Author: Jake Archer
This week see’s two celebrations across the world. One is an obvious one, Air Max Day but the second is one you may not know we’re huge fans of at Footpatrol, World Tattoo Day.
To celebrate these two falling in the same week, we took the Women’s Air Max 1 ’87 ‘Wild Animal’ down to visit Sona, owner of Tattooma.
Footpatrol: Hi Sona, thank you so much for inviting us into your studio for world tattoo day. Firstly how are you?
Sona: It’s been an exciting last 12 months. Firstly getting planning permission for my new London studio, then getting all the work done to convert it from an old funeral parlour and then opening the doors at the end of 2022 – it’s been like a dream come true.
FP: Who influenced or inspired you to become a tattoo artist?*
Sona: My Nan was nine when she snuck out of the house and came home with tattooed hands. She got into a lot of trouble! They are still there, very visible on her hands to this day 80 years later! My other Nan was the body piercer in her village in east Africa! My parents are pretty straight-laced, so maybe my non-conformist streak comes from my nans!
FP: It’s a very difficult skill to be able to do photo realistic tattoos, what made you choose this style and how did you find yourself specialising as a portrait tattoo artist?*
Sona: I think the style chose me, about ten years ago I experienced some trauma and drawing was my coping mechanism. Once I had perfected portraits on paper [and my portraits had been commissioned by clients in every continent of the globe!] I challenged myself to achieve the same results with a [tattoo] machine instead of a pencil, or paint brush. Hyperrealism is a style of art includes which feeling and emotion and this is what I aim to portray in all my work. I would do them for free if I could; for me the best payment is seeing the happiness of my client receiving the memorial portrait of their loved one. I often forget to charge them – luckily I have amazingly honest customers! My goal though is to eventually offer free portrait tattoos to parents of children who have passed away.
FP: To own your own studio is a wonderful thing, and the styling of your space is extremely unique and contemporary, how did you come to this design?*
Sona: I am not your typical tattoo artist and so I didn’t want the studio to be stereotypically dark and gloomy; I wanted a more a unique, bright and inviting space.
I studied graphic design at Uni and was an art editor in Bath and London for many years before I started drawing, so I guess I’ve spent a lot of time creating feelings and emotion through design. Coming up with the studio look was a fun way to utilise my design background. I basically drew each wall/surface on my iPad and then set about getting those ideas turned into reality. It turned out better than I expected, so I’m really happy with the finished result.
FP: On your socials you often mention your kids. How have they influenced your work and what do they think of their mum being a talented tattoo artist?*
Sona: They all think their mum is mental! I absolutely adore my kids and I’m so proud of the people they’re growing up to be. I hope I inspire them to know that if they work hard and put their mind to it, they can achieve ANYTHING! My daughter, Uma is just about to turn 18. She painted the skull on the studio wall, so she’s very artistic, although she’s actually going to Uni to study physiotherapy! The great thing about art and being artist is that it will always be there, so I love that she’s learning a completely new skillset while also doing creative things.
FP: What I found interesting is that you don’t have any tattoos yourself? What’s kept you back from getting one and if you could have one done, what would it be?*
Sona: Yeah, I guess that’s something of a taboo within the tattoo industry, I’m not sure why though. Anyway- do all midwives have to have their own children before they can deliver kids for others? And I’m sure a Lamborghini mechanic can be an expert without owning one him/herself?
When I first started visiting tattoo studios to ask about getting into the industry, I was told by several people that I’d never become a tattoo artist if I didn’t have my own tattoos. I’ve never really been one to conform or do things as I’m expected to, so I carried on studying and practicing and soon found myself well established and still not inked! My love for tattooing is more to share my portraits. I LOVE tattoos on other people, but haven’t decided whether they’d be right for me yet. Who knows what the future holds, I may change my mind. I’ve definitely missed out on the perk of working with some amazing artists and not having had them ink my body despite them trying very hard to convince me!
