Author: Bradley Martinez
Paris’s love for the game of basketball is unrivalled and Jordan Brand acknowledges the emotions the fans and consumers alike give in, so its only right for the brand to give back.
As football giants Paris Saint Germain being the only European club to be sponsored by the Jumpman, the results to show their appreciation is paramount. With an Air Jordan 1 OG High, air Jordan V and an Air Jordan VI having already been released, both entities are back with another silhouette in the form of cult classic model, Air Jordan IV.
This iteration of the fan favourite silhouette takes on a white premium leather upper, combined with subtle neutral grey hits on the toe in a soft suede material. Black takes on the midsole, wings, lining and Jumpman tongue tab. Further details include a sophisticated bordeaux hue along the wingtips, midsole and on the heel. Personal touches are the PSG logo on the heel, ‘PANAME’ tag on the lateral side of the foot which is the nickname of the city as well as ‘75’ on the heel tab for the area code.
One for our French followers, we caught up with manager of our Paris Store, Clems to talk all things PSG!
Head over to the Footpatrol_LDN & Footpatrol_Paris Instagrams for all launch information!
Footpatrol: Hi Clems, thanks for being with us. Can you introduce yourself ?
Clems: Hi, I’m Clems, director of Footpatrol Paris, I love sports in general and I’m a PSG fan.
FP: Can you tell us more about your relation with PSG ? How long have you been a fan ?
Clems: I love PSG since almost 30 years ! I fell in love with that team at the very beginning of the 90’s. First and foremost, it was my city’s team, but there was something special around that team. The “Commodore” jerseys blew my mind, so beautiful, so different ! But it was not only about style, the results were huge too! The team reached the european semifinals 5 years in a row in the mid 90’s, they even went in finals twice and won once! The Lama, Ricardo, Weah, Ginola, Rai… gave me so many goose bumps ! And since then I always followed the team.
FP: Tell us about your first time at Parc des Princes.
Clems: I found the ticket a few weeks ago. It was in 96, first round of the UEFA Cup Winner’s cup against FC Vaduz, a club from Lichtenstein.We were invited by the Regional Council. It was awesome to actually live this. It was not a difficult game, obviously, but we saw a good show and a few goals. A good memory !
FP: Your best moment in the stadium ?
Clems: I didn’t make it a 1000 times to the Parc, for many reasons, but in 2000 I lived an amazing moment.In the 2000-2001 season roster, there were players who were from my generation, who seemed to have the same interests as me, at least from what we could see from them, way before the social networks. I’m talking about Nicolas Anelka, who just came back home, Bernard Mendy, Peter Luccin, Stéphane Dalmat… so I could somehow relate. In short, that team was exciting.
In Champions League, at group stage, PSG hosts the Bayern Munich. Good game, but we’re heading to a sad 0-0, but at the 90th minute, Laurent Leroy, who came in a few minutes earlier, scored ! The Parc literally exploded !! A great moment !
FP: Your best and worst memory with PSG ?
I think that my best memory is Antoine Kombouaré’s headed goal in 1993 against Real Madrid. There were many great moments since then, but I think it still is my favorite one to this day.
To put it in context, PSG plays against Real in quarter finals of the UEFA Cup. On the first leg, in Madrid, we lost 3-1.In the second leg, at home, at the 80th minute, the score is only 1-0, but we score 2 goals in less than 10 mn, so we’re qualified ! But Zamorano scores in extra time to force overtime. The referee lets the game keep on a bit. At the 96th minute, free kick for PSG and Kombouaré scores !His joy is crazy, he’s in transe ! And he qualifies PSG for the semis.
For my worst memory, no I won’t talk about Remontada ! It’s a huge disappointment, a slap I would even say, but on a single match anything can happen.
No, my worst memory is the 2007-2008 season. A pure catastrophe ! Only 10 wins on 38 games ! It makes a lot of draws and losses…2 games from the end of the season we were even relegable. It was not easy to love this team on this year !
FP: What do you think about the Air Jordan 4 PSG ?
Clems: If somebody told me 10-15-20 years ago that there would be an Air Jordan 4 PSG some day, I would never believe it!
