Author: Bradley Martinez
After introducing us to the 700 MNVN silhouette earlier in the year in two unique colour ways for regional exclusives, adidas and YEEZY and back once again with the same formula.
This latest arrival see’s the introduction of ‘Phosphor’ and ‘Bone’ colour ways which sticks to previous traditions of the offering of one tonal Colourway which is then contrasted by the second. Previously, this worked in the form of a solid all black silhouette which was contrasted to the vibrant orange.
The 700 MNVN takes the traditional 700 mould and strips it back to its bare bones utilising a change in materials. The upper has been reconstructed using a lightweight polyester featuring zero sewn overlays, creating a more simplistic silhouette.
With this new style, moves the 700 into a more performance style. The traditional lacing has also been removed and instead sits a bungee lace system allowing for an easier on and off, daily wear.
To enter the ONLINE raffle for ‘Phosphor’, CLICK HERE!
To enter the ONLINE raffle for ‘Bone’, CLICK HERE!
To enter, you’re required to sign up via the above forms, this WON’T be available in-store to sign up on.
Online raffle winners will receive a special code in which they’ll have a limited time to purchase their raffle win via a unique link. The raffle is limited to one entry per household! Multiple entries will be cancelled!
Continuing our discussions series, we now look to Germany and pay our attention to the brand with the three stripes. With a few Consortium collaborations under our belt, we sit down with George Griffin who is part of the Product Marketing division for adidas Consortium.
Footpatrol : George welcome! For the Footpatrol community could you start off telling us a bit about yourself and what you do for adidas?
George: Hi guys, Thanks for having me! I’m George originally from London, outside of working for adidas I’m a huge Arsenal fan, love to read comic books and listen to Disco and Soul Music. I now live in Herzogenaurach, Germany and work for adidas Consortium on the product marketing team! I’ve been with the brand for just over 3 and a half years now but anyone who knows me from my London days know that I was always in a pair of adi.
FP: What does your role with the brand entail exactly? It sure looks like a lot of fun from your Instagram!
G: I’m lucky enough to have a job where the day to day is pretty varied so that’s why it might look fun on Instagram 😉 Varying from a lot of emails to planning the seasonal silhouettes and stories for Consortium with the team, Looking through the archives and brand history for new and untold stories, reviewing samples with design and development, and then working with the collaborators on bringing their stories to life- I’m super lucky!
FP: Have you always been a big footwear enthusiast?
G: Prior to Sneakers I was always into the latest Football boots as I played a lot of football as a kid. I played in Predator consistently from an early age as I’m sure they made me play better, and then I had some pretty crazy choices of the F50 Tunits that had the see through heel too so tried to be expressive on the pitch- I guess that career path was pretty short-lived…
I would say I became more actively engaged in sneakers when I started to have a bit more disposable income from working in retail whilst I was at University. Prior to that I ogled online at a lot of releases that I couldn’t get or afford. My first collab shoe that I actually owned was the AZX ZX 9000 x Crooked Tongues from 2009 which I bought off of a friend. Not really having anything else in the rotation back then meant that they are now pretty much on their last legs, however it completely opened my eyes to the world of sneaker boutiques and collaborations so I guess it’s kind of fitting that I get to work on some of these collaborations now!
FP: You have been able to work on some seriously exciting projects one of which was the ZX10000 which I think is safe to say was a great addition into the ZX range. What was it like being able to work on something like that and how did it come about?
G: That was definitely a fun one to work on with a super passionate and driven team, A lot of our ideas come very naturally just from kind of casual conversations / geeking out around trainers and I remember vividly the first conversations we had around the shoe. It started off with myself and the team just taking a look at ZX thousands series models from 1989 where it ended and then (unofficially) transitioned into 1st Generation Equipment models from 1991 (all of which carried the performance benefits of Cushion, Support and Guidance)
Myself, Charles Lovett and Aurelien Longo, the two designers of the shoe always thought that it was such a shame that ZX ended at 9000 and the legacy never continued numerically after that. Knowing that the late 80s and early 90s all shoes were presented in catalogues and not digitally. We were messing around with the concept that ‘what if there were catalogues and shoes that had never been seen from our history?’ and then that these ‘Lost pages’ from the archive were discovered today from 1990 with the ‘missing link’ ‘ZX 10,000’ between ZX and Equipment.
We were also working on the Overkill collaborations at the same time as developing the silhouette, which added pressure as Marc has a lot of love for ZX of course- and to be honest the 1st sample arrived at the office and we were super worried that we had ruined ZX! Colour, shape and material were all wrong so we had to go back to the drawing board! But we knew we were on the right path as soon as myself and Charles saw the next sample come in to the factory- we couldn’t stop looking at it! Was a really proud moment. Lastly, we knew we were onto a winner when Gary Aspden was in Herzo for a Spezial meeting and he saw the shoes on the rack and was super excited about them, which was very validating for us.
FP: How important was it to have input from the original ZX designer Jacques Chassaing on the design process?
G: It was of course super important to have Jacques’ buy in on the project and we really wanted to make sure we made an authentic product that fit within the ZX moniker. He was a bit apprehensive at first but when we told him that we didn’t just want to aesthetically pay homage to the ZX series and that we wanted to do something that maybe wasn’t possible back then that served a functional/ cultural reason to exist he was more than on board!
FP: Out of the releases, campaigns, projects you have been able to work on during your time at adidas has there been one that stood out for you?
G: There have been a lot of highlights in my time at adidas so far including the aforementioned ZX 10,000, one of which being adidas Gardening Club which we released last October. It was an extremely fun project from start to finish with a super passionate team; the concept lent itself to some really unique footwear and apparel. The campaign imagery by Trippin was amazing as well as the adidas comms team being able to get Alhan and Alan Titchmarsh in the same room for the photo shoot was a real highlight.
FP: Moving away from your role and more about you and your personal collection, what’s your current stay at home rotation looking like?
G: My current stay at home rotation is pretty minimal! Round the apartment I’m pretty boring and just in adilettes all day to be honest. And then for my supermarket trips or walks I try to switch it up quite regularly. I’m wearing the Response Hoverturf triple black we released a couple of weeks back A LOT right now as well as the Reebok x Nepenthes Workout plus.
FP: For people who have seen your instagram you seem to be a big fan of some of the most obscure adi models! Could you tell us your Top3 most obscure pairs?
G: I’ve always been into some of the weirder models from the archive even before working for the brand and since having the adidas archive and catalogues at my disposal at work it has become super handy and useful when looking for those more obscure models. I love looking at the more recent stuff that people didn’t look at necessarily in a streetwear setting back when they released that maybe were ahead of their time. Top 3 is tough so I’m going to cheat and give you five of my favourite/ pairs that I wear the most.
Adistar walk, Adizero F50 Runner, Response Cushion W, Cairo, Adistar Revolt
FP: George thanks for spending time with us! Before we let you go we are asking people what they are doing during the lockdown to keep creative, active or whatever they want to do to stay productive. Have you got any inspiration for the Footpatrol followers?
