Bradley Martinez, Author at Footpatrol Blog

Footpatrol x New Era | Now Available!

Nearing the end of our 20th year anniversary, what a year it’s been! From hosting panel talks and events, as well as adding to our eclectic catalogue of collaborations, we continue to keep our foot on the acceleration pedal to the very end, with yet another surprise up our sleeves to commemorate this special occasion…

Introducing our latest collaboration with American-born headwear brand New Era, working on an exclusive cap offering that pays sentiment to Footpatrol’s identity throughout the years.

As the headwear originators, New Era surpasses its century landmark with innovation in mind, adhering to its high-quality manufacturing practices as well as boasting a timeless slew of designs and collaborations. We believe the brand’s strived efforts of authenticity is also something that Footpatrol takes pride in, therefore we wanted to emulate this through our latest collaboration.

On offer, is the 9FIFTY Snapback cap that pays continuous ode to the cultural landscape of our store. Landing in a dual-toned cotton construction, doused in a relatively black and grey colour scheme. Cap details include an embroidered Footpatrol monogram logo on the crown, signifying Footpatrol brand heritage to this otherwise muted construction. Other adornments include a hand-drawn ‘20’ graphic in a felt design that reiterates our landmark year, further accentuated with an embroidered lamp post graphic sitting near the strap-back closure.

Other highlight details include the Footpatrol Rat mascot graphic created by Brooklyn-based designer/illustrator Dirty Dermot hallmarked on the back – culturally nodding to the vibrant streets of Soho. Completing the list of cap details are the words ‘Twenty Years Deep’ appearing on the reverse above the adjustable leather strap debossed with Footpatrol bar logo detailing, and embroidered tally graphic totaling to the number 20 indicating the anniversary year adds the finishing touches to this bespoke fit.

To celebrate our latest project with New Era, we wanted to work on a design we could keep exclusive to Friends & Family of Footpatrol and to many of those who have supported Footpatrol over the years. We decided upon creating our iteration of New Era’s staple 59FIFTY silhouette.

The design arrives in a stealthy black colour scheme, accentuated with the Footpatrol monogram logo (designed by Kingsley Hayward). We referenced several classic Baseball monogram graphics during the design development stages of the project. Cap features include a lamppost graphic sitting next to the Footpatrol monogram on the crown. This graphic is a reference to the lamppost that is situated outside the Footpatrol London store, but also an ode to the lampposts in and around the Soho area. We’ve always wanted to have a team mascot at Footpatrol – we decided upon a rat as our mascot character as a reference to our city’s central dwellings. Footpatrol London is situated amongst alley-ways and side streets, all areas you could imagine a street rat to wander around in! The Footpatrol mascot sits proudly in embroidered construction on the left side of the cap

Just before you see the mascot patch, there is an embroidered, hand-drawn ‘20’ patch graphic signifying the anniversary year. To the right of the cap, we have Footpatrol and New Era branding in white, and at the back of the cap are the words ‘Twenty Years Deep’. The final external detail on the Footpatrol 20th Anniversary F&F 59FIFTY is the exposed top button. The Footpatrol Gasmask logo is laser-etched onto the natural colour metal finish, giving the design a very unique look.

Internal design details include an tonal embroidered tally graphic on the under peak chartered in a ‘Kelly’ green hue. The luxury satin lining graphic inside the cap features montage images taken over the last year of the Footpatrol London team.

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Kip Omolade | Footpatrol Discussions

01.12.22 Footpatrol Discussions • General

Whilst over in New York recently, we couldn’t stay away from the bustling art scene that has been dominating the city and its streets for decades. With that said, we recently linked up with Harlem born, NY based artist Kip Omolade. Beginning his career on the streets as a graffiti artist whilst interning at Marvel Comics and The Center for African Art, Kip’s work has been shown across the globe. Having studied at The Art Students League of New York, Kip’s work has flowed effortlessly from Good Morning America to Juxtapoz, Nike and even the Versace Mansion.

Take a closer look at his work below from when we caught up with the artist himself.

Footpatrol: Hi Kip, hope you’re well, firstly thank you for taking the time to let us come by the studio and see the work up close, we really appreciate it. Could you please tell us a bit about yourself and the work you produce?

Kip Omolade: It’s a pleasure being featured in Footpatrol. I appreciate what you are doing. Your program combines two of my loves: art and sneakers, so this is awesome.

I am a product of New York City. I was born in Harlem and lived in the Bronx, the Lower East Side and midtown Manhattan before spending most of my life in Brooklyn. I attended City-As-School high school which was the same school Basquiat attended. I also attended the School of Visual Arts, the Cooper Union Saturday program, The Children’s Art Carnival in Harlem, and The Art Students League of New York. When I started oil painting from life, I lived down the block from the Brooklyn Museum where I would visit often to study African and European art.