I’m a big basketball fan and obviously slightly sneakers obsessed and the Air Jordan 4 is one of my favorites.I think they’re really well done ! Quality is on point, materials are nice and the colorway works well.It remains very simple with this bordeaux touch to remind the Qatar flag, it does the job.
And of course seeing the logo of my favorite club on the heel of an Air Jordan 4 is pretty dope !
FP: Thanks Clems for spending some time with us !
Clems: Always a pleasure !
Footpatrol: Salut Clems, merci d’être avec nous. Est-ce que tu peux te présenter ?
Clems: Salut, je suis Clems, directeur de Footpatrol Paris, passionné de sport en général et aficionado du PSG.
FP: Tu peux nous parler de ta relation avec le PSG ? Depuis combien de temps tu es supporter ?
Clems: J’adore le PSG depuis quasiment 30 ans ! Je suis tombé sous le charme de cette équipe au tout début des années 90.
Déjà c’était l’équipe de ma ville, mais elle dégageait quelque chose de plus.
Les maillots “Commodore” m’ont marqué, tellement beaux, tellement différents ! Mais il n’y avait pas que le style, les résultats suivaient !
L’équipe à quand même fait 5 demi-finales européennes d’affilée au milieu des 90’s et même deux finales, dont une victoire !Les Lama, Ricardo, Weah, Ginola, Rai… m’ont donné tellement de frissons ! Et depuis j’ai toujours suivi l’équipe.
FP: Parle nous de ta première fois au Parc des Princes.
Clems: J’ai retrouvé le billet, il y a quelques semaines. C’était en 96, pour le premier tour de la Coupe des Coupes contre le FC Vaduz, un club du Lichtenstein.On avait été invité par le Conseil Régional. C’était génial de vivre ça en live. C’était pas un match bien compliqué, comme on peut s’en douter, donc on avait eu du spectacle et des buts. Un bon souvenir !
FP: Ton meilleur moment au stade ?
Clems: Je ne suis pas allé 1000 fois au Parc, pour plein de raisons, mais en 2000 j’ai vécu un moment énorme.Dans l’équipe de la saison 2000-2001 il y avait des joueurs qui étaient de la même génération que moi, qui semblaient avoir les mêmes délires que moi, du moins de ce qu’on pouvait voir d’eux à l’époque, bien avant les réseaux sociaux. Je parle de Nicolas Anelka, qui venait de re-signer au club, de Bernard Mendy, Peter Luccin, Stéphane Dalmat… Donc je pouvais en quelque sorte m’identifier. Bref cette équipe me faisait vraiment kiffer.En Ligue des Champions, en phase de poules, le PSG reçoit le Bayern Munich. On se dirige tout droit vers un 0-0, mais à la 90e Laurent Leroy, qui était rentré peu de temps avant, marque. Le Parc a littérallement explosé !! Un grand moment !
FP: Ton meilleur et ton pire souvenir avec le PSG ?
Clems: Mon meilleur souvenir je crois que c’est la tête d’Antoine Kombouaré en 1993 contre le Real Madrid. Il y a eu pas mal de moments très forts depuis, mais je crois que ça reste mon moment préféré.
Pour re-situer, le PSG joue le Real en 1/4 de finale de Coupe de l’UEFA. A l’aller, on perd 3-1.A la 80e minute, on ne gagne encore qu’1-0, mais en met 2 buts en moins de 10mn, on est qualifiés ! Sauf que Zamorano marque dans les arrêts de jeu pour provoquer les prolongations. L’arbitre ne siffle pas tout de suite et les arrêts de jeu se prolongent. 96e minute, coup franc pour le PSG et Kombouaré marque de la tête.
Sa joie est incroyable, le mec est en transe ! Et il qualifie le PSG pour les demis.
Pour mon pire souvenir, non je ne te parlerai pas de la Remontada ! C’est une énorme déception, une claque même, mais sur un match il peut se passer plein de choses.Non, mon pire souvenir c’est la saison 2007-2008, une saison catastrophique !! Seulement 10 victoires sur les 38 matches ! Ca fait beaucoup de matches nul et de défaite.