G: Thank you for having me!
I’m sure there are way more qualified people than me to talk about staying inspired but I would say that as we may not get another situation like this in our lifetime (fingers crossed) use it wisely, there’s no one thing I would recommend as everyone handles situations very differently, but whether that be picking up a new hobby be like running or art, reading that book you’ve been putting off, or even catching up on that program on Netflix, or just taking this time to relax and reflect, then that’s also fine!
For me it’s business as usual with work so I try to stay sane and relaxed whilst listening to podcasts whilst working, (the Rewatchables is great for anyone who hasn’t listened to it and also the Complex Sneakers podcast) and trying to get regular exercise (trying being the optimal word). I’m also of course trying to stay more connected to my family back in the UK by playing board games over Whatsapp group chat which has been interesting to say the least…
Footpatrol: Bienvenue George ! Pour la communauté Footpatrol, tu peux commencer par nous parler un peu de toi et de ce que tu fais pour adidas ?
George: Salut les gars. Merci de me recevoir ! Je m’appelle George, je suis originaire de Londres et à part travailler pour adidas, je suis un grand fan d’Arsenal, j’aime lire des comics et écouter du Disco et de la Soul. Je vis maintenant à Herzogenaurach en Allemagne et je travaille pour la gamme adidas Consortium au sein de l’équipe marketing produit. Je travaille pour la marque depuis 3 ans et demi maintenant mais tous ceux qui me connaissent de Londres savent que j’ai toujours une paire d’adidas aux pieds.
FP: En quoi consiste ton rôle chez adidas ? Ça a l’air d’être très amusant vu ton compte Instragram !
G: Je suis assez chanceux d’avoir un travail où les jours ne se ressemblent pas et c’est pour ça que ça a l’air amusant sur Instagram. Je passe de la lecture de plein de mails à la planification des silhouettes saisonnières et des histoires Consortium avec l’équipe, à la recherche dans les archives et l’histoire de la marque pour trouver des histoires inédites, à la vérification des prototypes avec l’équipe Design et Développement et ensuite travailler avec les collaborateurs pour donner vie à leurs histoires ! Je suis super chanceux !
FP: As-tu toujours été un grand amateur de chaussures ?
G: Avant les sneakers, j’étais toujours à fond dans les dernières chaussures de foot vu que je jouais beaucoup quand j’étais petit. J’ai toujours joué en Predator, depuis tout petit parce que j’étais persuadé que ça me faisait mieux jouer. Et ensuite j’ai eu des modèles assez fous de la F50 Tunits qui avaient aussi le talon transparent, alors j’essayais d’être expressif sur le terrain. Je suppose que cette carrière a été particulièrement éphémère…
Je dirais que j’ai été plus activement engagé dans le monde des sneakers quand j’ai commencé à gagner un peu mieux ma vie en travaillant en magasin en parallèle de mes études. Avant ça, je lorgnais en ligne beaucoup de sorties que je ne pouvais pas avoir ni m’offrir. La première collab que j’ai possédé c’était la AZX ZX9000 x Crooked Tongues de 2009 que j’ai rachetée à un ami. J’avais pas grand-chose d’autre en termes de rotation à l’époque, ce qui veut dire qu’elles sont maintenant en fin de vie… Et pourtant ça m’a complètement ouvert les yeux sur le monde des boutiques sneakers et des collaborations donc je pense que c’est assez logique que je travaille sur certaines de ces collaborations maintenant.
FP: Tu as pu travailler sur pas mal de projets excitants et l’un d’eux, c’est la ZX10000, dont on peut dire, sans prendre trop de risques, que c’est un super complément à la gamme ZX. Comment c’était de pouvoir travailler sur quelque chose comme ça et comment c’est arrivé ?
G: C’était vraiment très amusant de bosser sur la ZX10000 avec une équipe passionnée et motivée ! Beaucoup de nos idées sont venues naturellement au cours de simples discussions /
délires autour des sneakers et je me rappelle très bien des premières discussions que nous avons eues autour de la chaussure. Avec l’équipe, on a simplement commencé en passant en revue les modèles de la série ZX, de 1000 à 9000, de 1989, quand la série s’est terminée et a (officieusement) fait la transition vers la première génération des modèles Equipment de 1991 (qui comportaient tous les caractéristiques techniques d’amorti, de support et de stabilité).
Charles Lovett et Aurélien Longo, les deux designers de la chaussure, et moi-même, avons toujours pensé que c’était dommage que la ZX se termine à 9000 et que l’héritage ne continue pas numériquement après ça. Sachant qu’à la fin des années 80 et au début des années 90, les paires n’étaient pas présentées en digital, mais dans des catalogues. On s’amusait atour du concept qui dirait « Et s’il y avait des paires et des catalogues qui n’avaient jamais été vus de notre Histoire ? » et donc faire comme si ces pages perdues des archives des années 90 avaient été retrouvées aujourd’hui, avec ce lien manquant, la « ZX10000 » entre ZX et Equipment.
On travaillait aussi sur les collaborations avec Overkill en même temps qu’on développait la silhouette, ce qui a ajouté un peu plus de pression parce que Marc aimait beaucoup les ZX évidemment. Et pour être honnête, quand le premier échantillon est arrivé au bureau on a eu très peur d’avoir ruiné la ZX ! La couleur, la forme et les matériaux, tout était raté, on a donc dû retourner à la planche à dessins ! Mais dès qu’on a vu le deuxième échantillon Charles et moi, on a su qu’on était sur la bonne voie. On n’arrêtait pas de le regarder, on était super fiers ! Finalement, on a su qu’on avait réussi quand Gary Aspden, de passage à Herzo pour un rendez-vous « Spezial », a vu la paire sur le rack et a tout de suite été super emballé, ce qui était une forme de validation pour nous.
FP: À quel point était-ce important pour vous de bénéficier d’une contribution du designer originel de la ZX, Jacques Chassaing, dans le processus de création ?
G: C’était bien sûr super important d’avoir l’approbation de Jacques sur le projet et on voulait vraiment s’assurer qu’on avait fabriqué un modèle fidèle aux ZX. Il appréhendait un peu au début, mais quand on lui a dit qu’on ne voulait pas seulement rendre hommage esthétiquement à la série ZX, mais qu’on voulait faire quelque chose qui n’avait peut-être pas été possible de faire à l’époque, mais ayant un réel fondement fonctionnel/culturel, il était plus que de la partie.
FP: Parmi les sorties, les campagnes et les projets sur lesquels tu as pu travailler depuis que tu es chez adidas, lequel t’as le plus marqué ?
G: Il y a eu beaucoup de faits marquants pour moi depuis que je suis chez adidas, comme les ZX 10000 dont nous avons parlé juste avant. Mais l’un de mes projets préférés et celui du adidas Gardening Club qui est sorti en octobre dernier. C’était un projet super amusant du début jusqu’à la fin, avec l’appui d’une équipe passionnée. Le concept se prêtait bien à la conception de chaussures et de textiles uniques. La campagne visuelle de Trippin était incroyable, tout comme le tour de force de l’équipe de communication adidas qui a réussi à avoir Alhan et Alan Titchmarsh dans la même pièce pour un shooting photo, un grand moment !
