Author: Bradley Martinez
Dedicating most of his life to music Addiction has seen the industry change and mold itself into many different forms.
Having played with DnB legends such as Roni Size, Jumping Jack Frost and Groovrider. Addiction is not one to shy away from a heavy live show supplying ravers with lip curling drops that are hard to forget!
We reached out to the DnB powerhouse to discuss his music, footwear collection and also hear him throw down what’s to be the first Frequent Players exclusive Drum & Bass mix.
Footpatrol: The time has come to welcome DJ Addiction! How are you?
Addiction: Very well thank you guys…
FP: For those readers and listeners who haven’t heard you could you give us a background story about yourself and how you ended up getting to where you are now ?
Addiction: So it’s a bit of a long story but will keep it as brief as possible. I’ve always collected vinyl from a early age mainly Hip Hop and Electro to start with but as the dance music developed in to the birth of house music and a rave culture started to emerge with a ton of illegal warehouse parties the nation became hooked as did I. I then became more hooked into buying the music i was raving too at the weekends so going to all the on point london record stores like Black Market records and Section 5 on thursdays to buys all this new music that we all wanted to rave to become the new normal, at this point becoming a dj seemed to most natural thing to do, it was the best thing i’d done to date. I then hustled to buy my first set Technics 2010`s and started the long road to getting some gigs, played some great early raves alongside some wicked djs on the circuit at the time which helped me get my first agent at Grooveconnection London alongside the likes of Fabio,Grooverider, Jumping Jack Frost, Bryan G and many more. This became a game changer and fast forward to birth of Drum and Bass / Jungle I get the first London Residency @ Speed in the Mars Bar club soho ( do ya research ) a groundbreaking club that Fabio and LTJ Bukem Headed up, from there came the second regular spot @ Movement in Bar Rhumba on Shaftesbury Avenue with Bryan G and Jumping Jack Frost , Roni Size and many more. Next thing to do was to get in the studio and start making the music I became affiliated with which led to releases on Moving Shadow, Goodlooking, Creative Source and Hospital Records. The rest is history and here I am still pushing the sound both on the decks and in the studio….
FP: What drew you to Drum & Bass that made you decide this was the genre you wanted to play with?
Addiction: Good Question, initially the vibes and the tempo got me hooked, at the time its was fresh new music with no rules produced mainly by young producers in makeshift studios or bedrooms, it was music from the streets with passion, the major music industry did not have a clue what was going on and I loved that, it represented the times and the attitude of the young Producer / DJ and what the underground scene wanted.
FP: In the early days of your career, were there any DJs that influenced you?
Addiction: To be fair a few djs got me interested in the early days, Top Buzz, Grooverider, Fabio, Sasha, Carl Cox it was such a melting pot of talent playing great music it was hard not to appreciate every dj doing their thing.
FP: We are super excited to hear your mix, is there anything we should know about before we listen?
Addiction: The mix I’ve put together showcases the best of today’s dnb talent inc the likes of : Goldie, Lsides, Dogger & Mindstate , Bungle, The Sauce and of course some Carlito and Addiction exclusives that will be released in the very near future…..
FP: With the difficulties lockdown has brought to us when it comes to nights out, how have you been keeping yourself busy?
Addiction: Yes things are very difficult at the moment to say the least. I’ve been full on in the studio these days with my producing partner Carlito making sure we have enough material to release ready for when things hopefully get back to normal and I play the clubs and festivals.
FP: Being Footpatrol we have to ask the question about your shoe game! Are you much of a collector yourself?
Addiction: Yes I am to be fair, always had a passion for sneakers that started with Jordan 1, 3 and 5s but it really kicked in when I started skateboarding and Nike released the Nikesb dunks, so primarily my collection is all SB with some classic Jordans in there somewhere, last big pick ups included the Travis Scotts, just wish it was easier to pick them up these days, used to able to walk into my local and get the pair I wanted easy. I can remember I needed the then 1990 new Jordan 5 Black OG and walked into my local Nike store no queue and bought the Uk7 no hassle no drama and no raffle lol. If only I could do that now for any Nike SB dunk or Jordan 1…
FP: What got you into footwear?
