11.5.2010 - Sneakerheads' tastes vary depending on age, hype influence, budget and etc. But I think all shoe collectors can agree that a collection founded on Air Maxes and Jordans is a solid one. One of the more comfortable retro Air Maxes in my opinion is the Air Max 90. While most runners fit a little narrow and snug, the AM 90 is nice and roomy which is helpful for us aspiring athletes (and sideliners) with wider feet. The style has carried well through the years and the shoe remains a popular choice for retro seekers young and old.
Escape to the jungle... ok not really.
This particular Air Max 90 dropped as a part of the first Escape Pack, along with an Air Trainer SC and an Air Force II High (which I'm still looking for, if you know anyone). The colorway proved so popular that Nike later released both an Air Force I Low and a Dunk SB in the same scheme.
I don't exactly remember where I got them, but I definitely remember where I've been with these shoes. They may not seem like much, but it really is the experiences I have with the different pairs in my collection that make them special to me. Each pair has a different story, and put together, my collection is like an archive of where I've been, what I've done and sets up, more importantly, where I will be going.
Nike Air Max '90 - Natural/Black - Greenend Brown ["Escape"]
+ Old Navy Button Up + Levi's 514 Premium
{Currently in the Speakers: Curtis Mayfield - Move on Up}
11.3.2010 - One of the reasons this post has been delayed so long is because I honestly just didn't know what to write. These are one of my favorite shoes in my collection and so much happened today that the task of putting this blog together just seemed so daunting. In the end, I decided that I just wanted to let the pictures tell the story. Today was a good day and I couldn't have been wearing better shoes for the occasion.
many a battle, these shoes have fought...
but finally, we were victorious.
First a background on the sneakers. Well, to start, they were free. Yeup. Not stolen. Not a gift. Just free. How, you may ask, did I score a pair of Flashes for FREE? Well, it was 2003. I was watching a pair of Forbes on eBay (my grails at the time, and another one of my all-time favorite shoes), but I was in class when the auction ended and missed them -they ended at something around $250 which was a decent steal at the time. I e-mailed the seller and told him I could offer him $270 and I could pay him cash since I lived in Riverside and he lived in Moreno Valley or Temecula or somewhere like that. It was a longshot, considering $20 wasn't a lot more than what the auction ended at, but much to my surprise he agreed.
I met with the seller near campus in Riverside and we got to talking about shoes and skating and just a lot of other random stuff. He asked if the Forbes were for me, and I said ya, I've been wanting these shoes for a long time. He was happy to hear I wasn't just another SB hype reseller trying to make a buck by flipping them. "If that's your size, I have another pair of kicks I've been skating in, and I don't really want anymore if you want em..." I was thinking he'd be giving me an old pair of Etnies or DVS or something, but I wouldn't deny a pair of free shoes. My eyes went wide when he pulled the pair of obviously used Flashes from his truck. They didn't have a box either (obviously), but they were free. The second SB series was still fairly new at the time and DS Flashes, Lodens and Sharks weren't fetching much more than $150 online, if that. I didn't even really want them except for the fact that they were Giants colors. I'm really glad that I got them though, because, as I said before, they're one of my favorite shoes in my collection. I told him I didn't have any change, but he said it was cool, he'd just take $260. So Forbes and Flashes for $260... Not a bad deal if you ask me.
Coincidentally enough, this was just a few months after the Giants had lost to the Angels in the World Series. Being a Giants fan in Southern California at that time was not much fun, but my friend Allen and I took it in stride. We'd be back and the next time we're gonna win it. Almost a decade later, I was at the parade.
San Francisco flooded the streets with black and orange
We're really lucky that Clark met Jassy because she's a serious Giants fan and Clark probably wouldn't have come to the parade if it hadn't been for her (take a second look at his hat! haha!). Clark's cousin/my old friend Veronica hooked up a tour of the Gordon Biersch Brewery in the afternoon. A long walk down Market Street, a quick stop at Burger King, an erroneous detour on the BART (we went to Richmond by accident and no one knew til we got there =X) and a ton of traffic later, we were at Gordon Biersch! It's pretty cool to have popular companies headquartered in our backyard in San Jose... (Is Gordon Biersch as well known nationwide as it is locally?)
