Author: Jake Archer
To coincide with the upcoming launch of the Air Huarache ‘Hyperlocal London’, we’ve once again teamed up with Mantra and Brixton night club Phonox for a special takeover that’ll be streamed live across Footpatrol!
The streets of London have been bathed rich with music’s diverse cultures and the Air Huarache has often been a poster shoe for these cultures. So with this next iteration specifically created and inspired by London’s sneaker community, we linked up with Mantra residents Tommy Gold and P-Rallel whilst also inviting Taylah Elaine to provide you with a night that celebrates London’s night scene.
The Nike Huarache silhouette has long been a collectors item throughout the years since its original release in 1991. Designed by Tinker Hatfield, the shoe separated itself from the traditional running and basketball shoes with its newfound booty (inspired by water-skiing) technology and heel strap.
That runner was one of the earliest examples of Nike willfully creating a sneaker that was “stripped to the bare essentials”. That stripping also manifested in the branding used – Tinker and co. scaled back the Swoosh coverage to create something that could better rest on the laurels of its technology.
Since then, many new models have been created with Huarache inspired designs such as the Huarache Light, ACG Mowabb and many more. Furthermore, the Nike Huarache would become massive in pop culture, with actor/comedian Jerry Seinfeld wearing them in his sitcom as well Michael Johnson as the face of them in commercials.
In London, the Nike Huarache was adored heavily in the mid 2000s with various colourways being released. After a hiatus away, the Huarache trend returned and excelled around 2013 with return of the OGs with the “Have You Hugged Your Foot Today” campaign being used for the original Pink & Sport Turquoise respectively. Once Nike had the ball rolling, many different iterations and colourways were released to the consumers and in particular the triple black colourway captured the hearts of many.
In 2021, Nike return with the popular triple black version for its 30th anniversary but with an updated look. Featuring a monochromatic look, this release utilizes its signature neoprene booty combined with a black mesh on the toebox. The standout feature used is the black elephant print overlay – taken from the Air Jordan III. The heel strap is dressed in black with part of it being translucent, the midsole and outsole too are dipped in black.
Launching in-store and online on Saturday 29th May, priced at £125.
A regular fixture at our Mantra takeover events, we managed to catch up with Tommy Gold during the shoot to learn a little bit more about music and London.
Footpatrol: How important is it for you as a DJ to maintain your own image and sound?
Tommy Gold: Everyone has their own way of mixing & selecting. No matter how accessible DJing is, if you take it seriously, it’ll always be an art. As the art of DJing grows and grows in popularity, it’s more important than ever to cultivate your own personal image/ sound,
FP: What makes music such a key part of your life and over the years how did you work on developing your craft to get to where you are now?
TG: Music has always been a constant necessity in my life. Once I first tried DJing it was clear to me this was something I was going to do. Developing as a DJ never felt like work, it was just the natural progression of practicing something I love doing.
FP: London is a city that has built its own sounds, styles, trends and has always been a stand out location just like the Huarache has done over the years since 1991. When you think of London is there a particular trend, sound or anything that’s always resonated with you?
TG: The thing about trends that resonates most with me about London is how they’re always changing and often in a circular movement. Huaraches are a perfect example of that.
One of the most polarizing models within the Air Jordan signature collection returns just in time for the summer season. The Air Jordan III captivated the hearts of many fans and sneaker officianados in 1988, when Michael Jordan took flight from the 3-point line when he took part in the NBA Dunk Contest and as they say – the rest is history.
Throughout the years, the AJ3 has seen many OG retros, new colourways, updated materials as well as collaborations. The latest release being the sought after collaboration project with ATL based retailer A Ma Maniere. Coming off the back of that release is another women’s excluive in a ‘Rust Pink’ rendition.
The upper is constructed of nubuck in a floral-esque Rust Pink hue which is further used on the signature elephant print located on the heel and toe. What’s more, the eyelets, Jumpman embroidery, and heel clip are rendered in bright infrared, adding further dimension between grey-dominant overlays and sail-colored lace units.
PLEASE TAKE TIME TO READ THE BELOW!
RAFFLES 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.
To sign up to the Online raffle, you will be prompted to complete a pre-authorisation payment of the retail price of the product plus shipping costs. This will be held until raffle completion. Those successful will have their raffle 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. The raffle is limited to one entry per household! Multiple entries will be cancelled!
Back in 2018, we brought you our first collaboration with Vault by Vans across three iconic silhouettes. Picking up where we left off, we’re excited to announce that we’ve teamed up once again with the Californian giants for another take on three more of their signature models!
Here at Footpatrol, we’ve always built our collaborations around our strong appreciation for heritage and the stories we hold close to our hearts. Paying tribute to our roots and the streets that Footpatrol call home, we used these keystones as the base for our first coming together with Vans Vault. For this second take, we wanted to flip this story on its head and draw inspiration from Van’s home state of California and the city of L.A.
