Author: Jake Archer
The Air Jordan 1 is one of those shoes that whether you’ve been into sneakers since day one or just coming into the world of sneakers, you’ll know what the AJ1 is all about. With three decades of revolutionary design and history both on and off the court, the Air Jordan 1 has become a grail for many. Throughout those three decades, the Air Jordan 1 has also been a body for many in-line and collaborative efforts from some of the biggest names in fashion and has even found its way to becoming a canvas for community projects like the well known ‘Fearless’ project.
For its latest women’s exclusive, the upper is Inspired by light pink hues resembling bubble gum on a mixture of matte nubuck and patent leather. Adding a playful nature of this iteration and playfully teasing sneaker heads with the nightmare of standing on bubblegum, a printed detail sits on the outsole that resembles just that, a bubble gum splat.
Take a closer look at this latest Air Jordan 1 below and make sure to get your entries in via the links below!
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The 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.
Celebrating 4 decades of innovative technology, the New Balance 990 is one of the best running shoes to ever exist in the sneaker market. First introduced in 1982, the 990 silhouette was lauded for its practicality, comfort and unique craftsmanship-withstanding core values of the brand that continues to solidify its’ legendary status. Even Though, the fit was billed with a hefty price tag, becoming some of the most expensive running shoes at the time, their commitment to quality was simply unrivalled- selling over 10 times more pairs than the 5,000 expected in the shoe’s debut year.
After many years of innovation, it was 2016 that marked the release of the 4th generation of the 990’s- introducing the 990v4- as it is most commonly known as today. Idiosyncratic in its seams, the 990v4 model swapped its three part EVA midsole, leather upper and urethane collar for a newly updated ENCAP Midsole, a breathathable upper and a foam collar. This year’s highly anticipated refresh of the 990v4 ‘Grey’ model opts for Jim Davis’ iconic intrinsic design, following a ‘OG’ greyscale colour up.
The fit arrives in a nostalgic fashion, sailing hues of grey suede on the upper, while airy mesh underlays keeps things breathable. Iconic ‘N’ branding coats the medial side walls in true New Balance fashion with tagged branding indulging the tongue and counter heel. The iconic fit further features crisp white laces for a snug fit that matches the cushioning ENCAP midsole. A foam urethane collar adds comfortability, while the underfoot sits on a black outsole with combined ABZORB cushioning providing grippy traction to every step.
Following the release of the newest rendition of the New Balance 990v4 range, we continue our narrative with the House of St. Barnabas. The fourth silhouette of the infamous 990 range showcases practicality, ability and groundbreaking technology. The same integrity and skill that can also be found at House of St. Barnabas. Offering some of the most innovative vocational courses, House of St. Barnabas has played an instrumental part in shaping the future careers of many.
Enrolling in their first baristerie course, was stay at home mum Jane, we follow her cordial journey into her new found passion for baristerie.
Footpatrol: Morning Jane, lovely to see you today thanks for having us here today, I just wanted to start off the interview by saying, how are you?
Jane: I am good, very good.
FP: Could you tell us a little about your role within the House of St Barnabas?
Jane: I came here to study baristerie, so it was more to do with making coffee and cocktails as well.
FP: Amazing, so how did your journey begin?
Jane: I have been a stay at home mum for like 5 years and I met a group called Paddington Trust and they introduced me to House of St Barnabas for training and that’s how my journey started.
FP: How have you found it so far?
Jane: It has been amazing! I mean everybody here has been lovely especially with my fellow colleagues and participants, we were more an less like a family here, we had each other’s back. From the first day we met, we clicked instantly so it’s been amazing.
FP: What was it like being part of the course? And could you give us a little walkthrough of how it’s done.
Jane: Since being a stay at home mum, coming here gave me the motivation to get back to work and I didn’t know anything about baristerie but since I started it is something that I loved and that I really wanted to learn more about. So from now on, that is what I am going to do after we have graduated, that is more and less what I want to do.
FP: How do you feel now having completed the course?
Jane: It has been sad because it came round so quickly but it has been amazing, I mean I am leaving here with lots of things we can do, they gave us the starting point for us to look for work. When talking with all my fellow participants, everybody is going around looking for jobs, so yeah it has been amazing.
FP: So glad to hear, it is such a good opportunity for people.
Jane: Yes!
FP: If there is one thing you would like to say to people that will further encourage their support, what would it be?
Jane: I keep saying, if there were more places like House of St Barnabas, I don’t think people would stay at home because the warmth they give you when you come here is like if you have doubt in your mind, you feel like you can do it. There are some places where you go somewhere that you feel like you instantly fit in or you don’t, here’s one place where every penny counts. If there were more St Barnabas’ around in London, I think people would go far.
FP: Thank you so much, just a last question, what advice would you give to people that would start the course?
Jane: That they should just be themselves and enjoy, I mean it is a lovely ride, people here are friendly, just be yourself and open with everybody and you’ll fit right in.
Launching in-store and online on Friday 14th January (Available online from 08:00AM GMT), priced at £230.
A well-renowned loud and proud silhouette of the Air Jordan lineage, the Jordan 4 iteration is certainly one of the most iconic standalone favourites. Admired for its elaborate aesthetic and staple mesh detailing that has attained grail-like status from many Jordan connoisseurs over the years. The Jordan 4 is noted for its first ample on-court appearance, when Michael Jordan wore the 4’s during the Bulls first victory of making it to their first Eastern Conference finals. This victory season was one of MJ’s personal bests too – attaining a statistical average of 32.5 points, 8 rebounds 8 assists. Tinker Hatfield’s embossed ‘Air Flight’ design was also- single handedly- the first Jordan model to be released to the global market.
Over the years, the Air Jordan 4 has also arrived in an audacious handful of colourways too, with concords of grey, black , red and ‘Military’ blues being the most popular colourway iterations. Not to mention the lengthy catalogue of collaborations from its archival partners namely KAWS, Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack collection alongside LA Union becoming sought-after favourites. The newest rendition to the Air Jordan roster- the Jordan 4 Retro ‘Crimson’ is the hyped silhouette of the season, sporting an ‘OG’ bred celebratory colour up.
Taking neighbouring influences from the iconic Air Jordan 4 ‘Thunder’ ensemble, the fit arrives in a smooth two-toned black and red leather upper with airy mesh overlays indulging the medial side walls and forefoot. Signature Jumpman ‘Flight’ branding coats the tongue and heel tab, while a vibrant red cushioned Air midsole adds comfort to the retro style. The legendary fit is rounded off with a front lace system for a snug fit, while underfoot, the durable outsole tread keeps things sturdy and court ready.
