Jack; Sydney

The best thing about I Dig Your Sole Man (in addition to the travel and great swag) is meeting nice people.  Whether that's through brands, companies or people on the street, it is the best thing about all this work, and in Jack I met a sneaker lover who is underway in building his second collection.
Originally from Hong Kong he amased a classy sounding collection in his homeland, including some classy wares from the likes of Visvim, New Balance 580's (from the Malaysian boutique Crossover) and select Dunk SB's.
He had to leave it all behind though when he moved to Sydney, so has started again from scratch but is finding it tricky to find interesting kicks and clothing in a country he finds more mainstream than his homeland.
From his chosen denim of Levis vintage to interesting kicks, finding what he likes hasn't been easy, but he's enjoying the challenge, and picked up these Nike Free Chukka Woven at Hype DC and is happy to have found a low profile shoe with an aesthetic edge that he feels lifts it above other kicks out there.
If you like these shoes and are happy to use Jack's hard work in tracking them down then I'm happy to give Hype DC some love so check it here.

Adrian; Sydney

Scoring a credible 14th place in Complex's 2012 Top 25 Independent Sneaker brands, Creative Recreation is a brand that has built a loyal following since starting out in 2002.
Like many other new converts to CR, Adrian finds the brand's dedication to turning out 'lifestyle shoes' highly appealing, as not only does each shoe look great, but it's also highly practical as it's able to be worn, casual, smart and any other way you can think of.
Unfortunately seeing a pair of Creative Rec's on the streets is a rare experience in Australia.   The brand is certainly taken a lot more seriously in other territories and gets some serious props for sticking to it's lifestyle shoe core and churning out good product, so hopefully Adrian and his appetite for more shoes from the brand will start inspiring more Australian sneaker lovers to get creative and start taking a chance on Creative Recreation.

Kim; Melbourne

Originally from Korea, Kim is a student in Melbourne studying nursing so that she can transform the life of others, but it seems that in the process her life is being transformed too.

By her own admission, coming from Korea she has been something of an introvert but since coming to Australia she is learning to express herself, and as you can see from her outfit Kim is embracing colour in a big way.

Her shoes play a key part of this transformation, and Kim has developed a passion for Nikes, which from a practicality point of view cater for her everyday activities, but also inject the colour and style that her new personality embodies.

London Landmarks; The People Pt 2

Clown: Possibly the most Patriotic clown I have ever seen.

The Policeman; Keeping the city safe.

Mime Artist; I've never really stood the appeal of street performers.  This guys trick was to walk really slowly and make it look like he was in a hurry.  Hollywood beckons (I don't think).

Influences of the World; London

With a passport that boasts stamps from Ivory Coast, US, Canada and the UK, Alpha has lived in many locations around the world.  He seems to have picked influences from each country to mould his eclectic approach to style, and regardless of what clothing combination he's wearing he always takes pride having a strong enough sneaker collection to compliment any look.
He has over 30 pairs to choose from with a number of Nike and Jordan shoes, and these Blazers were picked up about 4 months ago and give another example of how this popular 2011 silhouette works with a number of people's styles.

London Landmarks; The People Pt 1

The people of London are without doubt the thing that makes it tick, so here is the first part in my documentation of some key London figures...

Tourist Stall Owner; Giving anyone and everyone the chance to own a little piece of London.  

Doorman; If your name's not down you can't come in.

Evening Standard Sellers: Supplying newspapers to London each night, these guys are out there come rain, shine or snow keeping a city informed. 

The Builder; London is changing and evolving all the time, so builders are a common sight on London streets.

Rupert; London

 

Rupert represents a contemporary twist on the London Gent.  His sophisticated look is chic, suave and 

sophisticated, and echoes some key London influences.
He feels that footwear is important to any outfit and has about 20 pairs of shoes in his wardrobe, including these Desert Boots, a style of shoe that no man about town should be without.
Purchased from the English institution that is Marks & Spencer about 4 months ago the shoes are well worn already, but as you can see perfectly compliment his sharp look.

Mark; Melbourne

Sneakers don’t all have to be about flossing and flexing.  Not everyone is a Yeezy wearing flamboyant type, and for self-confessed introverted extrovert Mark his sneaker choices are all about fusing classic design with subtle features and flair.