Addiction: Sports mainly, played Basketball as a kid at school and then got into Skateboarding so I always wanted the latest new sneakers. The collection just grew from there really…
FP: Do you still have much of the collection now?
Addiction: Yer not too shabby, i’ve got some great deadstock SBs and Jordans.
FP: Top 3?
Im Wearing at the moment
Nike SB Mafia Low
Jordan 1 OG ” Gym Red”
Nike SB Money Cat Lows
FP: Addiction, it’s been great to meet you and speak to you. Before we let you go is there anything you want to share with the Footpatrol and Frequent Players readers?
Addiction: Yer, We are going through some trying times at the moment and things are all a bit strange and uncertain, so id just liked to say to everyone, stay positive and stay safe, I’m sure it will get better for all of us at some point…
In recent years, Nike have taken on the Halloween theme and dressed some of their most iconic sneakers in a host of spider web and creepy-crawly graphics. Keeping this tradition for 2020, Nike have expanded on their ever growing series of Skelton Air Force 1’s with this pumpkin like orange colour way.
What began with a super clean all white iteration in 2018, soon got a lot more spookier with an all black version for Halloween 2019. Wanting to trump that for 2020, Nike look towards a typical colour within Halloween trivia, orange.
Much like those previous two iterations, this latest orange colour way comes with the anatomical foot graphics on both the lateral/medial walls, making their way on to the shoe inserts also. If this bright, pumpkin orange didn’t stand out enough, the midsole is finished in a full length glow in the dark, helping you stand out in both daylight and night time.
Though we can’t go trick or treating this year, make sure your Halloween outfit is finished off with these!
To enter the LONDON IN-STORE raffle, CLICK HERE!
To enter the PARIS IN-STORE raffle, CLICK HERE!
To enter, you’re required to sign up via the above form, this WON’T be available in-store to sign up on.
In-store winners will be contacted via email informing them of their win and pick up dates. Due to current government laws surrounding Covid-19, the store is working on an appointment only basis. You will need to contact the store to make an appointment for a time during the stated pick up dates.
All proceeds will be donated to Soho-based charity House of St Barnabas. The House of St Barnabas is a social enterprise and charity that works to support people affected by homelessness back into long-term employment. Their vision is of a future where lasting good work, a secure home and a supportive network are a reality for those affected by homelessness. HOSB works to provide people with the support and training they need to find lasting paid employment.
To find out more about House of St Barnabas and how your purchase can help make a difference please head over to hosb.org.uk
To enter the ONLINE (UK only) raffle, CLICK HERE!
Over the years we have had the opportunity to build a strong partnership with adidas, working on a number of collaborative projects together. In January, we were invited to the adidas headquarters in Herzo, Germany where we sat down with the product team building a concept and design for our iteration of the iconic adidas basketball shoe, Forum.
With its previously unheard of $100 price tag, the Forum had been making headlines both on and off the court ever since its introduction back in 1984. With top pros and consumers all around the world all wanting this latest on court technology, the Forum earned its right as a status symbol.
Known for his now iconic ZX range, the Forum was the brainchild of a certain Jaques Chassaing. Known for these technological achievements, the Forum was no different. An aesthetically iconic sneaker, this shoe was born from the needs of the wearer first, studying every type of player understanding the need for support.
Wanting to bring in a subtle design approach to this iconic sneaker, we built on our love for interior spaces. This is something that’s always played a key role within the history of Footpatrol. Using our current store interior as a source of inspiration, we wanted to replicate bringing this same clean, refined execution to our Forum design. Much like the elevated, utilitarian design structure of our retail spaces, we stripped our iteration back to two core materials – leather and suede, enabling us to explore ways of being more purposeful with our design. The spectrum of grey hues seen in our interior space from the GPR Cladding inside the hut, to the Micro-Cement walls in the open area was a key design feature we wanted to include in the overall design.