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The London in-store draw is now closed!
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.
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.
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.
New year, new you…?
Maybe that new you is to hit the streets racking up the miles, we’re talking about running by the way! At Footpatrol, we pride ourselves on delivering the latest footwear in any category and we love to see the latest and greatest in running technology come to light.
With the boundaries of what’s possible in running being pushed each year it seems, we take a look at the latest colour ways on offer from Nike’s Running department. For their latest offering of the Air Zoom Alphafly & Tempo NEXT%, each is coated in an eye-catching ‘Barely Volt’ that brings a vintage runner feel to these futuristic looking silhouettes.
When you think of the Alphafly NEXT%, you can almost think of it as the brother to the already well known Vaporfly NEXT%. Both being Nikes premium racers, the Alphafly took things up another gear with the addition of two Zoom Air pods sitting underneath the forefoot whilst still incorporating the Carbon plate. It was also a prototype edition of the Alphafly NEXT% that helped Eliud Kipchoge beat the 2 hour time barrier for a marathon…
Whereas you can save the above two for race day, the Tempo NEXT% on the other hand is the perfect training shoe. Built for those who want to experience a faster shoe and build up to a race, the Tempo NEXT% is a great shoe to grab for your daily runs. To cause less stress on the legs, both of the fits utilise a Carbon Plate and two Zoom Air Pods however the Tempo NEXT% opts for a less rigid plate allowing for the foot to build strength whilst training. If this combination of propulsion wasn’t enough though, both are packed with ZoomX foam for ultimate cushioning.
Both styles are now available to shop online at Footpatrol here!
Renowned for its motion styled design that inspires cushioning and innovative performance, the New Balance 1700 has been lauded for its intrinsic design that boasts a versatile track to street fit. First launched in 1999, the 1700’s had taken many affirmations from the infamous 1300 model that inspired its OG greyscale colour up. Billed the “very best running shoes ever made”, the model also had burgeoning influence on the 1700’s catalogue of innovative features namely, the EVA foam core, the polyurethane core, ABZORB and ENCAP technologies for performance that is uncompromised.
Achieving cult status in Japan , the model has also been acclaimed for its cross-cultural appreciation of American street style, with Japan’s appreciation of fine American craftsmanship and marketing. Thus, creating a community that celebrates hybrid track design. Japan had also released its own iteration the ‘1700 Made in Japan’ rocking a staple ‘Steel Blue’ colour up. After 20 years of international influence, the boston-based design returns with a newly revised spin on the ‘OG’ bred colourway.
The newest iteration of the New Balance 1700 ‘Made in the USA’ arrives in a nubuck leather and suede upper in grey hue, while mesh overlays indulge the toe cap and counter heel. Iconic ‘N’ branding coats the medial side walls with ‘1700’ and ‘New Balance’ embroidered detailing on the quarterback and the tongue. What’s more, a front lace system provides a snug fit and a comfy ENCAP insole unit for advanced support. The retro-inspired fit is rounded off with a rubber outsole infused AZORB technology for durability and high energy return.
Shop the New Balance 1700 here!
With the 40th Anniversary of the Nike Air Force 1 just around the corner, we wanted to take you back to where it all started.
Culturally accepted worldwide amongst athletes and everyday society, the Nike Air Force 1 is undoubtedly one of the Beaverton brand’s greatest sneaker silhouettes of all time. The shoe first took flight in 1982 as a court shoe, boasting Nike Air technology. Named after the President of America’s private plane, this shoe offered both protection and flight. Designed by Bruce Kilgore, the Nike Air Force 1 continues to be popular amongst sneaker purists and everyday wearers to this day. Besides Air technology the sneakers boasted new and innovative features such as a cup sole, exceeding durability within an athlete’s gameplay. A threaded outsole also helped basketballers movements so they could fulfil their sporting potential.
Similar to drop culture today, the Air Force 1 was initially released in a ‘run,’ meaning a limited time of which the shoe was available on store shelves. Once they were gone, they were gone. This meant as an owner, acquiring a pair gave you top tier status and bragging rights within an emerging sneaker culture.
The relationship between music and sport, specifically hip-hop and basketball within New York, in the 80s and 90s, had an ever-lasting effect on the connection between sneakers and consumers. Nicknamed the “Uptowns” amongst inner-city youth, especially in Harlem, New York, the AF1 continues to release head-turning colourways, with eye-catching colour blocking schemes. The sneaker is especially important to the city of Baltimore; when Nike was planning to stop producing the shoe in ’84, the residents helped it live on. The community was later rewarded in 2017 with a “For Baltimore” release that pays homage to their efforts which essentially helped it live on to become a classic. Walking down any street, in any city, you are bound to spot a pair of white on white AF1 Lows within a matter of seconds. A timeless silhouette with a cult like status. A sneaker which is essential to any footwear rotation.
Thanks to collaborations the value behind sneakers still continues to drive an ever-growing market. The Scarr’s Pizza x Nike Air Force 1 collaboration, designed in 2019 by DJ Clark Kent was another coveted pair of sneakers rumoured to have only around 48 pairs made. If you were lucky enough to make it on “the list” amongst Scarr’s Pizza friends & family, you could now own a pair of sneakers worth over $100,000. From collaborations with the likes of Supreme, atmos and Playstation, there are plenty of rare releases for serious sneaker collectors. In a recent Sotheby’s auction we saw a pair of 2009, Nike Air Force 1 ‘Entourage x Undefeated x Fukijama Gold’ sell for a staggering $88,200, proving the model’s 40 year tenure is still very much in demand amongst sneaker enthusiasts and pop-culture enthusiasts.
An ultimate canvas. The Nike Air Force 1 is crisper than ever. 2022 is going to be a big year for the Air Force 1, with plenty of new models set to hit the shelves. With the re-emergence of the AF1 Mid, this can only be seen as the beginning of a big year for the style. The recent Air Force 1 Sculpt pays homage to the AF1s first release on the courts back in 1982, we recently visited father and daughter duo Chris Bramble and Freya Bramble-Carter, read here.
Shop the latest styles here.
Nigel Sylvester x Nike Air Force 1 Low iD – 2018
Back in 2018, Nygel Sylvester, professional BMX rider, teamed up with Nike to create two iconic pairs of NIKEiD Air Force 1s. The recently signed Nike athlete took inspiration from his home city of New York to create two draw-dropping models, perfect for any collectors sneaker rotation.