A deux journées de la fin, on était même reléguables ! C’était pas simple d’aimer cette équipe cette année là !
FP: Qu’est ce que tu penses de la Air Jordan 4 PSG ?
Clems: Si on m’avait dit il y a 10-15-20 ans qu’un jour on aurait une Air Jordan 4 PSG, je n’y aurais jamais cru !
Je suis aussi un passionné de basketball et bien évidemment de sneakers et la Jordan 4 est l’une des mes préférées.Je trouve la paire réussie ! Elle est très quali, les matériaux sont beaux, le coloris aussi.
Il reste très simple avec cette touche de bordeaux pour rappeler le drapeau du Qatar, je trouve que ça marche bien.Et bien sûr de voir le logo de mon club préféré sur le talon d’une paire de Jordan 4, ça me fait kiffer !
FP: Merci Clems d’avoir passé un moment avec nous !
Clems: Toujours un plaisir !
Building on from the recent launch of our ‘Take Flight’ tee, we’re excited to announce the launch of our next T-shirt collection.
For this latest collection, we continue to look back at the heritage of sportswear and its origins within the world of streetwear as this has been something that’s always inspired us at Footpatrol. The 80s and early 90s sportswear brand logos have become cemented within streetwear history and a band of colours often associated with these graphics stood the test of time.
Launching In-store and online on Friday 9th October (Available online form 08:00AM BST), sizes range from S-XXL, priced at £35.
Hot of the heals of the QNTM, adidas and YEEZY are back with a surprise new colour way of their latest silhouette that’s been dubbed ‘Teal Blue’.
Slowly stepping away from the previous monochrome approach, this latest iteration features an upper with Teal Blue hits that have been composed of jacquard providing a soft touch yet resilient thread with suede overlays providing toe protection and durability.
Utilising adidas’ famed Boost technology, the YEEZY QNTM receives a re-engineered full-length drop in Boost midsole which provides the optimum levels of comfort that consumers have come to know and love from the YEEZY line up.
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.
To celebrate this weekends 40th London Marathon, New Balance once again commemorate this prestigious event with a celebratory take on their 1500 silhouette.
Made to honour participants in the Virgin Money London Marathon, this 1500 comes dressed in its finery with a mixture of premium pigskin and mesh draped across the upper which has been finished in a predominately monochrome colour way. Subtle hints of a rich red can also be seen, maybe hinting towards the iconic red telephone boxes that’ll be dotted around the streets of London.
Get a closer look at this latest London Marathon 1500 and make sure to sign up for the raffle below!
To enter for the Online raffle, CLICK HERE!
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 2018, Naija changed the game with a collection for the ages that set a new standard for how Nike approaches federation design. In 2020, Nigeria picks up right where they left off with their football kits but also with their lifestyle footwear.
With players like back-to-back NBA MVP winner Giannis Antetokounmpo on the Nike roster, embracing his Nigerian roots is an integral part of his footwear as seen on his Nike Zoom Freak 2. Now, the Nigerian influence is being brought to the table once more to outfit another modern-day Sportswear silhouette in the Air Force 1 React.
The Nike Air Force 1 React is a modern day take on one of Nike’s longstanding and timeless models. Falling against its solid black background, vibrant accents of “Pine Green” and “Green Strike” attract all of the attention as they are evenly distributed among the shoe’s intricate patterns. With exaggerated deconstructed-like stitching on the tongue, the nickname of Naija is present on the tongue tab and the medial sides of the heels. An oversized Swoosh is displayed along both sides of the shoe as well as enlarged detailing on the midsole. The outsole features a mixture of green hues with react traction.
Another model receiving the Naija treatment is another fan favourite in the form of the Nike Presto. With the South Korea and Australia iterations released already, Nike have kept the tradition going by keeping this release in its original form too. The Nike Presto Naija takes a Pine Green approach along the upper with tribal patters pulled straight from the Nigeria football jerseys. The cages also take on a lighter green with ‘Naija’ displayed subtly on the heel. Green Strike hues along the Alpha Project dots on the black midsole whilst white is used on the outsole.