The Footpatrol Forum 84 Low is made up of a hairy, medium nap suede & pigskin nubuck upper, with premium leather accents throughout. We wanted to maximise the use of materials we were presented with and did so by mismatching the material blocking on each foot, giving the shoe a unique look & feel. The metallic silver leather accent at the fore-front of the shoe was added as a reference to those materials used on a well-known 80s adidas running model. The ‘Footpatrol’ name and word ‘Family’ adorns the ankle straps printed in a Metallic Gold finish. Further gold Footpatrol branding features on the lateral side of the right foot next to the three-stripe adidas branding. Gasmask branding is featured in debossed form on the lateral heel of the left foot, and on the right pigskin nubuck tongue label.
We also added a couple easter egg features to our Forum design honouring one of our most coveted previous adidas collaborations. A separate pair of insoles are included inside the box featuring an all-over print graphic of Footpatrol staff signatures
Limited to only 300 pairs worldwide, each individually numbered with the same gold metallic finish seen throughout the shoe and will only be available via a raffle on the Footpatrol website coming soon!
Over the next week we will be representing three local London creatives from across different industries from food, music and fashion. Each individual has produced a specific piece of content for the launch and will be telling their story on our blog, giving them a platform to express their passions and points of view and how they can pass on any knowledge and inspiration to the next generation.
The Road Warrior scavenges innovation from many different places: basketball, training, running, outdoor apparel. The goal was to build a piece of footwear that can thrive in urban environments. All of these performance innovations live in harmony, providing comfort, protection and durability.
The Road Warrior references the pioneering design of the 2-hour-marathon-breaking Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next% and the energy return of the Nike Air Zoom BB NXT. The open floating heel borrows from early Nike Shox prototypes, but shifts from the “boing boing” effect of the pillars to incorporate double-stacked Zoom pods and double underfoot plates.
We didn’t want to sacrifice stability. That’s why the Road Warrior re-imagines a traditional Japanese split-toe cage (commonly used in construction and road work boots) for a back-to-basics barefoot stance.
Launching online on Friday 23rd October (Available online from 08:00AM BST), sizes range from UK6 – UK12, priced at £435.
With the revisit of the 2002 silhouette form New Balance’s famed 1000 series, the silhouette faces its first collaboration and the first between New Balance and Salehe Bembury.
Since making the move from NYC to LA, Bembury found a new found love for the outdoors which has paved its way for this last collaboration, bringing a host of trail inspired materials and colours to this classic NB silhouette.
With this new found love of the outdoors, the colour way for this collaboration was heavily inspired by the Antelope Canyon’s colour palette, bringing a sense of depth of field to silhouette with a host of orange hues and mixture of materials including hair suede heavy mesh.
To celebrate this upcoming launch, we sat down with Taylor Canby, the Creative Design Manager at New Balance. Catch the interview below before the raffle links for the Salehe Bembury x New Balance 2002R.
Footpatrol: Hi Taylor. To get things started, please could you tell us about your current role at New Balance and your own personal background? What was your journey to becoming the Design Manager for the Asia-Pacific territory?
Taylor Canby: I grew up in a town a short drive from New Balance headquarters where I started my career as a footwear designer. Early on I travelled frequently to Asia on development trips working directly with factories troubleshooting and putting thefinishing touches on designs before going to production. The environment, the culture, and the experience of it all was just so captivating. Eventually, I had theopportunity to move to Southern China to do this day in and day out, designing and working with the factories directly. After a couple years of that I was asked to be part of a product team based out of Hong Kong specifically focused on addressing the needs of the emerging APAC market. I jumped at the opportunity and have been in Hong Kong for over 10 years now. My job over the past few years has evolved a bit. I now manage all global lifestyle SMU’s but continue to work on collabs and designs specifically aimed at the APAC market.
