The following are just a few tracks and images that I recently came across. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
This one I found from a “Moog Board” playlist on Spotify. It gets quite cinematic towards the middle, something I can definitely imagine myself using later on in life if I ever get round to creating a montage of happy memories. Until then it can just remain a fun track.
This one’s a little more on the nose but delivers that feeling of being on the Brazilian coastline. No doubt a classic over there and one I hope to encounter while sipping my morning coffee at my future favourite spot.
Stumbling across this light jazz number towards the end of listening session, a favourite from the Japanese Jazz playlist I had great fun delving into.
Nike Fuelband, patent leather Air Force 1s and two Yeezy’s off of Virgil’s old blog, an era dripping in nostalgia. One day I hope to drop a Bobbito-style book with my life’s take on footwear but for now, a small dump on the website will have to do.
The Air Max Deluxe released back in 2018 to mixed reviews. I was working at the Size? store in Bristol at the time, and therefore witnessed this reception first hand. I remember seeing them on shelves thinking they were a decent looking shoe. Not having seen them before, I was intrigued by the shoes unique upper. I was sold by the interesting “oil spill” colourways but was put off by the £160 price point. At the time the Nike Vapormax Plus were flying off the shelves. Although they were £170, we could barely keep enough stock and were no doubt our bestselling shoe. I wasn’t the biggest fan of them myself, the Vapormax line had been a cool concept to start off with but practically speaking, the sole didn’t feel stable enough for me. Whilst an impressive feat of technology, they were more of a gimmick in my eyes. That’s just my opinion though, I have spoken to a few people who have used them as their daily running shoe.
Nike Vapourmax Plus
For the most part, I watched the Deluxe’s sit on shelves. They sold steadily, but it wasn’t till they went on sale that they really started to pick up. I would glance over at them every day, tempted by the loud colourways. The blue, white and orange pair had really spoken to me, two of my favourite colours on one shoe, it was a no-brainer. I went up to the stockroom on my lunchbreak and luckily we had one pair of UK12s. I put them on and to my dismay, they felt awkward. The two little nubs on the back of the inner heal didn’t bode well with me and the upper seemed stiff. Unimpressed, I placed them back on the shelf and left behind the thought of owning a pair.
Days later, the love for them had still lingered. Each shift I’d find myself picking them up off the sale rack. “Give them another chance” I thought as if they were a past lover … after all, beauty is pain. That week they did garner quite a lot of attention, they seemed to be the favourite colourway after the black and iridescent joints. Every time a customer would ask to try them on, I would breathe a sigh of relief when they didn’t say UK12. That was until my luck ran out. I had a gentleman in his late 30s come up to me, an unexpected choice for such a customer but a solid one nonetheless. He’d asked for a size 12 and my heart sank. As I climbed up the stairs and into the stockroom, I convinced myself that there was no chance he would actually go through with buying them. No way. Impossible. I brought them down where he tried on the left foot, took a few steps and looked at his wife. He said, “yeah these are good, I think I’ll take them”. I looked back at him smiling through the pain.
Convinced he was going to bale last minute; I took them up to the till and watched the transaction being put through. I needed to see for myself that the pair was gone, like some form of therapy. My colleague bagged them up, he knew I had been mulling over that pair for some time so had a little smile on his face. The Deluxe’s eventually left the store never to be seen again. A few months later the “No Sleep on Tour” Skepta collaboration came out, but it just wasn’t the same.
Nike Air Max Dealuxe x Skepta “No Sleep On Tour”
A whole year later and the World was a very different place. We were about a month and a half into lockdown and it had been time since I had bought any shoes. Having more time to browse, it was hard not to find steals as people were worried and letting pairs go for cheap. I came across the Deluxe’s in the fabled colourway for £60. They were practically new, so it was an easy decision. A few days later the Post man knocked. It had been a long time coming. I smiled and grabbed the delivery off the floor. Taking them into my room I carefully opened the package, seeing those blue lines shimmer through the slit I just created. I ripped the package open, hoisting the shoe up into the air like Gollum holding the ring in the fiery pits of Mount Doom. They were mine, my own, my precious… Nah, I’m kidding but I was certainly gassed.
