Author: Jake Archer
Hitting home soil in the UK and delivering a masterclass in contemporary art excellence, The Beyond the Streets exhibition is one of the most comprehensive art and graffiti exhibition ever showcased. Retiring from its LA and NYC destinations to offer something coveted to our London audience, the exhibition that is powered by adidas examines the humanistic drives and needs for self-expression.
Taking place from 17th February – 9th May, this London-based adaption spans across three floors of the Saatchi gallery, offering a new landscape for some of the most exceptional works in art history. From an extensive range of train writing, treasured murals to large-scale installations, this exhibition celebrates some of the most influential figures to have ever graced the contemporary street scene to date.
During the course of this exhibition, adidas will be building on the foundation of Rogan Gastman’s creation by driving excitement around the narrative of youth culture. Teaming up with lead media partner ‘The Face’, the coupling will build a cohesive editorial and event programming approach to consolidate adidas’ brand positioning within culture.
Hosting a series of events, workshops, and conversations with a range of artists and industry tastemakers to deliver knowledge and insight into the narrative of their creative artwork. Individuals will be also given an opportunity to work with some of the brand’s favourite stylist collaborators and contributors to The Face magazine over the year to pull together items that have stood the test of time.
With an abundance of creative events scheduled over three months, this exhibition is one that is certainly not to be slept on! Take a look at our visit to the Beyond The Streets exhibition below and make sure you head over to Saatchi Gallery to find out more about how you can attend!
Birthed out of the love of sandwiches and fashion, Paperboy Cafe opened its doors in 2014 and was founded by James Dridi, who envisioned a space that not only doted on his love for food but fuelled his own ambition for creating a brand that allowed him to generate his own spin on contemporary fashion. More than just a swanky spot to eat, Paperboy Cafe bridges the connections between modern gastronomy within the streetwear scene in Paris, as well as amassing a cult-like following in the process.
Paperboy cafe has opened up its creative enterprise to an elusive span of brands over the years including Reebok, BEAMS, New Balance, and Needles, not to mention our own coveted collection in 2019. Being our first inception with the brand that had created an all-new bespoke offering to our consumers.
This March, we unveil our second collaboration with our Parisian friends from the Northern quarter of the Le Marais district. Like-minded in nature and aligning in taste, we present to you, our latest slew of apparel that stylistically merges the two completely different fields together for an exclusive 3 piece apparel collection that lends that extra bit of spectacle to your wardrobe.
This latest capsule makes use of the iconic branding from both brands fusing the Footpatrol Gasmask and Paperboy’s mascot character resulting in a unique set of graphics for the collection.
Celebrating this special launch, Paperboy has created a bespoke lunch menu offering that will available in the cafe for a limited time only. In London, Footpatrol will be also hosting a pre-launch event at TT Liquor in Shoreditch on Thursday 2nd March 2023.
The Paperboy x Footpatrol collection is now available to shop in-store and online here!
To us, Flo Dill needs no introductions. At Footpatrol, we’re avid listeners of the amazing NTS radio station and Flo Dill’s Breakfast Show is a big part of office life.
Having been a part of NTS since 2017 with her ‘World In Flo Motion’ show, Flo has now taken on the mammoth task of hosting the breakfast show, Monday to Wednesday, 9AM till 11AM. Taking listeners on a journey of genres, Flo kick starts a lot of peoples days with her fun and engaging show that brings all the good feels for your day.
When we sat down with Flo, she describe this latest mix as “Spring-appropriate sweet soul and reggae to make dinner to.” so with that said, hit the play button below and get cooking!
Footpatrol: Firstly, huge thank you for joining us at Footpatrol. Been a massive fan of World in Flo Motion and your NTS Breakfast show for what seems like an eternity now! Let’s kick things off, how have you been?
Flo Dill: Ah thank you very much – I’m pleased to hear you’re enjoying!
I’ve been good: I’ve had a really good start to the year, actually. I’ve managed to shift some other work I was previously doing at NTS to focus more on the show, and get cracking on some other creative projects I was hoping to do this year. It’s really nice to be able to have a little bit more headspace.
FP: Talking of the NTS Breakfast Show, can you run us through how you set yourself up for the morning slot? Three times a week, 9am till 11am, from an outside point of view, it seems a daunting challenge to constantly find new music to keep things fresh, or is that something you enjoy?
FD: It really varies! Some weeks I’ve got a million things to play, or say, and I’m really in the zone – other weeks it’s a bit trickier. I try and constantly keep my ears out for music that would work for the show, and set aside hours every day to find new things to play, whether that’s new releases or stuff that is just new to me. But you have to just take each show as it comes, I’m finding. At the end of the day, as long as you’re playing some decent tunes and getting people in a positive mood or hearing something new, you’re doing ok!