FP: The New Balance name is synonymous with craftsmanship and premium materials, especially within the UK. I think many of us over here tend tothink of Asia taking more of a focus on innovation or technology. Drawing on your own experience, how does the brand perception of New Balance differ in the Asia-Pacific region? How much influence does this have on the product you release?
TC: I think in the eyes of the consumer the brand perception isn’t that different here in APAC. Of course there are some differences in taste and style but consumers still pay a lot of attention to craftsmanship and appreciate the use of premium materials. That being said, living and working here has had and profound influence on how I work. The largest of which has come from working with designers in Japan. Their hyper appreciation for craftsmanship and extra attention they pay to the small details rapidly became part of my process.
FP: When you’re working for a brand with such strong heritage, does the past inform the present when you work on a design such as the 2002? Or do you try to approach things with a clear head and a blank canvas?
TC: I haven’t learned how to clear my head, even while meditating. When working on a project like the 2002 or any bring back model you have to approach it with respect. You want to ensure that you do justice to the original designers intent. This one was especially challenging because the original designer, Andrew Nyssen is still at the company and it was originally made in USA. I scrutinized over the shape of each part literally down to the stitching margin.
FP: Outside of archival reference points and NB’s formidable back catalogue, what else is important to your creative process? Do you look at any other personal interests, like music or art, for fresh ideas?
TC: Music, art, movies and coffee are all good sources to help give fuel to the creative process. Seems impossible for me to pinpoint one thing that drives it. I believe all Designers are inherently preceptive. We are always looking around and absorbing what’s happening in the world around us. I am lucky to live in such a vibrant city. There is no lack of energy, motion and things to grab your attention. Well… Maybe that’s it. It’s my environment, the city that provides the fresh ideas.
FP: How involved do you personally get beyond the design process? Is the marketing and communications side of things something that you like to participate in?
TC: I tend not to get involved too much beyond the design process. Though, given the opportunity I love being able to provide more context to any design when necessary. Besides, my marketing teammates are great at what they do.
FP: How does it feel to see a project go from the drawing board to peoples’ feet? When you’ve worked so closely with a design, does that feeling of satisfaction still exist when the finished product hits the street?
TC: Even after all these years I feel a strong sense of pride seeing people wearing shoes I’ve worked on. The biggest joy I get is when it’s a shoe I worked on years ago and I can see they’ve kept it in great condition. That’s when you know you got it right and they really appreciate the design.
FP: Taking a moment to reflect on the current pandemic situation, how have you responded as a brand? We’re hearing of difficulties in being able to source high-quality materials: will this affect or inspire your future designs? If so, how do you address these challenges without visibly cutting corners when working on such top-tier product?
TC: Yeah, New Balance as with everyone around the world has had its fair share of challenges with this pandemic. As you might know, in the beginning of the year we stopped making shoes in our US factories and converted the line to make Masks for a period of time. There was and still is a lot we are challenged with as we navigate through this pandemic. Without a doubt this is having an impact on how we design but due to any material issues for the moment. Fortunately, even with our setbacks and delays we haven’t had to cut corners to keep making our shoes.
FP: What’s next for you, both personally and as a brand? Is there anything coming up that we should be keeping an eye out for?
TC: There are several collabs on the 2002 coming out of Asia that will be dropping in the upcoming months and a fresh model the beginning of the year. Don’t sleep.
Talking of Colabs, please find below all raffle information for the Salehe Bembury x New Balance 2002.
To enter the ONLINE raffle – CLICK HERE!
To enter the LONDON IN-STORE raffle – CLICK HERE!
To enter the PARIS IN-STORE raffle – CLICK HERE!
To enter, you’re required to sign up via the above form, this WON’T be available in-store to sign up on.
To sign up to the Online raffle, you will be prompted to complete a pre-authorisation payment of the retail price of the product. 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 within 3-5 working days. The raffle is limited to one entry per household! Multiple entries will be cancelled!
In-store winners will be contacted via email informing them of their win and pick up dates. Due to current government laws surrounding Covid-19, the store is working on an appointment only basis. You will need to contact the store to make an appointment for a time during the stated pick up dates.
