-in-Chief of The New Order Magazine, and currently contributor to the likes of The Huffington Post, Paper Magazine, Dazed Digital, Sneeze Magazine, Hypebeast.  She's also a pretty mean photographer, and is also the Author of the great 'The Best Things to Do in Los Angeles: 1001 Ideas' (which you can - and should buy here).  On top of that, she's really really nice, and if you bundle all that up, it makes her one of the most inspiring people I've met.

In my opinion she is the Queen, so I was humbled that she took the time to answer a few Q's in my latest 'In Their Shoes' interview to discuss trends, sneakers and her Mum's Birthday present.

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

Joy: I’m good. In Amsterdam working away like the rest of the world, with the exception of babies. Their lack of coordination and communication skills makes them pretty useless in the workplace…unless they’re baby geniuses.

IDYSM: So, there are people with their finger on the pulse, but you are arguably THE pulse, how do you keep across such a broad understanding and appreciation of style and culture?

Joy: I know what I like and especially what I don’t like. It helps filter out a lot of shit. I also don’t take things too seriously. You just can’t.

IDYSM: What’s a typical day for you?

Joy: It’s very much like Ron Perlman getting eaten by that baby Kaiju in Pacific Rim aka “Where the fuck is my other shoe?”

IDYSM: How difficult has it been to find and establish your voice as a commentator, and stay on top of everything that’s going on?

Joy: I struggle to keep on top of my own stuff let alone pay attention to what everyone else is doing. If something is interesting or innovative, my interest is piqued, but all the rest is white noise.

IDYSM: In terms of defining eras, where do you see street culture being at present?

Joy:  It’s at a crossroads. On one side you see people doing really incredible things, and on the other, it’s just awful. People need to take a step back and reassess.

IDYSM: And shoes, where do you see sneaker culture being at right now?

Joy: Distracted in a lot of instances. I think brands need to re-focus and listen a bit more. Just because you work at the “best shoe brand in the world” does not mean you know everything. Fresh perspective is a good thing, and something a lot of these people seem to lack, although there are glimpses of real creative freedom and organic partnerships. Brands also need to stop being so precious about things. They want us to have an opinion and interpret their product our way, but the way everything is packaged is so contrived… where’s the freedom, the creativity, us making it our own? It’s not there anymore and I find it frustrating.

IDYSM: When I met you last year you were rocking All Stars. What brands and individuals are you most excited about in the sneaker world right now and why?

Joy: Converse, New Balance and Vans are perennial favourites, Nike and adidas always pump out good shit but lately I’m loving the Jack Purcell; it’s just a great shoe.

Joy (continued): As for individuals... there are murmurings online that Riccardo Tischi from Givenchy might be doing an Air Force 1 and that’s genuinely interesting. I think Nike working with high fashion is something they definitely need to do more often. Everyone knows it’s a sports brand, so why not branch out and do something else? It’s not like we’ll forget just because they do a fashion collab. adidas works with Stella McCartney, Raf Simons, and Jeremy Scott so why doesn't Nike collaborate with Phoebe Philo from Céline? Every photo I see her in she’s wearing their shoes so it’s not a stretch. I’d really appreciate it if Nike would consider revisiting that one. But please feel free to take any of my ideas and make them into a reality. 1) An epic plaid and floral drop with Dries Van Noten 2) A murdered out collection courtesy of the goth goddess Ann Demeulemeester 3) Tailored “sportswear” from Haider Ackermann and 4) a riot of prints from Peter Pilotto.

I don’t line up for much, but I’d definitely line up for any of the above.

And it’s not a sneaker brand, but Viberg is a great shoe.  You can’t wear sneakers all the time.

IDYSM: How has the Internet changed things?  With so much access to information and product are trends becoming more universal?

Joy: It’s my best friend and my worst enemy. It’s so easy to find information, but how most people use it is by and large imbecilic. It’s made everyone an “authority” on everything, which is bloody awful.

IDYSM: What and where excites and inspires you the most at the moment?

Joy: Writing (I just published my first book: The Best Things to Do in Los Angeles: 1,001 Ideas), reading, cooking, music, travelling, eating, and my family keep me going.
IDYSM: If you didn't do it before - shame on you, check out the book here!

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

Joy: I’m all about hype. So you know that I’m wearing the hottest footwear in the game: Mutha f—kin’ bedroom slippers in the shape of little lambs. My mom gave them to me for my birthday. She’s a total hypebeast. They’re the must have shoes for Fall/Winter 2013.

Gourmet Preview

Our friends at Gourmet have grown and grown over the past few years, and have become a brand of great interest to sneaker purists looking for sneaker props fused with something a little different to the norm.
I was lucky enough to be invited to preview their next collection (dropping early '14) and as you might expect the collection features some interesting new developments for the brand.
The ever popular 'The 35' silhouette is at the centre of the brand's next 'Cork Pack', and a play on the recent Black Scale collab 'Blvck Gourmet” 35' shoe see's the shoe using the same scaly detailing but this time in a blue colourway.
More women's product is also on the way with the brand's same characteristic playful approach seeing textured and patterned options for all tastes.
I'm a fan of Gourmet for the fact they try something new - sure, they may not be to everyone's taste, but they're trying something.  What do you guys think?