Nike Air Force 1 Low NYC Procell Wildcard – 2019
2019 brought the Nike Air Force 1 Procell, a sneaker which resembled New York City as a blank canvas to which you can create almost anything and fulfill true creative potential. Nike’s NYC Editions collaboration series featured this shoe which was a standout in the collection.
Nike Air Force 1 Low ’07 Craft Dark Beetroot – 2021
A no doubt slept on Air Force 1 model for sure. The Dark Beetroot colourway was straight forward in design but expressed jaw-dropping premium materials and qualities, right down to the metallic silver finished lace dubraes.
Nike Air Force 1 Low G-Dragon Peaceminusone Para-Noise – 2019
A stand-out collaboration which will stand the test of time amongst sneaker enthusiasts. The G-Dragon x Nike Air Force 1 Para-Noise from 2019 is unique in almost every element. Over time the peel away upper reveals G-Dragon’s artwork whilst boasting the PEACEMINUSONE daisy logo embroidered on the tongue taking you back to the artist’s South Korean heritage.
Nike Lunar Force 1 Low Acronym – 2017
In 2017, Errolson Hugh’s took his iteration on the Air Force 1 to new levels. The fashion forward design came in a triple white colourway with a lunar midsole. Features also included a zippered closure along the sides.
Nike Air Force 1 Low ’07 White Obsidian – 2019
One of the cleanest Air Force 1 colourways around. 2019 brought the Air Force 1 White Obsidian. A sneaker which can be worn with almost any outfit, the gum out-soles fitted with a crisp white upper and a eye-popping black swoosh help this shoe really stand out.
Nike Air Force 1 Low 3M Snake – 2021
Initially released in 2001, the Nike Air Force 1 Low 3M Snake (2021) pays homage to its previous predecessor. Silver 3M fabric laces the sneaker to hint reflective features. Not one to be missed.
Nike Air Force 1 Low CLOT Blue Silk – 2019
When it comes to Nike collaborations Edison Chen’s CLOT never seems to miss the mark. The Air Force 1 CLOT is drowned in luxurious silk embossed with a traditional chinese pattern. Inspired by the concept of Yin and Yang this sneaker was rumoured to be immensely limited.
Nike Air Force 1 Mid QS Jewel NYC White Midnight Navy – 2021
A re-introduction to the Air Force 1 Mid, the recent Jewel Quickstrike model inspired by the streets of NYC is a favoured shoe amongst sneaker enthusiasts. The clean colourway makes it very wearable within any fashion setting. We still have some sizes remaining in this style here.
Nike Air Force 1 High Sculpt White Silver – 2021
The Air Force 1 Sculpt takes things back to its most minimal stages. With strapless ankles and an aged mid-sole this sneaker takes you back to the AF1s early beginnings. Shop the style here.
Nike Air Force 1 Low Taiwan – 2018
A retro of all retro’s. 2018 saw one of the Air Force 1s greatest color schemes of all time re-release. Finished in patent leather this sneaker was a must have amongst AF1 collectors and sneaker loyalists.
Nike Air Force 1 Low Retro Cocoa Snake – 2018
Like the 3M snake, the ‘Cocoa Snake’ was also originally released in 2001 as a Japanese exclusive. Legendary ATMOS creative director Hirofumi Kojima confirmed the sneakers re-introduction to sneaker shelves in 2018. Head-turning snakeskin panelling makes this shoe unique in every possibility. A must have when it comes to AF1s and their historical status.
Underpinning 195 years of shoe innovation and remarkable history, Clarks Originals are simply an unrivalled shoe classic that has become a keepsake item to everyone’s footwear rotation. Reintroducing Clarks originals to the brand line up at Footpatrol, we are taking a closer look at the infamous backstory behind the brand.
Infusing innovation with unique craftsmanship, the Somerset born shoe company was founded by brothers Cyrus and James Clark in 1825 who used offcuts from rugs to manufacture slippers, which became the first Clarks prototype named the ‘Brown Petersburg’. Hand-made and family orientated, Clarks relied on outsourcing staff to meet growing demand for their innovative slipper silhouette, gathering leather from a tannery and taking them home to manufacture to sell for a profit. Their sheepskin slippers reigned over a time of economic and industrial growth in the mid 19th century in the UK, which allowed the Clarks business to boom- with the classic slipper silhouette adorned on the feet of many, it had become a firm fan favourite with sales averaging 1000 pairs a month by 1842.
Entering the late 19th century, we saw severe economic footfall in the UK due to a recession and James Clarks’ youngest son William took over the reins of the shoe business. In which he innovated the whole manufacturing process, creating a silhouette that was designed to fit the shape of the foot-one that is still a mainstay design today.
The beginning of the 20th century discovered a new realm for possibilities for modern advertising, such as the Clarks press ad released in 1936. Signifying physical and metaphoric change for the brand, the advertisement named the iconic silhouette as ‘The Hygiene Boots and Shoes’ taking it’s cordial place as the innovative work shoe. By 1950, the iconic Desert Boot was first previewed, indulging in an unlined suede boot profile designed by Nathan Clark (son of William Clark). The durable boots were worn by British officers in the Second World War. Clarks had also opened its first flagship store on London’s Regent Street shortly after in 1957.
The 1960’s marked the release of the signature Wallabee’s design – introducing the moccasin boot structure that became an unrivalled influence on the burgeoning New York Hip-Hop scene. Cementing it’s subcultural presence in the 80’s with rappers namely Raekwon and Ghostface inverted spits about Clarks as self-proclaimed ‘King-pins’ of the brand. With later iconographies rocking the modern day moccasin fit such as Jamaican artist Vybz Kartel’s love for the brand signified through his infamous bashment song ‘Clarks’.
Modern day and the new millennial period saw Clarks inaugural fit within the modern sneaker world. Adopting new traits of marketing and subcultural influence that has accoladed a new span of collaborators. The sneaker world has been shaped thanks to some rapper and subcultural influences of streetwear gravitating towards it. With a host of collaborations with their archives from partners such as Supreme, wutang and even Footpatrol on the Tawyer FP range. Combining the classic Clarks design with an innovative and youthful spin. The Clarks x Footpatrol Tawyer FP boot woven Wallabee design upgrade indulged in a tonal palette of blue and black 3M reflective material, meticulously crafted with a leather finish.
Clarks has also played a vigorous role in cultural influence and heritage. One of their most profound collaborations is with high profile premium football player Raheem Sterling on a limited edition Wallabee collection that pays homage to his hometown the Mavereley district of Kingston, Jamaican.
