Vapors' annual sneaker issue has hit the web/newsstands and It's jam packed with that sneaker + street goodness. It's all about the kicks and the people behind it, designers, websites. Speaking of people and websites, if you look hard enough you'll find an interview with yours truly representing Sneakerplay. Peace to Vapors for showing us some love. Check the digital version of the Sneaks issue NOW!
Print is dead...print is dead. All this talk about print is dead needs to stop. We love the web, probably more than the next guy, but we don't see it killing our love for quality glossies anytime soon. Here's some of our favs...
Fall issue of Antenna - the ultimate urban guide book.
Upcoming issue of Complex - Marc Ecko's sneaker and streetwear journal.
Let us be the first to introduce you to C+, an up and coming jewelry brand with a real fresh and positive vision.
C+ stands for enhanced vision (C+ = see plus). C+ is a lens through which to see the world More Creatively, More Critically, and with More Clarity. Vision is an ancient metaphor for enlightenment and transformation. Reframing the visual dialog is social change.
Their first line is inspired by Lego, the building blocks of our childhood imagination. The line-up includes a dope Spaceman pendant, a 1x4 two finger ring that you do not want to get decked with and a 2x4 dog tag necklace. This is definitely a brand that you will be hearing more about...show them some love on their SP profile, Cplus.
Came across some nice illustrations by artist Ronald Kurniawan that put a whole new twist on the term hypebeasts. Check out his portfolio for more dope illustrations. “Ronald Kurniawan graduated with honors from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Inspired by ideograms, syllables, letterforms, beasts and heroic landscapes, he slowly but surely continues to create a visual language where the wilderness and civilization could merge happily together. With the belief that the sublime and nuclear age could coexist, he paints romantic environments and breaks the quiet scene with juxtaposed imagery taking the shape of icons and letterforms. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles where he paints meticulously and happily accompanied by his pug Ruffles, an avid artist himself.”
The Celtics took the Finals trophy last night in an impressive game 6 win over the Lakers. You obviously know who we were rooting for..check our colors. Celtics ftw!
One of the OGz in the online (street) culture space is back in a big way. Don't call it a come back ...they've been here before - we're looking forward to seeing the great content from the evil monkey pick up from where they left off. Check out EvilMonito.com which to me is the anti-thesis of hype blogs. Keep thinking!
The footwear industry is dying for a change and with brands like Visvim leading the way - the future looks promising. Complex caught up with Visvim Creative Director Hiroki Nakamura for a q&a session for their upcoming green issue. Visit the Complex blog for the full story.
When it comes to our foot-game we like the big and the small in terms of brands. Sometimes you need a little change, a switch-up as we like to call it. Something new to spice up your daily rotation. There's been a real surge of quality coming out from independent brands - and we've definitely been taking notes. California based 3:33 is one of those brands that caught our eye and got our toes itching for a pair. They have some real mean, I mean clean shoes, quality looks, and a great attention to detail - judging by the fact that they're all handcrafted in Portugal. Our favorite from this season are the beat-up sneaker inspired Lo-Tops. The indie-footwear movement is only heating up - look to brands like 3:33 as proof that their time in the spotlight is not too far off.
Another day, another documentary. Our friends over at Mashkulture schooled us on this one:
CBC recently aired a documentary entitled Sneaker Confidential. The film covers a range of sneaker-related topics from the running shoe’s humble beginnings, to the history of the Dassler brothers, and more. Naturally they touch on the culture aspect of sneakers by visiting Chris Vidal at Flight Club, checking out a Sneaker Pimps show, and cutting it up with MC Serch as he reminisces over the time he got jacked for his kicks.
Want to be a footwear designer when you grow up? Want to get discovered? Then you better get your best work together and head on over to Nike's Future Soles design competition for a chance to showcase your talent. (The competition is only open to high school students between the ages of 14-19)The submissions will be judged by top Nike designers who will announce the two finalists on May 15th - they will then head to Beaverton for a design face off apprentice-style to present their final work. Speaking of Apprentice, this competition would probably make for good reality-TV, throw in some cameos from Carmelo and Jordan and its a wrap.
The year that was '07 is quickly coming to a close; making way for a new year and new beginnings. We're not really big on 'year in review' type posts, so let's change the subject to whats to come in the future. The collaborative effort that is Sneakerplay is as strong as ever thanks to our active, vibrant, brilliant community (read You) and we're going to continue to maintain and nurture that positive environment. We're going to continue to push the boundaries with new features, contests and more of the 'never not working' attitude. Don't sleep, don't wait, get it straight in '08
You ask and you shall receive! There have been several requests for a feature that would give you a snapshot of what you're friends have been up to while on SP and now its hear in the form of Activity - which you'll notice on your next login. The first thing you need to do to get started is 'edit subscriptions', you can then select a maximum of 25 friends, save the changes and your good to go.
From now on when you are in 'edit' mode in your profile you will see the latest updates from the friends that you are subscribed to. The 'view' mode will show visitors to your profile what you've been doing lately on SP i.e. starting discussions, commenting on profiles, blogs or battles, while the 'Friends' tab will show visitors to your profile updates from friends that you guys have in common. You can easily modify what actions you want to share with your friends by going into your 'preferences' via your 'account' settings.
We're all about independent (footwear) brands here at SP HQ, from VisVim, to JB Classics, to Clae, Pointer and Common Projects. Feiyue is one our new indie favs.
FEIYUE shoes was born in Shanghai in 1920. It has been a reference among all Chinese social categories from the countryman to the politician, from the captain of the national soccer Team to the famous Shaolin masters...
We are big Clyde fans so it was a great surprise when we got a shipment of the new Jungle pack. The pack consists of three Clyde's that come in Black, Oatmeal and Powder Blue colorways.
The panels were made with dyed pony hair and then lasered to get that clean tiger pattern giving them that wild safari flavor. Other details include saddle leather lining and a premium tongue label. The pics you've probably seen on the internet do NOT do these kicks justice - the texture of the pony hair and the feel of the chocolate brown tiger stripes is something you have to see for yourself.
The pack will be a November release in limited quantities at 21 select retailers world-wide.
These new Clyde's are sure to give you that jungle fever - be on the look out for a Sneakerplay giveaway featuring these bad boys.
A big thanks to all the members that took a minute to do our 'Fill This In and Win' survey. It's time to hook up the winners...drum roll please...marmourjr, paper, encore, and cromwell1200, you guys have been randomly selected to take home an SP prize pack courtesy of the Coolestshop. We love giving away swag so expect some more chances to win.
Sneakerplay has been going strong for more than a year now and we need your help to keep things fresh. Tell us a bit more about yourself so we can improve the Sneakerplay experience.
