Author: Bradley Martinez

For this summer we have teamed up with adidas Consortium as part of the 30 years of Torsion celebrations. 

Debuting exactly 30 years ago, the Torsion System has been one of adidas’ biggest breakthroughs has become an iconic mainstay within adidas. By using a TPU arch to bridge the heel and forefoot, Torsion allows the front and rear of the foot to operate and adapt to surfaces independently.

With this celebration towards Torsion, we have worked with adidas on creating a unique take on the ZX Torsion, a shoe that brings together two of adidas’ most ground-breaking technologies. Combining the Torsion System with the latest in BOOST cushioning makes for a modern, contemporary feel whilst keeping in touch with what made the ZX range so unique and iconic.

For our Communitas project, the focus was on the London key city moment of Notting Hill Carnival. The Adidas Consortium x Footpatrol ZX Torsion features a mixture of overlays on the upper with a mixture of stark whites, subtle greys with bursts of neon yellows lifting the shoe. The Torsion bar itself is coated in a vibrant marble effect of colour, bringing a sense of spirit that carnivals are known for. Footpatrol branding appears in an lenticular effect on the tongue alongside W1/W11 postcodes representing both Footpatrol and Notting Hill.  

As part of this special release, we have partnered up with DAZED and 33BOUND to curate a documentary which delves into the history of steelpan drumming focussing the attention of one of the most well-known steelpan bands, Ebony Steel Band. Bringing the sounds of steelpan drumming since 1969, the short documentary takes a look at the generations and personalities of the Caribbean and British people that make up the group as they prepare to enter their 50^thanniversary. 

With each in-store purchase, you will receive a free carnival kit (whilst stocks last) to coincide with Notting Hill carnival.

The adidas Consortium x Footpatrol ZX Torsion is Now Available in-store and online. Sizes range from UK6 – UK12 (including half sizes), priced at £130.

Since it first debuted in 1985, the Air Jordan 1 ‘Black Toe’ has grown to become one of the most beloved OG colorways of Michael Jordan’s first signature sneaker.

Ever since its release, the Air Jordan 1 model has been one of a few silhouettes that have undergone many renditions whether it being a new colourway, various material changes or hybrids. Most recently, the smooth Satin fabric has graced the popular retro from ‘Bred’, ‘Royal’ to ‘Shattered Backboard’ respectively as well as Alaeli May’s collaboration. Jordan Brand are now applying this on another original colourway, the ‘Black Toe’.

Consisting of the original ‘Black Toe’ colour blocking, the upper is dressed in premium leather from the toe through to the medial and lateral part of the shoe. The heel portion and lining features a full shine satin material. The signature ‘Wings’ logo is present in a metal badge along the ankle.

The WMNS Air Jordan I High ‘Black Toe’ will be available for an in-store purchase exclusively through an online raffle. STRICTLY ONE ENTRY PER PERSON, multiple entries will be deleted. Raffle entrance closes on Thursday 15th August at 10:00AM BST.

Sign up here

Good luck!

The latest Air Jordan 1 High is a testament to Jordan Brands storytelling which has been a huge element to their releases ever since its first release in 1985.

The up and coming Air Jordan 1 iteration transcended its purpose and ‘Defiant’ celebrates the music community who adopted it as its own—alternative rock. Featuring a DIY aesthetic, the red Swoosh treatment takes inspiration from a leather jacket’s stitching details and removable patches. Signature black and white leather on the upper and a contrasting yellow Swoosh salute to ’80s album colours and irreverent streetwear that defined alternative rock at the time.

The Air Jordan I High ‘Defiant’ is now SOLD OUT.

Originally hailing from Lisbon, Mr Phomer now finds himself residing in London. A visual artist with a distinct graphic style, Mr Phomer manages to take a mature typographic aesthetic whilst seamlessly blending a mixture of graffiti and cartoon illustrations.

As our very first partner during the launch of our Communi T project, we are delighted to introduce our latest collaboration with Mr Phomer. 

With a resurgence in 90’s culture, a new generation has emerged with the desire of recreating the handmade aesthetic that became renowned throughout the 90’s. With this latest collaboration, Mr Phomer set out with the idea of curating a collection that bridged the link between the generation in which he grew up, and the new generation who are adapting their own aesthetic to that iconic period. 

For this, we wanted to explore and delve into the DIY fashion culture that became synonymous with the 90’s Punk & Rap groups of that era. One thing that always stands out as easily recognisable is the small record label and agency logos found on the back of old cassette case, vinyl and cd’s. Bringing that inspiration to the collection, Mr Phomer has created a series of graphic illustrations which have been adapted to bring Footpatrol London and Paris one step further into the world of music. 

