Author: Tom
Just over a year after the original release, Virgil Abloh is is set to once again continue his creative partnership with Nike and put his spin on one of the original Ten. This season OFF WHITE and Nike have partnered up on an Autumnal version of the Nike Blazer and an eye-catching iteration of the Converse Chuck Taylor, however they are looking to follow these up with a more contemporary shoe – the Nike Zoom Fly.
Virgil Abloh chose to include the Nike Zoom Fly SP in his original collection because in his words the shoe broke boundaries, in both performance and design. The Zoom Fly SP (and Zoom Fly technology on the whole) have been engineered to push the boundaries of what a running shoe can do, and to give athletes the tools to achieve their best possible performance. This all came to fruition in 2017 when Kenyan long distance runner Eliud Kipchoge ran the fastest marathon in history, establishing Nike’s Zoom Fly technology as the pinnacle of performance gear in the process.
This season Nike and OFF WHITE are returning to the Zoom Fly SP for two contrasting iterations, the first being a low-key all black number and the second being an instantly eye-catching Tulip Pink colour-way. Both the Black and Tulip Zoom Fly SP’s feature the iconic OFF WHITE deconstructed branding, exposed stitching and zip-tie.
The OFF WHITE x Nike Zoom Fly will be available for an in-store purchase via raffle only. STRICTLY ONE ENTRY PER COLOUR PER PERSON MULTIPLE ENTRIES WILL BE CANCELLED. Raffle entrance closes at 5pm Saturday 24th November. Good luck!
Click here to enter.
For 2018 Footpatrol have worked with Fila to reintroduce German Silva’s iconic silhouette back into market, debuting at this years Complexcon!
German Silva is a retired Mexican long-distance runner who famously ran the wrong way during the New York City marathon in 1994. While this might have been the end of the race for most runners, Silva managed to gain back the time and actually win the race. His shoe, the Fila Silva, was originally launched back in the late 90’s as a running shoe for long-distance training, featuring 2A technology in the heel and forefoot. However, as the case with most runners, the Fila SILVA quickly gained a following outside of it’s intended audience.
For 2018 Fila invited us to collaborate on the reissue 0f the SILVA trainer. We approached the project looking to give the silhouette a premium finish utilising high-quality materials, whilst keeping true to German Silva’s legacy. Both Footpatrol stores reside in cities that house famous marathons; the London Marathon & the Paris Marathon, therefore creating a pair for each city was the only way forward.
The Paris SILVA is produced in a clean premium suede execution in egret (a colour reminiscent of the Lutetian limestone that Paris is built with) to finish the design, we added the French flag on the heel-tab. For the SILVA London edition, we produced a stealthy black colour-way to represent the grittiness of London’s climate during the winter months. The London SILVA is completed with the Union Jack flag on the heel-tab. Both pairs feature hits of red in the upper and airbag, symbolising the link between the two cities.
Two colourways in and we didn’t stop there. For this collection we have been lucky enough to produce a special limited edition third colourway for this year’s ComplexCon. The ComplexCon SILVA features a combination of the black and egret make-up of the London & Paris colourways, and in addition features hits of Purple throughout with co- branded union jack and French flag heel tabs. All three pairs feature co-branded footbed detailed with a repeat Fila & Footpatrol graphic. The tongue tab on each pair features a co-branded Fila & Footpatrol gas mask lock up logo and the three cities that each shoe will launch in.
The marketing imagery behind the collaboration was shot on location in London & Paris and features iconic landmarks which would be visible if you were to be participating in either cities Marathon! The street names in question Rue du Temple & Berwick St are the streets in which our stores reside in each city.
After debuting exclusively at Complexcon 2018 (click here for our re-cap of the event) the Footpatrol x FILA ‘Silva’ will now be launching in our online, London and Paris stores, giving those who were unable to attend a chance to finally buy the shoe.
The Footpatrol x FILA Silva is Now Available exclusively at Footpatrol LDN and Paris. Sizes ranging from UK6 – UK12 (including half sizes), priced at £90.
It’s no secret that Nike often look to the animal kingdom when it comes to choosing the designs and colour-ways of their shoes. The Swoosh has sat over animal camouflage on a number of well known silhouettes, such as the Air Max 1 and 95, which were famously given an animalistic makeover for several of Nike’s collaboration with Atmos. However it isn’t just the big name collaborations that this treatment, as many in-line Nike products also utilise animal prints in an effective way, such as the Nike Air Safari SE.
This season another sillhoutte is being given the animal look, in the form of the VaporMax Safari Pack. Although the VaporMax is a few years old at this point, it still remains one of the Nikes most contemporary silhouettes, both in terms of the design and the technology utilised. However the Safari Pack helps to tie the VaporMax in with the OG’s, while simultaneously taking the animal print motif to the next level.
The collection thus far has included a Lizard, Tiger, Snake, Zebra and Leopard iterations, and to finish off the line Nike are taking some of the most striking design elements from the aforementioned animal-themed shoes and putting them into one. The Nike Air VaporMax Flyknit 2.0 features a monochromatic upper, with a mix of different animal prints, linking back to the previous shoes in the collection. The most striking design feature is the bright orange sole unit, which is reminiscent of the Leopard and Tiger iterations.