To celebrate the city of Los Angeles, a city that has become known for its colourful expression and its creativity. We wanted to pay homage to the city’s well known painted storefronts, the forgotten and underappreciated art form of sign painting that dresses much of L.A. To do this we teamed up with Javier Matias, owner and founder of ‘Mid City Signs’ for a three-way collaboration.
Ever since 2014, Javier has been keeping himself busy, cementing himself within the streetwear scene of L.A. Originally studying Fashion Design at L.A Trade-Tech, Javier was eating a grilled cheese when he spotted Jamal Gunn Becker, a local graffiti artist, walking through his campus. It was at that moment Javier stopped what he was doing, followed Jamal to find himself immersed in the world of Sign Painting. This split decision to follow Jamal Gunn Becker, later became his new path, he swapped courses and enrolled into what is one of the oldest courses run within the US.
As time has gone on, Javier has been able to become the go to guy when it comes to L.A. sign painting with his company Mid City Signs. Besides the usual store fronts such as FTP and Midnight studios, Javier has even worked on Coachella and Camp Flog Gnaw.
During a visit we made to Complexcon 2018, we stumbled across Javier and Mid City Signs instantly falling in love with what they do and how they go about doing it. A laid back approach filled with friendly smiles and welcoming hellos is what makes Mid City Signs what it is working perfectly with the city’s way of life.
To be able to showcase Javier’s work we reached out to him to work together alongside Vans to produce a three piece collaboration inspired by the L.A. shop fronts.
To be able to create an authentic feel to the campaign we asked Javier to take us on a day in the life of Mid City Signs walking us through his journey, some of the spots he’s worked on across L.A. and share with us his view on where he sees Mid City Sign going.
This special collaborative project is Now Available online and in-stores, price ranges from £80 – £90.
Photos by Rhyan Santos
Video by Abraham Recio / Zach Rabago
The Air Jordan III is deemed as one of the most important silhouettes within the Air Jordan signature line both on court and cultural purposes. With Michael Jordan’s 2nd slam dunk contest, it was with the AJIII ‘White Cement’ where he took flight from the 3-point line and thus, the Jumpman was born. This would propel MJ and the brand to new heights for years to come.
The latest iteration of the AJIII is with boutique store A Ma Maniere. When it comes to working with Nike and Jordan Brand, the Atlanta based brand is not new to collaborating. With silhouettes such as the Air Force 1, Air Jordan Proto-Max 270 and many more already released, this latest project is just an addition to their extensive catalogue.
A Ma Maniere’s take on the timeless AJ3 is a women’s exclusive release, so it should come as no surprise that the shop has re-imagined a classic silhouette while paying homage to women and their role in our early lives. The Air Jordan 3 was the first Jordan silhouette James Whitner ever owned, courtesy of his mother—and with that generous spirit in mind, the style showcases several details crafted in her image.
Behind each heel tab, small pieces of wisdom from James’ mother appear in her original handwriting, while the lace aglets combine to capture another mantra close to Whitner’s heart: “Work Harder”. Inside the shoe, the label’s keen eye for luxury comes to life through quilted lining. On the outside, a base of full-grain, tumbled leather blends with high-pile suede overlays to give the look a lush feel, with muted shades of Medium Grey and Muslin anchoring the neutral palette.
PLEASE TAKE TIME TO READ THE BELOW!
RAFFLE 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.
To sign up to the Online raffle, you will be prompted to complete a pre-authorisation payment of the retail price of the product plus shipping costs. This will be held until raffle completion. Those successful will have their raffle 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. The raffle is limited to one entry per household! Multiple entries will be cancelled!
To streamline the transaction process on launch day, we pre-authorise your card details (meaning we take a pre-payment) and hold the full product and shipping fee until after the raffle closes.
if your entry is successful, the payment will be processed at the close of the raffle, and your shoes will work their way through our warehouse.
if your entry is unsuccessful, your funds will be released back into your bank account within 3-5 working days.
From a young age, Kenneth Carlos had a natural talent in drawing and throughout the years would perfect his craft. With a background in art and design, he would customise sneakers and apparel as a means of income whilst still in school.
In 2009 aged 19, Ken Carlos manifested his desire to become a tattoo artist. From humble beginnings to jumping around on the London tattoo scene and working at world famous Lowrider Tattoo, he has now started a new venture with his friend and business partner JP. “The Getaway” – a private studio, specialising in Fineline, Single Needle Black and Grey tattoos.
Now, for 2021, Footpatrol and Ken Carlos have come together for our next instalment of our ‘Communi T’ series.