To go alongside the collection, we have created two designs in collaboration with Stance Socks featuring the Alley Rats logo.

In celebration of the collection, we’ll be hosting a special event with Mr Phomer and Keep Hush on Thursday 15^thAugust at Hoxton Basement. With a line-up consisting of, Amy Becker, Subculture, Jess Ajose, House of Pharaohs, Tysxn and Denzel Himself.

To RSVP head over to www.keephush.net .

Shot on location at Phonox, Brixton, and edited by Footpatrol.

The Footpatrol x Mr Phomer ‘Alley Rats’ Collection is Now Available in-store and online. Sizes range from S – XXL, priced between £30 – £60.

During the 80’s, basketball was not the only culture that became affected by the Air Jordan in 1985. When iconic figures like lance Mountain began skating in the AJI, it instantly became a part of skate culture.

This year sees the SB x AJI ‘Defiant Is’ pay homage to parallel cities in Jordan Brand and skateboarding history. ‘LA to Chicago’ brings together two cities which kicked off the origins of both modern-day skateboarding and greatness whilst tying together iconic references.

On the face of it, the ‘LA to Chicago’ features a Court Purple and University Gold colour-way however, a wear away effect soon reveals the famed Chicago colour way underneath which comes to fruition with more wear over time.

The Air Jordan I High ‘LA to Chicago’ will be available for an in-store purchase exclusively through an online raffle. STRICTLY ONE ENTRY PER PERSON, multiple entries will be deleted. Raffle entrance closes on Wednesday 14th August at 10:00AM BST.

Sign up here

When it comes to fashion and sneaker culture, one of the biggest things you’ll find is its connection to music. Being in the heart of Soho, London music plays a big part of the culture where Footpatrol finds itself. Frequent Players is our first venture into the world of music. 

It’s with Frequent Players that we hope to build a community feel based around our customer and bring them closer to Footpatrol and building connections with the local music scene. Recently we played host to the Real Talk Music Sessions with Future Bubblers which saw attendees join us in-store for a series of talks and Q&A sessions with special guests who ranged from musicians to PR and agencies. 2019 also saw us team up with Berlin’s 3’Hi and East London native D Double E for his 2019 tour, bringing together six shows within the UK and one special appearance at New Yorks HoLo.

As part of our Frequent Players initiative, we bring you an introductory guest mix. Over the coming months we will be inviting different guests to create a special one-off mix, exploring different genres and opening up our community to a variety of music.

For this, we sought out the legendary Mr G to kick things off!

Initially part of the KCC DJ trio, Mr G has been in and around the music scene for the best part of two decades. Hailed as a dance music legend, Mr G, has been paving the way for his unique style of electronic tech-funk ever since the late 90’s with his Phoenix G label. At his very core lies a true Philly soul fan, this paved the way for his introduction to House and Techno and explore the connection between different genres. Such is the way; Mr G has managed to go very much under the radar with those true to the music scene appreciating his vast contribution to dance music.

Throughout our ten plus years on Berwick St we have become friends with Mr G, Being a lover of sneakers alongside music, it was only right that we kicked off this series with him! 

Straight off the back of Free Rotation festival, We caught up with Mr G and he took to the decks to record this special mix for Frequent Players.  

Footpatrol – Taking you away from the music scene, where do you find your other inspirations from? Could you talk us through where your inspirations came from when piecing together this mix for Footpatrol?

Mr G – I went with the vibe that I felt sneaker heads would love with interesting music so decided to make it super eclectic but with that low-end funk.My mixes have to say something though, hence the deep start reflecting a mother’s pain and the uplifting end message in the music, that’s super important to me when I do these things.

FP – We know you are an avid sneaker collector also, where have you found your best sneaker find? 

Mr G – Tokyo many, many times. The best one was looking for a Roshe Run leopard, I looked everywhere before finally walking into a local sneaker shop in Shibuya and there it was, one pair sat on a shelf, though not my size it fit and was on sale ……. super happy to have found them!

FP – Can you remember your first experience with Footpatrol? 

Mr G – Probably when it was in the alley seeing all the great sneaks they couldn’t give away then it all changed and those OG safaris all of a sudden went twice the price!

FP – We hear on visits to Japan you’ve often found yourself sneaker shopping, is there a big culture between music and sneakers there like here in London?

Mr G – More of a hip hop edge in japan with a lot of Jordan high tops, rather than running shoes for example. Atmos is king however and usually well ahead of the pack. Although, it’s all quite boring now as you can get anything for a price, back when the joy was knowing it was only available in japan …. that’s when I took a step back from it all as now you buy something, come home and then maybe 4/5 weeks later they’ll be available in the UK!

