Author: Jake Archer
The last couple of years has seen the Nike Dunk rule supreme. Taking not only the sneaker world by storm once again, it’s also opened up the world of sneakers to a whole new audience. Thanks to its clean aesthetic and easy use of colour blocking, its simplicity is welcoming. First launched back in ’85, the Dunk was an on court success and quickly became a street icon as well.
For the second time, Nike take us on a trip back to the 80’s to where it all began for another revisit of their 1985 Nike Dunk High. Paying homage to that original shape, Nike first set about its return with frequent collaborator UNDERCOVER and their UBA collection. Not too long after, Nike followed up this return with a duo of colour ways in a rather distinct, vintage acid wash disguise. It’s here that we land once again with another pairing of distressed inspired colour ways.
Focussing on some distinct colours within the palette, on offer you’ll notice a bright vibrant mix including a fan favourite ‘University Blue’ and ‘Collegiate Orange’ which is greeted with a vintage inspired yellow outsole. This aged feel carries on into the second pair with a more subdued black and yellow mix thats reminiscent of the ‘Varsity Maize’ colour blocking.
PLEASE TAKE TIME TO READ THE BELOW!
The ONLINE draw is live over on the Footpatrol Launches App, CLICK HERE to download!
To enter, you’re required to sign up via the above forms, these WON’T be available in-store to sign up on.
To sign up to the Online draw, you will need to download the Footpatrol Launches app and complete a pre-authorisation payment of the retail price of the product plus shipping costs. This will be held until completion of the draw. Those successful will have their win posted out to the address entered during sign up. Those unsuccessful will see a return of their funds, this can take up to 5 working days from when the winners have been drawn.
Everything we’ve come to know and love, all wrapped up in a new, unique package… thats what the Air Jordan 1 LV8D brings to the table and we’re liking it! Not forgetting where the Air Jordan 1 came from, this latest take perfectly represents its OG heritage. With an upper thats been carefully crafted with a soft leather, the colour way is a traditional use of red and black that everyone knows as the ‘Bred’ colour way.
Keeping those recognisable touches in place with the additional, over exaggerated midsole creates a much welcome juxtaposition for the eyes. Something that looks like its straight out of the 80’s with its platform midsole fits perfectly into the modern fashion trends of today.
The WMNS Air Jordan 1 LV8D ‘Bred’ is now available in-store and online, priced at £125. Make sure to take a closer look at this latest model from the Jordan Brand below and all we have left to ask is, how would you style the AJ1 LV8D?
The YZY 350 V2 CMPCT ‘SLATE RED’ is highlighted by an engineered 3D knitted upper that provides a tight sock-like fit and premium lockdown support while no-tie stretch laces allow for easy on and off wear. The Midsole utilises Adidas’ innovative BOOST technology to offer the ultimate underfoot cushioning experience. The YZY 350 V2 CMPCT is made with a series of recycled materials, and at least 50% of the upper features recycled content.
PLEASE TAKE TIME TO READ THE BELOW!
The London in-store draw is now closed!
To download our Footpatrol Launches App and enter, CLICK HERE!
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.
Everyone will remember the fan fare that came with the launch of the original adidas NMD R1 back in late 2015. What was a limited release, the NMD R1 continued on with the craze and the need for a lifestyle sneaker that offer a super lightweight, comfortable sock like look and feel. The NMD R1 was all those things wrapped up in one simplistic package.
Listening to the demand, adidas set about continuing to tell the NMD story with the introduction of the NMD Chukka, the NMD City Sock and even letting frequent collaborators like Pharrell Williams loose on the sneaker which in turn, brought another round of hype towards the silhouette.
Now into 2022 and adidas see this as the perfect time to reimagine the NMD and how the NMD should look and feel in the modern day. So with that, we introduce you to the NMD S1.
You can clearly see a new approach has been taken however, there is a clear DNA in place with its lightweight upper and contrasting, chunkier midsole that speaks true to that original NMD R1. Bringing the NMD into the modern day, the visible BOOST has now become encaged within a sleek, aerodynamic midsole with semi transparent properties that follows through into the Three Stripes on within the Primeknit upper.