FP: So, not only is it world tattoo day but it’s also currently women’s history month. This month is dedicated to “Embracing Equity”. Female tattoo artists are fairly common place, but Asian females a lot less so. Can you tell us what challenges you’ve had to face being an Asian woman in this industry and how you’ve managed to overcome them?*
Sona: While things are getting more diverse, the tattoo industry in the UK is still very white, male dominated. And because it’s effectively entirely unregulated, it can be like the Wild West at times – there are pretty much zero employment contracts, zero sick pay, zero employee benefits… I know one super-talented female artist who turned up to work one day to find all her kit on the pavement and be told her station was now someone else’s – how’s that for a notice period?! I know multiple female artists who have been taken advantage of sexually by their male mentors too. Despite potentially brutal treatment, the number of people who want to get into the industry far out-weighs the entry opportunities, so a small minority of shop owners can take advantage of people at times – watch out for those!
Anyone, regardless of sex or skin colour, who wants to make it in this industry would benefit from being super-smart, highly motivated, mentally strong and above all, you need to be a great artist! If you’re also a female from a minority background, you just need to want it more than anyone else… let your art do the talking and don’t take any shit! Get a book full of your own drawings and make them so good that the right studio owner can’t turn you away!
We all know how iconic the Air Jordan IV is, since its inception way back when, the IV with a wealth of inline classics and collaborative projects has become one of the most sought after silhouettes within the Jordan line up.
Nike SB, known for bringing the Swoosh into the world of skateboarding now bring two of the games greatest together, Sandy Bodecker and Tinker Hatfield for what is sure to be a match made in heaven.
Now an icon both on and off the court, the Air Jordan IV has been tweaked and reworked to provided skaters with all the thrills. Bringing back the OG ’89 shape around the toe box, this helps generate that flick that helps push you to land any big trick. The deconstructed upper is coupled with added flexible plastics, Nike Air in the heel and zonal gum rubber on the outsole adds traction and grip where you need it most.
One straight for the history books, take a closer look below and make sure to get your entries in for the in-store draw that’s now live!
PLEASE TAKE TIME TO READ THE BELOW!
The London in-store draw is now CLOSED!
To enter, you’re required to sign up via the above forms, these WON’T be available in-store to sign up on.
In-store winners will be contacted via email informing them of their win. Within this email, winners will be given a set of dates in which they must collect their win from our London store. To collect, you will need to provide the winning email and a valid photographic government ID matching the winners name. NO ONE can collect on the winners behalf. Failure to provide this, or failure to collect within the given dates will mean failure to purchase your win.
It’s time to change the record. At Footpatrol we’re all about building a space to highlight creatives, and want to empower the women we have within our community. For International Women’s Day, we’ve teamed up with a female owned social media agency, spring, for a month-long campaign to change the record around stigmas and stereotypes that women face in their respective industries.
Introducing founder and creator of Neighbourhood Skate Lyndsay McLaren (@lynders). We spoke with Lyndsay about how she’s changing the record for women within the skate community, giving them a safe space to learn and share their passion.
Footpatrol: Lyndsay, great to meet you! Tell us about yourself.
Lyndsay: I’m Lyndsay, and I’m the founder of Neighbourhood Skate Club. I’m really passionate about positive impact and community action, so I started Neighborhood a few years ago to try and help make skateboarding more accessible and welcoming for everybody.
FP: What does ‘change the record’ mean to you?
Lyndsay: Change the record is really about doing things in a way that feels good without worrying about how things were done in the past or how you think things should be done, just because someone told you that’s the way you need to do it. I think it’s about staying true to yourself and about what feels good, and following your passion and really trusting your gut and instincts to do ultimately what you want to do and be your own boss.
FP: Yes! How did Neighbourhood Skate club come into the world?
Lyndsay: Coming out of the lockdown in 2020, I started to see more women in the park that I was skating at, coming out and learning how to skate. A lot of them were beginners, and they all looked really terrified and intimidated. You could tell that they didn’t want to make eye contact with other people in the park. So as somebody who was a bit more comfortable on my board, I felt really driven to just create more conversation and help try and create a safer space.
FP: Do you face any stereotypes or stigmas as a female skateboarder?
