2013 Round Up; July

While July saw more content showcasing the vibrant sneaker scene in Perth, it also covered some Sydney events with some interesting new additions to the Sydney scene.

First up was the introduction of a new Spring Court pop up store, a store that added to the brand's already impressive retail arm in Australia.

Next was the launch of the Deus Customs x Converse Jack Purcell First String collab, and the launch event attracted an interesting crowd of all ages with bikers alongside models and young kids showing that sneakers really can bring the most extreme of people together.

2013 Round Up; June

The highlight of June for me came from checking out the Wild West as I headed across Australia to check out the small, but hugely passionate sneaker crowd in Perth.
The focal point of this was the amazing boutique Highs and Lows who I was sent to interview for Hypebeast and both they and the local sneakerheads turned it on with some amazing product and stories.
The hub of this was the vid I Directed for Hypebeast about Highs and Lows' Reebok Classic collab, but with the Le Coq Sportif x Foot Patrol Éclat “Macaron Edition” also dropping while I was there, 

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.

Perth Round Up

A big thanks to Perth for an amazing trip that saw me meet some great people, unearth some great stories, and sizzle from some serious feet heat.  See you again soon WA, and here's my picks of the content from my time there, starting with of course the video I Directed, shot and Edited for Hypebeast x Reebok at Highs and Lows.
* Yes, the last shot has nothing to do with footwear or street culture - I just liked it.

Sung Jun Han & Dong Geo N-Kim; Perth

Not from Perth, but from Korea, these 2 sneaker heads spoke very little English so we relied on the language of shoes to communicate (that, and the word 'Annyong' that means hello in Korean which I learnt from Arrested Development).

Both guys are based in Perth as students and both have brought a sneaker taste with them from Korea, but in their mind, it's not that different to what they see in Oz.

Sung Jun loves New Balance, and his 574's are a universal classic that are popular not just in Korea and Australia, but in fact most countries around the world.

As for Dong Geo, he is also a big NB fan, but on this occasion was wearing some Nike's and some intriguing ACG's.  Yes, you see Nike's everywhere, but it's not so often that you see ACG's.

Personally, I have always had a soft spot for the Wildwoods from the range, a shoe that probably leans more towards a street aesthetic than the more rugged outdoors 'hiking' gear that populates a lot of the 'All Conditions Gear' collection, but it's not something you see in Australian often at all.

Mind you, that comes from me, someone who spends most of his life on concrete, whereas judging by Dong Geo's footwear he likes to go offroad a fair bit!

Mark; Perth

Mark's been watching IDYSM with baited breath fearing he will be lucky last from my first ever Perth season.  Well, you're not Mark, there's something else next week, but let's not worry about that as right now it's your moment in the sun!
Mark works at Foot Locker, but mixes business with pleasure as aside from working for a mainstream store he is an avid collector who also keeps a close on the scenes boutiques for more limited edition releases too.
These Air Max Atmos collabs (similar to Jared's earlier in the week) are again from the Safari pack, and are another example of some serious feet heat coming from Oz's Wild West (and wrist heat too - nice G Shock Mark!).
Mark is keen to wear all shoes, no matter how difficult they are to get or how rare they are - so props to him for his shoes, and his patience, cheers Mark.

Emily; Perth

It’s not just the boys that are representing in Perth, as Emily shows that the ladies know a thing or 2 about their kicks too.

Her partner Jared (from Monday see here) is a BIG collector, and it seems that his passion has had quite an influence on her, as she’s amassed a collection of 30 select shoes, which heavily shares Jared’s passion for the retro classics like the adidas Gazelle.

However, her shoe choices are limited in Perth as it’s hard to find shoes in her size so online shopping is key for her, and has helped open her eyes to the array of choices out there.

These recently picked up Huarache Free Run’s offer some fresh street style that shows despite limited choices, Emily can certainly match it with Perth’s sneaker loving boys.

Perth - Random Street Shots

Jared; Perth

A man with a taste for the classics, Jared see’s the sneaker world from both sides.  As a collector he has amassed a collection of a few hundred pairs of shoes, and this juxtaposes nicely with his job which see’s him selling shoes commercially.

His personal tastes are classic as he hunts down classic shoes from the early 90’s with OG colourways that capture the era.   Air Max, adidas Originals and Jordan retro’s are his firm footwear faves, but these Atmos x Nike Air Max 1’s show just how far he will go to get a shoe.

Collabs between the Japanese retailer Atmos and Nike always get the sneakerheads interested, and for Jared these shoes took some effort to get hold of as they can sell for between $800 - $1000 on eBay.

They’re highly sought after shoes that hold a proud place in Jared’s collection, but rather than hide them away he likes to wear them proudly.  He may sell shoes commercially, but when something priceless comes along Jared knows it’s worth holding onto and showing the sneaker world what he’s got.

Leg of Art; Perth

Blake; Perth

What is it with Chefs and shoes?  It seems from my travels that often being a connoisseur of cuisine also means a fondess for fondwear, and in Perth’s Blake I may have found THE Masterchef of the shoe world.

As a refined fashion-ista in his own right Blake juggles a career as a fine dining chef with an ability to keep a close eye on Perth’s style scene by writing for 6 Thousand.

He’s keen on contemporary street brands (this outfit mixes Supreme, TEdwin, Durkll and Sunday Somewhere), and this is one chef you won’t find wearing Crocs in his kitchen as he’s a huge sneakerhead.  He has a select collection of about 85 pairs of shoes, including these Air Max 90 x Patta Quickstrike ‘Homegrowns’, a chic shoe that would tantalize any sneakerhead’s palette including the folks at Complex who rated it a respectable 52 in their top 100 shoes of the decade.