The Nike Air VaporMax Flyknit 2.0 Safari is Now Available. Sizes range from UK6 – UK12 (including half sizes), priced at £170.
Although Vans are a skate brand at their core they are a mainstay in the modern footwear industry, skater or not, it’s more than likely that everyone owns at least one pair. Vans transition from the sun-drenched skateparks of California the global market has been an ongoing endeavour since the brand began in 1966, and have since diversified so effectively they’re now some of the most recognisable shoes on the market. Over the last forty years or so, the silhouettes Vans have been known have stayed roughly the same, despite the brands entry into the lifestyle market, however the Vans Varix WC is looking to change that.
The Varix WC is the brands first lifestyle shoe, and although it draws heavily on skate culture day-to-day wear and accessibility were at the forefront of the shoe’s design. The Varix WC features an UltraCush footbed and Vans WaffleCup™ sole unit, ensuring comfort and easy mobility for the wearer. The shoe itself is built from highly durable materials including vulcanised rubber and premium leather additions, while the design is a direct mix of 2000-era skate shoes and modern footwear aesthetics.
The Vans Varix WC is now available in-store and online, with sizes ranging from UK6 – UK12 (including half sizes), priced at £100. Click here to shop.
Ever since it hit the court in 1985, the Air Jordan 1 caused attention due to its colour blocking violating the NBA uniform policy and therefore, Michael Jordan was fined $5000 every time he’d play in them. However, this did not halt MJ in his stride to create a storied career.
Designed by Peter Moore, the Air Jordan 1’s resurgence over the years has grown massively. The simplicity in its aesthetic mixed with various colour blockings have made this silhouette a respected model in both on and off the court. Over the years, the Air Jordan 1 has experienced a host of collaborations, mash ups, retros, new colour ways and more. The most recent and ever present project on this model has been with OFF-WHITE’s Virgil Abloh and the “The Ten” collection seeing the Air Jordan 1 dressed in 3 different variations.
In 2018 alone, the AJ1 has seen a host of adaptations such as the ‘Bred Toe’, ‘Court Purple’, ‘Pine Green’ and the ‘Best Hand in the Game’ collection already. Moreover, the upcoming Air Jordan 1 bares similar elements to the latter collection.
Although Michael Jordan’s rookie season is most frequently associated with the ‘Banned’, ‘Black Toe’ and ‘Chicago’ AJ1 respectively, Jordan Brand have paid homage to the accolade in which he’d win at the end of the 1984-1985 season dubbed the Air Jordan 1 ‘Rookie of the Year’.
This release features a mixture of Gold Harvest suede and premium tumbled leather in sail with a black swoosh. Black lining and laces with a change in leather tongue tab and red Nike Air logo finish the upper portion of the shoe. Sail midsole and a black outsole complete the bottom segment. The stand out aesthetic would be the detached wings which portrays MJ’s stats that year and a quote of what was said when receiving the award to give it a personal touch.
The Air Jordan 1 ‘Rookie of the Year’ | Launching in-store and online on Saturday 17th November (available online at 8:00am GMT). Sizes range from UK6 – UK 15 (including half sizes), priced at £130.
Over the last couple of years Nike have been slowly merging their performance and lifestyle lines, to the point where the lines between what is everyday and what is functional are now blurred. This is because functionality isn’t something that should be left on the running track or on a hiking trail, functionality is needed in day to day life. It is this thinking that has inspired the ISPA collection.
ISPA stands for “Improvise, Scavenge, Protect and Adapt” and is essentially a philosophy that suggests that in a society that is constantly changing it is necessary to be able to change with it and adapt to overcome any obstacle.
Improvise – never be blocked by the first answer to a problem. Improvise to see if it can be improve
Scavenge – to find the materials you need scavenge and pull together the best available options to solve the problem
Protect – your solution must protect against the problem
Adapt – adapt all solutions to fit their broadest potentials
Above all ISPA is a solution to perpetual challenges. This philosophy has informed the Nike React Mid ISPA and led to the swoosh developing the design to overcome the problems that any athlete, or even modern day commuter, may face. The React sole has been put in place to ensure comfort and easy manoeuvrability whatever you are doing, while the upper is comprised of breathable waterproof material, which ensures the wearer remains protected from unforgiving British elements. Coming soon to Footpatrol…
Now it’s official.
At a catwalk show during Paris Fashion Week, international press forgot about all that is outfits and were transfixed by the presence of a classic runner. A proven classic that would begin to stir the retro pot.
We start in Kobe, Japan, in early 1993. Shoe designer Toshikazu Kayano had been working at ASICS headquarters for five years when he received a special assignment. To create a hybrid shoe for the new ‘cross-training’ movement. A shoe that proved ideal for long-distance outdoor running but also for indoor gym training.
Originally aimed at the US market. It would also be a successor to the premium GT-Cool Xpress, a GT series model based on the X-Caliber GT. In support of his development efforts and to help with the relatively tight timeline, Kayano was given access to all the company’s technological resources at the ASICS research lab, initially created by the company’s father, Kihachiro Onitsuka.