FP: Si on s’éloigne un peu de ton rôle et qu’on se concentre plus sur ta collection personnelle, à quoi ressemble ta « rotation » pour rester à la maison ?
G: Ma rotation pour rester à la maison est assez minimale. Chez moi, rien d’extraordinaire, je suis en adilettes toute la journée pour être honnête. Et pour mes sorties au supermarché j’essaye de changer régulièrement. Je porte la Response Hoverturf triple black que nous avons sortie il y a quelques semaines, ainsi que la Reebok x Nepenthes Workout plus.
FP: Pour ceux qui ont vu ton Instagram tu sembles être un grand fan de certaines des plus obscures modéls d’adidas ! Peux-tu partager le top 3 des paires les plus obscures ?
G: J’ai toujours été intéressé par les modèles les plus bizarres venants des archives, avant même de travailler pour la marque et depuis que j’ai le catalogue et les archives adidas à disposition au travail, c’est devenu plus pratique et utile pour chercher ces modèles plus obscures.
G: J’aime m’intéresser à ces choses plus récentes, qui n’intéressaient pas les gens d’un point de vu streetwear quand elles sont sorties, peut-être parce qu’elles étaient trop en avance sur leur temps. Un top 3 c’est difficile alors que je vais tricher et te donner un TOP 5 des mes paires favorites, celles que je porte le plus :
Adistar walk, Adizero F50 Runner, Response Cushion W, Cairo & Adistar Revolt.
FP: George merci d’avoir passé du temps avec nous ! Avant qu’on te laisse partir, on demande aux gens de nous dire ce qu’ils font durant le confinement pour rester créatif, actif ou n’importe quoi qui leur permette de rester productif. As-tu des inspirations pour les followers de Footpatrol ?
G: Merci de m’avoir reçu !
Je suis sûr qu’il y a des gens plus qualifiés que moi pour parler du fait de rester inspiré mais je dirais qu’étant donné qu’on ne revivra sûrement jamais cette situation dans nos vies (croisons les doigts), utilisez ça intelligemment, je ne recommanderai rien en particulier, vu que tout le monde n’appréhende pas la situation de la même façon. Mais ça pourrait être d’essayer quelque chose de nouveau, comme la course à pied ou l’art, lire ce livre que vous n’avez jamais fini, ou alors reprendre un programme sur Netflix, ou simplement prendre le temps de vous détendre et de réfléchir, tout cela est très bien !
Pour moi, je travaille comme d’habitude donc j’essaye de rester sain et détendu tout en écoutant des podcasts en travaillant (Les « Rewatchables » sont top pour ceux qui ne les ont jamais écoutés tout comme le Complex Sneakers podcast) et j’essaye aussi de faire du sport régulièrement (“essaye” est vraiment le terme!)! Et j’essaye aussi bien sûr de rester plus en contact avec ma famille en Angleterre en jouant à des jeux de société sur un groupe WhatsApp, ce qui est en réalité plutôt intéressant…
Establishing themselves in 1947, Salomon has been one of the leading outdoor sportswear brands to have graced the market. With a passion for technical enhancements and craftsmanship Salomon product is used and made for the hardest terrains in the world.
For the brands first time ever, they opened their doors and invited Footpatrol over to Annecy, France to Salomon HQ to meet some of the brands leading designers and visit their prototype workshop to find out exactly how Salomon has become one of the world’s leading Outdoor brands.
Worlds away from the streets of Soho, London, we landed in Annecy, France and what greeted us was picturesque vision of perfection. For a brand like Salomon, you couldn’t have pictured a more perfect location to house a their design centre. With an almost glass like lake and mountains surrounding, it seemed like they had the perfect testing grounds on their doorstep.
We had the opportunity to meet Salomon Head of Service to Athletes, Patrick Leick who has worked at the brand for over 30 years. Patrick is the instigator and concept creator of the XT series, developed the Quick Lace and even designed Killian Jornet’s Mount Everest Climbing boot which help set the world record for the fast descent down the world largest peak.
It doesn’t stop there!
Salomon hasn’t gone unnoticed within the sneaker/lifestyle world with the new found success of the XT-6. With this success it was only right that we also sat down with Benjamin, Design Manager for Salomon and designer of the beloved Salomon S/Lab XT-6 to talk about his journey with the brand and his thought process behind the design.
During the visit there was no evidence that Salomon showed any signs of slowing down within the lifestyle market, who can blame them. With the growing success with the brands XT series, we are excited to see more from the brand in 2020!
Check out the video below to hear our interviews with both Patrick and Benjamin!
Click here to shop the latest Salomon styles available online now!
For our latest venture into our Frequent Players Guest Mix’s, we look to none other than Catching Flies – AKA George King.
After the release of his debut album back in 2019, ‘Silver Linings’, it became perfectly known as ‘a soundtrack for summertime’. For 2020 George is set to re-release the album only this time its been reimagined by a whole range of artists including Soundbwoy Killah, DJ Seinfeld and Andhim, just to name a few.
To celebrate the launch of this latest release, we sat down with George before he took to the decks to create our next Guest Mix, creating the soundtrack to your lockdown.
Footpatrol: Welcome! Catching Flies how are you? to kick things off could you give us a bit of backstory about yourself for the Footpatrol Community?
Catching Flies: I’m good thank you… looking out my studio window and it’s sunny – and I’m listening to ‘Fruits Of The Spirit’ by Jay Electronica. I am a producer/musician… I released my debut album ‘Silver Linings’ last year and then did a lot of touring, and also did some DJ shows with Bonobo in North America.
FP: You are also quite a diverse musician, I can imagine it must be a lot of help to be able to do a lot of instrumentals in your tracks. Is there an instrument that you would either like to learn how to play or would like to use in your music
CF: I would love to learn how to play the Harp. But it’s not really the kind of instrument you can just pick up on a whim – especially given its cost. One day maybe!
FP: What about your artwork for your EPs and albums, is this something you do as well? There are some insane graphics on some of them.
CF: I don’t do any graphics myself but usually I’ll have quite a strong idea about what I want. Then I’ll send my rough ideas to very talented graphic designers! For the Silver Linings album (and Silver Linings Remixed), I worked with Jason Vaz (from The Mannequin Collective). He is a genius… He nailed everything he did for the project, and I can’t thank him enough. He’s actually just finished designing a limited run of Catching Flies T Shirts which will announced on my Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/catchingfliesmusic/) soon – watch this space!
FP: Now you have been working full steam ahead on your Silver Linings Remixed campaign, where did the idea for this project come from?