FP – Is there any upcoming DJ’s that have made you stop and admire at what they’re doing within their genre at the moment?

Mr G – There are many that you hear of or dig but the skill is to come up with something different from the rest, but few do so it feels same ole same ole but a bear young DJ in Lausanne, Switzerland who I thought was dope!

Pleasure

Thirty years ago, adidas unleashed their game-changing running collection to the market – the coveted ZX Series.

Each of the original silhouettes were designed with individually tailored technology to suit the needs of slightly different runners and the problems they faced, meaning that everyone could benefit from the performance-enhancing features that came with each model. One of these hugely successful innovations had never been seen before, the Torsion System.

The Torsion System was an instant hit with runners of all capabilities. The X-shaped system sat in the midsole, a solid TPU arch which bridged the heel and forefoot for heightened support and stability. It allowed the front and rear of the foot to operate independently from one another, while also reducing excessive twisting and adapting to whatever terrain you were running, therefore providing high levels of support and stability.

Creating instantly recognisable silhouettes, the ZX series featured an array of different colour blocks with each one representing the shoe’s performance capabilities. Blue was for cushioning, green represented guidance and yellow was the key for support. 

For SS19, adidas has revisited this period in their history and in celebration and recreated four ZX Series silhouettes in their original colourways. Providing a modern touch on these iconic silhouettes, adidas has added new lace jewels which have been graced with ’30 years of Torsion’ branding. 

The adidas Consortium ’30 years of Torsion’ collection will be coming soon to Footpatrol.

The ‘Cool Grey’ colourway was initially released in 2001 on the Air Jordan XI and set a tone of new iterations of the model, respectively. In 2004, the ‘Cool Grey’ colour palette was introduced to the Air Jordan IV, adding a unique spin on the original silhouette.

15 years later and for the first time, Jordan Brand have brought back the eluded colour in time for its 30th anniversary. Dressed in a monochrome upper made up of nubuck, ‘Dark Charcoal’ hits were featured on the wing tips, lining and tongue tab. “Knowing that materials and textures can create dimension (on the same colour), I thought it would be cool to do a shades-of-grey shoe”, says the Footwear Product Director at the time, Gentry Humphrey, revealing the inspiration behind the colourway’s creation.

The white midsole added contrast along with yellow detailing on the tongue label, behind the tongue, outsole and airbag. A chrome Jumpman on the heel finished off the subtle silhouette.

The Air Jordan IV ‘Cool Grey’ is now SOLD OUT.

For 2019, Nike continues to delve into its archives, gifting us with revivals of some of their most standout silhouettes over the millennial period.

First released in 1999, the Ghost Racer was Nike’s newest running sneaker silhouette on the market. The Racer was Nike’s first to utilise a full-length Duralon BRS-1000 midsole system, benefitting from a faux carbon medial post and midfoot shank. With a Zoom Air unit also built into the Ghost Racer’s heel, the technological twosome was a combination that provided high levels of comfort that a long-distance runner needed.

Up top, the sneaker boasted breathable mesh and suede overlays which allowed for a more stable, yet breathable feel. With this blend of lightweight construction and comfort, the Ghost Racer proved to be a very popular silhouette. 

Fast-forward to 2019 and Nike has reintroduced the Ghost Racer to the market in near-replica form. With a more lifestyle approach taken, the Ghost Racer has been updated with modern materials, elevating the already comfortable creation to new heights. 

Available in two colourways, a subtle black and metallic silver (available now), and a more vibrant colourway of volt and white, the Nike Ghost Racer is Now Available in-store and online, sizes range from UK6 – UK12 (including half sizes), priced at £105.

Last Saturday we hosted an in-store meet and greet with AWAKENY founder Angelo Baque in celebration of the ASICS x AWAKE NY Gel-Kayano 5 360 collaboration.

The family tree of New York City skate brand and streetwear mainstay Supreme has seeded numerous independent clothing labels, not limited to Jason Dill’s Fucking Awesome, Brendon Babenzian’s Noah, and more recently, Awake NY, the brainchild of former Supreme brand director Angelo Baque.

Launched in 2012, Awake NY captures the unique cultural spirit and sensibility of New York City. Awake NY is a reflection of the diversity that has defined the city’s cultural landscape. Simultaneously classic and contemporary, Awake NY evokes both the changing aesthetic vibrancy and timelessness of New York. 

Thank you to ASICS and Angelo for coming to the store and being there in person to celebrate the first collaborative project, we hope to see you for the next one!

Check out the full recap below…

#TEAMFP