Take a closer look at the adidas NMD S1 below and stay tuned for further launch information coming soon!
For some people, the Air Jordan 1 is the ultimate grail, the must have on foot and a colour way that always catches peoples attention is a ‘Mocha’. After Travis Scotts take back in 2019 and the follow up from the Jordan Brand in 2020 with the ‘Dark Mocha’, anything with this combination of white and chocolate browns is a winning formula.
For their latest take however, Jordan Brand pull out the Air Jordan 1 Low. An ever growing silhouette along with the Mid variation, the Low is the latest to receive this colour blocking.
With the recognisable brown and white colour blocking in a mixture of suede and leather make up, a quilted pink liner adds a much welcome pop alongside the shimmering silver wings logo on the heel bringing a fresh approach.
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.
We love it when a new brand is added to the Footpatrol brand list and for 2022, we welcome Hoka to our offering. A relatively new brand to the running scene having been founded in 2009, it hasn’t taken long for Hoka to burst on to the scene with a range that spans across running and lifestyle. Their aim? To go faster… How can they go faster whilst improving how a runner performs.
With this overriding goal in mind, Hoka have also found themselves burst on to the lifestyle scene thanks to their extreme comfort levels but also, the aesthetic. With fashion weeks becoming more and more filled with trail sneakers and a more utilitarian approach to design, Hoka along with the likes of Salomon have found themselves a regular feature.
To introduce the brand to Footpatrol, some of the team took the Hoka Clifton 8 on to the streets of London to check out their durability, running abilities and overall comfort to see what all the fuss is about!
Ultra lightweight and with supreme levels of cushioning, the Clifton 8 manages to deliver a more responsive feel with the same characteristics as previous models. With it’s new midsole compound in place, it not only provides that energy needed but also firm enough to feel secure.
Take a closer look below and make sure to check out HOKA online at Footpatrol!
This year marks our 20th anniversary of our innovative sneaker fraternity here at Footpatrol! With an exciting year approaching us, we thought we would give back to our amazing community that has shown uttermost devotion to us over the years. On that note, we take a look at the undeniable history behind our iconic brand. From our humble beginnings in St.Annes Court to the opening of our first European store in Paris. As a special thanks-we are also giving you an exclusive follow up of our celebratory year ahead. We look to do more than just showcase and talk about footwear, we aim to use this anniversary to reconnect with our community and give back in more ways than just through footwear.
Our authentic sneaker journey started in our original flagship store in St Annes Court, located in Soho. Founded by streetwear pioneers Michael Kopelman, Simon Porter and Fraser Cooke in 2002, who envisioned an independent sneaker store with a realm of exclusive possibilities. Feeding into a consortium programme that was top-level and niche, distributing the most exclusive trainers on the market from a limited handful of brands.
Unlike the present day, the sneaker scene in 2002 was a much more closed off subculture that wasn’t fully understood by the masses. With minimal resources to find rare pairs, JP exclusives and other oddities, this left collectors down to their own demise. With access being so slim, this allowed Footpatrol to open their doors to capitalise on the market and help fuel the fire that has become present day.
Taking an inaugural spot as store manager was Wes Tyerman at the time, who became an integral part of our brand’s authentic charm. Sharpening his creative fruition and contributing to some of the most innovative collabs, Wes kept things fresh and inventive, paving the way for eccentric sneaker innovation. Footpatrol became known for specialising in unique drops, top releases and the occasional deadstock pieces – similar to as we know it today!
Boasting a mesh wire cage aesthetic embossed new meanings of a streetwear sneaker space; it was lauded for its remarkable construction that became a well-known trademark across the world. Authentic, unique and simply fluent utilitarian language, Footpatrol was one-of-a-kind; becoming a mecca for sneakerheads not only for London’s growing subcultural sneaker hub, but for those internationally that were deeply ingrained into our community.