In terms of a morning routine – that totally depends too. Sometimes I’m running so late and I do the show unshowered and on an empty stomach, other days I’m up hours ahead of time and cooking an elaborate breakfast!
FP: Do you find it’s completely different setting up for a radio show than playing a live set?
FD: Yes, I think so. For radio at 9am, I’m generally trying to keep it relaxed tonally and a mixed bag genre wise. I think a breakfast show on a diverse station should try and showcase a little bit of everything that the station has to offer, as well as an outlet for my own taste: it’s a bit like a primer for the rest of the specialist shows that come later in the day. Whereas if I’m DJing out, the process for selecting and sequencing tunes is totally different. If I’m playing out, usually you’re trying to make people dance, or at least not sit down – whereas radio is more about music discovery, and perhaps a bit less functional. I can play a much wider range of music on the radio than I would in a club I think.
FP: Where did your love of music begin? Do you have a stand out memory growing up? I always remember getting it from my dad. Growing up, he was always in Blues bands so always went to gigs to watch him play. I’ll always remember when my mum got angry at him for bringing home a second Hammond Organ and Leslie amp…
FD: ah that’s wicked! I would have loved that I think. I was always really into music from a young age: I would sing in bands and stuff at primary school, and getting an iPod was a massive deal for me. Music was always on in my house: my mum loves Motown and disco, and my dad loves guitar music and bands – Talking Heads, Ry Cooder etc. Then as a teenager growing up in London I would go out a lot, which is where I got into DJing, and dance music.
FP: One thing at Frequent Players is we try not to be bound by one genre which is something we love about your shows and many others on NTS for that matter. It must be a great environment to bounce off fellow hosts and learn new artists, genres?
FD: It’s been totally formative for me. More so than any of my teenage or childhood experiences, I think. When I first came to NTS I was 21, and was volunteering at the station during university in London. I was an avid house and disco fan – it was what I played out, and what I was primarily listening to: but when I came to NTS, I got a proper music education about all the stuff that surrounded the dance music that I was listening to. I was introduced to and then properly immersed in genres like industrial music, post punk, bossa nova, soul music – it was really an amazing place to come into as a music enthusiast. I never left, and I have learnt more about music from the staff and hosts here than anywhere else. It’s an unbelievable resource for music discovery; I can’t really think of another station that comes close to it in terms of breadth and output – and the people behind the scenes and who put together the shows are total music nerds that really taught me everything I know about non commercial music.
FP: Apologies, slightly side tracked as I recently rewatched Bob and Pauls fishing show… Any progress on getting Bob on as a guest? Goal of 2023?
FD: that is never going to happen. I have been in touch with his agent who is lovely but politely declined. I will keep knocking at the door because it’s good to dream big, but – never gonna happen!
FP: Tape Deck, CD’s or Vinyls, what came first for you? Mine was a tape version of Jamiroquai, Deeper Underground! Can’t forget it haha.
FD: I love Jamiroquai. Feel like I shouldn’t put that in writing but I do! For me I had a tape player of course as a kid – I was born in 1993 – and then I was an avid mix CD maker, but all my good stuff really came during the digital era when I could download things onto my beloved iPod. Vinyl was something that came much later in life for me: now it’s my only form of physical music ownership.
FP: When we talk about latest pick ups at Footpatrol, we’re normally referring to sneakers but let’s talk records, have you picked up anything recently?
FD: Last thing I bought was a 12” of Trevor Walters – There’s no Way, a reggae single. I only buy stuff on Discogs now, and it’s usually after I find it online. I do most of my music research for the show online, then I’ll buy it on vinyl if it’s really good or if I just can’t find it anywhere. I used to be in record shops every week, but now I think because I do so much of the show digitally I’m in them less. I miss them a lot – I need to make time to go properly.
FP: Talking of records, classic quickfire Q, you can only listen to 5 tracks for the rest of your life, what’s made the cut?
FD: I just can’t do this. I am really prone to hyperbole so have proclaimed about 500 songs to be my desert island discs – but I could never actually choose. I’d just pick three – Hold my Hand by Hootie and the Blowfish because it reminds me so much of my dad, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough for my mum, and This is the Day by The The for my sister. But really, if I could only listen to 5 songs for the rest of my life, I would certainly choose silence.