CF: The initial idea actually came about because when we sent out the DJ/Club promos for my debut album ‘Silver Linings,’ Ron Basejam hit me up and asked for the parts to ‘New Gods’ because he’d like to try doing a remix. I’ve been really into his productions for years (especially this classic remix of White Lamp’s ‘It’s You’ – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VyXuw66qw8). So I sent Ron the parts and he delivered a wicked remix. So I thought it’d be cool to hit up a few of my favourite artists at the moment to also do remixes. I got in touch with Jehst, Blu, Andhim, Grandbrothers, Laurence Guy and a couple of others. It’s been really fun hearing other people’s reinterpretations of my music!
FP: Now we have to talk about footwear! What your rotation like, do you have much of one or are you more of a one shoe type of guy?
CF: I tend to have a few on rotation. A pair of white Reebok classics is a staple. And a pair of the Nike Air Max 97s in ‘Smokey Mauve’ which I love. I’m finding the Nike Flyknit 2’s are great for running (I started since the lockdown!)… and they look less garish than a lot of running shoes.
FP: Catching Flies thanks for spending time with us! Before we let you go we are asking people what they are doing during the lockdown to keep creative, active or whatever they want to do to stay productive. Have you got any inspiration for the Footpatrol followers?
CF: I’m getting really into cooking. Have been using a book called ‘Bowls of Goodness’ by Nina Olsson. There’s some decent recipes in there. Trying to eat right and keep my body and mind healthy – and also make loads of music!
During these times of lockdown, over at Footpatrol we’ve been looking back at past projects and the people that sat behind the scenes throughout these projects. Kicking off this new series, we wanted to look back at those agencies that we’ve had the pleasure of sharing these projects with and see what goes on behind the scene’s to bring these visions to reality.
First up in this series are our good friends over at Breaks Agency. Having worked with Footpatrol from the beginning, Breaks have been on hand to oversee a wide range of our projects here at Footpatrol, from our adidas EQT video, to the Nike Air Max 95 ‘110’.
To learn more about this process, we caught up with Tom, founder of Breaks Agency who sat down with us to run us through the process that comes with bringing these concepts, to reality.
Keep a look out for more of these interviews coming soon and make sure to check out more of Breaks work here!
Footpatrol: Hey Tom how are you? Thank you for taking the time to talk to us today! We have worked together in the past and know all about you but for our audience can you give them a little insight into yourself and what it is you do?
Tom: Of course! I founded Breaks, an independent creative agency based in London that I run with my brother. What started as me on my own working from a friends office has evolved into a trusted studio in the centre of Shoreditch that creates and delivers large-scale campaigns for the likes of Nike, Dr. Martens, Barbour, Champion, New Balance and ClassPass.
A lot of our early work was with Footpatrol and we used to get to work on a lot of the collaborations you guys did. An early favourite of mine was the Karhu collaboration where we did a stop motion that involved slowly felling a tree in our mates studio. Took all day and made the place stink with petrol fumes. It never clicked with us that using a petrol chainsaw in a non-ventilated studio might be an issue.
Basically, if you’re launching a new trainer or collection, we’re often the guys who are creating the launch campaign.
FP: How did you go about starting the agency? And what difficulties did you have at the beginning?
Tom: The agency started just under 5 years ago officially, but it had been bubbling away in tandem a year or two prior alongside ‘Breaks Magazine’, an endeavour I ran at the time with the help of some friends. The magazine’s goal was to create wholly original content – mainly lengthy interviews – around music, street culture and skateboarding. It functioned in a magazine format – in issues – but released online without losing any of the user-friendly aesthetic of a blog. We featured a plethora of streetwear brand owners and were running parties with Red Bull to launch each issue, which is how our first ‘big’ project came about – working on the Converse x Footpatrol ‘Breakpoint’ release.
Five years ago in February, someone from Converse who came to our launch parties approached us to work on the Breakpoint project and produce the launch event for the shoe with Footpatrol. This is where I met you guys properly. From there, John [Brotherhood, head of Footpatrol] asked me to help you guys launch the Footpatrol ‘Hotstepper’ collaboration with Reebok, shooting the campaign and producing the launch party.
I still had a full time job at this point and was doing both at once, but once the Reebok project came through in May 2015 I handed in my notice and started Breaks full time. I haven’t looked back since. I have to give John credit for this as he was an early supporter of ours and he was always on hand for advice and wisdom. I owe him a lot.
The main difficulty in those days was money, we didn’t have any investment (and still don’t) so it got quite hand to mouth at points. Invoice to invoice. But you learn to weather it and you learn to make it work. Those were brilliant days, complete blind ignorance to the challenges that lay ahead, almost carefree. I loved it.
FP: What were you doing prior? Was it a creative job? Freelance? Or something completely different?
Tom: My CV is all sort of in the same vein; I worked for Red Bull in events during university and when I graduated I moved to London to work for a digital agency that had Red Bull as a client. I spent over four years there and in that time the agency got bought by a much larger global advertising agency called Leo Burnett and I got to see what working on huge campaigns was like and navigating large corporate worlds with loads of stakeholders and opinions on creativity.
I hated the big agency part of it and my experience of that definitely motivated me to start Breaks in my own image; an independent creative agency that would be the ideal place of work for myself and my brother, for us to work on projects we were passionate about, rather than sat in all agency meetings discussing how a protein yoghurt would talk on social media (true story; that’s a real meeting I was in).
FP: What we would like to know is how you get from concept to reality. Would you be able to choose ONE project that you have worked on and summarise into 5 steps the process from the client’s initial email to what the consumer sees?
Tom: Most projects are similar in how they play out so I can break it down into some steps here. These are mainly true for most with very little deviation, but it’s astonishing how some can play out wildly different to others.
1. Receive the brief from the client. From here we’re pulling it apart in our team, batting ideas around and having fantastical ideas about what we could produce. My job is usually to rein people in, but often we’ve been allowed to run wild which is incredible to have that trust from clients. The aim here is to meet the brief (sell the product), but also try to do something you’ve never done before that stretches the limit of what we’d be allowed to do. Somewhere in the middle of that is the sweet spot.
2. These ideas get written up and streamlined into a deck. Anyone not familiar with a deck it’s basically a PDF that lays out everything you plan to do. In advertising, everything ever is communicated in a deck. We create decks about decks. Decks haunt me in my sleep.
3. They get presented to the client – always in person, never over the phone if you can help it. The client feeds back. We’ve either hit the brief or not, they have thoughts, we need to change bits. We repeat points 2 and 3 over and over again until both parties are happy or both of us go mad. Whichever comes first.
4. Once we’re all in agreement, we go off and make it. Whether it’s a shoot, an animation, some design work, whatever it is, we go and bring it to life. We’re really lucky to work with some amazing creators who help us with this and we’ve built some really strong relationships over the years and travelled to some amazing places.
5. We deliver the content, in whatever form that is. Depending on the project, this can be lengthy. We do a lot of our post-production in house and we’re often delivering our ‘hero’ image to the client in 45 different crops for email banners, digital retail screens, social media etc. It’s a big job!
FP: Would you have any advice that you could share with our readers?
Tom: Listen to as much advice as you can – you can never learn too much. You don’t have to act on any of it, but it will help shape your opinion on the problem at hand. Always do what’s right for you and always trust your gut.