A firm favourite within the adidas YEEZY collection, the 350 v2 is still showing face in a host of new colour ways.
The YEEZY BOOST 350 V2 ‘Natural’ features an upper composed of multi-toned re-engineered Primeknit, finished off in a clean white upper similar to that of the ‘Static’. This latest’Natural’ iteration however, uses it’s post-dyed monofilament side stripe woven into the upper to break up this stark white appearance with a sandy hue, whilst also including hints of reflective yarns knitted into the quadrant of the upper above the monofilament window.
Slight updates see’s the arrival of a set of stretch laces with a silicone closure for easy on and off wear and comes equipped with a second set of standard laces.
To enter the ONLINE raffle – CLICK HERE!
To enter the LONDON IN-STORE raffle – CLICK HERE!
To enter the PARIS IN-STORE raffle – CLICK HERE!
To enter, you’re required to sign up via the above form, this WON’T be available in-store to sign up on.
To sign up to the Online raffle, you will be prompted to complete a pre-authorisation payment of the retail price of the product. 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 within 3-5 working days. The raffle is limited to one entry per household! Multiple entries will be cancelled!
In-store winners will be contacted via email informing them of their win and pick up dates. Due to current government laws surrounding Covid-19, the store is working on an appointment only basis. You will need to contact the store to make an appointment for a time during the stated pick up dates.
2020 has already been a standout year for sneakers collaborations. From Dior’s luxury take on the AJ1, to the weird and wonderful dunks thanks to Ben & Jerry’s (and Grateful Dead Dunks) through to the Off-White Sail/Muslin Jordan 4 which has become one of the most covetable sneakers of the year so far.
As we enter mid-October, there shows no sign of releases stopping anytime soon. Brands like New Balance have been upping the anti this Fall with a number of high profile collabs with Aime Leon Dore and Salehe Bembury, while Converse has too been pushing out some interesting takes on classic Chuck Taylor thanks to designers like Samuel Ross of ACW* and now Chinese designer @fengchenwang who is set to release her much hyped 2-in-1 All Star.
The sneakers which feature a deconstructed and layered aesthetic, debuted during her SS19 “My Half” collection which showed during both NYFW and Shanghai. Speaking on the concept with Dazed, Wang explained “I always look to the human form when designing a collection,” she’s says on her primary inspirations: bodies. Wang specifically looked to the idea of “the other half” that might complete a person and the idea of exploring human connections and emotions.
The London-based designer has built her reputation on experimenting with silhouettes: draping, deconstruction and working fabrics into new shapes that offer a new take on tried-and-tested menswear staples. The same design codes are applied to this converse collaboration. “We designed our own deconstructed iteration of the classic converse Chuck Taylor with our signature double-sole layering and wrapped outer layer on the back heel. Each pair were hand made and hand sewn for the show” Wang explained via IG.
Some slight adjustments have been made from the original runway samples: the lacing system on the heel is streamlined to simple loopholes with the addition on Feng Chen Wang branding. As it stands, the pastel colourways are sadly just for the show but the new designs do feature the same wrap detailing. for the tooling. Select stores are now offering raffles for the white/black and orange/canvas colourways expected in the first drop.
Launching in-store and online on Tuesday 20th October, sizes range from UK4 – UK12, priced at £140.
In the build up to the launch of our latest collaboration with both Karhu and SSSU, we sit down with SSSU’s founder, Sasu Kauppi to learn more about his journey and his thought processes behind this latest collaboration.
A Central Saint Martins graduate, Sasu quickly became intrigued by the world of sportswear and its place within high end fashion and has since gone on to dedicated his SSSU label to this, producing garments to last through all seasons.
One thing we also felt we had in common with Sasu at Footpatrol was our love for music. This is something Sasu remembers growing up and pays just as much importance in his life than fashion. Having always flirted with this scene, producing music and DJing throughout his life, this has led to him working with some of the biggest names within the music and fashion industry… one big name in particular!