My work is a product of those experiences. The use of chrome is connected to my internship at Marvel Comics where I was influenced by shiny, metallic characters like the Silver Surfer. The bright saturated colors are influenced by my graffiti writer days. The sculpture and oil painting techniques are from my training at SVA and The League.

FP: One thing that specifically captivates me is the image within the faces, is there a reasoning behind each mirrored reflection?

KO: Usually, the image within the face is determined by my curiosity and self-challenges. “What would this chrome face look like in the snow?” “Could I paint images of Times Square in the face?” Sometimes a model’s face will dictate which direction I’ll go. Some sculptures look better enclosed in a space while others look better with the outside environment being reflected in the face. Other times, the choice is more conceptual, like when I did several paintings with graffiti backgrounds. With the Luxury Graffiti project, I wanted to establish my graffiti roots in an organic way. I also saw some of my favorite artists like Takashi Murakami and Jenny Saville use graffiti with their work and thought why not? I was actually a part of the movement that they were referencing.

FP: I’m curious why just the face? And why expressionless?

KO: The face is universal across time, place, and culture. It’s what we are all attracted to. We look for faces in everything, even the surfaces of the moon or Mars. We are wired to recognize faces as a way of survival and communal living. The faces were a way to unify people- to show our similarities despite racial differences. I wanted to disrupt racial constructs and show humanity. As a result, make-up artists from Russia, Japan, and India, etc. have used their own faces and cosmetics to reproduce my paintings. They see themselves in the work.

I don’t see the faces as being “expressionless”, but I think I know what you mean. I prefer a neutral expression because it’s more iconic and timeless. Ancient Ife sculptures, the famous headpiece of King Tut and The Mona Lisa have subtle expressions. Another reason for the look is that I want my use of color and lighting to elicit an emotional response from the viewer rather than from an overly dramatic expression. However, some of my portraits do overtly show emotions. The Kittys seem happy, the Karyns have a sense of melancholy and there are some others that even have wide smiles.

FP: Why do you choose to continue to paint your work? Do you consider diving into a virtually creative side of it? Or like to keep it as raw as possible?

KO: I love to paint! I love the challenge of mixing, blending, and applying oil paint to canvas. It’s deeply satisfying to create an image using real life tactual tools. I appreciate digital work, but brushes, paint and canvas are centuries old technology that allow me to still make discoveries. Ironically when I first started the Diovadiova Chrome project I was attempting to use traditional materials to make images that looked like digital avatars. There is also an amazing satisfaction knowing I hand painted something that looks three dimensional physically and conceptually to the viewer. In person the work has a level of depth, color and texture that conveys a sense of transcendence.

FP: Can you elaborate on the process, from casting to photography to the final painting?

KO: The process is about different uses of time. The casting is the most interactive part- collaborating with the model while my assistant and I work quickly. This is a time when I don’t know what someone’s face will look like when the cast is finished. Once I have the cast everything slows down. I sculpt the eyes and prepare the sculpture for chroming. The photography stage speeds up again as I take hundreds of images of the sculpture. This is the most experimental part. I’ll try as many approaches as possible. Everything slows down again as I ponder which image to paint. Lastly the painting process is the slowest part as I apply layers and layers of paint to achieve details and form.

FP: Are there any subjects you would love to cast specifically?

KO: I would love to cast LL Cool Jay, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, and other Hip Hop icons. We should have our own Mount Rushmore. As Hip Hop celebrates its 50th anniversary, we need works of art that reflect our rich history. My way of giving flowers would be to create large-scale paintings of our icons.

FP: Does your day to day mood influence your artworks? Perhaps in the colours or graphics? How much of YOU is also In the works of art?

KO: My day-to-day mood is pretty much the same. What influences the work are questions. It’s about: “Why do this piece?” or “How could I represent this idea?” My love for beauty, my calmness and my spirituality manage to seep into my work. Somehow the paintings seem to show my personality. My actual image is in the reflections of many of the works. When I do this it’s like an elaborate selfie.

FP: You’ve amassed an extremely healthy client portfolio from the likes of Nike, Sony and RedBull to name a few. Who is at the top of the collaborative wish list currently?

KO: I would love to partner with Nike or Adidas to make a chrome sneaker like the Dada Supreme CDubbz. I think my use of chrome and color would be super impactful. My work could also easily translate to fashion. From streetwear companies like Supreme or high fashion houses like Louis Vuitton I think there’s an organic place for my work.

FP: Finally, we would like to open up the floor for you to praise or even set on blaze anything you believe can help the current arts industry.

KO: We are in the best time for artistic expression. Never, in history, have artists had access to as much information about creating work. In the past you would have to travel and work as an apprentice or go to college to gain skills that you can currently learn online. We can share our work worldwide with the press of a button. We can learn about art movements around the world in real time. Of course, this doesn’t replace the real-life experiences that I had. And of course, this means that it’s even harder to stay focused on one’s own path, but now artists can draw from so many different sources to make educated choices about what to do.

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