Gaz x Puma; London

The Puma Disc Blaze is undergoing a huge resurgence at the moment thanks to another fine collab (yet again) from shoepremo extroidinaire Mr Ronnie Fieg, but Gaz was into the iconic Puma silhouette long before Ronnie's latest drop.
Hugely influenced by hip hop culture, sneaker culture plays a huge part in Gaz's life, and he's across all shoe brands with a real entrenched passion for and appreciation of both design and trends as they unfold.
He's been rocking the likes of Trinomic, Disc Blazes and other tech products for years due to his curiosity to experience tech as it develops, something he feels is quite rare as these days tech seems to be snapped up purely as a fashion statement.
These Puma Future Disc Blaze Lite's in Astral Aura may have the word 'Future' in their name, but actually 
offer a firm nod to Gaz's past, and his ongoing shoe appreciation and showcase all the innovation of the 
Puma Disc without the ceremony and fanfare of Ronnie's latest work that will bring a lot of gatecrashers 
to the party long after Gaz got the Disc bug.

Foot Patrol; London

One of the top entries on my London 'To Do' list was to head to Berwick St in Soho to visit the sneaker Mecca that is the kicks boutique 'Foot Patrol'.

I inadvertently crossed paths with the store in 2013 when I was shooting the Australian launch of their fantastic Le Coq Sportif Ecalt collab (see here), so had seen from afar the great work they are doing through my own eyes, and through the sneakerheads who are jumping all over the great product they are putting their name and design flair to.
In terms of cred, Foot Patrol has a great reputation for collabs that are stylish, respectful of shoe culture, and so hot they will burn your hand off, but after visiting the store, that's only one part of what makes them so great.
The store is a central hub for an entire sneaker loving community in London.  Customers are completely varied, ranging from everyday people to high end collectors, all ages, both sexes, and all manner of tastes.  Balancing the ability to cater for all these people and only stock product that meet's their high standards is not easy, but something they are managing to do with ease.
Great store, fantastic people, and through their doors amazing product keeps on coming - keep an eye on 2014 as something tells me that more incredible Foot Patrol collabs will be dropping, meaning no matter where you are in the world you can get your hands on some sneaker heaven from London.

Luca x Balenciaga; London

London is a city with plenty of choice, and for those with money at their disposal that means being able to indulge in the finer things in life.
I spotted Luca on London's Bond St, a street renowned for high end designer shopping which is perhaps no surprise, as when it comes to shoes Luca has a refined palette, and funded by his lucrative career in finance he has been able to develop a cultivated collection of Premium kicks that reads like an A-Z of A List designer labels.
Day to day he could be wearing shoes from labels such as Zanotti, Givenchy, Dolce and Gabbana, Dior and in the above multicoloured Balenciaga signature panelled hi top sneakers Luca has what he considers to be the perfect shoes for hitting the streets for a day out indulging in some retail therapy.
Shoes are Luca's vice, and he makes no excuses about that.   It was refreshing to hear a real appreciation of the product and the privileged position he's in being able to afford A List gear, and who knows, maybe his kicks will be the best investment he ever makes.

Danny & Matt x Nike; Manchester

While the Manchester scene often seems to represent classic, old-school classic style, Danny and Matt are some out of towners looking to inject some colour and swagger with their idea of feet heat.

Both from London, they were visiting Manchester for the weekend and each rocked colourful, contemporary Nike's that worked perfectly against the edgy graf laden streets in Manchester's fantastic Northern Quarter.

First up is Danny on the left.  Sharply dressed, and accessorised with headphones, he was keen to enjoy some music while he soaked up the Mancunian surroundings (possibly like Aden earlier this week). Danny works in naturopathic medicine and day to day always wears Nike Air Max due to the fusion of comfort and style that he craves.  These Nike Air Safari's are colourful enough (here in Black, Pink Foil, Deep Royal Blue, and silver) but he's also into grey - well, I guess he is as he seemed very interested in my greying hair.  I guess it was a compliment?

As for his partner in crime,  Matt is a self employed labourer who is an avid kicks collector.  He was keeping his eyes open for new styles in Manchester but was only finding good vintage in retro styles.  No matter though, as his Nike Footscape Woven Chukka's in 'Night Stadium' were able to give his surroundings a modern twist.  The shoe has an ardent following, all committed to the innovation, kookiness and comfort of the unique looking silhouette.

2 guys with a bold approach to colourful kicks...I just wish my greying hair hadn't been of so much interest to them!