No doubt the standout release out of the pack for most is the Nike Air Max 95. Bearing one of the most recognisable patterns in the world of football, Nigeria’s take on the Air Max 95 is no different. The side profile, whose layers mix together various materials of different texture and shade, cascade downwards with patterns of illusory lines and a multitude of different geometric shapes. Elsewhere, black midsoles are marked with matching green air units and toe caps of similarly dark suede fabric. Tongues opt for the same neutral though in ripstop, contrasting that of the eye stay loops whose saturated green webbing bears even more symbols.
The Nike ‘Naija’ pack is available online and in-store now! To shop now, click here!
Having debuted earlier in the year, the Nike x Off-White Rubber Dunk brings one of Nike’s most famed silhouettes, the Nike Dunk and brings it head on with elements taken from the Nike Pegasus line.
Virgil Abloh’s latest take is a tribute to Nike’s technical innovation whilst also nodding towards skateboarding’s history of experimentation. With skateboarding due to feature at the Tokyo Olympics for the first time, this collaboration is very much built on celebrating the past and the future.
Bringing these ideas to life, their first step was to expose the Air unit within the flexible, cored out sole. The upper now brings with it inspirations taken from late 90’s, early 2000’s technical runners with a host of mesh and leather overlays with a striped pattern that hark back to the trainers of those days.
To enter the 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.
Online raffle winners will be contacted with further information on how to purchase their pairs. 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.
Having focused on other models like the Yeezy Boost 380 and the 700 V3, adidas and Kanye West’s YEEZY line come together once again for another take on their famed 350 V2 silhouette.
Sticking with traditions, you can see a colour palette that has become cemented within the YEEZY range. The multi-toned reengineered Primeknit features a host of navys and soft purples against the traditional sands. Creating a contrast against the darkened lower of the upper and more lighter tones wrapping around the laces sits it’s post dyed monofilament side stripe.
Known as one of the most comfortable shoes thanks to its innovative BOOST system within its semi transparent midsole, the laces feature a no-tie stretch laces allowing for easier on and off wear (but don’t worry, you’ll still received a standard pair if that’s more your thing).
To enter the 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.
Online raffle winners will be contacted with further information on how to purchase their pairs. 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.
With releases like the Air Force 180 ‘Clerk Pack’ from 2005, Union LA are no strangers in creating unorthodox styles as well as thinking outside the box as opposed to just changing colourways and adding different materials. In 2018, we saw the release of Union LA’s collaboration with Jordan Brand on the cultivated Air Jordan 1 silhouette, giving consumers 2 releases both inspired by a concoction of OG colours. Fast forward to 2020 and those AJ1s are touted as classics, respectively.
In addition, Union LA owner Chris Gibbs gives consumers another look at another Jordan Brand collaboration, this time with another fan favourite, the Air Jordan IV.
Still keeping with the unorthodox approach, the suedes and meshes remain but are given new depth and dimension. Gibbs shifts an element of the vamp to more overtly frame the toebox. The hallmark Wings are slightly reimagined. And then there’s a noticeable, even dramatic, reimagining of the tongue.
“With the IV — maybe it’s the angle of my ankle — but I had a problem with the way the tongue hit my shin,” says Gibbs. “When I was younger, I’d often fold it over and tie it down. I wanted to shorten the tongue. But, I am a fan of collaboration and compromise. So we decided to fold over the tongue and stitch it down, allowing for easy removal to reveal the traditional tongue.”
This is all sat on top of an aged yellow to give a vintage feel with Nike Air branding on the heels to capture the 80’s and early 90’s holistic view.
To enter the ONLINE raffle – RAFFLE CLOSED!
To enter the LONDON 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.
Online raffle winners will be contacted with further information on how to purchase their pairs. 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.
Reconnecting with old friends is something we love to do especially when it involves music into the conversation.
Making his return to Frequent Players we linked up O-Dessa to rekindle the fire that was left at the 110 Mantra Party earlier in the year. With so much time passed since that memorable night we wanted to catch up with O-Dessa to find out what he’s been up to and also put together a mix.