At Footpatrol we stock a range of different Clarks Original styles that cater to everyones’ sneaker closet. If you are looking for something archival and moccasin inspired, why not have a look at the Clarks x Caravan collection. If you’re a lover of innovation, the Wallabee Gore Tex collection may be the durable fit that you have been looking for. Or perhaps you could check out the Clarks Torrun for a heritage running-inspired silhouette.
Shop the latest from Clarks Originals here!
Here at Footpatrol, we’ve always had a fascination with all things design. Whether that’s from sneakers and paintings through to architecture and furniture design we’re always looking for new and compelling stories to share with you, the community.
Combining the dimensions of modern art and function, Duffy London is an East London design studio that produces bespoke and authentic pieces of furniture that plays on invigorating concepts of gravity, geography and optical illusion.
The studio was first founded in 2002, led by designer Christopher Duffy, and since then has been synonymous for its outstanding quality and unique craftsmanship that is perfectly suited to residential, commercial and public spaces. A few weeks back, we paid Duffy London a visit to sit down with Chris and the team whilst they set about creating their latest project, the ‘Stalagmite Table’.
Working with highly skilled artisans and craftspeople in the UK using sustainable wood and other eco-friendly materials and mediums. Duffy London has also featured in some of their most proclaimed pieces such as ‘The Abyss table’ in the Musée des Décoratifs exhibition in Paris, further solidifying its international and authentic presence.
Take a look below at some of their collection whilst also seeing the design process of the ‘Stalagmite Table’.
Footpatrol: Chris first of all, thank you for having us. It has been a pleasure to meet you guys and see what you do. But before we get into anything, we like to ask everybody that we interview just to set the tone, how are you?
Chris: I am very, very good, I’m excellent, this is very good, very busy. I had a little baby during lockdown, so he kept me busy, so that’s all good. Now you caught me in a very happy place and time in my life.
FP: So, to give us a bit of an overview, could you give an insight into Footpatrol consumer as to what you do? How would you describe Duffy London?
Chris: Duffy London is an ideas-based company, we come up with ideas and concepts same as you would for art pieces, but instead of making them into completely impractical art pieces, we focus them onto practical pieces of furniture. So yeah, we just come up with ideas, concepts and once we have perfected that, we turn it into furniture and that’s what I love doing. I have an idea and look at it as an art piece, as an art piece is much more valuable, but my brain just goes on, it will make a perfect table, I make it practical. By making it practical I de-value it by 90 percent, but I just can’t help it.
FP: What would you say was the signifying point for you to create such an individualistic brand?
Chris: When I started out, I was almost trying to compete with Ikea and make pieces that are practical for the manufacturer, shipping, and price point. But you simply on this scale can’t compete at all and it is very constraining in the brief. So, if you open that brief and say use any kind of manufacturing technique, use any idea, concept and materials if it fits then you can be far more creative. You then get a far better reaction, that then puts the price point up but the people you can sell it to is far less. When you are running a small studio, you don’t have to have a hundreds and thousands of customers, you only need 50 to 100 customers a year and you can run a successful studio. Then you can fulfil your creative aspirations!
From the abyss to the balloons what would you say was the driving influence for these works of art and on top of that, would you say you had these inspirations from college or something that came later after and something you got into more after studying?
I have always made stuff, ever since I was a kid I was always making stuff. Whilst everyone else was playing football, I was down the dump dragging stuff out of tips and old bikes out of skips. Building three wheeled bikes or go karts or anything, so my drive has always been to build and I’ve always been pretty good at art at school. Then I went to art college around the corner from here in Newham and did an art foundation. Then I went to university of Brighton and did product and furniture design down there, so it’s been constant. It’s not really a concept of starting in my 20s, it started from 7 all the way through till now. I can give you the inspiration for certain pieces like the balloon table: it wasn’t that I wanted a table full of balloons, I was simply trying to make a piece of glass levitate, so if I had just a piece of glass floating in the air that what the design would have been, but you can’t do that, not in this world! How do you make it levitate? If you put balloons underneath it, it looks like they are pushing the glass up and therefore it is levitating. The inspiration for this table was simply trying to make the glass float in the air and how you would go about that. I had lots of different ideas of things holding it up and I won’t give away too much because I might still use it later! The balloons were just one solution to the problem.
The abyss concept had nothing to do with an ocean! We based the typography on a place in the Caribbean, we did sort of use an artistic licence to move it around but that is all about representing depth using layers of glass. I went to my glass manufacturers and there is glass piled up 20 and 30 deep, they all had white labels on them saying what it is, they were all in similar positions, but some are slightly off. When you look at them the labels between the glass showed depth and changed colour, the same piece of glass and the same colour but layered up as less light gets through it shows depth. I was fascinated with that representation of depth and with what they taught me at Brighton, it was all about coming up with original concepts. If you see something, locking it into your brain! I thought yes, that’s a thing, I’ve seen these things, it is an original thing, now lock it into your brain – what do we do it with? So, mix that thought process with what I saw. I was working on another table based on the Antarctic at the time working with typography, so I put those two things together and got that was a perfect representation of depth. The first one we designed was white, with the blue layers which were nice and very crisp and very cold. Then we took away the finish of the white and left the wood underneath it which had a slight yellow tinge. When you mix the blue with the yellow tinge, you get the depth and all these tropical turquoise layers, and it basically came together like that. I just put it those components together and it half designed itself. I got those turquoise mixed tropical colours and at the time we didn’t think much of it really, we just launched it like any other table, we had nothing else to launch, we called it the arctic table at the time, and we thought that looks good. As soon as we sent that one out, that was back in 2014 or something – a time where there weren’t so many blogs doing design things – it was much easier to get featured onto blog pages. The second it was out there, a blog picked it up and posted it, then another blog, then another one and they all took it from each other. Before you knew it was on millions of blogs and we were getting like a million hits! I think it was over day or a week, we were thinking are we really getting that many hits! Things you can’t really dream off now. We got that by just selling out one image, one take that’s all we had to send out. You kind of hand that huge advantage 8 years ago , yeah trying to get that kind of coverage now will but quite impossible but 8 years ago, it was all fresh and open.
FP: How many collections do you guys see yourselves doing? Do you see it being an unlimited round until you guys run out of ideas? Which I can imagine won’t happen anytime soon.