Known for his fine lines, Ken now brings this signature style to Footpatrol in the edition of two t-shirts. With both featuring a reimagined gas mask on the front, the backs of the t-shirts are brought to life with two standout designs.
Footpatrol: Ken Carlos, welcome and thank you for joining us as our latest collaborator in the Footpatrol Communi-T project. How have you been?
Ken Carlos: Yeah I’ve been good man, surviving through these crazy times, you know just always keeping it moving. And thank you for giving me the opportunity to work on this project with you guys. It’s been a fun one. I’ve shopped at foot patrol since I was a young teenager, the one that was in St.Anne’s court with the shoes in the cages haha.
FP: You recently opened your own Tattoo shop, The Getaway. What’s it like to be able to have your own dedicated space to showcase and produce your work?
KC: Yes, so I’ve recently just opened The Getaway, a private studio with my road dogg and business partner JP in the heart of East London. It’s been a long time coming. So for those that don’t know us we’ve been in the tattoo industry for like 12 years now, working in different shops all across London. It’s a tough industry to get into but we chucked ourselves in the deep end, trying to get experience and learn off many great artists. To finally come together and open a space where we can go back to the roots of why we really love this thing, it’s been a blessing. And when people come through I think that can really feel the energy of all our 12 years of influence and development in the game.
FP: At which point in your life did you decide you wanted to become a tattoo artist, did you have any background in art?
KC: I’ve been drawing since I was like 3 years old man. So I used to do some graffiti with my homeboys, on the street and customising people’s clothes and trainers with their tag names, crew names etc to make money. I actually did an art foundation after college in Central Saint Martins, and they pushed me toward graphic design even though I was more into Fine Art. But my interest in tattooing was ingrained in me from early and led me in that direction. I had already started tattooing in the summer of ‘09 with JP before uni started, so by the time the term began, within the first two weeks I dropped out haha. I was hooked!
FP: Has that always been the goal or did you have other plans where you wanted it to take you?
KC: Opening our own studio has always been our long term goal, running in the background though. I think I always create new goals in my head, short term, long term, some have been achieved some are still running. But the studio was always one, it just had to be at the right time. We paid our dues, we tried to do it in the most respectful way within the industry. And to be honest, the never ending goal was just to be sick at tattooing. When you’re young you look up to all of these amazing artists, I still do. I’ve met many Jedi’s along the way and I always just wanted to earn the respect of my peers, my clients and hopefully become an old wise master myself.
FP: What about some of the pieces you have worked on over the years, is there one project that has stood out the most?
KC: That’s a tough one. If I had to choose one, it’s a backpiece I’ve just finished on my boy Kingsley Hayward. Bro is sick with the lettering and hand styles, I’ve been tattooing him for like 8years and we finally got to work together at Lowrider Tattoo London, shout out all of those guys. It tells a story of a typical day in our lives at a tattoo shop, exaggerated, animated. Kingsley himself as a skeleton character tattooing a sexy chick’s face but blown upscale for that powerful, striking look. The backpiece, if I could describe it, is an accumulation of all of my experience and knowledge so far, I tried to purely create something in my style that I’ve developed all of these years for him. We have similar interests. You know like elite rappers when they drop mixtapes, trying to flood the streets with that heat. And the people are waiting for their album. For me this is it, this is me like dropping my first album haha.
FP: What drew you to the aesthetic of Fine Line tattooing that you showcase in your work?
KC: So when I was 14 still in school, my boy showed me pictures taken by Estevan Oriol, the famous film photographer from LA. Film shots of the Boo Yaa Tribe, with SAMOA in old English on their stomachs. The way he captured them, it was gripping you know which led to me finding out about all of his other pictures of gangsters in LA stunting their tattoos.
It was just too real, of course I then found out about Mister Cartoon, he was the first real influence in my career as far as tattooing goes. I remember he had a blog on MySpace, talking about the history of tattooing and how you should do your research and pay respect to some of the OGs that laid the foundations for this fineline style before us. Me and JP we did just that, we saved whatever money we could for the first few years and flew over multiple times to LA, the Mecca of Black and Grey Tattooing. We got tattooed, hung out in their environments absorbing all the energy and history behind that style. That’s when I discovered people like Jack Rudy, Mark Mahoney, Freddy Negrete, Jose Lopez, Chuey Quintanar and more. All of those guys and their circles, those are the guys that drew me to this style I work with today. And my boy JP, he’s been with me on this journey and all through the trenches. We constantly push each other to always do more and try to take it to the next level.
FP: Walk us through the design that you have made for this Communi-T project?
KC: The Theatre Masks are a motif deep rooted in Fineline Black n Grey tattoo History. Smile Now cry Later, comedy and Tragedy, Life’s ups and downs, smiles and frowns, The agony and ecstasy, the gift and the curse, life or death. Whatever you associate these masks with, it is a powerful image we can all relate to.