Take a read at the interview below and enjoy this Frequent Players Guest Mix feature with O-Dessa.
Footpatrol: O-Dessa welcome back! It’s great to be able to bring you back and this time have you throw down a mix for us, how have you been?
O-Dessa – Yes, big ups FP gang!! Thank you for having me do a mix, means a lot. I’ve been good thank you. Maintaining through the madness.
FP: Last time we saw you was for the 110 Mantra party! How have you been keeping yourself busy?
O-Dessa – Wow that was a great night, impromptu b2b with Ollie Rant was a vibe. I think that was the last time I played in a club, glad that was the one to go out with. I’ve been keeping busy with a few projects at the moment. Working on a compilation with my label Ghost Notes Worldwide. It includes some of our homies from around the world, super talented and making a lot of noise right now. You can hear a few tracks from the comp and other forthcoming bits in the mix. Excited to drop that very soon. I’ve also been working with a good friend on Flock Together, an outdoor focused initiative representing non-white communities, we have some great projects in the works there.
FP: What about DJing have you been able to work on anything both live or virtually?
O-Dessa – I recently got to play on this dope platform Free Yard and Fiya Wata have put together. Filmed in an amazing liquor store called Harry’s in Tottenham. Literally stacks and stacks of rare alcohol, confectionary and smoking goods. It’s like your favourite bodega in New York times a million, wild.
FP: Now I know you already have mentioned your label Ghost Notes Worldwide, but how did you end up creating it?
O-Dessa – Being a producer and around so many talented music makers I realised there was a tendency for artists/producers to release music with labels who wanted everything defined by genre. If you make grime, you should only make grime, if you want to make something else, you release it under another name/label. I’ve always experimented with all kinds of tempos as others do and realised there’s a ton of music that gets overlooked. I’m interested in the music that is there but doesnt get heard, the ‘Ghost Notes’. I did a few parties under that name and asked DJ’s to come play whatever they wanted, those parties were LIVE. I later teamed up with Impey and we set up the label with the same notion. We’ve since recruited Nicky Soft Touch, who’s a serious producer too. Watch out for him!
We also do every first Thursday of the month 10 – 12am on NTS. It’s an honor being on a platform that allows us to express our ethos through their airwaves. 4 years strong!
FP: What about the new music you have in the works is there anything else you can tell us about that?
O-Dessa – You’ve got good intel there! I’ve been making music on and off for years now. It’s something I love to do when I have the time, which is very rare these days. I’ve got a tune coming out on our compilation I made a year ago. It’s 95bpm so I guess you can say it’s hip hop? For me, it’s just an expression of what I’ve been listening to at the time all in one track. You can peep it in the mix :).
FP: How about the wider music scene have you been enjoying what’s been releasing lately? Is there anyone artist you recently discovered you can’t get enough of?
O-Dessa – The UK music scene is so healthy right now. Loving what Pa Salieu and M1llionz are doing. Potter Payper, Nines, Meeks, OFB, V9, Central Cee and all the others from that pocket. Then you got the jazz dons like Yussef Days and his trio with Charlie Stacey, Rocco Palladino and Mansur to name a few. Come to think of it, besides the odd thing here and there I’m mainly listening to UK sounds at the moment. I think the mix really sums up what I’ve been rinsing of late.
FP: With us being Footpatrol we have to ask about sneakers, what’s your collection like? What do you look out for when buying sneakers?
O-Dessa – I think my misses would wish it ended with me collecting trainers for me. LOL. I tend to collect a lot of shit people probably don’t care about…vinyl, swing tags, stickers, magazines among other things. I always think I’ll need things like that for a reference at some point. Trainers on the other hand are a mix though, some hype like the Wotherspoons and Visvim FBTs but also then I got the odd ‘luxe’ trainer from some suede america cups from prada to margielas which are based off the german military shoe. I managed to pick up the Stranger Things ‘Upside Down’ Nike Cortez QS for 40 euros the other day. What a steal! I’m definitely a nike head when it comes to trainers. I love all the older models kids don’t want. Fragment Tennis and footscapes are a bit of me but I always get suckered into the hype releases from time to time. Wish i didn’t batter my Undercover Reacts, the most comfy shoe I’ve worn for a while. Also into what ACG, ROA and Merrell have been making with Vibram too in terms of outdoor gear.