Chris: Yeah, I think that everyone’s worried, thinking you are going to run out of ideas. I’ve got the last 20 years of sketchbooks to go through, which is a hundred sketches in each sketchbook. I must live several lifetimes before I get through half of the ideas. Also, we are a design studio, we are here to design, we are here to create the most amazing things we can and then we sell some of them in order to fund us creating more in the future and it is basically reciprocal, it goes round in circles. We design more, people will hopefully love it, we sell them and that gives us money to get the studio running to design more! The bigger we get, the bigger the idea can get, the greater the concept can be.
FP: Would you be able to build on why functionality is so important in your design?
I know you said initially you wanted to create an art piece but in your head it’s also saying that I want it to do something at the same time.
That is an exceptionally good question, that was kind of one of the fundamental things when I first started out. All my art teachers or art college they wanted me to go purely the art route, but I found art so subjective, there is literally no right or wrong, so is it good? That’s correct, is it bad? That is also correct, every answer is correct in art, whereas in design that’s not the case. Does it work as a chair? Can you sit on it? That’s not subjective, you can, or you can’t. Even with a table, does it work as a table and on top of that you have the ideas, concepts and the images that can be subjective. Do you like it? Yes, do you not like it? Yes, that’s also correct. So instead of it being 100% subjective, it’s 50% subjective. It is more challenging, especially as a designer or an artist as well but as a designer you’re there for the challenge you’re not there to make it easy for yourself. I find in design, it doubles the challenge, so it is not purely an aesthetic thing, I just always feel like I am just cheating people on something just to make it pretty. Same with trainers you got to make them beautiful, but they got to work, if they don’t work no one’s going to want them, that doubles the challenge and fascinates people.
FP: I wanted to talk a little bit about the latest project that we haven’t yet seen the final product. Could you give us a little insight into what it is and how the idea came about?
The stalagmite table is more than it seems, I think we were in Spain not far from Ayamonte, about an hour’s drive there is this little town that’s got these underground caves. I was down there quite a while ago, maybe 5-6 years ago. Just seeing all those and with the abyss table we were working on having layers, it created a new way of using layers with glass. When you go through these kinds of caves, something fundamentally inside you recognises them, something prehistoric as beautiful things. I took in that historic feeling inside and again used it into making it into a practical table.
FP: It creates a functional art piece; it is an experience itself. It is one thing sitting at a table, but it is another thing visually looking at it and almost getting taken back by it.
Exactly! With that table, all you need to do is take a piece of glass off and put those pieces into any art gallery and I think they would hold their own in any art gallery around the world. We even have pieces in galleries around the world such as Paris, they are attached to the Louvre and pieces that are a part of the national collection already, so we are in galleries, we are that kind of level. But, yes so again, the stalagmites when they are finished, I am certain they will be amazing within the whole art collection, fill the Tate with them! That’s the thing I do miss with design, it keeps things to a human scale, whereas if it was purely art pieces we could scale up, we could fill the turbine room with these giant layered stalagmites and we can really push these concepts to as far as it can go.
FP: By the sound of things, your design process and the way you approach your designs is very free-flowing, you don’t sort of sit at a desk and think, I’ve got an idea. How would you describe your design process as a brand? And as an individual.
Chris: The concepts all come from me, obviously I got great guys that I work with, for me it is 1% inspiration and 99% preservation, the old quote. For me it is 10 minutes to design, 5 years to refine. I never come up with the concept sitting at my desk, they always come when I’m cycling, when I have seen something or I’m in a factory, that’s where the concepts come to be, then they will be sketched out on my desk into my diaries. I always keep a few pages per week, those diaries are full of notes on what do, but also any sketch ideas, I find if you have really nice books to sketch you really hold back, because don’t want to ruin the book, so I like having a book I don’t care about that is usually destroyed or if the idea I sketch is a terrible one I don’t mind messing up the book itself. I don’t want a book that you can’t free yourself from. That idea will come from somewhere outside, I’ll sketch in my diary and then develop it for a few months and then I will go and sit in the design studio with Joe, the design team and Will, develop it and develop it, might take it 3-6 month to get the first prototype and it usually takes 1-2 years to get something that we are happy to send off to customers and then it is usually around 5 years when we have the final, perfect one and we have completely mastered it. The thing that ties it together really is that the designs are really varied, what ties them together is that it all really comes from the same place, same brain and that really is the only kind of thread that you can see through. Again, I don’t want to be tied to one type of design, one concept or one manufacturing process. I never compromise on getting the idea as perfect as it can be by saying ok, I am going to stick with this. We outsource a lot like specialised metal work and woodwork. It’s the really completed bits we outsource to specialists to get them perfect. We always bring them back to the studio to do a very final assembly and quality controls, so when it goes to the customer it leaves here perfect and arrives perfect.
FP: Would you say that you have a brand philosophy as such with what you do?
Chris: Yeah, the brand philosophy would be, it has to be new and be as original as humanly possible. There are always people doing things from the millennia, it may be other things that may be occasionally similar. But we try and find our own individual space as much as possible we are always trying to cross the boundaries, it is a really great way to work because you kind of have ownership over it, it’s yours, you have real passion for it because it was difficult, nothing comes in this world that’s original without of a lot of kicking and screaming, blood and tears. I think a lot of people respond to it well. That’s when you want to really see your work. It is very easy now to see so many things and if you can show someone something they haven’t seen before, they instantly lock onto it. The brain is constantly looking for something new. It also means we can select the very best people, because it is the very best people that see these things and think I want to work for that company, I want to be part of people doing these new things. It is all an upwards cycle, always a positive cycle. If we were doing something a bit like something else, not that original or sort of been done before, we wouldn’t have quality applicants that work here. People wouldn’t be as interested in what we do.
FP: To sign everything off like I said at the start, thanks for having us! One because it is a pleasure to hear what you guys do, two it is an experience to witness what you do behind the scenes. Before we let you go, we like to ask our interviewees if they would like to share anything with the Footpatrol community?
Chris: Well, I suppose if the people are into Footpatrol and obviously you guys are coming in, it is a showing that people are interested in the new, the exciting and the original! You only get one life, so you go to live in a new, exciting and original way, don’t spend your life chasing and doing this for money or doing this for a tick box, to get the wife, get a house or get anything. You’ll just look back and think oh my gosh I only had that tiny bit of time and I spent it ticking boxes. I have been very grateful for the way that I used time, I am very grateful to my younger self for basically saying screw it, I’m going to start my own company, I am going to do what I want to do and that’s the brief. I do what excites me for that short amount of time. Time just passes and that time will just pass no matter what happens, you might be doing something that is yours, something that you own and that your passionate about and the world will respond positively. There is always people on the internet to play devil’s advocate but that’s there issue and if they are talking about you I think it’s great, when I get really negative reviews, I love it I don’t know who they are but they know who I am and they really care, they care so much that they hate it you know. I have roused somebody up that I’ve never met and never going to meet, so by doing your own thing you get to be known to lots of people, you’ll never will know, and this firms you have made the right choices and are going in the right direction.