Lyndsay: As a female skateboarder, within the skateboarding community, it’s great. Everybody is really welcoming, everybody cheers you on, and I definitely feel at home within the skateboarding community. There are more women, and more of a variety of people skating than ever before. However, it’s outside that core skate community where there are still issues in perception of why you’re skateboarding as a women and what you’re trying to achieve as a female skater so a lot of people think it’s to do with clout chasing or meeting a boy, it surely couldn’t just be because it’s something that makes you feel good and something that you’re passionate about.
I can’t tell you the amount of harassment I’ve experienced – street harassment, catcalling, groping, being followed home. There’s this idea that just because I’m out in a public space, doing something, that I’m welcoming your eyes, I’m welcoming your attention. I can tell you I’m not. So for me, it’s really important to open the dialogue about the abuse that we experience as women in general and as women skateboarders. And that’s why it’s so important to change the record.
FP: Proudest achievement to date?
Lyndsay: My proudest achievement to date is teaching over 100 women to skate in the first year that I started Neighbourhood Skate Club whilst having a full time job, wrangling a tiny big puppy and living my life to the fullest.
FP: What have you done to change the record in skateboarding?
Lyndsay: Something that I’m really proud of when it comes to changing the record and breaking down barriers within women’s skateboarding is not focusing purely on young skaters. So what I am really passionate about is letting women who are in their late twenties, their thirties, their forties, I think the oldest woman I’ve taught to skate has been 65. There is such a thing, I think in skateboarding, that you should start when you’re a kid and after that it’s too late for you and it’s really, really not.
FP: Why is IWD still important and needed?
Lyndsay: International women’s day is still so important and valid even in today’s world because it is accelerating gender equality globally, which is still such a humongous issue. So many women across the world are still experiencing violence at the hands of men and the system and until we’re not seeing women murdered because they left their house, then there’s still work to do.
FP: What does the future look like for women in sport and skating? What do you want to see?
Lyndsay: I think the future for women in sport and skating is very bright. There are more women taking part in our sports than ever before, which is hugely inspiring to see and be a part of that shift.
FP: Do you have a piece of advice for your younger self?
Lyndsay: If I had one piece of advice for my younger self, it would be to stop sweating the small stuff, believe in myself, trusting myself and get out there and don’t let anything hold you back.
Make sure to follow @lynders and @neighbourhoodskate
Shout-out to the full female team that worked on this campaign:
Production: @springtheagency
Creative: @ttfinlay
Images: @alicetakingphotos
Video: @azcaptures
MUA: @tillyferrari
This campaign is powered by Nike!
Kicking off our first Communi-T collab for 2023, we continue to bridge the culture between fashion and art with our latest partner joining the Footpatrol Communi-T roster, that is, South London-born artist Remi Rough. Remi delivers his distinctive two-dimensional artwork into wearable form.
Utilising the city landscape as a canvas for his abstract compositions, Remi Rough’s artwork is heavily derived from the 80s graffiti movement. Pushing architectural boundaries with shape and space that date back to his experiences as a graffiti writer.
In later years, Remi Rough’s iconography stemmed beyond its train writing origins, with his first works exhibited at Whitechapel Gallery in 1990 to The Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Indiana in the US in 2022. Not to mention his participation in the largest mural in London, alongside other members of the Agents of Change.
Remi’s bold graff-styled graphic features on the front chest of an aqua coloured 100% cotton tee. On the reverse, his hand-written wordmark reads: ‘This Side of Paradise’. The wordmark is taken from the name of a book by F Scott Fitzgerald, who was the first person to publish the word ’t-shirt’. If you want to find out more about Remi Rough and his work, check out our previous feature on him here.
The Remi Rough x Footpatrol Communi T is now available to shop in-store and online here!
Last year, we got an in-depth look at The North Face VECTIV line with a visit to the All Triangles studio in Annecy. Working in partnership with The North Face, All Triangles help design, develop and test their most extreme footwear when it comes to performance. One of these lines we’ve come to know as VECTIV.
What was originally the first ever trail running shoe to house a carbon fibre plate, this duo revisit this recipe with their latest VECTIV creation that’s part of the forever boundary pushing Summer Series, the Summit VECTIV. With a more stripped back approach, this latest iteration features a their latest foam technology with a higher stack height. It’s within here that the carbon-fibre plate can be found. Also visual on the forefoot, the plate provides superb stability and energy outputs for those technical terrains which allows you to keep that pace going over whatever is thrown at it.