FP: I think that’s it from us! Thanks again for joining us, we’re looking forward to checking out your mix. Is there anything upcoming you’d like to share with our audience? This is that time to drop any plugs haha.
FD: Thank you for having me. Hmm.. I will be in Australia in April, which is really exciting, DJing at Inner Varnika festival and in Melbourne. I am hoping to launch this other audio project this year, but I will not say too much on that yet – and then I suppose just the show! Which is Monday-Wednesday, 9-11am, NTS.live. Thanks!
The Cortez is a silhouette that’s steep within the history books of Nike. Whether it’s the legacy it made within the world of sport or its amount of appearances as the must have accessory within TV or pop culture, the Cortez is a sleek runner with a simplistic approach.
After multiple collaborations from some of Nike’s most sought after partners, from sacai and Union LA, its return is only looking stronger for ’23. Now with a series of inline colour ways coming to light, we celebrate this launch by catching up with visual artist and writer, Benjamin Murphy.
Much like the Cortez, Benjamin uses a medium that’s renowned within it’s own world, charcoal. Using this medium, Murphy explores themes of polarise, time, memory and contrast in its rawest state on canvas.
Take a closer look at our visit to his studio in London below and make sure to check out the latest from Nike and the Cortez online here!
Footpatrol: hey Ben, hope you’re well, and thank you for taking the time to fit us into your schedule! Could you start by telling us a bit about yourself and the works that you do?
Benjamin Murphy: I’m an artist and writer from Yorkshire, now living between London and Helsinki.
FP: We understand you recently relocated to Finland, has this changed the dynamic of your workflow? For better or worse?
BM: It’s maybe too early to tell, or too late – I’ve been living between the two places for a few years now. Overall as a country its definitely colder and darker, so it could be argued that this has made its way into my work.
FP: Based on your earliest art pieces, what has been the evolutionary catalyst for you and your style?
BM: The biggest evolutionary catalyst is discomfort I think. The key element in any creative act is is the pursuit of evolution. When things stop evolving its a perfect sign that something drastic needs to happen, even if that drastic step feels like it could set you back a bit, or take you on some diversion that you aren’t sure will succeed, ultimately the interesting work is found from a place of discovery, and by getting yourself lost. This isn’t possible from a place of comfort.
FP: Can you elaborate on your creative process’?
BM: Expanding on the point above, it’s important to allow for failures to happen, or to actively encourage them to happen as a way of getting them out of the way. For this reason I introduce a lot of chaos to the process by working with a medium that I cant erase or paint out (the canvas is unprimed so any mark is there for good), and by doing things like leaving the works on the floor to pick up charcoal dust organically and in a way that is totally out of my control. Obviously this means that a lot of the work doesn’t work, and a lot of it gets destroyed with never having been seen. It’s a necessary part of the process though, so I celebrate the failures as they prove that the quality control is high and that things aren’t becoming formulaic, or safe.
FP: How do you think your work effectively communicates with the viewer? Is there a deeper conversation to be had? Or is it aesthetically driven?
BM: I think that the “meaning” of a work of art has much more to do with the viewer than it does with the artist to be honest. Everyone who looks at it will read it differently, and my interpretation of what something means is no more valid than anyone else’s. For that reason I try to make things fairly instinctually, and leave the theorising over meaning to others. It means what you want it to mean, and I don’t want to divert or contradict that by telling you what I think it means because who am I to say.
Oscar Wilde once said that the person who understands a painting least of all is the person who made it and I agree, often I don’t even try.
FP: is there ever any trial and error? Or do you know exactly what you want?
BM: I never know how something will turn out when I start it no. Whenever I try to work in that way it’s a disaster. There is trial-and-error in the sense that some of the things I make are good and some are not.
FP: talk to me about flowers… how and why does botany feature so prominently in your work?
BM: I wanted to introduce some chaos into the work, and relinquish some control over the aesthetic qualities, as my work before this was so precise and clean. Plants are a good way to explore representation within a work without having to stay too safe. Things can be distorted past recognition without becoming surreal, which is a good place to be when you want as much freedom as possible without moving into abstraction. Someone pointed out to me yesterday that I tend to paint houseplants rather than those out in nature, and that it’s about “The wild, confined” which I thought was nice, and much more apt and poetic than I could have ever put it myself.
FP: If YOU were a plant, what would you be?
BM: a medium-sized Galia melon.
FP: As we’re also here to celebrate the Nike Cortez, a shoe that in the past 50 years has been a perfect candidate for outrage, resilience, and style within culture. With these words in mind, what legacy do you want for your work?