After 6 reigning years at St Annes Court, Footpatrol resided into a short departure from the sneaker world. After a 2 year closure, we re-opened our doors in 2010, in the heart of Soho in Berwick street, becoming a standalone member of the JD Group. Signifying new admirable beginnings but also keeping things authentic; we opted for an innovative store change. Swapping our mesh cage aesthetic for a wooden cabin structure that became an iconic translation of our ‘space within a space’ ethos. With our new store fit pushing architectural boundaries, it became a well-renowned space for sneaker enthusiasts across the world.
Berwick street has become the most coveted home for our flagship store, cherishing the unique and outgoing social hub around it. Inundated with record stores, lively bars and clothiers fuelling the niche and hip market that spends a lot of their disposable income in the area- Soho is notoriously a melting pot for culture. With our original St.Annes residency within walking distance, we believed that Soho would be the best focal point for our store, retaining the same unwilted sneaker identity that is authentic – a true resemblance of our community.
2018 signified momentous change; with the decision to expand our brand globally, opening our first European store located in the Le Marais district in Paris. The Le Marais District is synonymously known as the fashionable district in Paris boasting an array of bars, boutiques and galleries. Reflecting a unique, culturally diverse community, reflecting the authentic audience we possess in London.
Mirroring the Paris store aesthetic, our London flagship store was undertaking an immense overhaul, replacing the wood hut exterior into a polished futuristic metal and stone finish that provided an inviting open space fit. The refit was designed by London based architectural design studio, Counterfeit Studio who remains faithful to the same utilitarian charm that underpinned previous store iterations. Oversized benches have replaced the fibreglass sections, with display shelvings and cladding embossed throughout the store, creating a tangible space for both our staff and consumers.
Taking cues from our Paris store, we also opted for a trademark logo change, with the London store also featuring an infinity gas mask neon, with a white refined colour rendition-designed by artist Marcus Bracey and his team – that compliments the new ingrained change for the new Footpatrol London store. As well as being an integral focal point for us.
20 years is a long time and within those 20 years Footpatrol has been able to bring a whole host of releases, collaborations, events and much more. In the early days of Footpatrol this was showcased through introductions to artists such as KAWS, co-hosted with Gimmie 5 having him produce a limited run of pieces including a Footpatrol x Kaws Gasmask logo (to this day is used as the @Footpatrol_Ldn profile picture). It didn’t stop their though, collaborations and special SMUs also passed through St.Annes Court with the likes of the Unkle x Nike ‘Dunkle’, Nike ‘London’ Dunk, Footpatrol Air Stab, Footpatrol Air Epic, adidas Campus and one that we feel is sometimes forgotten, the Footpatrol x adidas ZX800 part of the original A-ZX pack.
Moving forward to our Berwick Street reign we have been able to maintain that momentum initially kick started by Michael Koppleman and Fraser Cooke. Footpatrol have continued to be at the forefront of the London sneaker scene, being a part of projects such as the Consortium 4D Futurecraft, ASICS Gel Lyte III 25th Anniversary with the launch of the ‘Squads’ and even highly limited SMUs with Le Coq Sportif. When you think of footwear and London it’s hard not to think of Footpatrol and some of its memorable events and installations. Things such as Action Bronson’s ‘F*ck Thats Delicious’ book launch, the annually released All Gone book series with Michael Dupouy, Nikes ‘Vote Forward’ campaign where Footpatrol’s very own Alex Hackett showcased her own Airmax iteration and one of our personal favourite moments, the week long Off White x Nike ‘The Ten’ in-store take over! Footpatrol is more than just shoes, it’s a cultural hub based in Soho that has always been there to showcase something new, someone new or offering a platform for you to share your stories and support our community in more ways than one.
Our platform has been used to help supply access to our community to some of the highest heat releases to drop over the last 20 years. Going forward to aim to continue that, you aim to grow and we aim to offer more support than ever before. Make sure you also have the Footpatrol launches app downloaded to keep up to date with any exclusive draws, releases and content.
With the platform we have, the community we have created and the loyal enthusiasts that have supported us since day one. We aim to continue our work and help give our community a safe, inclusive and supporting space that makes all feel welcome the moment they step through our doors. There are more ways retailers can help their communities than just giving access to shoes, there are opportunities for us to teach, uplift those who want to work within the industry and haven’t found their way in and learn more as they find their first few pairs to their collections. Most importantly use our platform to raise awareness on topics we feel need focusing on, our community is more than just a customer. It is our foundation that keeps Footpatrol afloat.