We took Footpatrol Run Club (Follow us on Strava here!) community member Paul out to Richmond to test this latest offering from TNF. Take a closer look at our outing below and make sure to check out the latest from The North Face online here.
It’s time to change the record. At Footpatrol we’re all about building a space to highlight creatives, and want to empower the women we have within our community. For International Women’s Day, we’ve teamed up with, Spring The Agency, an all female-owned creative collective. For a month-long campaign to change the record around stigmas and stereotypes that women face in their respective industries.
Introducing silver medalist Paralympic Basketball Player Amy Conroy . We spoke with Amy about the journey to her paralympic success and the stigmas she’s faced as a woman in sport.
Footpatrol: Amy, great to meet you! Tell us about yourself.
Amy Conroy: My name is Amy Conroy. I play wheelchair basketball for Great Britain and I’m a three-time paralympian.
FP: What does ‘change the record’ mean to you?
AC: For me, I guess it means levelling up your views, who you are, and what you believe in. Not just sticking to the same status quo. I love the quote, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always have what you’ve always got.” So I guess just having a progressive mindset, meeting new people and hearing their views. I think ‘change the record’ is a really powerful slogan.
FP: You’ve spoken about not enjoying wheelchair basketball at first – what was that breakthrough moment / driving force that made you decide to go for it?
AC: I saw my now teammates playing on TV at the Paralympic World Cup and they were these confident, powerful, talented women – polar opposite of me at the time, anyway. I thought, ‘people can see you, you’ve got one leg, and you don’t care?’ And I just thought, ‘I want to do that.’ And I think that’s the power of awareness. Sometimes you don’t know what you can do until you see it and you think, ‘if they can, why can’t I?’
FP: As a female paralympic basketball player, do you face any stigmas or stereotypes in your industry?
AC: I definitely think there are still a lot of stigmas around Paralympic sports and wheelchair basketball. I mean, when I first heard about it I thought it was going to be lame. I think people are often quite surprised at how often I train. It’s an elite sport. We train every day, we work hard, and it’s really competitive. There are massive highs and massive lows. If I could change the record on anyone’s mindset I would say: Paralympic sport is real sport – people have just gone through some extra stuff like the odd car crash or cancer. More awareness of Paralympic sports would make me so happy.
FP: We hear that. What’s your proudest achievement to date?
AC: It’s gotta be winning silver at the World Championships against the Germans in the semi-final. We’d lost to them all year and they’d won the semi-finals for the past few years and there was a lot of grit and fire within us that drove us to win. I don’t think anyone except us thought we could do it.
FP: Can you tell us how you’ve been breaking down barriers in your industry?
AC: To break down barriers, I’ve been trying to go for campaigns, I think visibility is really powerful. I love when brands represent everyone authentically. My sister and I are currently trying to start a business to promote inclusivity in the workplace, so stay tuned on that one! I think just go for things, regrets are the things you don’t do!
FP: Why is International Women’s Day still important and needed?
AC: I think IWD is still so important. It’s amazing to reflect back on how far the movement has come in the past 100 years. For everyone to reflect on themselves, their own attitudes and beliefs and how they can improve. I think it’s important to keep ourselves accountable. Everyone has ignorance about things. What doesn’t occur to you, doesn’t occur to you and not to feel embarrassed if you do have ignorances but to work on yourself and shine a light on injustices still in the world. People need to check themselves, everyone has busy lives so often don’t stop to think about bigger issues.
FP: What does the future look like for women in para-sports? What do you want to see?
AC: My team have just started the first-ever Premier Women’s League in the world, so that’s quite cool – and the BBC is showing some of the games. My dream would be to have true fans who love the sport, even if that comes with trolls! Like, come on, troll us like everyone else! It’s a real sport, do it! I want Paralympic sport to be a sport in it’s own right, instead of people being like, “aw bless you for going out, you’ve only got one leg, good for you.” No, it’s a real sport – it’s feisty!
My dream would be big crowds, big channels covering it and any kids going through cancer or something else can feel like hell yeah, I can still do that and make those big dreams come true.
FP: What advice would you give to your younger self?