Check out the interview below and make sure to keep your eyes peeled for this latest collaboration launching on Saturday 17th October.
Footpatrol: Sasu welcome to Footpatrol! Before we get into it how are you, have you been busy?
Sasu Kauppi: Hi! I’m great, thanks. I’m excited about what’s to come. It’s actually been a quiet year when it comes to my design work, but finally some stuff will be out soon, this project obviously included!
FP: It’s been so good to be able to work with you on this collaboration with KARHU but before we get into it in more depth, where did your inspiration to want to go into fashion design come from?
SK: Good question. I was looking for the most mobile physical medium to present my creative work through. That’s how I ended up designing clothes. You see, they’re as mobile as it gets, they travel everywhere you go. Static galleries are nice, but most of the time not for me.
FP: Being a Finnish designer, having studied at Central Saint Martins and working with some of the biggest names in the industry you have been able to see fashion evolve in many different ways. How do you think the industry has progressed since you graduated?
SK: I feel fashion itself has almost come full circle since i went to Uni. The industry though is changing a lot, not least because of the current situation in the world. The direction, I feel, is right, but there’s still a long way to go.
As the most important change I see the companies’ will to focus on good design and not only sales and volumes. Wasting less on surplus and designing more for an individual customer. Smaller quantities of better products and not merely seasonal collections. I find seasons sort of an old-fashioned (pun intended) way of thinking. I want to create pieces that can be worn until worn out, not needing to care if they belong to a specific season or a trend in time.
FP: In your work we know you have Finland as your many source of inspiration. How has the country inspired you over the years when it comes to your designs?
SK: I often try to look for inspiration somewhere not obvious. Finnish culture is great for that since we’re not generally known as a fashion forward country, though there are a lot of talented creatives working and studying here.
I’ve used our culture as an inspiration in many different ways, from actual garments or photography refs to subtle or less subtle statements or for example a colourway for a collection. My first commercial collection that was sold in Japan (AW12) was inspired by ice hockey uniforms and fans’ costumes. Hockey has been the biggest sport in Finland since at least the 90s I think.
Finland is the most important country for me and even though I live elsewhere occasionally I tend to return here. Maybe there’s something about the darkness and cold winters that drives the creativity.
FP: Are we right in saying also that you produce music too?
SK: Yes, that is correct.
FP: Which came first fashion design, or producing?
SK: I started making music back in around 1995 or 1996. First by playing a guitar but later with the help of some computer tracker softwares. Early 2000s I was DJing and making a lot of electronic music, but since around 2004 when I studied fashion I didn’t have time for it until almost 10 years later.
I might be known as a designer, but music’s always been super important for me, ever since I was a kid.
FP: What drew you to want to go into music production in the first place and do you still do it now?
SK: I think it comes from my upbringing. Both my parents are musically talented, so it was always sort of a natural thing for me to be interested in making music.
Recent years I’ve been working on a lot of hardware synth/sampler driven music (still to be released). My background is actually in UK bass sound, jungle and drum and bass (which I DJed also), but nowadays I produce sort of a mixture of everything from ambient to techno to electro to pop. Actually, I hate genres and categorizing…I’m currently working on a producer album which would include various rappers and vocalists on different tracks.
Sometimes I make music just to relax and concentrate on something, along with my hobbies bicycle building, cooking and gardening.
FP: Besides your influence in fashion and music tell us about your shoe collection, would you consider yourself much of a sneaker head?
SK: Sure, I guess someone could call me a sneaker head. Never actually counted how many pairs I own, but they sure are hogging a lot of room around the house.
I tend to go for the very special drops rather than buying the classics in all colourways. I do own some collab styles from higher end brands like Raf, Rick and Yohji, but also classic stuff from most of your essentials sneaker brands.
Most of the shoes I own, I actually wear. There’s only a few pairs in boxes at home. Nowadays I tend to buy more sneakers for my daughter, actually, than for myself, ha.