BM: Legacy is not for me to decide, and as long as my work is talked about then I’m happy. Loved or hated is fine, but the worst thing is when something arouses no response at all. Id much rather be polarising than universally liked.
FP: thank you for taking the time to have us Ben, it’s been great fun! And if there are any words of wisdom you wish to bestow on the community feel free to do so.
BM: Wisdom is something I’m probably yet to achieve, but maybe one day.
This year saw Jordan Brand dig into their archive to once again revive a famed silhouette that signalled the beginning of Jordan and Nikes relationship. First worn on the courts way back in ’84, the Air Ship was the brain child of Bruce Kilgore, the man who had previously designed the Air Force 1.
Following the Air Force 1’s simplistic and straight forward design concept, the Air Ship was the first shoe worn by MJ on the court and began the story that led on to the iconic Air Jordan 1. After a re-release in 2020 with the ‘New Beginnings’ pack, Jordan return once again to where the story began with a series of simple colour options.
Moving away from the court, we celebrate the story of Michael Jordan and his success off the court with his business and community ventures. With that in mind, we look to our local community and pick out individuals who are doing eye-catching things within their community to celebrate them. First up, Curtis, otherwise known as ‘The Local Honeyman’.
Take a closer look at our visit to his studio in London below and make sure to check out the Jordan Air Ship online here!
Footpatrol: Hey Curtis, thanks so much for joining us at Footpatrol. First of all, how have you been?
Curtis: I have beeeen amazing thanks! Excited for the new honey bee season to kick in, it’s always an entertaining time of year for us beekeepers. Flowers starting to bloom, bee’s getting their buzz on outside the hives and Local Honey Man honey starting to flow, what more could you want!
FP: It’s great to see such passion from someone when it comes to their work. Can you share a bit more information with our audience on how you got to becoming a Beekeeper?
Curtis: Looking back on it now it was an interesting journey that started a while ago. My Uncle ignited my fascination for honey bees when I was 15 years old, he would take me down to his Hives on a nature reserve most Sundays. It really blew my mind and was world’s away from my life growing up in Hackney. My passion for bee keeping continued to grow throughout different chapters of my life, eventually blooming into the existence of Local Honey Man and the rest is Bee-story…hehe
FP: We saw that you were originally within the world of Investment banking, this seems a world away from that previous career choice, did you notice any health benefits from this switch up whether its health or mentally?
Curtis: Yes, massive mental health benefits, when I was working all the hours God sends in banking, stress was on 10; I use to look forward to going down to the apiaries for some stress relief. Now its my every and any day. Beekeeping really helped with my mental health and being able to relax my mind daily. Anyone can learn to become a Beekeeper and improve their mental health just like me.
I’m actually so blessed now to have an amazing team around me that can look after Local Honey Man’s Day to day activities, allowing me time to create my own day and enjoy the sweet successes of running a business. Needleless to say the physical health benefits of consuming our raw honey are phenomenal, clearly documented on our website, in our education or blog section, check it out.
FP: Not only to meet yourself but I guess one of the main reasons we’re catching up with you today is because of what’s on your feet… The Jordan Air Ship. Built on Jordan’s successes both on and off court, we’re celebrating those doing great things within their local communities. So on that note, why is your local community so important to you?
Curtis: My local community was one of the reasons I wanted to run a local business, enabling me hire people locally and provide a great product that can benefit people and the environment. I have recently initiated a new charity in the area called Bee-Prolific, which will be helping local youngsters to gain an understanding of beekeeping, the retail of honey and generally how to utilise business and customer service skills.
FP: Thought the hits of yellow made this the perfect colour way for you as well, don’t you agree?
Curtis: Yes reminds me of a field of sunflowers blooming in the spring, which the bees simply love (the honey isn’t bad either)
FP: I think we all take our furry little buzzing friends for granted, can you explain the process for honey extraction and just how important to our eco-system bees actually are?
Curtis: I’ll try and honey coat this answer as it could easily be a very lengthy one. Bees are beyond important to our eco-system they are nothing short of vital. As for the Honey extraction it can be an intense sticky time of year! We get through it with timely logistics so the honey doesn’t set in the comb, dedicated steady hands and a little help from the machinery in our honey processing rooms. And of course never forgetting to leave plenty of honey for the bees to see them through the winter season.
FP: Come on then… what makes a good honey?
Curtis: buying it from Local Honey Man…lol…seriously though, making sure your honey comes direct from a beekeeper and its not heat treated to stay liquid and runny, that’s not honey’s natural state once it drops below the heated environment of a Hive, around a cosy 32 degrees. We try to keep it as close to its natural form as possible, sweet thick and full of health benefits, a spoon a day keeps the doctor away!