AC: When I was going through the whole insecure, not accepting myself phase. I would tell myself not to care what other people think, if you stay true to you and act in a way that you’re proud of, it doesn’t matter what people think.
Make sure to follow @amyconroy10
Shout-out to the full female team that worked on this campaign:
Production: @springtheagency
Creative: @ttfinlay
Images: @alicetakingphotos
Video: @azcaptures
MUA: @tillyferrari
This campaign is powered by Nike!
Within the ASICS archive, its a brand that’s built on movement. With new silhouettes coming to light that are built on the brands heritage within the world of sport, this latest silhouette designed in partnership with AWAKE NY is of a similar vain.
Dubbed the GEL-NYC, this newness from ASICS finds its influences from heritage and modern performance styles that pays homage to these past models. The upper for example, its construction is a love story to the GEL-NIMBUS 3 from the early 2000’s with its MC-PLUS V design and various embellishments that create this overlayed effect. Opting for a more modern and up to date approach when it comes to the tooling, underfoot you’ll find the GEL-CUMULUS 16. A well thought out combination of GEL tech and lightweight foams that maintains the ultimate comfort we’ve come to expect from ASICS.
Take a closer look at this latest offering below and make sure to check out this latest style online here!
During our recent New York adventure for our 20th anniversary celebrations with Stash, we met Thomas Rampino. Working behind the scenes but also, very much at the forefront of our Exhibit A and launch of Stashs’ SUBBLUEMINAL book, Thomas is a man with an eye for details and connecting the dots.
Whilst over on a recent trip to London to curate Stashs’ input to the ‘Beyond The Streets’ at London’s Saatchi Gallery, we caught up with Rampino to discuss him, his work and of course sneakers. Suitcase in tow, Thomas talked us through his five selects for FP Meets.
Footpatrol: Hi Thomas, hope you’re well, and thank you for taking the time to fit us into your busy schedule here in the UK.
Thomas Rampino: Thank you so much for having me! Of course. Much love to the FP crew, everyone I’ve met at and through this company is good people. Just needed to say that.
FP: Firstly, can you tell us a bit about who you are, what you do?
TR: Damn I’m not that good at talking about myself. But I guess I’ll say I’m a kid from New York and I work on projects with companies, stores, artists, and makers, working on product, moments, experiences? I get a lot of pleasure out of connecting things together that make sense. Like building Legos or something. I was into that growing up, and it somehow led me to sneakers and clothes, and seeing product in editions and being sensitive to details and quality – the knack for collecting things just became a part of my being. I direct projects, working closely with people who inspire me.
FP: We recently had you here alongside STASH for the ‘Exhibit A’ exhibition, and believe you’re here for the ‘Beyond The Streets’ exhibit, can you tell us a bit more about your involvement in both of these projects?
TR: Back in November I came to London for Exhibit A, a show born out of the celebration of Footpatrol’s 20th Year Anniversary, highlighting the vastness of Stash’s cultural impact in our world, as graffiti writer, graphic designer, streetwear pioneer, product designer, artist, the list goes on. For those that are unaware, I suggest you do some research. I curated the show on behalf of Stash and Blue Works Studio, working with your lovely team along with Gimme 5 to design and create the experience. We also paired Exhibit A with the launch of SUBBLUEMINAL, the first book on Stash, at Footpatrol leading up to the exhibition. It was really important for these moments to encapsulate the right feeling, and it marks a significant moment in time where the history of Stash’s imprint is ready to be celebrated. I learned a lot about our world through his work and influence. So handling some of the artifacts from the archive, and to be displayed in a city where he’s done so much, was truly an honor. Working with Footpatrol and Gimme 5 was a great experience.
This trip to London was for the Beyond The Streets show at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea, and I was hand delivering the items I curated for Stash’s contribution to the show expressing Stash’s incredibly significant contributions to hip hop culute and what also became the “streetwear industry”, highlighting the Phillies Blunt tee amongst a couple other designs that greatly influenced the Ura-hara movement coming out of Tokyo in the 90’s. Very honored for me to deliver such a sacred narrative to a show highlighting so many legends in our culture. A lot of people don’t realize that Stash is the one who brought the Phillies Tee into this world. Needless to say, I had a great time during my visit. Anyone in London & reading this should check out the show, it runs until May 9th.