FP: We’ve really enjoyed working with you on this KARHU project, how was it working with the team in the design process?
SK: Glad to hear. It was interesting to work with two different kinds of brands and learn about/from their process.
Obviously a three way collab sets more challenges with scheduling, logistics and correspondence not to mention design decisions, compared to a two way collab, but I think we pulled it off pretty well!
FP: Could you tell us a bit about the story behind the colour way and design of both the shoe and tracksuit?
SK: I was asked to work on the specific Legacy model, which I thought was good, since I like to have some boundaries when designing. I was trying to look for quite odd placements and colour/texture blocking, but still to retain a commercial approach. I wanted to add some logos on the shoe in sort of a “merch product” layout.
I would say the colourway of the shoe, at the end, was a collaborative decision between myself, Karhu and Footpatrol. My initial sketches were quite a bit more colourful, but we ended up using earthier tones, which also translate differently in each different surface texture.
The colours on the sweatpant and sweatshirt obviously borrow from the colourway of the shoe, also being heavily inspired by my original SSSU triple panelled pieces. We kept the branding and added Footpatrol and Karhu logos on the tape and also did this chenille/embroidered graphics on the front of the sweatshirt.
FP: Your logo is also featured on the vamp of the shoe alongside the Karhu branding as well as the heel, where did the logo come from, is it something you have always carried?
SK: Prior to year 2015, when I was still working on my SASU KAUPPI brand, before merging it with my newer brand SSSU, I had this SASU KAUPPI logo that was made out of basic geometrical shapes like circles, triangles and rectangles. I think it was designed around 2011, when I started.
I just took the letters S and U from the logo, and made the SSSU logo out of that. Came out fun. And, yes I design all the prints and graphics myself.
FP: The tracksuit drew inspiration from one of your original designs, could you walk us through the aesthetic of it and why it was put together in that way?
SK: It’s based on my classic fit of garments that I’ve been using for several years on my own collections and also some other work. A little oversized, sort of a 90s fit.
The idea for the panelling came from an old photo of a sweatshirt. And then I just added the chenille letters and embroidery. Nothing more special about that.
On different versions of the original design the branded tape twists around the leg or sleeve and creates almost sort of a spiral. For this project I wanted to go with something a little more commercial.
FP: Sasu honestly it’s been great to have worked with you on this collaboration, before we leave you though is there anything at all you want to share with the Footpatrol family?
SK: Thank you guys a lot, for trusting in me with this one! Thanks!
Michael Jordan’s NBA career is laden with accolades, from MVP awards to championships. And while they’ve all been brought to sneaker form via the Air Jordan line, these tangible achievements have been accompanied by #23’s jaw-dropping, record-breaking performances. The women’s Jordan 1 OG High “Lucky Green” revisits one such example: a 63-point game against the Boston Celtics in 1986.
The upper features soft tumbled leather combined with Lucky Green and White, along with a matte finish. The Swoosh is displayed in a black patent leather with hits of red on the Wings logo and tongue tab whilst sitting on top of a Sail midsole. The raw construction of unstitched eyelets nod to the idea of “progress, not perfection,” a fitting sentiment given that the Chicago Bulls lost despite Jordan’s post-season scoring record. Further personal detailing feature a parquet floor-inspired insole reminiscent of the old Boston court.
To enter the ONLINE raffle, RAFFLE CLOSED!
To enter the INFANTS ONLINE raffle, RAFFLE CLOSED!
To enter the LONDON IN-STORE raffle, RAFFLE CLOSED!
To enter the PARIS IN-STORE raffle, RAFFLE CLOSED!
To enter, you’re required to sign up via the above form, this WON’T be available in-store to sign up on.
To sign up to the Online raffle, you will be prompted to complete a pre-authorisation payment of the retail price of the product. 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 within 3-5 working days. The raffle is limited to one entry per household! Multiple entries will be cancelled!
In-store winners will be contacted via email informing them of their win and pick up dates. Due to current government laws surrounding Covid-19, the store is working on an appointment only basis. You will need to contact the store to make an appointment for a time during the stated pick up dates.