FP: What are your current top 3, go to honeys at the moment?
Curtis: I use ginger infused honey to give me a morning boost, cup of water and spoon of honey in the morning, gets me started for the day. Borage honey in my coffee, Golden honey will be my best friend for the next 7 months as I suffer badly with hay fever. A multi-floral honey like our British Golden honey will remove all my hay fever symptoms. No more itchy eyes, running nose and sore throats thanks to Local Honey Man honey
FP: What’s next for Local Honey Man?
Curtis: Take over the world, one honey jar at a time! Watch this space…
FP: Thank you for taking the time to have us down, and just want to open the floor for any words of encouragement to those looking to break into the honey industry or even just any words on how we can preserve and help in the preservation of our hard working, buzzy friends.
Curtis: Keep planting flowers so our little furry friend’s have more options and food sources to forage from, we can all play a role, no matter how small…if we all did a little bit, it would make a big difference!
Championing an all-new feel to contemporary music, Sainté is a Leicester-born music artist that continues to push boundaries in the UK’s evolving cultural soundscape. With his deeply rehearsed, States-inspired sound, he has continued to allocate an all-new positioning for the Hip Hop genre in the UK.
Just before his live performance at the La Machine du Moulin Rouge, we had a chance to catch up with a pumped up Sainté in our Paris store while hosting his Meet & Greet to find out a little more about his music masterwork and fashion influences, as well as delving deep into his shared passion for sneakers.
Footpatrol: For the few people that may be unfamiliar with who you are and what you do, could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Sainté: I’m just Sainté, I also go by the name of YS. I am a creative individual from a small town trying to inspire other people to chase their dreams. That’s all really.
FP: Last couple of weeks, we regularly saw you in Paris, especially during Fashion Week. In all your appearances your style is always meticulous. What is your relationship to fashion?
Sainté: I mean I just love dressing nice, if you dress nice you feel nice, if you dress good you feel good! I used to play basketball, so fashion and style have always been a thing that goes hand in hand with the sport and it’s the same way with music. Fashion and music are connected easily so I love playing with them.
FP: Ok so you got into fashion with basketball and then music?
Sainté: Yeah, I feel like it was through basketball when I was younger, but I always kinda knew that I liked it. I couldn’t always buy the clothes I wanted, but I could always look at something and be like “this is nice, I want this one day!” Then it got to a point where I started working hard enough to buy the clothes that I liked.
FP: That’s cool. Since you mentioned fashion and music are tightly linked, how does fashion influence your relationship with music? How do they intersect for you?
Sainté: To be honest, fashion helps a lot with my music. I tend to write about things I’m doing, things I like, and things I want to manifest. I tend to be buying a lot of the clothes I like and they’re always something to talk about. Obviously, I get excited about it. I wouldn’t say it’s to ‘flex’ but to be able to style it out, show people and talk about it.
FP: During your back-and-forth trips between London and Paris, what differences did you notice in sneaker culture between the UK and France? For example, the TN here in Paris vs. the 95s being iconic in London.
Sainté: You know, that’s one thing I have realised! I feel like I used to be more of a TN guy, but recently with trends in the UK I’ve started to see a lot of 95s that I like. I feel like there are a lot of shoes that are special here. The sneaker game is very lit in Paris. People are a lot more open to wearing different stuff. Whereas in the UK, people still wear different stuff, but it’s a lot of trends and people wear what other people are wearing. Here, it’s similar but there’s more variety, especially in shoes.
FP: Regarding the evolution of streetwear, sneakers, etc., how do you see it in the foreseeable future?
Sainté: I feel like it’s going to keep getting crazier and crazier. There are a lot of new designs and silhouettes that are coming out. It’s hard to pinpoint who, when, or how but I’m just excited to see what collabs or new designs will be coming out. There’s a lot of creative directors that are being placed at different brands and I can’t wait to see what they will do to spice it up.
FP: Are there any recent trends that you like more than others?
Sainté: At the moment I’m a bit out of it and I haven’t had time to keep an eye on trends being on tour and travelling. But there isn’t really a trend that I like more than another. It’s more about which one catches my eye, then I’m like “okay, I respect it”.
FP: Moving on to sneakers, what is your relationship with Footpatrol and what does it represent for you?
Sainté: To me, Footpatrol is very important. I love shoes and FP has a lot of crazy kicks, so I feel like we’ve got a lot to build together. I woke up this morning like “Yooo, we’re going to Footpatrol let’s go!” and I was very excited. I had to make sure I was wearing CLEAN shoes, you know? I hope my relationship with Footpatrol goes a very long way, we’ve got a lot of shoes to talk about!