FP: Why do you think it’s important to host exhibits such as the ones mentioned?
TR: It’s become normal for things to move pretty fast in a trend-driven world where everything takes from everything. So much can get blurred or misconstrued, so it’s important to chisel the facts into the stone tablet, even if so many people are getting their news and updates off Instagram. So huge props to you guys for recognizing this, and also to everyone involved with Beyond The Streets for putting on. It’s so important.
FP: We’re aware you also headed up a successful project with Blue In Green Soho and also worked on some very unique bespoke sneakers for it, can you tell us more?
TR: This was my first project in New York and the first time I’ve ever fully seen a vision through from start to finish at that, so it’s very special to me. It was born out of the desire to wear one of my favorite shoes ever and the best Air Max 95 of all time (yes I’m claiming that), Stash’s collaboration that dropped in ’06. Blue In Green has been importing Japanese garments into Soho for over 15 years, and in recent years has become the best spot if you’re into good denim and Japanese Americana (shoutout to Naoki and the whole team for that). They’ve been carrying work from this incredible artisan Shun Hirose through his company RECOUTURE which is based out of Shibuya, and after seeing his work in person, I decided the nature in how how I wanted to present my first project to the world. I wanted to create a lot of moments highlighting the significance of the original shoe, Stash’s 95, but also repairing and representing them utilizing RECOUTURE’s excellence, also including a calm reference to a the cover of a really important Boon Extra Magazine issue and it’s various themes and relevancy, so we created 2 separate editorials, custom packaging, a special event tee, curated an entire evening to celebrate the project, had Stash paint a mural inside the store, and even had some vintage deadstock gear from the archive available for purchase. We went hard and the philosophy was to create a real moment that was fueled by passion, pay proper homage in a tasteful and culturally significant, way while playing in a current contemporary space, and also proving that not everything that’s cool needs to be a newly manufactured mass produced product. I’m grateful that a lot of people were able to understand and feel the essence of what we all tried to portray overall, and that it was received well. I explain it a bit more on Blue In Green’s website in their journal section for those interested in learning more!
FP: Onto the collection in question, it’s quite a diverse selection, can you tell us a little bit about each pair and just why they have made it into this rotation?
TR: Absolutely, to be honest I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to geek out about kicks, so sorry (not really) if this is a bit lengthy. Starting with the Air Force 1’s… You can just feel the level of integrity and love when holding these cultural artifacts. The cut, material quality, the intentionality of the details; it’s really a product. The quality of and build of earlier AF1’s are just incredible, with the 2001 pairs having some of my favorite detailing and construction quality. Peep the satin lining. Nike’s Air Force 1 is one of my favorite silhouettes of all time. The co.jp program embodies much of what drew me close to sneaker culture. Neither pair needs an introduction. Everyone knows about the linens, but honestly it’s the tip of the iceberg of special pairs from this time. The Atmos pair, in its own right, is a perfect shoe.
Virgil’s Off-White Jordan 1 Chicago is a special shoe no doubt. Way beyond the hype and whatever the market value. I was really fortunate to get a pair before the global release at this event they had in New York to celebrate the launch called “OFF CAMPUS”. It was massive, so much so that I was able to sneak into a press panel and somehow talk my name onto some list to purchase the shoe. I had little money but didn’t even think of selling them even though people were offering me thousands. I got to exchange words with Virgil, he blessed my pair, and I just remember being amazed at how calm, collected, and humble he was while in the midst of shocking the world. His work, with this shoe being the headliner, was so representative of change in many different ways. It was truly a cultural shift, and I am very into cultural shifts. Everything about this project meant something. The entire world eventually bent to it. It was so powerful and reminiscent of the energy of previous generations, that you can so obviously tell V paid such close attention to, honoring and interpreting it in his own way, and on his time. I was so inspired by the energy of this moment, that I decided around that time that I want to contribute to this world that has given me so much to be passionate about. It’s strange to think that that was almost 6 years ago. May he rest in peace, I am devastated that he is no longer here.