After the successful 2016 Fusion 2.0 collaboration with Karhu, we team up once again with our focus towards the Legacy 96.
Footpatrol’s Creative Brand Lead Asheeba Charles was keen to tap into Helsinki’s Fashion & Streetwear scene and wanted to work alongside a Finnish designer on a three-way apparel & footwear collaboration.
Finnish designer Sasu Kauppi a Central Saint Martin’s graduate was called upon and embraced the project immediately. Before launching his own unisex streetwear brand SSSU, Kauppi was design director and head of menswear design at YEEZY fashion line.
During the footwear design stages, after input from both Footpatrol & KARHU, the final design was reached through a process of elimination, resulting in a premium offering.
Presented in a Paloma Grey & White colourway, the KARHU x Footpatrol x SSSU Legacy 96 takes advantage in using premium materials throughout. Long nap suede material is used across the entire toe-box area with reflective detail overlays atop. Pig skin suede is used on the toe cap and heel.
A combination of three meshes are seen throughout – the open mesh underlay on the medial and lateral panels, shiny ribbed mesh used on the tongue and collar, and diamond mesh lining. The custom lockup logo features in embroidered form on the long nap toe-box and on the woven tongue label.
Textured and smooth leather overlays complete the shoe with each partner’s brand logo embroidered & printed on the heel. The shoes come with a spare set of bright white laces.
Accompanying the footwear, based off the original triple panelled SSSU tracksuit, the KARHU X Footpatrol X SSSU version maintains the same relaxed 90s style fit. The sweatshirt is made up of varying shades of mid-heavy French Terry material with a ribbed neck collar/cuff/waist, and branded taping on the sides. The taping featuring all three brand logos has been simplified to meet a more commercial approach. Chenille KARHU branding is added to the sweatshirt with Footpatrol and SSSU text embroidered in-between & below the KARHU letters.
The triple panelled sweatpant features an elasticated waistband and cuff, with two side pockets.
The Karhu x Footpatrol x SSSU ‘Legacy 96’ & Tracksuit will be launching in-store and online on Saturday 17th October (Available online from 08:00AM BST), sizes will range from UK6 – UK12, priced at £125. The Tracksuit will be available in sizes S – XXl, priced at £115.
Official Stockist List
EUROPE
Shoez Gallery – Lyon, France
Milk Store – Nantes, France
Patta – Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Woei – Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Avenue – Antwerp, Belgium
Patta – Milan, Italy
Sneakers76 – Taranto, Italy
Karhu Pop-up Store – Verona, Italy
Storm – Copenhagen, Denmark
Hunting Lodge – Oslo, Norway
Sneakersnstuff – Stockholm, Sweden
Sneakersnstuff – Berlin, Germany
Afew Store – Düsseldorf, Germany
Suppa – Stuttgart, Germany
Asphaltgoldt – Darmstadt, Germany
43einhalb – Frankfurt, Germany
Allike – Hamburg, Germany
Titolo – Zürich, Switzerland
Footshop – Prague, Czech Republic
Foot District – Madrid, Spain
Noirfonce – Madrid, Spain
Beamhill – Helsinki, Finland
Beyond – Helsinki, Finland
Karhu Concept Store – Helsinki, Finland
USA
Bodega – Boston, MA
Concepts – Boston, MA
Concepts – New York, NY
Extra Butter – New York, NY
Sneakersnstuff – New York, NY
Sneakersnstuff – Los Angeles, CA
Bodega – Los Angeles, CA
Blends – Los Angeles, CA
Proper – Long Beach, CA
Proper – Houston, TX
Likelihood – Seattle, WA
Social Status – Charlotte, NC
Shoe Gallery – Miami, FL
OCEANIA
Above The Clouds – Sydney, Australia
Good As Gold – Wellington, New Zealand
JAPAN
Billy’s – Tokyo
Sneakersnstuff – Tokyo