Accurate portrayal of me finally owning a pair of those blue and orange Air Max Deluxe’s
It was sunny day, so I whacked them on ignoring my already questionable lockdown outfit. They were comfier than I expected. They must have just needed some time to break them in. “I must thank the previous user via the Depop review” I thought to myself. Since then, they heavily featured in the rotation as they coupled well with the baggy Calvin Klein denim I had found on eBay that same month.
I now vowed to try and pick up any Air Max Deluxe I come across that goes for less than £50. Like some budget version of Thanos collecting the infinity stones. Currently, I sit on two pairs of the blue and orange colourway, as well as the ‘Midnight Navy’ pair that I picked up last week. I recently was watching the Complex Sneaker Podcast where one of the hosts Brendan Dunne, was of the opinion that they did in fact flop. With the US being less of an Air Max market than the UK and Europe, I can imagine him being correct. The Deluxe managed to do well for a first-time reissue, certainly grabbing an entirely new audience that ended up loving this lesser-known Silhouette.
I don’t see them about too much anymore, most of them having been mashed up by the festival circuit the same year they were purchased. No longer do they traverse the pavements of Manchester or anywhere else for that matter. I don’t that mind that though, in fact I almost prefer it. I’ll keep wearing my pair, feeling happy whenever I look down at them wrapped around my feet.
It’s 2010. Mackenzie tracksuit tops are big on the school playground. Guys are using those small Nike string bags at school. Those ridiculously small Nike bookbags or also everywhere, as AJ Tracey confirms in his song Provisional License, “Old school I had the tiniest Nike backpacks, all of my books them bent up”. He’s not lying, everyone I knew who used those also had the most mashed up books. Another big memory from back then was the Superdry jackets that had about 50 zips on them. Guys would have them zipped up halfway with the most questionable gelled up hair. Thank goodness for Virgil and Kanye who made it their goal to “raise the overall taste level of the world”. However, my first example of their ‘improved taste level’ was in the form of the shutter shades Kanye used to wear. I came across them in Primark and bought a yellow pair which in hindsight, looked ridiculous.
I suppose for most, your pre and early teens are an awkward stage. People have just stopped being dressed by their parents, so they need to figure out what clothes means to them. It’s a journey to say the least. One piece I look back on with pride, are my Nike Court Tradition 2’s. A pair I in fact recently picked up off eBay for cheap. People have been sleeping on them and let it stay that way. Anyway, my mate and his older brother had a pair. They were the football Coaches kids which already put them on a higher level of cool, at least in my eyes. Having said that, the Coach would without a doubt, wear a pair of these Lonsdale shoes to every practice. What’s worse is, he always pulled them off. The drip was relentless. That’s how I remember it but memory can be a funny thing.
Every time we’d go about town, my mates would be wearing their pair of BRS’. They had the Velcro editions and I’d be glimpsing down at their feet, completely jealous. It took me a while, but after some nagging, I managed to convince my mum to get me a pair. We headed down to the local Sports Direct where I would often window shop. There was an array of DC and Airwalk shoes on wall racks as usual, but I wasn’t after that. I went over to the scary Store Manager to ask if I could try a pair on in my size. He always had a crazy look in his eye, like he would just go off at you if you rubbed him the wrong way. Whenever I’d walk in, there was always a 50% chance that he’d be shouting about something or someone. Hope he’s doing better these days. Luckily, he was in a good mood that day because next thing you know, I was trying on a pair of size 9’s. I went for an all-black pair with laces. The first three eyelets were different neon colours which I thought gave them a nice pop. My mum wouldn’t let me near the Velcro pairs that my mates had in fear that I’d turn into a degenerate. Parents have a funny way of thinking sometimes. I walked out 5 minutes later with a fresh pair in a brown Nike Box (a feeling I truly miss) in my massive Sport Direct bag. Mission success.
The only pair of BRS’ I could find with the different coloured eyelets. My pair was similar but with neon colours.