Also, don’t be a dick. It’s a really easy business mantra but you’d be surprised at the amount of people I’ve met along the way that can’t follow this simple rule. Keep your ego in check.
FP: How you are coping with the current lockdown. Is there anything particular that’s keeping you going?
Tom: I’m relishing the time to either run or cycle every day, the serotonin from that is keeping me going.
FP: And finally as it was trainers that brought all us together originally – what would you say is your staple go to for the following:
Tom: Working out – Usually an old pair of Nike Lunar Epic Flyknit 2’s but I’ve got some New balance 880s on the way to switch it up
Casual every day – New Balance 860v2’s or Nike Vomero 5’s
Impressing someone – Nike AM95 110’s, or Nike SB Infrared Dunk Low’s – both were impossible to get hold of this year.
Staying at home – Now we’re on lockdown its Suicoke Moto-CAB’s or Birkenstock Bostons all day every day
Thank you, stay safe!
For this next instalment of our Communi T project, we’ve teamed up with none other than Leicester based illustrator Nially Cat.
Leicester born and bred and with a stint in the big smoke behind him, Niall has managed to work with the likes of Nike and Vivienne Westwood whilst also taking his creativity to music videos.
Whilst designing this latest project, we managed to sit down with Niall to discuss his journey so far and where the ideas came from for this latest Communi T.
Footpatrol: Niall firstly welcome back! How have you been since the last time we spoke?
Niall: Chilling man drawing a lot been making a lot more recently too
FP: And what about your sneaker collection has that grown to?
Niall: Not really, I think I’ve grown out of a lot of it to be honest. I’ve invested in 2 pairs of each of the mint and pink 90s though I think I’ve found my crep for life now
FP: For those who didn’t know you’re a man who’s had his fingers in all the pies, you’ve done some work for Vivienne Westwood for the Africa Collection and even Nike’s Carnival Air Force 1 too, what was that like?
Niall: It was fun I enjoyed the projects, especially the Nike one. From a kid that was a really big goal for me and I’m pretty sure they changed the name to “peace love unity” if you google it so I slyly renamed it too.
FP: That Window Kid music video you told us about last time looked insane, do you still do a lot of work for the music scene or is stuff like this more as a bit of fun now?
Niall: The music videos are quite long I can’t lie, time consuming but the conclusion is fun. I like working on fun stuff, I don’t like boundaries or guidelines that are too strict, you need to try new things and innovate or I don’t feel you’re doing yourself justice creatively. I do a lot of covers and shorts and stuff. I think the best way to put it is shout me with something interesting and let’s work.
FP: Last time we spoke about Converse, but this time we are talking about something completely different. We are here to talk about your upcoming Communi T with Footpatrol. Is this the first time you have done an apparel collaboration before?
Niall: No I’ve done bits and pieces here and there. Best thing is to keep an eye on my Instagram and website. I’m no good at the 3rd person persona thing or the constant self promotion so if you miss it you miss it.
FP: Tell us a bit about the design for the tee, what was the story behind it all?
Niall: It’s a line from an old Klashnekoff tune. The front graphic is me in a custom Footpatrol mask (I added glasses so I could see distance) and the back print is the Klashnekoff quote in the Niallycat font – Loud Pack 😎
FP: Well we are super happy to have you a part of the Communi T project Niall and thanks again for spending some more time with us. Before we go is there anything you want to let the people know about that’s coming soon from yourself?
Niall: We got prints hitting the website, T-shirt’s, stickers, pin badges soon come, football shirt for summer. Just pre the website
FP: And finally a question we like to ask all Communi T partners.. please describe Hotel Creative’s style in 3 words?
Niall: Tall, Dark and handsome
Easily the silhouette that gets the most attention, adidas and YEEZY are back with another new take on their 350 v2 silhouette. Though its simplistic shape and subtle details, the pair have always managed to create a mix of interesting new colour ways keeping the silhouette fresh each time.
This latest one, dubbed ‘LINEN’ features a more heavier off white across the upper whilst the monofilament stripe, that’s woven into the reengineered Primeknit has a slight silver colouring.
Not messing with a perfect formula, the 350 V2 retains its full length BOOST within the midsole, making this one of the most wearable daily’s out there.
To enter the ONLINE 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.
Online raffle winners will receive a special code in which they’ll have a limited time to purchase their raffle win via a unique link. The raffle is limited to one entry per household! Multiple entries will be cancelled!
Next up in our Discussion series is none other than Thor Hovland who since 2016 has been working behind the scenes at ASICS.
Read the interview below (Available in both English & French) to learn more about his work and what he does within his role at ASICS and make sure to scroll all the way down to the bottom, to see some special Colourway’s of their Gel-Lyte III silhouette.
Footpatrol: Thor tell us a bit about yourself, what do you do and how long have you been doing it for?
Thor: I work at ASICS as a Senior Colour Designer within footwear. I started working at the brand in May 2016 as a Colour Design intern with a six-month placement and have worked my way up from there in the last four years.
FP: What does your role entail?
Thor: In simple terms my role as a Colour Designer involves the application of colours, materials and graphics to the brand’s footwear. That is the main element of the role, however it also involves looking at colour and material trends, taking part in creating the seasonal colour palette and presenting concepts and designs to colleague;, such as Product Managers and Merchandisers.
During my time at ASICS my role and responsibilities have changed slightly, but at the moment I work on products across all three categories; which are broken down into Sportstyle, Running and Core Performance Sports (CPS).
The majority of the work I do now is focused on the Heritage element of our global Sportstyle range, which basically means any model that is brought back from the archive for the inline collection. I also contribute, to varying degrees, on a lot of the collaborations with European partners as well as the regional SMUs for all three categories. For those that don’t know; SMUs are the products that are created exclusively for certain stores or partners.
FP: You’re also a huge ASICS collector, what was it about the brand that made you want to collect and now work for?
Thor: Oh, I don’t know if I would say huge, I guess it is all relative, I know a fair few people that have collections that put mine to shame. Saying that though; I have more appreciation for someone’s knowledge and passion rather than the size of their collection.
Back when I was purely a consumer I went through different phases when it came to what I would buy, but once I started focussing more on retro runners, I really started appreciating ASICS’ designs, quality and comfort. As someone who generally just appreciates good design, I continued to buy releases from different brands, but as time went on ASICS kind of naturally became my favoured brand. So, after I finished my Product Design Degree and I was looking to get into the industry, they were the brand I wanted to work for and fortunately for me it worked out.
FP: Do you have a favourite pair of ASICS? You don’t need to own the pair we are talking in general.
Thor: I know it is kind of a clichéd thing to say, but this is such a tough question and one where the answer would probably change from day to day. So, if it is OK, instead of giving you my favourite pair of all time, I will give you one that has some sentimentality and meaning to it. The GEL-Lyte V “Passport” collaboration with Sneakerness, which is special to me as it was the first collaboration that I worked on. So that was obviously a big moment for me when it released.