So keep your eyes peeled, we got a year packed up with events, talks, collabs and much more!
Rimo is a Tokyo born designer, illustrator and art director that started his solo career as an artist that had decided to expand in other creative avenues of fashion, advertising, movies, magazines and architecture. Starting his creative journey as one part of the graphic duo “mocrock” has kicked off Rimo’s passion for art illustration. His contemporary illustrative style showcases a cultural narrative and his own idiosyncratic spin on the value of the community within sneaker politics. Using elaborate graphics, retro-style imagery and hues to provide authentic animated artwork.
Rimo has worked on countless collaborations with iconic trainer brand Reebok, with one of their most prevalent projects being the animative ‘Reebok Certified Network Vol.7 “Kasina in Korea” being the first ample introductions we had with Rimo.This has not been the first time that he has worked with Footpatrol too, boasting a previous collaboration with Footpatrol on a Reebok Workout collection that showcased our Team FP in creative animation concept that focuses on an in-depth insight into our business and the work we do behind the scenes- as an integral focal point of our brand. Rimo has also worked on society-based initiative campaigns, namely the ‘Back to School’ collaboration with North Face.
To commemorate 20 years of Footpatrol we have teamed up with Tokyo born graphic designer/illustrator Rimo on an anniversary- inspired capsule collection. Diversifying our range of streetwear apparel for an exclusive and cultural offering this year. A little give back and admiration to our niche sneaker community. It will be the first collection launching this year that highlights this important landmark.
The elaborate capsule range of apparel will include a 20-year Gas Mask hood and tee that utilises our distinctive Gas Mask logo as part of the numbered design. Featuring the hoodie in a black upper hue with red printed ‘20’ Gas Mask inspired graphic in the centre of the chest. The T-shirt will indulge in the same Gas Mask design but will also come in White. Our bespoke apparel collection will also feature a 20th Anniversary white Tee with bold graphics in pops of blue and red and a dual selection of PRS Store front tees that emulate the outside imagery and identity of both of our London and Paris stores.
What’s more, to celebrate our close ties with the Paris store, we will be introducing a ‘Unity’ black tee that emulates our bond using trademark UK and Paris flag representation in iconic colour hues of red, white and blue. Showcased within a pictorial graphic formed of two gas masked silhouettes holding hands to celebrate the authentic partnership.
The remaining sizes of the Footpatrol x Rimo 20th Anniversary Collection is now available to shop in-store and online here!
Footpatrol: We have had the pleasure of working with you before in a previous collaboration, but for the people who don’t know who you are or are unfamiliar with your work, could you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do?
Rimo: Hi, my name is Rimo. I am a graphic designer and illustrator based in Tokyo. I also host gallery exhibitions of my own work on an irregular basis. I’ve been involved in sneaker projects for the last few years. I have created the main visuals for sneaker advertisements that have expanded globally, and have been actively producing illustrations, designs, and directions for videos using animation. Occasionally, I focused on the behind-the-scenes work of collaborations between sneaker companies and sneaker shops around the world, using animation.
FP: At what age did you realise that you had a passion for art and illustration?
Rimo: The first thing I was interested in was illustration. My moms’ hobby was making clothes with DIY, and I had a lot of books about sewing at home. Fashion books at the time used a lot of “fashion illustrations” in which model figures were posed and expressed in bold and fine lines, and I was very much influenced by those illustrations. I was first interested in art when I was 14 years old and was influenced by the graffiti art pieces I saw in magazines. At the same time, the relationship between graffiti and music (HIP-HOP) was connected, I was gradually fascinated by various subcultures. I also bought the Fujiwara Hiroshi “Natural Born Dub” EP at a record shop in Harajuku then. The cover of the jacket features a picture of Jean-Michel Basquiat, and the music video uses Mark Gonzalez’s skating scene. Since then, I’ve been very absorbed in music. I often went to “Rough Trade Records” in Harajuku, Tokyo. I was exposed to the affinity between music jackets and art and design, and I became more and more fond of art and design.