The brewery tour was a lot more awesome than I ever dreamed it would be (and I expected it would be pretty awesome). It was definitely infinitely more interesting than the winery tours I've been on. There is so much science that goes into making beer -biology, chemistry, physics... Comparing beer to wine, beer is like soup and wine is like water -so many ingredients and so many more variables that can change the flavors. Then factor in the science that goes into the process... When you learn how something is made you can really appreciate the finished product that much more. As exhausted as we were from our early start and long day thus far, we were into it.
If a shoe-head had an official beer,
it would definitely be Dunkelweizen
Clark, JR, me, our tour guide
(and our free souvenir glasses!)
After the brewery tour, we decided to get something to eat. Since we were already so close to downtown, local fare was the choice of the night. When someone suggested Hukilau, we all immediately agreed. Awesome idea.
Directly across from Hukilau in Japantown is the local boutique brand Cukui. They've been getting a lot of attention considering how young they are, and deservedly so. Cukui does a good job of differentiating themselves from the common "street wear" brand. Unlike other brands who just seem to take a "clever" idea and turn it into a random t-shirt, Cukui's themes and styles are all cohesive, as a fashion line should be. You definitely know a Cukui design when you see it.
We ran into JR's friend Dan, part of the Cukui team. It was my first time in the store, but it definitely won't be my last. It's a beautiful thing supporting local businesses not because of obligation, but rather because you prefer them to the mainstream big box blah blah that other establishments offer.
Nike Dunk Low SB - Orange Flash/ Black ["Flashes"]
+ New Era SF Giants "World Series" 5950
+ Majestic SF Giants World Series Champions Tee
+ Levi's 501 STF
The Giants finally winning the championship was beyond exciting, the brewery tour was beyond interesting and educational, and finally visiting arguably the most popular local boutique we have here in San Jose was beyond inspirational. Today was a good day... no, it was beyond good. Today was a great day. Good friends, good food, good drinks, good times... Great times.
{currently in the speakers: Journey - Don't Stop Believing}
Two-thousand and ten was an interesting year for me. I can't say that it was outright bad or good, but it was more of a rebuilding year than anything. I grew and learned a lot about myself. I learned a lot about other people. I learned a lot about how to deal with certain people and about how I shouldn't take certain others for granted. Rebuilding years like this are necessary to move on to the next stage, bigger and better things in the future.
I changed my lifestyle and was now using the proceeds from my newly acquired 9-5 to seriously pay down debts rather than compulsively purchasing new sneakers and clothes every first and fifteenth. Also, in the concerted effort to trim the excess and streamline my life pushing forward, I had my first major firesale on my collection. Let us take a moment to honor those who are no longer with us...
Nike Dunk SB Hi - HUF
Nike Vandal Hi - White/Navy
Air Jordan XIII - Flints (first retro)
Air Jordan VII - French (first retro)
It wasn't much, but it was difficult for me to even start to make cuts to the collection I've only ever added to since I was a senior in high school. I successfully sold four out of the five shoes I put up (these are still pending -the buyer flaked). There was nothing wrong with the shoes. Some didn't fit exactly right. Some I just didn't want anymore. Between my room, the extension and my parent's garage, I don't have much room for the extra. It's a sobering realization to me that if I want to continue collecting shoes, I will have to let others go. My grails wish list is still at least 5-10 more deep, not including the Jordan I-XXIII collection I want to complete. At this point in my life, I can only afford to carry the best with me, and leave the rest behind. And that philosophy isn't limited to sneakers.
Hanging out with good friends, maintaining an organized living space, a trim collection and smart spending is actually a much more fulfilling lifestyle than the unorganized, buy everything and do everything mentality I had carried up to this point. In the upcoming year, I hope to not only maintain, but further refine this. Not because it's the new year and I'm getting old. Rather because I'm getting better.