FP: Do you have a favourite pair of sneakers or brand at the moment?
Sainté: I couldn’t give you a model, to be honest. I mean, I’m wearing Jordan 6s right now and I wear a lot of Jordans. Recently, I’ve been wearing my Off-White Dunks quite a lot as well. But I couldn’t pick a single pair, there’s too many.
FP: Which type of sneakers/shoes would you choose for a concert and why?
Sainté: Depends on the mood. Tonight, I might wear the 6s or maybe the Margiela Replicas.
FP: Which shoe is your favourite and maybe the most iconic for you? Maybe one from your childhood?
Sainté: Iconic shoe? Honestly, I’ve been wearing a lot of my Air Force 1s or, like, Jordan 1s. I used to wear 11s a lot as well, but then I got put off because everyone started wearing them. But yeah, Air Forces or Jordan 1s are always a go-to!
FP: One day, would you wish to have your own signature shoe? If so, what would it be?
Sainté: That’s too much information haha, but I would like a signature shoe. I’m going to make sure that happens. It’s in talks, but who with? I’ll keep that a secret right now. Can’t say.
FP: Are there any future releases you are waiting for?
Sainté: I’ve seen the CDG (Comme des Garçons) New Balance. Did you see those? I think those come out in December. I’m excited for them. I like the leather and the little details. When I saw those, I thought “they’re nice, I need them”. That’s the one shoe that got me really excited.
FP: Sainté, it was a pleasure to have you! Is there anything you would like to share with the Footpatrol friends and family? That could be anything from getting people excited about something, a message of positivity, whatever you like.
Sainté: I’d probably say, in this game one thing I’ve realised is that you’ve just got to be patient. Consistency and patience are super important. You could be good, but just because you’re good doesn’t mean that everything is going to come to you straight away. You could not be good, but if you’re patient that doesn’t mean that you’re not going to get better, and then things will come to you. The key to this equation is consistency and patience. But at the same time, maintain your drive and humility. Anything from that point is never too big, you just have to wait and see because God’s got your back!
Thank you for having me. Peace!
With a creative spark running through him since he was a young kid, for our latest Footpatrol Discussions piece, we catch up with graphic design and now artist, Nick Dynan, otherwise known as Me Old China.
First and foremost a Graphic Designer, Nick’s latest venture is a break away from the technological barriers within traditional graphic design. Gone are the screens and Adobe programmes and instead is a much more physical, tactile element to his work. Not waving goodbye for good, Nick brings a typography, graphical element into the world of pottery with these unique, expressive vases.
Take a closer look at Nicks work below whilst he takes us through this latest venture and be sure to check out Me Old China on Instagram here!
Footpatrol: Nick! It’s great to finally meet you and check out your work in person, firstly, how have you been?
Nick Dynan: Yeah all good, thanks. Excited to have you in the studio today and show you some of my work.
FP: Talking to you briefly before our catch up, it sounds like you’ve had a very artistic childhood? from graffiti to your design work to now Me Old China, Can you tell us a bit more about this love for creativity?
ND: Ever since a kid I’ve always been doodling or making stuff out of cereal boxes. My parents always pushed me to do whatever I wanted and I guess that’s always been about creating something. I never really got on with school and failed most of my subjects including Art. But I’d always be up to something outside of school, teaching myself to spray paint in Brighton in the early 2000’s while watching the likes of KGB, RT, RK, BARE, PESE93, ODISY, DAZ etc painting down at Tarner, The Level or Black Rock, that definitely had a big impact on me and wanting to be creative in some sort of form.
FP: Being predominantly sneaker based at Footpatrol, we love tangible objects, things we can get our hands on and really examine the finer details. Me Old China gives us a similar sort of vibe, branching away from a digital screen to make something tactile and timeless, was this always the plan?
ND: I’ve been a graphic designer in London for almost 10 years and as much as I’ve always loved it and still do. I always had a scratch that needed itching in terms of making tangible things that you can pick up and hold. I took photos for a long time but in the end it wasn’t creative enough for me. Photos mostly just ended up on a hard drive and never got looked at. Creating these vases has definitely been the right thing for me to turn to. Knowing people can pick these up and hopefully admire them in their house has definitely started to scratch that itch.
FP: Does your mood dictate the vocabulary you choose to ordain your objects with? is it a release of stress if anything? Or simply aesthetical?