For our return of our Frequent Players Guest Mix Series, we enlisted the help of all female DJ collective, Girls Don’t Sync. Having come together over the last 12 months or so, Girls Don’t Sync is the creation of four friends, Matty Chiabi, G33, Sophia Violet and Hannah Lynch. Together, they’ve been hosting their own events and parties that have seen them thrown into the limelight and they’re taking it by storm.
Cleverly curating nights out that heavily focuses on a blend of dancehall, afrobeats and UK garage, Girls Don’t Sync have are here to stay!
We recently sat down with them to discuss how they all found each other and how they’re enjoying this rise! Check out the interview below as well as checking out Guest Mix 29!
Footpatrol: Welcome, welcome! It’s so good to finally meet you all face to face, how has everyones day been?
All: Amazing!!!
G33: A little bit chaotic because we just played at Somerset house and had a bit of a rush this morning but that is basically the epitome of how we move constantly – always in a rush. We try not to rush but we are just trying to do as many things as possible, we are at a stage now where we say yes to pretty much everything and just enjoying it! Late nights, very early mornings, like we were saying to you before we started this interview we wouldn’t want to have it any other way.
FP: Starting from the beginning then. Could you each give a little intro on yourselves and who Girls Don’t Sync are?
Hannah Lynch: My name is Hannah Lynch (DJ Hannah Lynch), I am a resident club DJ in Liverpool, teach from my home studio in the week and then DJ throughout the weekend.
G33: I’m Gaia, I am originally from Brixton like Matty. I went to uni in Liverpool and just stayed. From there my work mainly consists around community work, youth work and also for a club/music venue. I try to bring all these things together, it’s something that as a collective we feel is really important trying to champion young upcoming talent, especially women. Matty does some similar stuff in her work too, it’s something we find really transcends with what we do as a collective. Our work and exposure it’s primarily club focused but the connection with people, especially young people, teaching them is something that is very integral.
Sophia: I’m Sophia but my DJ name is Sophia Violet. I am from the South West but I go to uni in Liverpool which is how I met everyone and became part of the collective. I am currently studying Law right now, so hoping to take that somewhere but at the same time hoping I can do the same with DJing!
Matty: My name is Matty Chiabi. I am a radio presenter and DJ. Born and bred in Brixton went to school with Gaia. She begged me at a party in year 9 and ended up going to the same 6th Form! We have been friends ever since. I went to uni in Manchester and with Gaia going to Liverpool, there was a lot of back forth between the 2 cities. I am always in Liverpool! That’s where I got to meet Sophia and Hannah, which of course led to the creation of Girls Don’t Sync. On the side, I work for a Brixton based creative arts and music charity for young people and also teach a DJ course for women!
FP: It’s nice to hear that you guys do more than DJ and see a much larger picture with how you can support others. Has that always been the initial goal when you came together as a collective?
Gaia: It just is!
Hannah: Having the 4 of us together is almost like a safety net.
Matty: We all started somewhere as well. I picked up DJing in lockdown and that was really hard. There was a lot of thought put into how you get these opportunities and what is going to happen when the world reopens. I didn’t really have that safety net and wasn’t sure who to go to find these opportunities. We want to make sure that other women have that support to help them.
Sophia: Yeah exactly. If it wasn’t for people like Gaia, Hannah and Matty who gave me a lot of confidence I wouldn’t have got to where I am.
Hannah: When I started DJing 5 years ago there was no other DJ I could go to.
G33: Especially in Liverpool. Our love for the North is very deep rooted for all of us! Liverpool was the first place we played together as a 4, we have a base there. London and Manchester as well, hugely important to us. Manchester is interesting to play in as a city musically, I feel like our sets are different according to the city we are in. We never want to play the same set twice, if you have a listen to our sets which you have! We have a set of go to tracks which make our sound as a collective. For me though, being a good DJ is also about crowd consciousness and exposing them to new music. There is no better feeling than having someone walk up to you and being like – what was that track? What Genre is this? I think that’s what makes it so nice!
Sophia: I feel like as there are 4 of us, there is so much new music we can show, we can adapt ourselves according to the crowd.
Matty: We all like different things too. Yes there are tracks we all like but for example, Gaia is gonna bring some Punjabi Garage, Sophia is gonna bring some madness, Hannah is gonna bring some Bassline and I may throw in some Afrobeats. It just works, we kind of cater to everyone because we represent everyone. We are all so different but when we come together it’s just like, wow. We are 4 individuals but together just make sense. I think that’s why people are attracted to us.
G33: The support we’ve had has been amazing, even at Somerset House! Sorry to sound like a broken record but, women coming up to us and being like WOW! Even after a set when we walk around and talk to people, there is just a warmth in the room that we get. With there being a decline of female DJs in Liverpool it’s really nice to see how much support we get.
Sophia: The crowd has such an amazing energy that makes you want to just be yourself. I think that is different to anything I have ever experienced before with crowds, just becoming one. That’s also one of the things that makes being a 4 so good, as one of us DJs the others are interacting with the crowd.
FP: That’s a really nice touch to bring into everything!
Sophia: I think the first time we really noticed that was Baltic Weekender, we were all dancing on stage.
G33: Inviting people up to dance!
Matty: Pouring gin in peoples mouths!
Hannah: Every time we do a DJ set we want it to feel like a party!
G33: My mum always says where do you get this energy from, I feel with all us putting that energy out it’s then reciprocated by the crowd and we get it back. We just have fun whilst we do it! It works. When it comes to respect and payment, as 4 women within this industry, navigating that and having those conversations to make sure we are being treated with respect.
FP: And getting your due dividend.
G33: Sometimes we feel people just see 4 girls jumping around on stage but we are dedicated to this and it is important to us.
Matty: On top of that though…. We can actually DJ! When we first started there was a lot of ‘mmm can they DJ though?’ We can mix and blend! When you see the Insta highlights of us jumping around and doing cartwheels, just know there is always one of us taking care of the blend!
FP: When people see you guys obviously they notice you’re a team of 4. What’s it like doing a b2b2b2b every show, it must be chaotic at times?
Hannah: We keep things to 2 tracks each to make it a bit less stressful.
Sophia: It just feels natural a lot of the time.