FP: Tell me a little bit about your previous graphic duo ‘moncrock’, how did that come about?
Rimo: When I was about 20 years old, I met Yohey Omori through a friend. He drew illustrations and paintings and we hit it off straight away. When I went to his house, he had music, manga, movies, videos and books that I didn’t know, and I was always inspired by him. We hung out every day and often went to club events. At the club, we met a lot of people, dropped by a lot of events and we even ended up making fliers for events. Gradually, various people started to ask us to design stuff. At that time, our friends had signed a contract to release their music from a major record company. Two of us decided to design for them, and the design duo “mocrock” was born. Meeting him in my career was a big turning point.
FP: If there is any, what artist/illustrators or graphic designers are you influenced by and how has it inspired your own art form?
Rimo: I have a lot of favorite artists, illustrators and designers. It’s such a large list that I can’t introduce everything. lol. Recently, GEOFF MCFETRIDGE, Bráulio Amado have been my favorite artists.
Personally, I’m very influenced by people who are not limited to one title and are doing a wide range of creative things regardless of their field. For example, like movie director Mike Mills, he has done jacket designs, graphic designs for posters, magazines, books and even video. I also want to work in a creative direction regardless of the field while developing my own skills such as illustration and design.
FP: How would you describe your design or creative process as a brand/ individual?
Rimo: My main job is client work and commercial work. I listen to the request of the client and work “to know”. I get various hints and build an image within me. I think it is important not to swallow all the client’s requests, but to leave a “margin” that I misunderstand, in a good way. After that, while sketching, I embody my image.
When the client gives an OK, I continue to make trial and error until I am satisfied.
Personally, I‘m doing a creative label called ‘Millnote Books‘. I publish the artwork that I have accumulated every day as zine, and produce t-shirts, cassette tapes or other products. This label is purely pursuing how to create my own artwork, and I enjoy running it. I haven’t made many works recently, but I would like to make various works in 2022.
FP: As you know it is our 20th anniversary here at Footpatrol, could you tell us a little bit about the vision you had for our opening anniversary range?
Rimo: For Footpatrol’s 20th Anniversary, I wanted to make a better product. As a design source, number 20, shops in London and Paris, and the family and community of Footpatrol. Personally, I think for this 20th anniversary by creating products like this it allows us to shake hands with our community and make that connection stronger than before.
FP: To finish off we would like to thank you so much for the interview… What advice would you give to our viewers that wanted to start out in illustration and build their own creative brand? Is there anything you would like to share with the Footpatrol friends and family?
Rimo: I don’t know if I’m in a position to give my advice to others. .. .. but remember your passion and gratitude to others, and always create with love. If you continue, you will surely be connected by the dots. Look at me. I live far away in Tokyo, have the opportunity to connect with Footpatrol based in London and Paris and get to work together on projects. Anything is possible.
Congratulations to Footpatrol on your 20th anniversary. Thank you for appointing me at such an important milestone. I was really happy when you first contacted me. It was a great honor for me to remember that I worked with you before. I am happy to be able to participate in this project with the Footpatrol team while the world is still in this pandemic.
Quick shout out – Thanks to my friend Naoki for connecting us for the first collaboration between us, and creative director Asheeba for the call this time, and everyone on the Footpatrol team. If we have another chance, let’s make something together Someday again.
When we met Dean it was impossible not to be taken by his positive energy and excitement behind what he does. Being the Founder of magazine Gauchoworld – a years young publication that covers stories and topics for like minded individuals, – has not only created a facet of which covers topics not necessarily spoken about within certain industries. But it allows creatives, artists and athletes to talk about topics of interest outside of what they are ‘supposed’ to like.
Taking a trip over to the Gauchoworld HQ we wanted to find out the story behind this piece of well structured print and the man that makes it all happen. After we finished this interview it was safe to say that Dean sees the world through his lens and isnt letting anything change that, if anything, it’s made him prouder to be who he is.