Nick: It’s definitely more of an aesthetics thing. Growing up on the weekend we’d go to the pub for lunch with my parents and there were always interesting characters in there. One couple who always stood out were Pat and Dave who chain smoked and only ever had cash on them. Inevitably they’d end up swearing and then had to put a quid in the swear jar on the bar. That was the idea behind my first series ‘Swear Jars’.
FP: How was the transition into pottery? Was this something you had previously trained in or has that in itself been an experiment?
ND: I haven’t had any training in pottery yet. I’m doing a course at the end of the month, once I’ve done the course I want to start making really big statement vases. I’m sure I’ll find out everything I’m doing is wrong but I’ve done that for most things. Just start doing it and learn on the job. I never went to uni for design, I just used Youtube videos to learn anything I needed to. I’ve done the same with this. It turns out there’s a lot of middle-aged American women making pottery videos that are actually really helpful.
FP: We can see a clear connection between the pottery and your design background with the typography aspect. Do you plan on bringing anymore of your previous backgrounds into upcoming designs, or are you hoping this is a completely new journey for you?
ND: I definitely want to start experimenting with other typefaces, layout styles and patterns. See what comes from that. I’ll always draw inspiration from subcultures I grew up around. What that ends up looking like who knows but that’s the fun part.
FP: What’s the future plans for Me Old China? Do you see this as a full time venture at some point? What’s the chances of seeing comic sans? haha
ND: haha yeah I might have to give that one a miss. Leave it to the professionals. Definitely want to go full time at some point, but not getting ahead of myself is the plan for me. Keep learning and growing. Eventually get some vases stocked in galleries and shops. Liberty if you’re reading this, call me! Just keep enjoying it and create things I actually want to own myself and not what I think people want.
FP: Putting your designer head on, how would you design a Footpatrol inspired vase?
ND: I think I’d start by looking at the history of FootPatrol, maybe some old trainer adverts, t-shirt designs and in-store trainer launches. Taking typography inspiration from the old Nike adverts using Futura Extra Bold.
FP: I think that’s it from us Nick, massive thanks once again for allowing us to come down and chat, we tend to hand over this last question to you, a chance to offer any inspirational words or shameless plugs! Haha.
ND: If you’re bored of what you’re currently doing and you don’t know where to go next, go watch What If Money Was No Object? – Alan Watts. It definitely helped me realise when I was younger to always do what you actually enjoy and not to chase money. Also, obviously check out Me Old China and buy a vase!
Teaming up with PUMA for the launch of their latest silhouette, the Velophasis, the German brand invited us out to the city of Berlin for a special activation surrounding the shoe.
Build heavily on inspiration from the 2000’s, the Velophasis is a chunky yet streamlined silhouette that shares a lot of DNA from previous models from the PUMA archive. Focus was placed on their COMPLETE line up, a department of brains who came up with game-changing technology such as iCELL, e+CELL and EverRide that became a range of sneakers which pushed the boundaries within the world of running.
To celebrate the launch of this latest silhouette and its arrival on the scene, we snapped up the invites and headed out to the German city.
Working with a sculptural artist Richard Green, we were handed a sledge Hammer and encouraged to take our anger out on a plastered structure in the shape of PUMA shoe box. Inside was our very own pairs of the Velophasis. We then had the opportunity to cast our own plaster model of the silhouette to which we than could customise to create our own one of one version.
Massive thank you to PUMA for having us out in Berlin, make sure to take a closer look at the recap below.
To shop the PUMA Velophasis, CLICK HERE!
Collaboration’s are something we take pride in here at Footpatrol, and over the years we’ve been lucky enough to meet many talented & like-minded individuals within the creative space. Building long-lasting friendships along the way, in 2017 we thought it was only right to celebrate the power of collaboration through the launch of our Communi-T t-shirt series. Our Communi-T project continues to be our cherished efforts to shine a light on the works of our talented friends and family through the form of limited, never to be re-released t-shirts.
Collaborating with the likes of Mr. Phomer, Mark Ward, Hotel Creative, Sneakerwolf, and Yee Poon – just to name a few, we take a trip down memory lane, revisiting all of our exciting Communi-T projects to date.
Mr Phomer
Our first-ever Communi-T series featured the likes of Lisbon-born artist Mr Phomer. Seamlessly applying his graffiti and cartoon-styled graphics to Footpatrol’s ‘Runnin Tings’ motto, the fit took creative inspiration from Phomer’s admiration of city life
Cerulean Crew
London-born duo Cerulean Crew was second in the line of creatives to work with us on the Communi-T project. With their illustration practices deeply burrowed in the world of vehicles, their unforgettable recreation of the Gas Mask logo on this t-shirt shares their love for the sneaker and streetwear industry.