In Their Shoes: Exclusive Stan Smith adidas Interview

The word 'honoured' doesn't do justice to how I felt when I was asked if I wanted to interview Tennis and adidas shoe God Stan Smith.

Stan's iconic signature shoe is a shoe I wore a lot back in the 90's/00's and is easy to love with it's timeless classic design that makes it as relevant today as it did 40 years ago when it first dropped, and it's amazing how the same shoe can be worn so many different ways by different people - surely the hallmark of a true classic?

Currently circumnavigating the globe to promote the epic relaunch of his iconic signature shoe, Stan has been interviewed by countless people around the world so I tried to come up with some interesting questions he might not have faced, so read on to hear his thoughts about how it feels to have been one of the pioneers behind a sports shoe collab, how the shoe game has evolved, and whether he's going to get adidas new boy Kanye West on the tennis court for some training.

IDYSM: Hey Stan, thanks for your time.  First up, you’re known as an icon of the sports world and of the shoe game, which gives you the most pleasure?

Stan: Well I had a lot more to do with my performance in my tennis career than I did with the shoe, but it’s been fun to see the shoe do so well!

IDYSM: Over the year’s what’s changed more and why; the sport of tennis, or the shoe industry?

Stan: I’m not an expert in the shoe industry, although I do know a bit about it. But certainly the tennis industry has changed dramatically with the type of racquets they’re playing with and therefore changing the style of play. It’s amazing how much shoes have evolved too. And how many different types of shoes there are, with the materials, styles and that sort of thing. That makes my shoe kind of interesting - it’s stuck around throughout these evolutionary things.

IDYSM: Marketing has played a huge part in the sports and shoe industries with both changing considerably in the past few decades.  Do you feel your role, being behind one of the first signature shoes helped pave the way for this?

Stan: I don’t know, that’s a good question…Whether my name really helped, or exposure with the shoes has helped that much; or whether it’s been the fact that the shoe itself has kind of taken up all sorts of identification for different people.

IDYSM: At its inception the shoe was a state of the art tennis shoe, how do you feel about it crossing over to become a piece of timeless lifestyle product?

Stan: Well it’s great to see how the shoe industry has evolved, and tennis in particular. The great shoes now have all sorts of bells and whistles. My shoes are pretty simple, even though they were hi-tech at the time. It’s amazing to see what’s actually transpired with that shoe and the fact that it really is a lifestyle shoe now. More people are wearing lifestyle shoes than tennis shoes, in fact tennis is a very minute part of my shoe identification.

IDYSM: The hype around the 2014 Stan Smith relaunch has been immense, how does that make you feel as not many shoes can generate such interest with so many different types of people?

Stan: It’s amazing to see the number of different people that have gravitated towards the shoe and that they think it’s cool. I think that’s what I’ve seen out of all this promotion - the shoe is thought of as being kind of cool for a lot of different people. Not just older people or younger people, I just think that it covers a big expanse of different people from different ages.

IDYSM: Your name first adorned the shoe in 1972, did you ever imagine you would be here 42 years later with that same shoe generating huge international appeal?  Let’s face it, it’s a shoe icon.

Stan: The simple answer is no. We thought it might be a four or five year relationship with adidas and the shoe, but we extended it again, and then extended it again, and then pretty soon it got to be pretty much a staple. Then we took it off the market a couple of years ago.  But now, they’re back and this relaunch has been truly exciting.

IDYSM: All signs suggest this year will be a huge year for adidas, any plans to team up with adidas new boy Kanye West?, maybe get him on the tennis court?

Stan: (Laughs) There have been a lot of people who have been involved in the shoe, that would be interesting. The most interesting one has been Giselle, but, she looks better in the shoe than most.

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

Stan: The one and only…

A big thanks to adidas and Torstar Communications for making this happen, and of course Mr Stan Smith himself - the smile won't be wiped off my face for quite some time!

The shoe is out in various guises now around the world - check it out now and treat yourself to some Stan in 2014!

Kara x Nike Huarache; Manchester

Kate was visiting Manchester from her home in London where she works in Gentleman's Grooming, and had stylishly groomed herself with a textured 'all black' everything look punctuated with her Triple Black Nike Air Huarache's.
Kate doesn't collect is very selective about what style of shoes she wears.  Nike is the brand of choice and Air Max 1's are her preferred choice, but one mainstay is colour; all her shoes are black.
She's a lady of specific tastes, and for these hot 2013 drops she got in early to snap up a shoe that she'd been looking out for.
Appearance wise they're a chic take on a classic design, and from a practical perspective they're a comfortable choice for her weekend away.
I loved Kate's edgy street look that fused a monochrome core with different textures, including some interesting sneakers.  Groomed to perfection.

