Morgan; Hong Kong

Originally from Australia, Morgan has been living in Hong Kong, and despite not being a sneaker wearer, recent events have made her a huge fan, and regular wearer of the Nike Free.
Conventionally she would only usually consider wearing Vans or Cons in public; lo fi shoes in subtle colouring that would go with her street style.
However, Morgan is a Yoga teacher and a recent ankle injury has caused her to wear the above Nike Free's as part of her rehab, a move that has caused her to completely rethink her sneaker strategy.
These shoes may be a different style and much brighter colourway than Morgan would ordinarily wear outside of a gym, but they've been so helpful in helping the muscles in her feet overcome the injury they've become her go to shoes, representing something of transformation in her shoe style.
I love this story as for those of you that know me will realise it mirrors my own use of the Free to help me overcome my own ankle injuries, so I am with Morgan on this and a fan of the Free.
If you havent checked them out yet, then head to Crooked Tongues right now!

Tik; Hong Kong

Tik is a Hong Kong hair stylist heavily influenced by Japanese street style.  

In fact, the items in this outfit that attracted me the most were his Likey Dog boots and Supreme hat, which were both picked up on his last trip to Japan, and are both staples of his regular look.

His last trip to Japan was quite a long time ago, and unfortunately he hasn't been able to get back to his favourite style country recently due to limited money, but with these sharp staples in his wardrobe he's a already a cut above.

Sydney Swap Meet; Sydney

 

We're taking a break from Hong Kong today to instead feature an event that took place in Sydney yesterday.
A big hats off to my new mate Ed, a man who single handidly decided to give something back to his beloved Sydney sneaker scene by staging the Sydney Swap Meet, an event that brought sneakerheads far and wide together to share their love of kicks.
Based in Surry Hills yesterday afternoon, the event brought out a colourful mix of kicks and peeps who despite their differing tastes were all brought together by their shared love of sneakers.
It was a great afternoon offering up some fantastic shoes which was helped by the good folks at Sneaker Freaker, New Balance, as well as Sydney stores Espionage, Capsule and Half Sleeve.
Here are some of my select shots from the event, which I hope is the first of many for Sydney (and I'll throw up more images on the IDYSM Facebook page too).
Back to Hong Kong tomorrow - see you then.

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.

J-01 (Courtesy of D-Mop); Hong Kong

One of the best ways to see what's influencing the streets in any city is to check out sneaker stores, and when D-Mop invited me to check out their streetwear store J-01 in Central I couldn't wait to see what was on offer.
The famed 'Sneaker St' of Hong Kong was once known as Fa Yuen Street (in Mong Kok) but it's reputation has slipped in recent years, with boutiques now seen as the go to destination for the hottest kicks in town, and J-01 is one of the hottest around.
In addition to adidas Originals collabs with Jeremy Scott, Ransom and Stella McCartney, theres also plenty of other great stuff on show, including the fascinating adidas x The Soloist collab with Japanese designer and grey pioneer Takahiro Miyashita.  Unlike many of his avant garde designs he opted for a subdued collection of grey suede versions of the Norton, Basket Profi, Rod Laver and Rod Laver Vintage for this capsule range.
Next to catch my eye was the great Verbal x Reebok Pump Fury HLS collab line.  As a rapper, DJ, Designer and Creative Director of Reebok Classics Asia Verbal is something of a Japanese fashion icon, and his metallic/black, and white/black designs offer a futuristic take on the iconic shoe. 
The final item to get my attention was the MiharaYasuhiro x Puma MY-59, with the "Snake" and "Emboss" versions of the DISC SYSTEM shoe.
This is a great store fusing classic shoe design with some eye-catching collab pieces that show when it comes the kicks the Hong Kong sneaker set look for quality design and eye-catching innovation in equal measures.

Lampros; Hong Kong

During my time in HK, I know only too well the pressure’s of knowing what footwear to pack when travelling.   I won’t lie, I haven’t exactly got it down to a fine art with multiple pairs packed catering for all manor of unlikely circumstances.

Lampros however is a more thoughtful traveller.  He is based in the UK and is visiting Hong Kong before heading to Thailand and France and wanted one pair of kicks to cater for all countries, climates and needs.

As a fan of the colour black, these Air Force 1’s were deemed the perfect shoe to cover his entire trip.  While I can’t understand how anyone could pick just one pair, there’s no denying it’s a great choice.

Street Reportage #1; Hong Kong