Our complex minds can be a never ending cycle of changing emotions. 2020’s Recent events have seen us go through these emotions, happiness, sadness, laughter, anger and more. We step into this world knowing who we are, or with a mask on; and though things out of our control can affect our thoughts daily, ultimately life is what you choose it to be.
FP: So one question which we always ask our Communi-T collaborators. If you had to describe your work in 3 words, what would they be?
KC: Quality over Quantity
FP: We really appreciate you spending some time with us to talk about you passion and of course your Communi-T, before we let you go is there anything you want to share with the Footpatrol readers?
KC: Yeah man, thanks for all your love and support. Make sure you go and grab one of the tees releasing cos once they’re gone, they’re GONE! Check us out Instagram @ken_carlos and @tattoo_jp @getaway_studio stay safe live life.
Taking the sneaker community by storm over the last 18 months, the Nike Dunk has seen its fair share of in-line imaginations, classic colour ways and of course, collaborations. One of these collaborations that firmly cemented itself as favourite has to be Yoon Ahn of AMBUSH and her unique take on the Dunk High silhouette.
Having already seen releases in a perfectly clean black and white colour way, we then had the overly vibrant ‘fuchsia’ colour way but now, going that back to that original concept, we receive the ‘Deep Royal Blue’.
Much like Yoon’s previously teased ‘Chicago’ colour way, this latest take also seems to take inspiration from the Air Jordan family, namely the 2018 ‘Game Royal’. Featuring a similar form of colour blocking, the upper is constructed from a predominately royal blue and white leather upper whilst featuring a contrasting black swoosh.
Take a closer look at this next release from AMBUSH and Nike below and make sure to get your entries in for your chance to purchase!
PLEASE TAKE TIME TO READ THE BELOW!
Raffle 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.
To sign up to the Online raffle, you will be prompted to complete a pre-authorisation payment of the retail price of the product plus shipping costs. This will be held until raffle completion. Those successful will have their raffle 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. The raffle is limited to one entry per household! Multiple entries will be cancelled!
Ever since the Waver Rider 1’s introduction way back in 1997, It’s helped cement Mizuno’s place within the running with thanks to their notorious ‘Wave Technology’. Fast forward 10 years and we arrived in 2007 where Mizuno’s ‘Wave Technology’ had continue to see improvements. So to celebrate this anniversary, Mizuno revealed the Wave Rider 10.
Continuing to celebrate this heritage and history of the Wave Rider 10, Mizuno have rolled out a host of inline colour ways and special collaborations with the likes of Beams and Wood Wood that highlighted this model as not only one for the track but also, a lifestyle favourite.
2021, see’s the introduction of two new colour ways to join this history. Both arrive in a black and a white colour way with both pairs utilising bursts of vibrant colour across the heel and outsole but not only that, an abundance of materials.
Take a closer look below and head over to Footpatrol.com to shop now!
Of recent years, New Balance have managed to build a strong portfolio of successful collaborations and one of those that has always been a stand out feature is with the fashion house, Casablanca.
Having teamed up back in early ’21, the duo reunite for another unique collection that see’s them reimagine two silhouettes they’ve previously worked on together. Focusing on the more modern day silhouettes within New Balance’s archive, Casablanca once again take on the 327 that was introduced via this first collaboration.
Similar in fashion, both silhouettes have been dressed in a super clean colour palette of white leather whilst deep greens and reds are the latest colours to don the the eye-catching Casablanca pattern that is laid out across the toe box and heel.
Look out for more launch information soon!
Since its return, the Nike Dunk has propelled itself into becoming one of the most sought after silhouettes of late and with the continuous arrival of new iterations, it seems this is only going to continue.
A silhouette that can so easily pull off a theme thanks to its simplistic use of colour blocking and overlays, Nike return once again for a women’s exclusive based around the citrus fruit, lemons. Quite similar to the recent ‘Pearl Orange’ colour way, the ‘Lemon’ upper is constructed out of a soft tumbled leather utilising a clean pairing of white and ‘Zitron’.
With a few design tweaks to make sure this latest version stands out from the crowd, a scaly like swoosh breaks up these tones with the introduction of a zesty ‘Opti Yellow’ tone whilst on the heel sits an embroidered Lemon motif. Always thinking about reusability, the tongue has been swapped out for a netting type material that seems to hark back to reusable grocery bags.
PLEASE TAKE TIME TO READ THE BELOW!
RAFFLES 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.
To sign up to the Online raffle, you will be prompted to complete a pre-authorisation payment of the retail price of the product plus shipping costs. This will be held until raffle completion. Those successful will have their raffle 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. The raffle is limited to one entry per household! Multiple entries will be cancelled!