FP: What was the first show like?
Matty: The first show was ‘Return to Rave’.
G33: Which was the first time the clubs reopened on ‘Freedom Day’ on the 19th July. Baring in mind we formed together during the height of covid during lockdown. We already had done some sit down events for people. Going from that to a rave type setting.
Sophia: It was the first time I played to a crowd that was standing up!
Matty: It was my first time too! Return to Rave was the first one and it just felt natural. People always ask if it’s hard? Do you know what each other is going to play before? The answer to all that is no! We don’t know what’s coming next, even when I play I don’t know what it is I am going to be playing!
Hannah: There’s no rehearsals, everything is just go!
G33: We all have different schedules in life too, our timetables are crazy! So when we do get to play together there is a sense of relaxation.
Sophia: If we do make any mistakes it makes it easier having everyone around you too.
G33: Mistakes are going to happen, sometimes the decks don’t do what you want them to do.
Matty: Sometimes you just get too waved and the beats don’t seem to want to match up hahaha! We have fun though and everyone picks each other up!
G33: At Keep Hush I even pressed play on the wrong deck and all the music stopped! I think I turned around and my lip just quivered haha! If I was by myself it would have got to me a lot more but having everyone put me at ease.
FP: Well I can tell you from our side that the Keep Hush was class! Human error is a natural thing and not something worth worrying about.
G33: We want to be creative in the way we mix, loop and chop. I am going to take risks during my set to push myself and try new things.
Matty: I don’t think we play it safe, we try to get creative. I want to master the technique, whether that be loops, chops, effects it doesn’t matter. We are always watching and learning from each other also when we perform! It just means that when we next perform, I want to try that new technique.
Sophia: The best place to try new things out is live with the crowd!
FP: I guess it’s the only way you are going to get a reception and real feel from people.
Sophia: Exactly it’s one thing practicing on your own at home but it’s another story live.
G33: That’s what I mean about crowd consciousness. There is no better feeling than playing a song that people know, when I am out and it happens to me I can’t help myself but to sing along! Playing things that are nostalgic that have been spun into different edits it just gets people going.
Hannah: It’s a case bringing familiar sounds together in one place.
Matty: For me when I first started DJing, I wasn’t really into Electronic music. The stuff I play now, once upon a time I would have listened to and said no. Whereas now the harder the better! That’s one of the things I love about DJing, there is so much music out there. We want to expose people to that but also offer a bit of comfort at the same time, we will give you Destiny’s Child but we’re gonna make it jumpy!
G33: Even after the last 5 months just playing harsher Afrobeats or Punjabi Garage the world of music, is the world! There are so many producers that send us stuff as well which I think is such a nice relationship to have. That idea of playing stuff by people that you know to crowds and sending them videos showing them how much they loved it is something special. Sophia and I were producing in lockdown and Matty played one of Sophia’s edits recently!
Matty: I even had people coming up to me asking me who it was! I told them ‘That’s my giiiiirrrrllll!’
G33: That’s something as we progress I would like to get back into. You need to be in the mood to produce but it’s worth it. I am a perfectionist!
FP: Moving slightly away from you DJings then. Where did the name come from?
Matty: I am going to take full credit on this one! There was a situation where we had to change the name last minute, which we won’t get into. I was in the shower (where I get my best ideas) and thought, what can we call ourselves that’s smart? I ended up thinking about the sync button on the decks and next thing you know ‘Girls Don’t Sync’ came to mind!
G33: We were thinking about the stigmas behind women. There have been times where I performed in London at one of my first sets and they let me through a separate door because they thought I was working behind the bar. Another time I had a sound engineer walk me through on how to DJ, made me feel really patronised and undermined. It’s even happened to us as a 4 with attitudes towards us. When we are talking to people I feel like I really have to overcompensate, if we as women are seen to be too direct it will then create a negative stigma around female DJs but if a man is direct it seems to be fine. It was just a case figuring out how we can imbed these stigmas into our name.
FP: The things that we have already spoken about on the outreach and support side of things will also help break those negatives down further. It’s a mad thing to hear the way people can treat you when you have world class female DJs in the world. To think up and coming artists like yourselves aren’t seen in the same light is rubbish.
Matty: Yeah! It’s down to everything from gender all the way down to how we look. I may want to wear a dress and heels one day and then maybe be playing some heavy Bassline set the next, people just go off your appearance. If I do want to dress up or look a bit glam like our lovely Hannah Lynch who always does! You then don’t expect us to play certain types of music.
G33: It’s when people ask what you do, you tell them you’re a DJ and the response you get is ‘oh you don’t look like a DJ.’ You are then thinking what does a DJ look like? I was talking to a friend of mine because she was watching old videos of me and mentioned how I used to dress very boyish during my sets. The mad part about that was that subconsciously I was wearing t-shirts to my set because I didn’t want to be sexualised. Now that’s gone I wear what I want.
Matty: I thought the same, now I don’t care. How I look does not matter at the end of the day, it’s about the music. I like to think that once you meet us, we give off good energy. Unfortunately the industry has some questionable characters, at the end of the day we are trying to do some good. Like you said, the bigger picture is to help support other women. We want to start an ongoing thing where we can help pave the way for upcoming female DJs giving them the platform we didn’t have.
FP: Well that leads perfectly onto the next question, where do you see Girls Don’t Sync going?
Hannah: International!
G33: Getting out of the UK, we were supposed to be playing in Amsterdam last weekend! We would have been playing on the last day of the event and that would have given us time to enjoy the city and experience club culture out there. We want to bring that essence of connection and community to any place we go to.
Sophia: Like I was saying earlier our sets are more like parties and I would love to do that at a big festival! Loads of people, a whole new crowd!
FP: I have no doubts that is on the horizon for you all!
G33: Workshops as well! We all teach in our own ways and we would love to do that on a larger scale! Ideally we would like to make them free for people so would love to work with an organisation or something to run it.
FP: What got you all into DJing then individually?
Sophia: So my mum is a DJ. She stopped after having 4 of us but recently picked it back up again. I always wanted to learn and used lockdown as the opportunity to do so. I started on House but later discovered that UK Garage is my one true love! I started connecting with people from Liverpool online before I went back up and got involved with an event called Pinnacles of Garage where I am a resident and help organise the events. Being with Girls Don’t Sync has definitely broadened out what I play now though.
Matty: Same as Sophia really, I started in lockdown after I lost my job. My older brother is also a DJ so it runs in the family! Going back to the party element of Girls Don’t Sync, we have all been so into the party side of things. When we were younger we would just watch DJs thinking wow this is interesting! Gaia only got into DJing over the summer.