FP: Now you have worked with many people during your time with the brand, especially on the collaboration front. It must be an amazing feeling to see the concepts you spend so long working on behind closed doors come to life?
Thor: Oh, for sure, it is always a great feeling to see something you have worked on come to life. More so than just seeing it come to life; the real satisfaction comes from seeing people get excited about and hopefully spend their hard-earned money on something you have created. It gives you a bit of a buzz when you see people wearing them on the streets or posting pictures of them on social media. It is also kind of odd though, as my job means that I work a couple of seasons ahead, like right now I am working on the range for AW21, so by the time a shoe releases and consumers are talking about it, I have moved on to other things. I hope that kind of makes sense?
FP: On your instagram you also do a daily design of the GEL-Lyte III in some very recognisable colourways. Are these your dream concepts or is this more of a fun pass time?
Thor: It is a combination of me, in my own way, paying homage to the GEL-Lyte III for its 30thanniversary, but at the same time setting myself a little bit of a personal challenge; having some fun and staying creative.
FP: 2020 is also a big year for ASICS as it marks the anniversary of the Gel-Lyte III. Could you explain the significance of this model for the brand? Some would say that it’s the brand’s most recognisable model.
Thor: From a lifestyle perspective I think there is no denying the GEL-Lyte III is the brand’s most recognisable shoe. Although it wasn’t the first model to be collaborated on, I think it is fair to say that the collaborations with David Z and Patta in 2007 were what really kicked things off for ASICS in the lifestyle/sportstyle category. To this day it is the most collaborated on model and it is generally these projects that create the most exposure, so it makes sense that the model that has had the most collabs would be the most recognisable. Saying that though, I think the credit needs to go to Mitsui-San’s design, as had the design not been as strong as it is then it could have been a completely different story.
FP: What about for you, does this model resonate with yourself or were there other models from ASICS that you liked more?
Thor: I am a big fan of a lot of ASICS’ models and having looked through old catalogues, going all the way back to the 60’s; I think that it is easily one of the strongest archives in the industry. I am of course however a little biased and I haven’t had the same access to other brands’ back catalogues, so you will have to take that comment with a bit of salt. The GEL-Lyte III is still my favourite though, not just because of the design, but also because of its significance for the brand, you could argue that without it the lifestyle side of the brand and in turn my job may not have existed.
FP: Could you tell us a bit around the GEL technology that is used in models such as the GEL-Lyte III, has it changed over the years or has it stayed the same since its introduction in 1986?
Thor: If you are looking for a really technical answer, then that question would be better suited to the scientists at our Institute of Sport Science (I.S.S.), who are continually working on developing all aspects of our footwear, including the GEL technology. I can however say that there have been multiple adaptations and iterations of GEL since the introduction of the alpha-GEL that featured on the Japan exclusive Freaks model in 1986 and later the GT II, which released globally. Even in the late 80’s and early 90’s there were different versions of GEL utilised in the forefoot and rearfoot of a shoe. So, in very simple terms, the GEL that you see today on models like the GEL-Quantum 360 and Infinity is not the same as the GEL technology from 1986. Also, as a side note, this development of technologies in-house is something that makes ASICS unique, as the majority of brands utilise external chemical companies for this kind of thing, which makes the work done at the I.S.S. pretty special.
FP: Thor thanks for spending time with us! Before we let you go we are asking people what they are doing during the lockdown to keep creative, active or whatever they want to do to stay productive. Have you got any inspiration for the Footpatrol followers?
Thor: My pleasure. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to provide some small insights on what it means to be a colour designer at ASICS.
That’s a good question; I would just encourage people to do something creative, as it is always good to learn new skills and there are so many different things that you can do at home; whether it involves photography, videography, illustration, music, art, etc. Now is the perfect time to maybe try something you have wanted to learn, but have been putting off, especially as a few companies are giving free or discounted access to their creative tools and tutorials.
Most of all though I would say stay home, stay safe and make sure to check in with your loved ones.
FP: Thor, parle nous un peu de toi, qu’est ce que tu fais dans la vie et depuis combien de temps ?
Thor: Je travaille pour ASICS en tant que « Senior Colour Designer » pour la division Footwear. J’ai commencé à travailler pour la marque en mai 2016 en tant que stagiaire « Colour Design » pendant 6 mois. Et durant les 4 dernières années j’ai fait mon chemin jusqu’au poste que j’occupe actuellement.
FP: En quoi consiste ton rôle ?
Thor: En gros, mon rôle c’est de m’occuper de l’application des couleurs, des matériaux et des graphismes pour la division Footwear de la marque. C’est la plus grosse partie de mon travail, mais je suis aussi impliqué dans la recherche de nouvelles tendances en ce qui concerne les matériaux et les couleurs. Je participe donc à la création de la palette de couleurs de la saison et à la présentation de concepts et des designs à mes collègues, notamment les « chefs produit » et les « Merchandisers ».
Depuis que je suis chez ASICS, mon rôle et mes responsabilités ont légèrement évolués. Mais actuellement je travaille sur des produits faisant partie de 3 catégories différentes : « Sportstyle », « Running » et « Core Performance Sports » (CPS).
La majorité du travail que j’effectue est concentrée sur les éléments « Héritage » de notre gamme « Sportstyle », en gros : tous les modèles qui sont repris de nos archives pour nos collections. J’interviens aussi, à différents niveaux, sur plusieurs collaborations avec nos partenaires européens ainsi que les « SMU » régionaux pour les 3 catégories. Pour ceux qui ne le savent pas, les « SMU » (Special Make Up), sont des produits qui sont créés exclusivement pour certains magasins ou partenaires.
FP: Tu es aussi un gros collectionneur d’Asics ! Qu’est ce qui t’a donné envie de collectionner cette marque et d’y travailler ?
Thor: Oh ! Je ne sais pas si je dirais « gros », je pense que c’est relatif. Je connais pas mal de gens dont la collection mettrait la mienne à l’amende. En parlant de ça, j’ai plus de considération pour le savoir et la passion de quelqu’un que pour la taille de sa collection.
Quand j’étais simplement consommateur, je suis passé par plusieurs phases en ce qui concerne ce que j’achetais. Mais quand je me suis concentré sur les retros running, j’ai vraiment commencé à apprécier les designs, la qualité et le confort d’ASICS. Etant quelqu’un qui apprécie généralement les bons designs, j’ai continué à acheter des paires de différentes marques. Mais avec le temps, ASICS est naturellement devenue ma marque préférée. Donc une fois que j’ai eu mon diplôme en « Design Produit », je cherchais à entrer dans ce domaine là. ASICS était la marque pour laquelle je voulais travailler et heureusement pour moi, ça a fonctionné.
FP: Est-ce que tu as une paire d’ASICS favorite ? Tu n’as pas besoin de forcément posséder la paire, je parle en général.