T.Kayano found inspiration in the most unusual of forms, having been raised in the Japanese countryside, nature was a thing of beauty to him. The panel on panel construction of the Kayano comes from a creative story of ‘armouring’, an aggressive and distinctive form of the stag beetle.
In 1999, the Gel-Kayano 5 arrived. The shoe was created in an uncomfortable amount of time. With no brainstorms or inspirations T.Kayano was thrown straight into drawing sketches churning them out as fast as possible. Upon analysis of his illustrations he noted that the upper reminded him of human organs, particularly the stomach. Having found a new perspective, T.Kayano decided to design a shoe based on internal organs, the Kayano 5 lists bone structure, organs and muscle.
Elaborating further on the design of the Kayano 5, there were two other major improvements. The first is the teardrop tongue, where the vamp and tongue are unified into one piece to improve fitting and reducing stress when runners roll their feet. The second idea was to use a Quadra Lacing System, a first in the Kayano franchise, which would help the upper to deform while running.
T.Kayano had created an organic, powerful design, stacking layers and forms that would outlast countless imitations even today.
The ASICS Gel-Kayano 5 Retro launches in-store and online on Friday 16thNovember (available online at 8:00AM GMT). Sizes range from UK6 – UK12 (including half sizes), priced at £120.
It’s no secret that Nike often look to the animal kingdom when it comes to choosing the designs and colour-ways of their shoes. The Swoosh has sat over animal camouflage on a number of well known silhouettes, such as the Air Max 1 and 95, which were famously given an animalistic makeover for several of Nike’s collaboration with Atmos. However it isn’t just the big name collaborations that this treatment, as many in-line Nike products also utilise animal prints in an effective way, such as the Nike Air Safari SE.
This season another sillhoutte is being given the animal look, in the form of the VaporMax Safari Pack. Although the VaporMax is a few years old at this point, it still remains one of the Nikes most contemporary silhouettes, both in terms of the design and the technology utilised. However the Safari Pack helps to tie the VaporMax in with the OG’s, while simultaneously taking the animal print motif to the next level.
So far we’ve seen a number of colour-ways inspired by the animal kingdom – including the Lizard, Tiger, Snake and Zebra iterations – and Nike look to continue the striking visuals with the VaporMax Leopard. The Flyknit upper is dressed in a low-key tan colour-way, that contrasts perfectly with the vibrant orange colour pops that can be found in the ankle collar and sole unit. The whole motif is tied together by the leopard print that features on the heel tab.
The Nike Air VaporMax Flyknit 2.0 Safari Pack ‘Leopard’ will be available Friday 16th November, sizes range from UK6 – UK12 (including half sizes), priced at £170.
When Tyler, the Creator ended his long-time creative partnership with Vans in favour of a collaboration with Converse, many people were intrigued to see what the rapper turned multi-hyphenate would come up with. The result was the Converse GOLF le FLEUR, a highly original take on the iconic One Star that has since become a silhouette in it’s own right. Since it’s introduction the GOLF le FLEUR has been dressed in multiple vibrant (and not so vibrant) colour-ways, however Tyler’s unique design style and affinity for flowers have always been front in centre.
The GOLF le FLEUR x Converse Burlap collection marks two firsts for the partnership between Tyler and Converse: the first being the use of experimental materials and the second being the inclusion of the iconic Chuck Taylor All Star. True to the name, the Burlap collections features burlap material across the upper of the One Star and Chuck Taylor offerings, while a third Chuck Taylor iteration plays with the colours and themes of the collection, while still retaining the canvas material the shoe has become known for.
The GOLF le FLEUR x Converse Burlap collection will be available from Thursday 15th November. Sizes range from UK4 – UK12 (including half sizes), with the shoes being priced between £80 – £90.
Through the adidas Consortium project the 4D RUNNER silhouette has received a number of different redesigns courtesy of retailers and influential figures around the world. Daniel Arsham applied his unique artistic approach to create a tonal iteration of the shoe, New York’s KITH applied their usual approach, experimenting heavily with different fabrics and creating a woollen 4D mid-top in the process. We here at Footpatrol were also lucky enough to put our spin on the 4D a few months ago, opting for an olive green Primeknit upper adorned with the iconic Footpatrol Gasmask.
To mark the end of the Consortium project adidas are releasing the “blank canvas” we were all given to work on in the shape of the in-house adidas CONSORTIUM RUNNER 4D. The Runner 4D comes dressed in a grey Primeknit upper, with three-striped branding that mirrors the colours of the now iconic 4D sole. The shoe itself is built around the concept of innovation, and features a high-performance midsole which utilises Digital Light Synthesis technology making it incredibly light and durable.
The result of this design process is the instantly reconisable lattice-like midsole, made up of 20,000 individually formed struts. Designed to optimise the running experience like no other midsole before it, the CONSORTIUM 4D RUNNER is a combination of craftsmanship, athlete-driven research and sporting excellence.
The in-house adidas CONSORTIUM RUNNER 4D will be available to purchase through an in-store raffle only. Sizes range from UK6.5 – UK10.5, priced at £350.
RAFFLE NOW CLOSED.
