Nike Australia World Cup Kit Launch: Sydney

World Cup fever is hitting the globe, and when Nike today revealed Australia's World Cup 2014 kit, excitement levels Down Under reached Fever Pitch.

Although Australia have been drawn in a group of death with Chile, Spain and the Netherlands, the excitement to see The Socceroos on the world stage is something that unites the nation, and although they may face a battle to qualify from their group one thing is for certain, with their new retro styled Nike kit, they will certainly be one of the best dressed teams in Brasil.

The new kit embraces new and old...firm retro styling as nod to the Australian 1974 team, fused with modern tech allowing for a breathable kit to optimise performance.

Echo'ing this embrace of new and old the start studded event saw an array of contemporary stars including current Socceroos Mark Bresciano and Michael Zullo modelling the strip, with Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou also in attendance.

The crowd included some iconic figures ranging from pundit Les Murray, to John Aloisi, Brett Emerton all at hand to see the new kit, and some flywire action of a model suspended in the air wearing the kit.

It may sound bizarre, but maybe it's a precursor to Australia running rings around the opposition in Brasil!

Yohji Yamamoto x adidas adizero f50

The striking special edition Yohji Yamamoto x adidas adizero f50 football boot has become one of the most talked about sports shoe designs of recent times.
The eye-catching design is based on strong Japanese-centric imagery including imperial lion-dogs who once guarded the emperors of Japan. However, through a modern update they have now been placed in the context of Japan’s sci-fi culture to unite the past and present.
With only 2000 pairs released Internationally I was honoured to be sent a pair, and the following is my take on an ad for this unique footwear.
If you're lucky enough to check these boots out then I urge you to do so - while the design will polarise many, respect must surely be shown for trying something so bold, bright and dare I say...brilliant!

Local FC 2013

Local FC is the brainchild of Chad Gibson, a hugely passionate soccer fan who feels the beautiful game has the power to bring us all together.
Chad's had a lifelong relationship with the game, and knows more about it than most having been born into the sport and reaching dizzying heights as a player, but by his own admission he's never loved the game more than he does now, and in Local FC he's sharing his passion with Sydney in the 2nd Local FC Tournament.
Huw Bennett (of Vanishing Elephant) and Gabe Knowles have teamed up with Chad in an epic 0-0-3 formation to make this year's even bigger and better than last years, in a Cup day that celebrates sport and bringing people together in the best possible way, by bringing people together regardless of the team's they support or boots they wear.
This weekend see's the tournament return, so check out this little ad I put together for Chad, Huw and Gabe who have put the event together and show your love for Local FC right now by heading to the project's site here, and if you're heading to the tournament I hope to see you there.

Keep an eye out for Local FC, in addition to the Cup, and ongoing work on Chad's website the boys are also putting together some great podcasts too (check it out here).

Local FC; Sydney

As a a HUGE football fan, I was very excited to see the world game become local recently with the inaugural Sydney 'Local FC' tournament.  The football loving collective shares an appreciation of the core values of the beautiful game, and last weekend they took to the pitch to show their skills with the first ever tournament in Redfern, Sydney.  A number of stylish teams were present from the likes of Vanishing Elephant, Nike, Havianas (and more) and needless to say the skills on the pitch, and the footwear on display was equally stylish.

A big thanks to Huw for the invite, and congrats to Team Vanishing Elephant for being crowned the winners at the final whistle.

I put together this short video of the day, and thanks to Tamron and Lensbaby for the loan of some great new kit to play around with.

Music: Can I Kick It; A Tribe Called Quest (available on iTunes).

Recap - NIke Mercurial Vapor III

The increase in video content on IDYSM has been great to work on, it's all made by yours truly - from producing, to coming up with ideas, shooting, directing and editing so it's pretty time consuming, and when leg models are needed I also step in (my cameo as the footballer in this clip is among my finest work - although filming myself running around got some curious looks from passers by).
I'm always interested in the innovations and developments of sports related product and this innovative boot from Nike was remarkable - incredibly lightweight and striking in both design, colour and speed, which I hope I did justice to.

Nike Mercurial Vapor VIII

As a huge football (or Soccer as you Americans and Aussies call it) fan, I'm always interested to see new product and design related to the sport.  Perhaps unsurprisingly I've always been interested in football boots and the last few years have seen some incredible innovations and developments that have helped change the landscape of sports footwear.
At the forefront of these innovations have been Nike, with their Mercurial range of boots setting the standard for Elite Lightweight Footwear since the late 90's.
Since then the Mercurial range has constantly evolved with newer, lighter and more dynamic designs, and with the current launch of the Mercurial Vapor VIII, the brand have produced their lightest boot yet.
Nike gifted me with a pair of the new Mercurial Vapor VIII – and as a result, have created my vision on some fantastic product that I was more than happy to roadtest.
Enjoy!