G33: Because of a DJ course they got me for my birthday! The day after I had that course, I loved it so much that I went out and bought a controller that same day!
Hannah: I didn’t know that! That’s so cute!
G33: This was the mad bit. Before I even met Hannah there were literally no other female DJs in Liverpool, so I messaged her asking if I would be allowed to shadow her and became friends after that! We used to do DJ workshops at our local community centre in Liverpool so we would meet up to plan what we were going to teach the kids that day!
*Hannah starts crying*
Matty: I can’t believe you’re crying!
FP: This just shows how close you are.
G33: We were saying the same thing. You hear about us as a collective or as a group but people don’t see the other side to it. When we aren’t working we are all going out, we are really good friends. We spend a lot of time together. I feel that separates us from a lot of people. The love we have for each other really resonates.
Hannah: My dads a DJ so music has always been in my household. I started DJing when I was 20 and I’m 26 now. So 6 years! I always had the equipment in my home but never got into it. We had a family party once and I started messing about on the deck and after that I was like yeah this is what I want to do.
G33: There is this girl called Jade who is from Liverpool and comes to pretty much all our sets. She even came up to us and said – stuff it I am buying a controller and now DJing! Posting things on her IG and all sorts!
FP: How would you go about getting sets when you start out?
Matty: It’s just a case of putting yourself out there on instagram or whatever and having fun whilst doing it! Good things will follow, trust me!
Sophia: People ask this quite a lot! You need to put the effort out there, Instagram is great for that. You need to post and also support other DJs, putting effort into going to other people’s events showing love. More than anything though it’s a case of not caring what you look like and just doing it.
G33: Use Instagram as a CV!
Matty: And bigging up other people, if you got something going on we want to be able to share that.
FP: It is a community at the end of the day so that makes sense. Gotta show the love to those who need it.
Matty: Exactly! Even when we organise our own events, we try to get people involved and show support to both men and women.
G33: Protecting our extended team (our friends) is something that’s really important to us too. We all work together, they are just as much part of GDS! Phoebe shoots all of our shows, Nas will do our admin bits, Kolade will dance as part of our set. Also protecting and celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community will always be something we fight for, we’ve got 0 tolerance to anyone who threatens that. We did have one incident though that he was subject to some nasty homophobia, Matty had to even get on the mic and say something, we refused to play until it was resolved. Security were refusing to remove the person from the crowd, they wouldn’t even let Kolade come on stage with us even though he was part of our entourage. Some people aren’t safe in these crowds and we wanted our friends on stage so that they can be safe and freely express themselves. He is an incredible dancer! The fact Matty had to get on the mic was silly, we refused to press play until this person was gone. We don’t tolerate behaviour like this and we will call it out live if we see it happening, it’s hugely important to us that everyone feels safe and free in our space.
Matty: If you think we are being divas then that’s your issue. We are here to fight for people to be treated equally.
G33: We refuse to play at any venue that doesn’t follow that same idea…… Hanger 34.
Sophia: We are now barred there. They said that we kicked up a fuss and we weren’t welcome back all because we tried to make sure our friend wasn’t going to get abused.
G33: Fortunately enough after posting about that a lot of promoters in Liverpool have said they aren’t going to work with them anymore because of it.
Matty: There are a handful of people within this industry that have really supported us since day one – shout out Conducta! He listens to everything we say, he supports and gives us the time of day.
G33: We aren’t afraid to call something out! To have other promoters stand with us and listen to what we have to say really does make a difference.
FP: Before we let you go we like to ask all of the people we get to interview if there is anything that they would like to share with the Footpatrol community to get them excited or could even be a message of positivity?
All: Support others around you and you will be supported, that’s what we live by and be yourself! It’s so easy to think that you need to be someone else but you just need to be the most authentic version of yourself. You will flourish because there is no one else like you! Your individuality and sexuality is your superpower!
Another year done… Now that we’re nearly at the end of 2021 we sat down with some of TEAMFP to discuss the hot topic of ‘Shoe of the Year’. For this, we didn’t sit down and discuss the most hyped releases of the year, we discussed what our individual picks were. Now this may have included the most hyped releases but it also gave the team an opportunity to showcase a unique insight to their individual tastes and what makes a sneaker great to them. For what felt like a quieter year as a whole in terms of launches compared to 2020, we were still greeted with numerous stand out performers that once again took us to a new level.
Notably, we saw Nike take a new spin on their collaborations. With regular collaborators to the table such as Sacai, Union LA, Aleali May and Off White we saw the introduction of three way collaborations with the likes of Sacai teaming up with CLOT, UNDERCOVER and Fragment Design for individual takes on the LDWaffle.
Another strong year for New Balance with the return of collaborations from Salehe bembury and jjjjound. All whilst producing stand out inline performers like their 2002R Protection Pack proving ever popular and was a recurring feature on our staff rotations throughout the year. This year also saw the return of the 990 story with New Balance revisiting V1, V2 and V3 so far.
Adidas continued their partnerships throughout the year with Sean Wotherspoon and the likes of Human Made and Pharrell Williams being main focus points. YEEZY continues to be a fan favourite with new and old iterations of the 350 proving a forever popular silhouette and with the introduction of more FOAM RUNNER colour ways and the likes of the 450, we’re excited to see what Kanye has up his sleeve for 2022. Notable mention from the Footpatrol team has to be the South Park ‘Towelie’, a unique collaboration that ended with a visually perfect product.
We also wanted to take this moment to once again pay tributes to one of the greats, Virgil Abloh. Someone who inspired many, Virgil was always looking for ways to help provide a voice for all. Virgil was a true and rare visionary who had such a huge impact on our world and was someone who was constantly innovating and working to improve the industry. Our thoughts and condolences continue to go out to his family and those closest to him. Thanks for providing us with many memories, you’ll never be forgotten.
With all that said, take a look at some of our teams picks below and let us know what you thought!
Alice: UNDEFEATED x Nike Dunk Low
Tom: Angelo Baque x ASICS GEL-KAYANO 14
Chey: Aleali May x Air Jordan XIV Low
Bradley: Comme des Garçons x Nike Foamposite
Matt: A Ma Maniére x Air Jordan III
Jake: PEACEMINUSONE x Nike Kwondo1
Billy: New Balance 2002R Protection Pack ‘Phantom’
Wilson: Air Jordan IV ‘Lightning’
Eddie: Stadium Goods x BAPE Sta