Since they were a general release and had a cheap retail price, the leather on them was of low quality. This worked out well for me as they had plenty of miles put into them and never creased too badly. The shape of them was excellent and the embroidered outline on the swoosh was a beautiful detail. I really loved my pair and had some fond memories in them. There was this one time I got pushed over by some guy outside my local Newsagents whilst wearing them. However, I was off balance to begin with so it’s not like I could blame the lack of traction on the soles. Bar that one terrible memory, all of them consists of good times and sunshine. I look forward to adding some more positive feelings to the pair I recently picked up off eBay. The Nike Court Tradition 2 is a shoe that I feel a lot of people have a past with, but one that no one really talks about. Viva la Nike BRS!
These were a cold pair that I always had my eye on. The neon eyelet and the 3M heal tab was something else!
[Upon finishing writing this, I may have actaully had the pair above with 3M hit on the back. I feel like I used to want to have the back of my shoe on show for some reason and that seems more than fitting. If that is the case then these were the building blocks that made up my love for the Air Max 95 Neons]
The double up. A classic move in the world of Sneaker Heads. One that really cements your place as a shoe fanatic. That is unless you’re a reseller, in which case you’re just greedy, or as some may say, ‘entrepreneurial’. My first double up was a mistake. Although to this day, I still have the two shoes in my collection. Partly because no one else will probably buy them off me, but also because they hold a dear place in my heart. Let’s go with option two, it sounds better. Anyway, the first the shoe I doubled up on was the HUF x Wu Tang’s from 2014. I remember seeing them online as part of a collection pack with some clothing bits and socks, none of which I picked up apart from the creps.
I think at that point, I was aware of the Wu Tang Dunks, so I knew what having the “W” on the side of the shoe meant. I’d watched a review on them from OG Sneaker Youtuber. It was the guy with the see-through plate that spun round 360 degrees and the intro had a voice clip saying, “I’m an addict to Sneakers”. I’ve linked the video below so you can relive what I felt all those years ago.
When I first saw the £125 price point, I was in shock. That was steep for me back then. No way was I getting the go ahead on these from my Mum. I knew it was a case of biding my time and waiting for the right price. A month or two had gone by and they had sold out of all the online retailers I was aware of. I didn’t really use eBay too much back then apart from researching how much certain collectable figurines were. I managed to find a seller out in the US who was selling a few sizes from his account. They looked legit and for a total of £82, I was willing to take the risk. I ordered them. The first time I had ever ordered something like that from America. How long it’d take for them to arrive I wondered. The awaited time in my purchased items section had said two weeks. That was manageable. Every day after I finished school, I’d rush home to check the status of the shoes. The journey itself was exciting. Until that is, the day they hit the UK. Somehow, they’d got shipped up North by Royal Mail. They had ended up in some apartment building where a lady had signed for them. I spent days with the seller trying to get more information but got nowhere. That was it. All that excitement for nothing. They were gone, never to be seen again.
Upset about the loss I had just taken, I decided to move on. The dream of getting the HUF x Wu Tang’s was over and I just needed to accept it. A few shoes had been purchased since to try and fill the void in my heart, but the gap was still there. I was in college now, over half a year later, sitting in the canteen during my lunch break I decided to browse the Route One website on my iPhone 4. I was scrolling the sale page much like I used to do. Then I saw it. The HUF x Wu Tang’s for £25. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I kept saying “Oh my gosh no way” to the point my friends started to get concerned. Little did they know they were witnessing a Sneaker Head during his finest moments. They were witnessing the art of ‘the steal’. I didn’t have time to explain to anyone what was going on, so I added them to my basket and checked out as quick as I could. Thirty seconds passed and boom, the confirmation email came through. I can even remember feeling that now. Top 10 college moments that. A week later they arrived at my house and I was gassed. I wore them round the house for a few days, pouring over the different details on the shoe. The wait was over. They were mine.
About a month later I was watching TV on the couch at home. I remember it still being warm and light out after arriving back from college, so it must have been at the end of summer. Either way it was a late delivery from the post man. A near five o’clock delivery is a rare occurrence, but a welcomed one. I was confused when the package arrived as it was directed to me, and I wasn’t expecting anything. I looked over the different labels to see an array of different notes on the box. One thing I did know was that it had come from the US. Still confused, I opened it up. It was only till I saw the light green HUF shoe box that I finally realised what they were. No way … it couldn’t be? Over half a year had gone by and I hadn’t heard anything about the shoes I had ordered from America. Yet there they were. They had finally managed to make their way to me. I could barely believe it. Eager to make sure they weren’t fake; I took them upstairs to compare them to my Route One pair. They were good. I didn’t want to confuse which pair they were, so I labelled the inside of the box, “Pair 1” and “Pair 2”.