{currently in the speakers: The Beatles - Hello Goodbye}
I apologize since I've fallen pretty far behind with the blogging. At this point, I'm pretty much a month backed up on the posts. Hopefully I'll have time to catch up somewhere, despite the holidays and my vacation to NY coming up. That aside, here's a recap of the shoes and soundtrack of my October sneaker posts.
10.31.2010 - Before Nike ID made it possible for consumers to pick colors and materials for their own custom Nikes, sneakerheads had to come up with more innovative ways to create the sneakers they couldn't find in the stores. Leather paint for different colors, soldering guns for cement and other effects, and custom fabrics and sewing are just a few of the popular methods enlisted by sneaker customizers for their 1 of 1 designs. The Corduroys were my first venture, my first start to finish custom sneaker project.
i know i take my shoes off in weird places,
but to get the unique shots i want
it's totally worth it.
It all started with a trip to HUF SF. Back in the day, before HUF was an international streetwear icon and boutique mecca, it was a single, small, humble store in Union Square San Francisco. I remember like it was yesterday, on one trip to said boutique; when my eyes met her eyelets, I knew I had found the ones. I had found my canvas (on sale!) - a simple white Nike Dunk with a navy blue sole and navy inside trim. They were dying to be customized and I was dying to customize them. It was like destiny.
In that moment of inspiration, I knew exactly where I wanted to go with them: to create something I hadn't seen before. A quick stop at Savers then Michael's provided the materials I needed: a pair of used navy corduroy pants, fabric glue and a navy blue permanent marker.
Tracing the patterns was probably the easiest part of the job. A simple piece of notebook paper and a pencil made a fine pattern on which I could mirror the fabric. After cleaning the leather surface and prepping it with alcohol, I glued the corduroy pieces on. Four whole pieces per shoe, nice clean cuts. Then came the tedious part: coloring the stitching. I know that it is hard to tell from afar, but love is in the details. I wanted these to come out right.
After several days of work off and on, I had my first customs. They didn't come out as great as I'd imagined, but it was a great learning experience -as you can tell from the pictures. First, I should have burned the edges of the corduroy or done something else to the fabric to prevent the ends from tattering. Also, I should have probably tried to use a stronger glue. Sewing should always be option number one when it comes to customs, but if you don't want to spend that much, make sure you use a glue that is flexible and sticks. Finally, while I liked the idea of the detailed stitching, the execution with the permanent marker came up short. Not sure if it was due to my unsteady hand or due to the marker itself, but it could have been better.
Nike Dunk Low Pro - White/White -Midnight Navy [Corduroy Custom]
+ Gap Button-up + Levi's 501 Selvedge STF
I know that this was a simple job, but I hope this inspires all you sneakerheads to get out there and try to customize a pair for yourself. It's really a fun experience. Plus, it's also extremely rewarding to know that the pair on your feet isn't just a 1 of 1, but it is your original creation. And to anyone else out there who is looking for a little extra flavor on your sneakers, you have an aspiring customizer here looking for practice -holler at me. =)
{currently in the speakers: Child Rebel Soldier - Don't Stop}
P.S. Click on the pics to see more detail/larger version.
When I seem to be at my low points, I am often reminded of how much I take for granted and how honestly blessed I actually am.
I am thankful for my family, who is God-fearing, loving and truly extraordinary.
I am thankful for my parents, who are awesome and have never stopped supporting me.
I am thankful for Kara, who balances me and has my back through thin and thick and thin again.
I am thankful for my friends, who are always there, even when I'm not.
I am thankful for air, for food, for a roof over my head, for warm clothes, for reliable transportation, and for all the little things in this world that make me smile on a daily basis.
I am thankful that I have this forum where I can share my creativity, opinions, thoughts, hopes, dreams and ideas.
I am thankful that you are actually taking the time to read this. I do it for you as much as I do it for me.
Today, I ask that you take more than a moment to think about the things you are thankful for. Realize that you are sincerely blessed, then realize it shouldn't be just one day out of the year on which you are thankful. God is truly good.
Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving, everyone. May your ham be deliciousand your turkey be juicy.