The next two shoes are two that come with me everywhere, the Asics Gel-Burs 2 by Kiko Kostadinov and the New Balance CM996 x mita by Shigeyuki Kuni. I remember putting the Asics on when they came out and they just never left my rotation. They looked brand new for years even with heavy wear. I may need to start looking for another pair now, and it’s because I just think they are such a good option for everyday. The proportions, the panels and overlays, the colors, the fit. They are very thoughtful, without being overstated. Genuinely a good product that casually proves Kostadinov’s genius and justifies Asics re-resurgence in the past couple years and they’ve been killing it.
Shortly after I discovered the work of Shigeyuki Kuni, learning about his ascension to footwear designer and creative director of mita sneakers in Japan, I found out about this special project that dropped around the summer of 2019. 6 boutiques in Japan were given the opportunity to outfit the CM996, with less than a thousand pairs of each produced (it could be 996 units each but don’t hold me to it). mita’s contribution was modeled after the famous Shibuya Crossing, and the application of the stripes is fascinating. It’s truly a wearable piece of art. Incredibly thoughtful and beautiful. They somehow are so calming for being a shoe with huge stripes overlaid on top of them. It’s astounding and I get stopped in the streets because of these almost every time I wear them, which is very often. They released during a storm of New Balance collaborations, but you had to be paying attention to catch these. Luckily I have 3 pairs – one that’s already cooked, these slightly used ones you’re looking at here, and a brand new pair for later. I want to meet Shigeyuki Kuni and learn about his philosophy on shoe design. He’s had many fantastic contributions to the landscape in the past, and his work has such a great consistency, I love the new Gel Lyte III’s he did in collaboration with bal.
FP: Tell us about your time spent in Tokyo, and traveling in general, how has it broadened your mind?
Last August I got to visit Tokyo for the launch events surrounding Stash’s collaboration with A Bathing Ape and legendary German camera company Leica. It was my first time in Japan. It was also during a time where travel to the country was limited due to concerns about Covid-19, so we had to get business visas to travel and there weren’t many tourists. Because of this, I think I got to see a very intimate Tokyo. It was almost like I had training wheels because I think it would have been a bit overwhelming had the city been in full operation.
Being in Tokyo for the first time, I was in a foreign land for sure. But somehow, I felt at home and a strong sense of familiarity in contrast with being in a constant state of discovery. I felt very full the entire time I was there. It was a very spiritual experience of just feeling overwhelmingly grateful and excited when turning every corner to see what types of niche and specific shops I would find, the constantly changing landscape of the city, even stuff like graphic design and street signs, obviously food and culinary experiences, mind blowing to my taste buds. Like over-stimulation in the best way. Luckily I had many friends over there, some that I had met for the first time through our work, some that I met while they were visiting New York months or even years before, and just getting connected with friends of friends out there. It was a surreal experience.
Getting to travel around during the past couple of years has definitely taught me a lot. I grew up in the bubble that is the United States and it became apparent to me that I needed to see so much more of the world, so I’m grateful that I’ve been able to start having these types of experiences early enough in my life to where I am not yet stuck in my ways and can willingly expand my mind.
Besides learning about different cultures, the origins of some of my favorite interests, tying historical events with physical places, spending time with some of the incredible humans of our world… funny enough some of the greatest ways I’ve broadened my life through travel is through what I’ve been able to learn about myself and about the principles of life and the universe’s laws. I learned that for every positive, there exists a negative. Like a natural balance, ebb and flow. It’s inevitable, and it’s really about your mindset and how you process things that will ultimately determine what you get out of a situation. The past couple trips have been some of the best moments of my life. In Tokyo I was having back to back best days. And you can’t just have that without having “bad” things. And it’s not like a boulder falling out of the sky and crushing you, it’s not as literal as that. Sometimes it’s time to face things about yourself or challenge yourself. I think those are the ultimate moments of personal growth. And it’s why I encourage anyone to travel. It’s cliche, but the self discovery is real.
FP: What is the mission of co.Rampino?