Thor: Je sais que ce que je vais dire est un peu cliché, mais c’est une question très difficile et je pense que la réponse changerait de jour en jour. Donc si ça te convient, au lieu de donner ma paire favorite de tous les temps, je vais te donner celle qui a une valeur sentimentale toute particulière. C’est la Gel Lyte V « Passport », collaboration avec le Sneakerness, parce que c’est la première collaboration sur laquelle j’ai travaillé. Donc c’était forcément un grand moment pour moi quand elle est sortie.
FP: Depuis que tu as intégré ASICS, tu as travaillé avec beaucoup de monde, surtout au niveau des collaborations. Ça doit être un sentiment particulier de voir des concepts sur lesquels tu as passé énormément de temps prendre finalement vie ?
Thor: Évidemment ! C’est toujours un super sentiment de voir quelque chose sur lequel tu as travaillé prendre vie. Au-delà de ça, c’est de voir l’excitation des gens, et éventuellement les voir dépenser l’argent qu’ils ont économisé dans quelque chose que tu as créé, c’est ça la véritable satisfaction. Ça fait vraiment quelque chose de voir les gens les porter dans la rue ou les poster sur les réseaux sociaux. C’est aussi un peu étrange pour moi, dans la mesure où mon travail consiste à travailler sur les saison futures. Par exemple en ce moment, je travaille sur la collection AW21. Donc quand un produit sort et que les consommateurs en parlent, je travaille déjà sur autre chose. Tu vois ce que je veux dire !
FP: Sur ton compte Instagram, tu postes chaque jour un design de la Gel Lyte III avec des coloris très reconnaissables. Ce sont tes designs de rêves ou simplement un passe-temps ?
Thor: C’est ma façon à moi de rendre hommage à la Gel Lyte III pour son 30ème anniversaire. Mais en même temps, ça me permet de me challenger un peu ! C’est amusant et ça me permet de rester créatif.
FP: 2020 est aussi une grosse année pour Asics, puisqu’elle marque les 30 ans de la Gel Lyte III. Tu peux nous expliquer ce que représente ce modèle pour la marque ? Certains disent que c’est le modèle le plus reconnaissable de la marque.
Thor: D’un point de vu Lifestyle, on ne peut pas nier que c’est la plus reconnaissable de la marque. Même si ce n’est pas le modèle sur laquelle on a fait les premières collaborations, je pense qu’on peut dire que celles faites avec David Z et Patta en 2007 ont vraiment lancé le truc pour Asics dans la catégorie Lifestyle/Sportstyle. A ce jour, c’est le modèle sur lequel on a fait le plus de collaborations, et c’est généralement ces projets qui ont le plus de visibilité. C’est donc logique que ce soit le modèle le plus reconnaissable. En parlant de ça, je pense que tout le crédit doit aller au design de Mitsui-San. Je pense que si le design n’avait pas été aussi fort qu’il ne l’est, l’histoire aurait été bien différente.
FP: Et pour toi ? Tu es sensible à ce modèle ou il y a d’autres modèles chez ASICS que tu préfères ?
Thor: Je suis un grand fan de plein de modèles d’ASICS. Ayant pu parcourir les anciens catalogues, en remontant jusqu’aux années 60, je pense qu’on peut facilement dire qu’ASICS a les meilleures archives de toute l’industrie. Mon avis est forcément un peu biaisé et je n’ai évidemment pas autant accès aux archives des autres marques qu’à celles d’ASICS, il faut donc prendre cette réflexion avec des pincettes ! La Gel Lyte III reste malgré tout mon modèle préféré, pas uniquement par son design, mais aussi pour ce qu’elle représente pour la marque. On peut penser que sans cette paire, le coté lifestyle de la marque n’existerait pas et mon travail non plus…
FP: Tu peux nous en dire un peu plus sur la technologie Gel qui est utilisée sur des modèles comme la Gel Lyte III ? La technologie a-t-elle changée avec le temps ou est ce qu’elle est restée la même depuis son introduction en 1986 ?
Thor: Si vous voulez une réponse très technique, il faut s’adresser aux scientifiques de notre « Institute of Sport Science » (I.S.S). Ils travaillent et développent continuellement tous les aspects de nos chaussures, la technologie Gel y compris. Je peux quand même dire qu’il y a eu plusieurs adaptations et versions du Gel depuis l’apparition de l’Alpha-Gel sur le modèle Freaks qui était une exclusivité
Japon en 1986, puis plus tard sur la GT-II qui est sortie plus largement. Même à la fin des années 80/début des années 90, il y a eu des versions différentes du Gel utilisés à l’avant et à l’arrière du pied. Donc, pour faire simple, le Gel que vous voyez aujourd’hui sur un modèle comme la Gel- Quantum 360 et Infinity n’est pas la même technologie Gel que celle des années 80. Petite remarque, ce développement de technologie en interne est quelque chose qui rend ASICS unique. La majorité des autres marques passent par des sociétés externes de l’industrie chimique, pour ce genre de choses. Ce qui rend le travail fait à l’I.S.S assez spécial.
FP: Thor merci d’avoir passé du temps avec nous ! Avant qu’on te laisse partir, on demande aux gens de nous dire ce qu’ils font durant le confinement pour rester créatif, actif ou n’importe quoi qui leur permette de rester productif. As-tu des inspirations pour les followers de Footpatrol ?
Thor: Avec plaisir ! Merci de m’avoir donné l’opportunité de donner quelques détails sur ce qu’est un « Colour Designer » chez ASICS.
C’est une bonne question ! J’encouragerais simplement les gens à faire quelque chose de créatif. C’est toujours bon d’apprendre de nouvelles choses et il y a tellement de choses que vous pouvez faire de chez vous, comme de la photo, de la vidéo, du dessin, de la musique, de l’art… C’est peut être le moment d’apprendre quelque chose que vous avez toujours voulu apprendre mais que vous avez toujours repoussé. Certaines entreprises donnent accès gratuitement ou à prix réduit à des outils créatifs et des tutoriels.
Avant tout je dirais, restez chez vous, prenez soin de vous et garder contact avec ceux que vous aimez.
Continuing in the futuristic footsteps of the 380 ‘ALIEN’ and the 700 V3 ‘AZAEL’, adidas and YEEZY are back with another iteration of their 700 V3 silhouette.
With recent YEEZY’s featuring a multi tonal upper, this ‘ALVAH’ takes it back to basics and introduces an all black upper to the V3 silhouette for the first time. Subtle bursts of greys are weaved within the monofilament mesh upper, creating a layered appearance underneath the RPU cage.
A bootie construction, which features reflective details, allows for a more snug fit, providing stability. The PU encapsulated EVA midsole provides comfort and durability, while the herringbone rubber outsole offers unique design cues and improved traction.
To enter the ONLINE 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.
Online raffle winners will receive a special code in which they’ll have a limited time to purchase their raffle win via a unique link. The raffle is limited to one entry per household! Multiple entries will be cancelled!
Continuing a legacy born of three decades of athletic and cultural relevance, the Converse Pro Leather returns in premium form for a new era. Ever since its debut back in 1976, the Pro Leather has maintained a solid presence within a wide range of cultural, sporting and leisure pursuits, from basketball courts and skateparks through to the block parties of hip-hop’s formative years. Utilising premium materials and enhanced with era-authentic detailing, the Pro Leather pays tribute to the past by cementing its place in the present.
