Clarks Originals Takeover; Sydney

 

Being from the UK, Clarks Originals is a brand I'm well aware of.  It's cult British label that's been heralded from everyone from the Wu Tang Clan to the man the NME recently crowned as Godlike Genius, Noel Gallagher, and it's great to see that when a Sydney party was thrown to showcase the brand's new collection the cities sharpest came out in force to check it out.
The main focus of the night (apart from that bloke's nipples) were the Clarks Originals classic silhouettes, namely the Wallabees, the espadrille inspired Desert Drille, and of course the iconic Desert Boot that on top of the classic brown, beige and black colourways also comes in the Ska inspired Black White Check, and the English seaside inspired Southsea Deckchairs design.
Also on show were some new 50's inspired silhouettes from Hush Puppies and some new designs from Volley inc. the hotly anticipated new High Leap (see more here).
All up there was plenty of choice for all tastes, so keep an eye out for the latest collections from these three brands, with many of their hot new products available in stores now

Back In Black; Melbourne

 

Elliot (left) and Bryn (right) both have a similar approach to footwear as they both wear black low price point shoes that straddle that space between sneakers and smart-casual.

Bryn goes for the iconic Australian brand Volleys as they're cheap and last, while Elliot goes for simple black Dunlop slip ons, shoes that he knows won't last long from the demands of his skating but can be easily replaced.

I was happy with how these shots turned out; great light, fantastic backdrop and interesting subjects whose looks characterise a lot of whats going on with men's style in Melbourne; eclectic, thoughtful and intriguing.

Ricardo; Sydney

Ricardo is originally from the West coast of Ireland and moved to Australia 4 years ago.  Since moving to Oz he has tried to embrace the country's laid back lifestyle and has relied heavily on Australia's most iconic sneaker to do so as it's not until he finishes work and slips into his beloved Volleys that he feels fully relaxed.

He has had a few pairs, and always goes for the Volley in it's trademark colouring of white with greeen/yellow detail and I have a feeling that Ricardo won't be alone in wearing the Aussie sneaker over the coming months as with a new promotional campaign and reports that the little shoe from Oz is making big noises in NY, it's very much a style to look out for this season.

Volley Vids

Following on from our recent hugely successful Volleys comp (and stick around for a new great comp starting in June), the Volley team are continuing their promotion of the classic Aussie sneaker with a series of online vids.

There are 3 vids to check outline, all made by Melbourne based Directors who have devised stories about the shoe that are partly funny, stylised and inventive - check them out here.

Volleys of the Ages; Melbourne

If you want to take in some good Aussie culture with a sneaker twist, then head to the Well Worn Volleys online exhibition.

Volley have been running their campaign over the past few months to find some examples of some of the most well worn and well loved iconic Aussie sneakers ever made, and online you can see the final 30 pairs of shoes with info on their stories.

My personal faves include the pair in the above pic which are steel toe safety Volleys which were painted by their owner to look like WW2 fighter planes!!

Volley Competition has now CLOSED!

Hi everyone, our Volley comp is now CLOSED!
Thanks for all of your entries, we have been literally inundated.
We will be in touch with the 10 lucky winners over the next couple of days, so if you entered - good luck!
Thanks and enjoy the rest of your weekend.
SD

Volley Update; Australia

Just a quick reminder that you still have a few days to get your entries in for our great Volleys comp (more info here) which closes on Apr 10th!

And if you're in the mood for some extra Volley action this month and feel like celebrating the classic Aussie shoe, from Apr 5th to 10th the Fracture Gallery in Melbourne’s Federation Square will play host to Volley Well Worn: a nostalgic retrospective of an Australian icon.  In true I Dig Your Sole Man style the exhibition will showcase the best Volleys and their stories, as collected from people around Australia, and you will also be able to check out an online exhibition from Apr 8th at the Volley site.

Volley Competition - Australia

It's competition time again as I Dig Your Sole Man is teaming up with Volley to give you the chance to win some classic kicks.

In conjunction with Volley's 'Well Worn Volleys' campaign we're giving 10 lucky winners the chance to get their hands on a pair of brand new shoes, with a choice from 3 new styles being released to create a new chapter in Volley's history;

You can win yourself a pair of classic Internationals (see top image) by simply emailing (use the button on the right, or if you prefer the manual route address it to) digyoursole@gmail.com with your name and address, and title your email VOLLEY, and we will pick 10 lucky winners out of the hat.

The competition will run until April 10th to coincide with the end of Volley's 'Well Worn Volleys' campaign, and is open to Australian residents only.  Winners will be notified directly.

Good luck!

Well Worn Volleys

For those of you who follow the Aussie sneaker scene, you will be familiar with a shoe that is 90 years young, and like a fine wine is getting better with age.  As we've shown on the site before, The Dunlop Volley is a shoe loved by sneaker lovers everywhere in an array of classic pre-existing styles.

   

  

Volley are planning to write a new page in the shoe's iconic history by releasing 3 new styles and to celebrate these new additions to the Volley family a search is underway across Australia to find the most well worn, and well loved Volley's in the country, so now it's your chance to tell the story behind you and your shoes.    Yes, you can now dig your own soles, and put your pics and stories of you and your Volleys up on Facebook from March 1, with the top 500 entrants each receiving a pair of the new Volley Internationals.

Good luck, and maybe you can write your own page in this classic shoe's ongoing history that begun back in 1921 and looks set to go on for another 90 years at least.

On The Volley; Sydney

Dunlop Volley's are something on an Australian Institution.  Cheap, accessible and comfortable, these bargain basement shoes are available everywhere and it seems that it's an unwritten folklore that everyone must own at least 1 pair at some time in their life.

This sneaker owner is a big Volley's fan and has many pairs in different colourways.  As a basic alternative to All Stars, Spring Court's and Onitsuka Tigers, these shoes offer a clean retro look in a lightweight shoe that is perfect for the Australian climate.