While he is not a fan of bling, he does like refined design and the ability to be individual so he has a dozen pairs of shoes in his collection from brands like Puma, adidas, K Swiss and Converse that all fuse retro design with signature features.

These Puma Roma LP are a prime example, they look basic enough, but the feature that attracted Mark to them is the green sole that is only visible when the shoe is lifted, paired with the chequered lining these are nice touches that set this shoe apart from the standard Roma silhouette.

It just goes to show that the sneaker game has something for everyone, and next time you look at a pair of shoes, look even closer, you might be missing something you hadn’t noticed before.

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.

Street Reportage #3; Hong Kong

Memphis; Hong Kong

Hi, I hope you had a great break, and welcome back to more shots from my first Hong Kong Season. I guess you can call this Part 2, and over the next couple of weeks I'll be going through more content, including some videos I have been able to put together over the Christmas break.
To start things off, here's Memphis, and while I don't shoot night portraits too often I couldn't resist stopping Memphis in his tracks to discuss his Nike Woven Footscapes.

Memphis is a fast mover, going from job to job on a regular basis but whatever the position he's always looking for one thing, the ability to wear sneakers for his job, as he's got a collection of 25 shoes from brands such as Nike, adidas and Visvim  that he likes to wear at all times.

From what I'm told the Footscape's Woven incarnation was a particularly popular style in HK in 2012, it's unique design appealing to the masses, just like Memphis' skills to potential employers. 

Kay Andre; Hong Kong

It's always interesting to see what larger than life people are lured towards Jeremy Scott x adidas originals, and in Kay Andre, I found surely one of Hong Kong's most colourful characters.

The Editor of Beeweb, a Men's Fashion News site from HK, Kay is not only across what's moving and shaking in contemporary fashion, but is also prepared to make a clear statement too, with this walking tribute to Jeremy Scott.

Although these shots were taken at night, you can see that the iconic JS x adidas French Fry jacket paired with the equally iconic JS Bones kicks are so eye-catching and colourful they're vibrant they're enough to light up HK.

If you're looking to brighten up your wardrobe with some Jeremy Scott x adidas, then check out Crooked Tongues here.

Street Reportage #1; Hong Kong

Mara; Sydney

OK, as style stories go, this is maybe one of the most epic I've come across so strap yourselves in.

The first thing I found out about Mara is that her Grandfather was called Lester (my name) too.  Already, I knew she was going to be cool!

She then went on to tell me about her outfit.  She's into the punk hardcore scene and loves band tshirts. This one for 'Cruel Hand Man' was left behind by an old housemate, at the time she'd never heard of the band but liked the tee so much she started wearing it.

Ok, now you're warmed up lets get into the shoes.  She's a big Vans fan, and these shoes have been around the world with her - literally.  When she went on holiday to Africa last year she only packed one pair of shoes, and these Vans suffered - big time!  They were trod on by a horse which caused the big tear you can see, but Mara still doesn't feel the need to throw them out.  Nope, her PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) is clear to see both through her outlook on keeping her footwear alive and kicking, and her colourful tatts too.

Simon; Sydney

In a rush to get to work Simon didn't have long to stop and chat.

In just a few minutes though I did find out that his interesting look stems from an passion for street style that sees him fusing brands such as Carhaart, Tenderloin and shoes from the store where he works 'Feit'.

Feit pride themselves on handmade shoes and sneakers, and he's become a convert to their product since working in retail for them.  

The brand's placement is definitely in the premium bracket, with crafted goods (often handmade) manufactured from luxurious materials with a careful blend of attention to detail and aesthetics.

Simon is seen here wearing the 'Hand sewn Stitchdown Naturale', one of many styles you can check out here. 

Reebok x Alicia Keys x Angie Hubbard

 

After the success of Swizz Beat's work with Reebok Alicia Keys has followed in her husband's footsteps to launch her own women't footwear collab line for the brand.

The collection has 4 silhouettes of the Freestyle Hi, Freestyle Double Bubble, Classic Nylon Slim and Princess, all showcasing her tastes in fashion and music.

It seemed apt to play on this musical theme for these shots, so I was lucky enough to work with the fantastic Sydney singer Angie Hubbard who modelled the 4 styles of shoes in the above shots.

You can check out Angie's amazing music here right now, and if she's made the shoes hit the right note for you then head to Sneakerology for stockist info.