Have a peep at the feature below and find out more about our encounter with Dean George.
Footpatrol: Dean I like to kick off every interview with a simple, how are you?
Dean George: I am well, I am very well. I am tired, but I am well!
FP: For the people who haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you as of yet, could you give us a breakdown of who you are and what you do?
DG: I’m Dean George, Creative Director (CD) and Film Director. I am also the founder, CD and Editor-In-Chief of Gauchoworld magazine.
FP: Let’s talk a bit more about Gauchoworld. How did it all begin?
DG: The idea just used to sit in the notes of my phone as ‘Gauchoworld’, it stayed there for ages because I was so scared to let anyone into my thoughts. I remember one day I spoke to Matt Dent from The Soho Warriors about the ideas and he told me just go for it. One thing I’ve learned is to not be afraid to make mistakes. Mess up and it will only make you better at what you do. Bit by bit, step by step things will start to make sense!
FP: What about the name itself, where did the idea come from?
DG: The name Gauchoworld is a 2 part stem. The word Gaucho comes from the name of my favourite footballer, Ronaldinho. He represented creative freedom, expression and just playing the game he loves exactly how he wants to play it. He played from the heart. By having Gaucho and World together it represents the same ethos that Ronaldinho had in terms of being creatively free and doing what you want to do. I hate it when people do Gaucho (space) World, it’s meant to be together, it’s like that for a reason. No matter who you are and what you do, you can do it as freely as you want with no constraints or limitations, this is your world.
A perfect example is the Dominic Calvert-Lewin cover we did for Issue 1. This is a Premier League footballer, topless, in a 2 piece suit, on the cover of a magazine. He has other interests other than football, at the end of the day he is a human being he can do what he wants and that is what Gauchoworld is.
FP: By the sounds of things you are creating a platform to not only showcase these topics in a different light, but you are also allowing artists and athletes to showcase interests that to the outside world are getting knocked for. Allowing them to be more free through self expression.
DG: With us, we care about the person first and foremost. In 2 issues we have had 19 features, to this day not a week goes by where we don’t have at least 1 interaction a week with those that have been featured. And that’s down to the relationships that we have built organically. When we worked with DCL we didn’t think about it being the year of the Euros, or if he makes a big move to another club. We thought about nothing, the only reason we did it is because we love him and everything he stands for.
FP: I don’t want to ask what your end game is with the magazine as I feel it’s one of those things that is going to stand the test of time. So to better put it, what would you say is the brand’s ethos at Gauchoworld?
DG: I think the main thing for Gauchoworld is to make sure we have generational impact.
In the next 4 years we will be on our 10th issue. I want to get to that issue and line up everything from issue 1 to 10 and feel that we have stayed true to our beliefs and solidified our narrative.
I want my kids to be involved in this one day, be able to look at this body of work and say we understand what needs to be done. I don’t want or care about short term accolades.
Being a black owned business I feel as though it’s so important that we allow people within our black communities to understand that you can genuinely achieve anything you want.
FP: It’s really nice to hear that feel good element behind what you do. What about your following then, did you see it have such a big following so quickly or has it all come to you as a surprise?
DG: One thing I never look at is our following, I look at where the magazine is going. We have a map and everytime the magazine goes somewhere new in the world, we colour it in.
Taking over the world, bit by bit, brick by brick. I’m not concerned about how many people follow us, I am more concerned about how we’re gonna get someone in Turkmenistan to know about Gauchoworld. That means more to me than the follower count.
FP: So you have done between online and print over 150+ articles now. Would you say you have a top 3 Favorite projects?
DG: That’s a good question.
My favourite article of all time from Gauchoworld, is a piece on a young model called Abolaji Oshun. The article is a first person piece on his experience of walking for Balenciaga in Paris. You really need to read the article, it is sooo good!
Second is Nia Archives. She is lit! Being able to put her in her first ever print was mad. A lot of people we work with are doing this for the first time, and end up going on to do other things after. It is always nice to see some of the people we feature progress and always good to touch in with them to see how they are getting on. There was a moment after the feature, at a party where Nia was DJing, that we were all standing there thinking like wow our feature is headlining, doing their thing!