U-Dox Creative
U-Dox CreativeConcluding our first round of Communi-T’s was Luminary London-based creative agency U-Dox. Serving over 15 years of friendship with Footpatrol, their Communi-T paid homage to the pre-internet times of discovering and finding rare shoes in stores, before the power of the digital space.
Mark Ward
For this Communi-T we enlisted the help of one of our good friends Mark Ward. Contributing his illustrative style to Footpatrol branding that dates back to our OG residency in St Annes Court, we thought that we would celebrate his talent through an animated T-shirt design that showcased his witty style.
Face Oka
Series 002 saw our first ever international partner to work on the Communi-T series, Tokyo-born illustrator Face OKA. Working across different medias, Face OKA’s Communi-T showcased an all-new nature-inspired remodelling of the Gasmask logo.
Sneakerwolf
Our Communi-T project with Tokyo-based illustrator Sneakerwolf was about honouring the cultures we know and love, reimagining our iconic Gasmask logo in a Kanji-Graphic style.
Dukes Cupboard
To finish series 002 we celebrate the cultural hub that is Soho, we teamed up with our good ole’ friends at Dukes Cupboard, recreating a stylish rendition of the Communi-T with their unique typography style.
Hotel Creative
To kickstart Series 003 we enlisted a long-time friend of Footpatrol and the multi-disciplined agency, Hotel Creative. Hotel Creative’s recreation of the Communi-T stood loud and proud, incorporating their love for neon signs and pink into their designs.
Lament
Next up in Series 003, we teamed up with West Midlands-born, South London-based music producer Lament. Reworking their skeleton branding with the Footpatrol Gas mask logo.
Ghica Popa
In 2020 we showcased the unique illustrative style of Bucharest artist Ghica Popa. Inspired by his love of 80s cars and vehicles, this release saw the Footpatrol Gasmask and Bar logo transformed into a range of vehicles.
Niallycat
Niallycat Leicester-based illustrator Niallycat was next up in our Communi-T series, customising the Gasmask logo into a cartoon cat, with the wordmark on the back taking inspiration from an old Klashnekoff tune.
Ken Carlos
In 2021, we linked up with East London-based tattoo artist Ken Carlos. Applying his fine line, single needle black and grey style on two tees exclusively designed for Footpatrol.
Robi Walters
Next up in the Communi-T series was Soho resident and contemporary artist Robi Walters, who created a design that was based on sacred geometry, and the thousand-petalled lotus featured in his series of works called ‘We Are Stardust’.
Earl Jeffers and Ral Duke
For the last installment of our 005 series, we partnered up with the multitalented duo and friends of Footpatrol, Producer/DJ Earl Jeffers and Producer/ Graphic artist Ral Duke to produce a special ‘Record Store Day’ Communi-T apparel drop.
Yee Poon
To celebrate International Women’s Day here at Footpatrol, we enlisted the help of British-Chinese graphic designer and illustrator Yee Poon. Her creation of the Communi-T utilised an ant print design to signify determination, unity, and loyalty.
Sayurinishikubo
We tapped Tokyo-based illustrator & artist Sayurinishikubo to collaborate on Communi-T Series 006. Sayurinishikubo’s character artwork takes inspiration from the famous Japanese manga basketball series Slam Dunk. Completing the graphic is a saying based on Michael Jordan’s words cementing the correlation between basketball and sneaker culture.
Poligoonz
In 2022 Footpatrol entered the Metaverse. For this special collaboration we teamed up with Poligoonz to create a commemorative-styled Communi-T that when purchased, allowed FP consumers to be automatically entered into a raffle with a chance of winning a utility NFT.
Series 007 Kicks off next week, stay tuned!
The HOKA Huaka returns… Featuring the best of both the Huaka 1 and Huaka 2 silhouettes, this latest iteration is visually a step away from the usual over exaggerated, chunky midsoles that HOKA are known for whilst still keeping their DNA intact.
This modern take is a street ready silhouette that comes equipped with a flat-knit upper with hotmelt overlays that’s made up from 100% recycled polyester through the upper, tongue and laces. Leaving behind those eye-catching chunky midsoles, the Huaka’s approach is a bit more streamlined. Whilst not forgetting that DNA and the OG, this latest version still features an EVA midsole which still gives all the good feels as you’d come to expect whilst also having the durability to match thanks to its high-abrasion rubber outsole.
Take a closer look below and make sure to check out the latest from HOKA here…