I have a couple of internal mantras that I won’t list, but they all surround the concepts of being honest and clever and true. I really just want to add value, and contribute things that I genuinely want to see in the world. So I guess the mission is to restore essence and provoke feeling, since as a connoisseur I’m constantly looking to indulge in projects that are properly communicating the values that initially got myself interested in all of this. The mission and identity will show through my work and the approaches I take in expressing my visions. I don’t really have a pitch nor do I plan on coming up with one. I’ll also say it’s a bit weird to name a company after yourself, especially to operate within a world where many people won’t know who I am. But if I am projecting what I want to see in the world, it did not make sense for me to come up with a word or phrase to represent that.
FP: Random one… If you were a sneaker, what would you be?
Haha, okay. I don’t think this is technically a sneaker. But if I had to choose something off the top right now, it would be the Manual Industrial Product 10, Ryo Kashiwazaki of Hender Scheme’s interpretation of the Air Jordan 4. ‘Manual Industrial Product’ is a project that really speaks to me for many reasons. It comprises Hender Scheme’s reworking of the iconic footwear of our modern times. Traditional high quality shoe making techniques, paired with their thoughtful and artful use of vegetable tanned leather, each pair tells a unique story with wear. The product and concept kind of ran perpendicular to how “sneaker culture” was consuming at the time when these really gained popularity – low quality materials, mass production quality, only brand new or pristine condition shoes being valued… so these just blew my mind when I discovered them and they stuck with me, and they embody my approach and thought process when it comes to product related projects. I need to dust my pair off, I have them signed by Ryo Kashiwazaki from when he was in New York debuting the company’s home goods line at this perfect shop by the East Village called Nalata Nalata. I haven’t worn them in a while. Maybe it’s time.
FP: Thank you very much for taking the time to chat to us Thomas, we look forward to seeing you again soon! Is there any words of wisdom or upcoming events we can see you at?
I haven’t given this type of intimate thought to my collection in a long time, I’m thankful for this opportunity to connect with and share really important possessions of mine. Footpatrol is an institution in this world and I’m honored to be able to have a relationship with you all. Hopefully I’ll be back in London and also Tokyo later this year. For now I’m going to stay in New York plotting my next couple moves. My words of wisdom would be to focus on value added and protect your energy. Energy is the real currency.
The iconic Air Jordan 3 “White Cement” shoe first released way back in 1988. Michael Jordan famously wore these in the 1988 NBA Slam Dunk contest. The Air Jordan 3 was the first design by Tinker Hatfield in his three decades of collaboration with the Jordan legacy. From this partnership, Tinker crafted the now-iconic elephant print. To this day, the AJ3 remains one of the most notable sneaker silhouettes worldwide. When Michael Jordan took the court for his third Slam Dunk competition wearing Air Jordan 3s, he gave the world an unforgettable image of flight. With his victory, the Jumpman icon was born. A twist on the original, as was the Air Jordan 1 ‘Lost and Found’ this ‘Reimagined’ iteration throws touches of ‘Yellowing’ to give it the vintage aesthetic.
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The London in-store draw is now CLOSED!
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In-store winners will be contacted via email informing them of their win. Within this email, winners will be given a set of dates in which they must collect their win from our London store. To collect, you will need to provide the winning email and a valid photographic government ID matching the winners name. NO ONE can collect on the winners behalf. Failure to provide this, or failure to collect within the given dates will mean failure to purchase your win.
A mark within many peoples calendars, London Fashion Week arrives to the streets of London once again. Spread across five days, LFW is a coming together of not only some of the biggest names within the world of fashion but also, it’s one of the best when it comes to showcasing new and up coming talent who’s names are about to become staples.
With that said, we wanted to take this week to showcase a sneaker that’s gained a lot of love from within the world of fashion. An archival silhouette that’s burst back on to the scene in recent months, the Nike Vomero 5. Whilst oozing in the highest levels of comfort, the Vomero 5 offers a detailed and intricate aesthetic that manages to combine the most technical and retro aesthetics.
To celebrate this, we teamed up with 6 individuals who’s style caught our eye to see just how each of them would style the ‘Black’ and ‘Sesame’ colour way.
Huge thanks to Christina, Jesse, Taffy, Fitria, Dominika & Tasha for taking part and make sure to check out the latest from the Vomero 5 offering online and in-store. Check out more via Nike Stories over on the launches app HERE.