We looked within London’s homegrown creative community to find three people who are making moves in the present day, but who remain inspired by the past decades.
By Chris Aylen
The Converse Three Decades pack will be launching online on the 9th, 10th and 11th April, priced at £80.
Steven Julian
1980s
As a DJ and producer, Steven Julien – also known as FunkinEven – stands out as one of the most invigorating and captivating artists to come from London in recent years. In a world that’s keen to categorise everything, his music is often idly filed under the label of ‘electronic’. But if you truly listen to the genius contained within each track, you’ll soon hear that there’s a lot more going on… “I started off as a hip-hop dancer, before forming a group with my mates called The Dungeoneers. At that point I rapped, but I became more interested in making beats. So I got my first keyboard from a friend and bought my first drum machine and just started making jams. I’ve still got that same drum machine now.”
Instead of taking the popular route of relying on software to create his music, Steven has amassed a vast array of classic analogue machines from the likes of icons such as Roland, Korg and Yamaha, many of which were involved in the creation of his last album, ‘Bloodline’ from 2018. At a time when almost anyone can learn how to use software in order to make music through online videos and extensive tutorials, getting to grips with individual pieces of vintage equipment seems like much more of a task and investment of time. But as a result, there’s a warmth here that is often lacking in modern music. Steven explains,”For
me, creating music this way has much more feeling and working with physical machines definitely informs my creative process. The 1980s was an important era: most of the equipment I use today was first manufactured back in the ’80s.”.
If you listen to the debut album, ‘Fallen’ from 2016, it would be hard to deny the brilliance contained within: immersive, layered soundtracks which conjure up visions of neon lights and dark streets, with elements of funk, hip-hop, house and soul each playing a role. The combination of contemporary theming paired with an almost-vintage synthesized sound makes for unforgettable listening, and his music label, Apron Records, has already amassed an impressive discography of cross-genre masterpieces.
As the bassline rumbles on, it’s easy to hear decades of inspiration in the music, but the 1980s clearly seems to be more than just the birthdate of his studio equipment. Steven explains what family life back then was like, and how it remains to be a thread in what he does today. “Growing up as a kid in the ’80s definitely informed what I do now. Being around my parents and listening to their music… house parties… watching TV… Everything from that era has been a massive part of my upbringing. It’s something that’s always there.”
Launching online on Thursday 9th April, Sizes range from UK3.5 – UK11, priced at £80.
Jyrrel Roberts
1990s
As an up-and-coming creative who can turn his hands to anything, Jyrrel represents London’s bustling undercurrent of young visionaries to a tee. Whether he’s modelling for your favourite streetwear brands, skating with his friends through the city or carefully casting a ring for his jewellery line, there’s no denying his talent and determination. London has always offered plenty of sources of inspiration to burgeoning creatives, and for Jyrrel the motivation starts close to home.
“The ’90s was a key time for me. I would subconsciously absorb things I saw when I was out at galleries or looking at books, but it was various elements from my home life and upbringing that nurtured an understanding of style for me. Those early years provided me with many key moments of inspiration which have since influenced my life in a variety of ways.”
His selected mode of transport – the omnipresent skateboard – has been a constant presence throughout Jyrrel’s life. “Skating has always been there, often providing me a welcome escape from everyday life. I remember watching my uncle skate when I was very young and from there I took things in my own direction. Those roots allowed me to develop a sense of expression that’s informed my projects ever since.”
One of Jyrrel’s artistic outlets comes in the form of his line of handmade jewellery – a skill that requires patience, meticulous craftsmanship and a healthy dose of vision. Anything and everything has the potential to inspire him when in the workshop. “Working on jewellery pieces is very much a gradual process and not something that I can actually plan or could work to a set routine. The initial inspiration for a ring, for example, could come from anything. Something that I see one day might not be a catalyst until months down the line when I’m sketching out some ideas.”
There’s no denying that London provides a rich, endless supply of material for the modern day hunter-gatherer. “I found an old metal radiator that had been dumped in the street the other day. I looked at it for a couple of minutes and quickly realised I could use it for… something! It could provide me with an idea or even just a chance to use the materials in my own pieces. As a result, I ended up walking around Shoreditch carrying this massive radiator for the rest of the day!”
Launching online on Thursday 10th April, Sizes range from UK4 – UK11, priced at £80.
Bwalya Newton
2000s
Anyone who’s had the opportunity to meet Bwalya Newton will tell you that her enthusiasm and passion is infectious. In fact, talking to her for any length of time is exhilarating, as she speaks and writes with warmth and wisdom that’s born from her rich, layered background and a desire to push beyond her comfort zone. And whilst her talents have manifested themselves across many different outlets, the Zambian-born, London-based writer and DJ is perhaps best known for her formation of the much-respected women’s basketball team, Hackney Gazelles.
Making the transition from Africa to the UK would be a courageous endeavour for anyone to undertake, but even at seven years old Bwalya was already well-equipped with her dextrous vocabulary, bolstored with a genuine love of talking to people. “I come from a family of diplomats,
so education was always really important. My grandfather was a teacher and I spent a lot of time when I was young listening to him read to me. In Zambia, education never really stopped once you were outside the school environment: your freedom and your liberation was seen in education. When I came to London, it was a weird shift to see that education wasn’t at the forefront”.
Being placed in a potentially intimidating situation at such a young age perhaps contributed to her positive and bold use of language. “You have to be surefooted, because people are always going to question you. Previous to becoming a journalist, I studied law. I like talking to people and I think that’s what interested me about law – being able to have a persuasive argument or explain how someone feels in order to share them with the world. I know what it feels like to be excluded and so there’s something inside of me that wants to stop others feeling like that. I realised that I could that through journalism.”
With her creativity and words currently spanning the breadth of contemporary media, planning the next step is something that needs careful consideration. Would she ever want to run her own magazine? “I would love to have my own publication, but I don’t know if that’s needed in a world that’s already filled with so much content. Basketball is almost like another language, especially when you’re doing it within a London context instead of New York. You’re taking it away from its home, and so you have to redefine that within the confines of a colder city, where there are less courts and no asphalt Gods.”
With the Gazelles currently on hiatus due to COVID-19, whilst plans are formulated for the future, it gives us a chance to catch our breath and look back to the halcyon years that gave birth to Bwalya’s passion and motivations. The 2000s was a lively, exciting time with a lot going on. Making sense of everything and knowing where to look for inspiration is something that’s easier in hindsight perhaps? “No one could have realised or predicted the hybridity of subcultures that we saw in the 2000s. You don’t think about things like that when you’re 14 years old and consuming all this stuff as part of the first Internet generation. If everything hadn’t been so fractured and multifaceted, I wouldn’t be the person I am now.”
Launching online on Thursday 11th April, Sizes range from UK4 – UK11, priced at £80.