Manchester Street Shots. Pt 2; Reportage

Lauren x Duffer & Ben x Nike; Manchester

Manchester’s past is well documented, but I was interested to see the future generations and what inspires them, and when I met Lauren and Ben it showed that even street fashion pays a respectful look back to Manchester's past.

Lauren and Ben are both from Manchester, and I found them while taking a break to have a cheeky cigarette.  As a young couple in love they find their tastes inspiring each other, with them both into a head to toe retro sportswear look.
Sportswear was a big deal in Manchester when I was growing up in the UK.  Classic shoes like the adidas Gazelle, the Nike Cortex, the Reebok Classic were hugely popular; all clean, simple timeless styles fused with sportswear as streetwear, and it seems that the appeal for this look is still strong now too (some 15 years later - yes, I'm showing my age).

In terms of footwear, both were wearing lo-fi vulcanised kicks; Lauren some Duffer of St George (a UK fashion label) and Ben some simple Nike's but with both inspiring each other to adorn their shoes with streetwear too they showcase a true Manchester street look, that gives a firm nod to the past.

Manchester Street Shots. Pt 1; People

Aden x Nike Free Run 5.0; Manchester

So, the next stop in my European expedition is Manchester in the North West of England.  

I was only in this once sprawling Industrial powerhouse of a city for about 36 hours, but in that short period of time I quickly saw it as being as vibrant and influential as it ever was.

Popular culture is thriving and the streets are alive (especially in the city’s bustling Northern Quarter), and I’m not the only person to hold that belief as Aden travelled from Bermuda to live in Manchester to study music. 

As a musician it’s probably no surprise that Manchester appeals to him as Manchester has given birth to an array of hugely influential artists such as Joy Division, New Order, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, The Happy Mondays, Oasis (and lesser known but my own personal favourites The Charlatans) and who knows, maybe Aden is next.

From a style perspective it’s no surprise that Manchester is very different to Bermuda which is much more US influenced than Manchester which seems to epitomise a European passion for retro styling.

Despite that, he’s injecting some transatlantic inspired style to the Manchester streets with his Nike Free 5.0’s, a shoe he picked up in New York.  He see’s a few Free’s in Manchester, but mostly 3.0’s and never the 5.0 so maybe just maybe Aden will inspire Manchester as much as it has inspired him.

Pins Exhibition Film

It's something of a Pins-extravaganza here on IDYSM this week as after yesterday's streetsnaps of the talented, sneaker loving London artist today it's time for the Premiere of a video I made all about him.
Shot at his solo exhibition on London's Dover St, Pins' work showcases a fascinating social commentary in bright pop art colouring, and his unique style is seeing him become hot property in the International art world.
We chatted about his work as he showed me some select pieces and also revealed some of his inspirations, including his lifelong passion for tea, donuts and Nike Air Max...the shoe 'with the beautiful bubble'.
Pour yourself a cuppa, snack on something sugary and put your feet up as I'll let Pins do all the talking from here...hit play.

Pins x Customised Nike Air Max 90; London

I always love to find people that use sneakers in different ways and I was delighted to find Pins on Instagram last year (see his work here).  You may remember his ‘In Their Shoes’ interview from 2013 (see here), and while I was in London we arranged to hook up with the artist whose sugary sweet, pop art work is taking the art world by storm.

Pins’s incredible creations are gathering so much attention that he’s being billed as ‘the next Banksy’ and we caught up at his incredible recent exhibition (more about that to come about that tomorrow in a short film), where he was kind enough to pose for a few shots showing off his approach to street style.

Nike Air Max play a huge part in Pins’ life, it’s a shoe that he considers to be intrinsically London and as well as appearing in countless pieces of his work, he also uses the shoes as a canvas too.

As you can see, he’s peppered these all black Air Max 90's with his trademark sugar sprinkles, a colourful signature that’s also evident on his caps, iPhone cases and amazing art pieces too.

Consider this as something of a sweet teaser as you’ll be able to hear more about Pins and his work in the upcoming film but for now, check out his super sweet kicks and check him out (here) his work as they say in London is…’sweet’