FP: With all the strange times we have been incurring as of late we would like to do a little quick fire round to find out some of your favourite spots that those at home can visit and support…
Best Coffee shop?
Eat Vietnam, deptford for ya Vietnameese coffee needs!
Favourite restaurant?
Theo’s Pizzeria. Camberwell
Best place to buy vinyl?
Bandcamp – support artists directly if you can.
Favorite place to hang out?
Not that i’ve been doing much of this but Crystal Palace park
Best store for clothing?
Nepenthes, Dover Street Market or Gimme5
Favourite music venue?
God I miss going out. Tola for the homies!
FP: Boom! Food, music, shoes I think we have covered it all! O-Dessa it’s always great to spend some time with you, hopefully it won’t be as long next time! Have you got anything you wanted to share with our readers and listeners before we let you go?
O-Dessa – Big love for having me. Always mad love for the FP team. I hope you all enjoy the mix! Go follow the gang at @ghost__notes and keep it locked for more exciting projects from me over at @odessa_bntl <3
The next installment of the Footpatrol Communi T has finally arrived! After a long and exciting wait we are pleased to announce Ghica Popa as our next Communi T collaborator.
Having worked with some of the biggest brands in the world, Ghica has made his mark through his individualistic aesthetic following his love for 80s cars and vehicles from when he was young.
Creating 2 bespoke Communi Ts, Ghica has been working on producing his own rendition of the Footpatrol Gasmask logo and also referencing various footwear categories by converting them into his signature vehicular style.
Whilst Ghica worked on the designs we reached out to talk more about his Communi T Project and what led him to where he is today.
Footpatrol: Ghica welcome! Before we jump straight into it, could you give our readers a bit of background about yourself?
Ghica Popa: Thank you, guys!
My name is Ghica Popa, I am an artist based in Bucharest.
My background, I’ve been drawing since I can remember, graduated from the Art High School in my seaside home town Constanta, then I moved to Bucharest and graduated from the Art University.
I’ve been working as a commissioned artist on various projects since circa 2005. In the early 10’s I sent to a couple of sneaker news websites a project I’ve been working on, named “space sneakers”. It contained 4 or 5 sneaker renditions of various Nike air models, all designed in my drawing style. The project was an instant success, got published on those websites and on many others. Since then, I was lucky enough to work on many international projects related to the sneaker or streetwear industry, like those with Nike, Jeff Staple, G-shock, Ray-Ban, DC Shoes. I also worked with some of the best sneaker magazines and stores in the world and I’m really happy to add Footpatrol to that select list.
FP: We are so excited to have you with us for the next installment of our Communi – T project. How did you get into illustration, was this always your plan or did it happen by chance?
GP: I am also excited to be a part of this project. I’ve been a Footpatrol fan and customer for a long time, so for me too this project makes perfect sense. How did I get into illustration? I really can’t recall, as I’ve been drawing since I can remember. I’ve been lucky enough to grow up in an artistic environment, my mom being an art teacher and artist. So for sure didn’t happen by chance: I was surrounded by art books and my Mom encouraged me to discover various art techniques since childhood: clay modeling, making various toys and vehicles from paper cutouts and other materials. And of course, painting and drawing: I remember I enjoyed the best drawing with markers, I still do.
FP: You have a very distinctive style when it comes to your designs, what made you go down the mechanical route?
GP: It wasn’t something I really planned. Of course, I realized at some point that “I might have a distinctive drawing style”. I guess I was influenced by a lot of things I’ve been enjoying since I was a kid: 80’s vehicles and cars – that were typically “boxy”, science fiction films (especially from that period), cartoons, Lego sets, comic books, architecture and also art movements: cubism, suprarealism and pop art.
FP: Over the course of your career your work has been used by some incredibly big names – to mention a couple Pepsi, IKEA, Nike.