Today they both sit in my collection upstairs. The Route One pair I took to Uni but never put any serious miles on them. In fact, both are still in close to deadstock condition and in serious need of love and wear. I think they still look sleek and with a pair of baggy denim shrouding them, I could definitely make them work. The only thing that gives away their age is the speckled midsole and perhaps for the eager-eyed Wu Tang fan, the “20th Anniversary of 36 Chambers” label on the tongue. I don’t think I’d get rid of either of these shoes because of the sentimental value they hold, but also for the fact that they have Wu logo on the side of the shoe. Priceless.
Reebok was churning out a whole host of collaborations between 2013-2016. One independent store who had a unique take on their coveted silhouettes were Garbstore. A British retailer based in the Notting Hill area of London that stocks a selection of staple clothing with an Americana twist. As described on the website in reference to the Reeboks’, they write:
“London-based designer Ian Paley takes his main reference point from the “unseen” elements of the original Reebok classics. Each collection between the two brands is a graduation from the last. Through their collaboration together, archived models such as the Fury Roads, Aztecs and Pump Graphlite have been brought back in revitalised fabrics and colourways.”
I would agree with this statement, as they really did focus on the smaller details when it came to their collections. In many ways the store’s collaborations were quite forward thinking. A lot of the reverse elements and subtle twists on key features of the shoe are ones we now see quite a lot in the market today. As far seeing them on feet out in the real world, it didn’t happen too often. I only remember seeing someone wearing a pair once. They often went on sale, especially in a UK12, or ended up on eBay from random wholesaler. I had the navy Club C pair which was based on the lines of a tennis court. I picked them up for £40 including shipping off the Garbstore website and was ecstatic as I’d had my eyes on them for a while. I did put quite a lot of miles on them as a shoe, to the point where they got cooked as my night out shoes. I owe it to this pair of Reeboks, as they helped me fall in love with the Club C silhouette. Sadly, they’re no longer part of my collection as I was downsizing, and I let them fly on Depop for cheap.
Reebok x Garbstore Club C
I’m biased when it comes to these as its the only Garbstore shoe I actually owned. The navy and white upper tells a beautiful story behind its Tennis Court influence, whilst the brown lace guard and tongue are what brings that shoe into the top tiers for me. The toe box ended up creasing nicely and really did show its wear off in a elegent way.
2. Reebok x GarbStore GS Workout “Outside In”
Such a classy take on the workout. That almost fine wine gum bottom really sets a great base for the shoe to be built on. The mixture of purple and pinks against that prodominantly cream upper is what truly makes this shoe great. I have had a pair of these on my eBay wishlist for about 4 years now and it might be the time to finally pull the trigger.
3. Reebok x Garbstore Classic
Probably the first shoe on the list that I wish I owned. You simply cannot go wrong with a Reebok Classic as a shilouette. The little detailing of the Reebok lettering in which the last two letters “ok”, are the tid bits that reveal that this isn’t just some normal reebok. The almost Collegiate upper, mixing that wonderful navy and light blue, is just so simple yet effective. Of course what completes this shoes overall quality is its nappy suede upper. You can even tell from the upper that the quality on these are on point. These are a serious contender for my favourite Reebok Classic ever.
4. Reebok x Garbstore Ventilator Supreme
The shape on these are the main reason why I chose them for fourth place. Something Air Max 90 heads would be very keen on with its pointy toe box. I also quite like that purple mudguard that wraps around the shoe. Whilst the colourway doesn’t completely work in my eyes, these are definitely a pair I’d wear.
5. Reebok x Garbstore
The colour way on these immaculate. That earthy brown works wonderfully next to that grey and green. My 2014 self was a sucker for that Hexalite logo as well so you know I would have been all over these. The speckled midsole on these a clear sign that they were released during that 2014-16 speckled era.
wear shoes, write poems 