My third would be the DCL cover. I don’t normally rave about projects that I am heavily involved in but I got to tell you the story. People tell me it’s their favourite cover we did, I can’t stand looking at it though because I shot it haha and to this day I have people asking if we have any more copies of it!
So I was at Dom’s house, and he showed me this suit. My thoughts were ‘oo damn, this is a sick suit’, the quality was amazing, super weighty, it just banged! He went to put it on with a shirt, which looked okay, but I told him to lose the shirt. If you didn’t already know this, Dom is wham! The outfit looked serious. We went to walk downstairs and I just got this idea and told Dom to lay down on the carpet. He was just so chill about it. I needed to get some height for the shot I wanted, there was no ladder in sight haha so I decided the best thing to do was to stand on his banister on the stairs. So here I am balancing on this banister, trying to take this shot with Dom laying on the floor, a £2k camera that I’ve loaned from Fatllama attached to me by a tiny wrist strap and my head squashed up against the ceiling! I managed to get the shot but thought it was gonna be dark so I had to jump down, run downstairs to grab a couple lights and do the whole thing again, all whilst Dom just layed there! I sprinted back upstairs and retook the image. The moment I took the shot I knew we had the cover. The interview as well was sick, he said this really good anecdote during it – He is who he is, he has interests elsewhere and doesn’t care what anyone else thinks. The instagram comments don’t get to him, people’s opinions don’t matter to him.
This shoot would not have been possible without the trust Ten Toes placed in me to work with DCL, one of their clients. As a result of this shoot and other independent projects, months later I was offered a role at the agency as their Creative Director. It just goes to show, when you do the work, the barriers to entry can easily vanish, this is my first full-time role, and to be in such a senior position speaks to the late nights I put in as an inquisitive 18-year-old. I am beyond proud of the opportunities that this journey has provided me with and it feels truly special to be a part of the Ten Toes family. Large up Adam Parker for that instagram dm (he knows which one) and Ben Weisfeld for having faith in my abilities.
FP: Dean, I have thoroughly enjoyed hearing some of the behind the scene stories of Gauchoworld. Before we let you go we wanna use this opportunity to give a chance to sign everything off?
DG: I say the same thing all the time but I mean it. Just be ignorant man, do what you want. Who can tell YOU what to do, absolutely nobody. Make the mistakes, embrace them, use them as lessons. There is no better university than the university of life. Take everything day by day, step by step – everything happens for a reason. There are so many things that have happened to me where it’s been tough, but I look at the next day, month, year and do I remember any of those things anymore, no. It’s only helped to build character. Everyone’s journey is unique, never look at anyone and think that you want to be them. No one is telling you not to be inspired but champion your own greatness first, be your number 1 fan.
The shoe that started it all. Honouring over three decades of revolutionary design and court history, The Air Jordan 1 has achieved grail-like status by sneakerheads over the years. Originally designed by Peter Moore in 1985-back in all its glory- the fit has been lauded for its signature sidewall Swooshes, perforated shoe boxes and a collared wing emblem. Not to mention one of its most coveted colourways of all time – the Chicago-inspired colourway. The celebratory colour up of red, black and white is a true accolade to the iconic b-ball franchise, the Chicago Bulls.
Over the years the Air Jordan 1 lineage has also boasted a catalogue of collaborations with brands like namely Off-White, A Ma Maniere and Comme Des Garçons being an audacious handful of favourites. In addition, the AJ1 is a canvas for community collectives and creatives such as the Fearless project. The ‘Patent Bred’ rendition remasters the intrinsic ‘OG’ design that has changed the basketball and trainer game throughout the years.
Glossy black patent leather replaces the traditional tumbled leather design, while hints of ‘Varsity Red’ coat the toe cap, medial quarter and the sidewall Swooshes. What’s more, the legendary design features the Wing emblem on the collar, a perforated shoe box and labelling on the tongue and insoles, maintaining the OG aesthetic. Underfoot, the full-length Air midsole provides unrivalled comfort and undeniable sporting performance, delivering on-court functionality like no other.
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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.