What’s it like seeing your work being used on such a worldwide scale?
GP: It’s a great feeling to see you work out there. But I am also a big critic of my work, so I usually tend to focus on things I could have done better, instead of simply celebrating that result. That being said, I made a lot of projects that I am really proud of, and my collaboration with Footpatrol is one of them.
FP: For those who follow you on instagram will know you do a lot of sneaker based graphics and designs. Does this take up the bulk of your work?
GP: I would approximate that the sneaker related projects are about 30-40% of my work. But it’s true I do a lot of sneaker drawings just for the fun of it, for Instagram. That’s why it is such a shame that lately the Instagram reach has dropped, because I think many artists are now discouraged to create new daily creative content, made especially for IG, for much less views than they used to have.
Coming back to my IG content and the sneaker based graphics, I noticed that some brands get in touch with me because they’ve seen and liked my sneaker artworks on Instagram, although they would like something not sneaker related.
FP: Are you a big collector also and do you have Top 3 that you own?
I don’t consider myself a sneaker collector, for sure not a big collector.
But yes, I certainly have more sneakers than a “normal person” would have. I used to go after the best sneaker releases, limited editions, but that was 10-15 years ago, when you could still buy those. Now, I prefer to focus on other “under the radar” releases, and maybe that’s a good side of the hype surrounding most of the limited editions, that they leave so many great pairs aside. You can even find some of them with big discounts.
Top 3? Tough question.
That top changes for sure every week, or at least every month. It would be very hard to just name three sneakers, and a little unjust to my other pairs, but here are some of my favorite, not in a particular order:Nonnative x New Balance 997/998
Slam Jam x Asics Gel Lyte III
Size? X Nike Lunar 180 ACG
Footpatrol x Reebok Ventilator
24 Kilates x Diadora N9000 “Sol”
Overkill x adidas EQT “coat of arms” pack
Sneaker Freaker x Puma Blaze of Glory
CDG X Nike Air Max 95
And I really like those new Nike ISPA sneakers, pretty much all new models released.
FP: I also saw you have been working on some physical models also for your exhibition at the Special Sneaker Club in Milano. Is this the first time you have done something like this?
GP: Yes, the first time and it’s been a crazy process. I had two or three already made, my personal renditions of a Jordan 4 model, then Stefano from Special Sneaker Club proposed a solo show with basically “anything I want”. So I decided to make several renditions based on other various models that I considered suited to my style. The show was supposed to take place in Milan, in late April or May, but because of the virus situation, it was of course postponed.
We will probably do it next spring, if all things go well, hopefully. I already released pictures of some sculptures on my Instagram and I received great feedback. But I’ve kept some of the sculptures secret, I will only reveal those at the actual show.
FP: Let’s talk about your Communi – T. Could you tell us a bit about the designs you have done on the tees?
GP: The two designs we made are my personal renditions of the two Footpatrol logos, the gas mask and the bar logo.
The story with the gas mask is quite simple: I turned the mask into an armoured vehicle, as some of the mask elements inspired this transformation.
With the bar logo the process was a little longer: I tried to transform the logo letters into a single shape, but the result was very long and thin, as I had to respect the original logo shape. So my single vehicle seemed quite inappropriate for a t-shirt design. That’s why I decided to make several drawings of different vehicles and present them as one artwork, suited for the back of the tee. Each vehicle symbolizes a category of sneakers: the double decker: walking / street sneakers (those everyday sneakers on heavy rotations). The all terrain vehicles is a nod to trekking / hiking sneakers. The “limo”: luxury sneakers. And the racing car illustrated the running sneakers.
But we also added a second layer of meaning in this artwork, for Foopatrol fans: the red double decker is dedicated to the London store, and the “french blue” racing car to the Paris store.
It’s been a great process working on these two designs and the whole project, and I really thank you guys for this experience, all your help and great feedback.
FP: Ghica Popa, thank you so much for spending some time with us. Before we let you go we ask all our Communi – T collaborators to answer this last question!
Please describe Ghica Popas style in 3 words?
GP: Quirky, positive & squared.
