If you already write a kickass blog and fancy walking around in free Shoeture for the forseeable future, we want to hear from YOU.
As regular readers of Shoeturistic will know, it’s not all “metal-metal-metal” round here, and we’d like to give one or two other fresh writers the chance to have their voices heard. So..
If you are based in UK and already write a blog on style, fashion, trends, clothing, entertainment or are a ‘voice of the people’ and would like to share your words with a broader audience, please email shoetureuk@gmail.com with a link to your blog(s) and a quick lowdown on yourself and why you’d like to write for Shoeturistic. Remember, the right person(s) WILL be walking around in our metal as a thank you, so spread the word.
Blazers. Are they ACTUALLY the ‘it’ sneaker if the moment, or did I imagine this?
Clean lines? Yeah, I’ll give ‘em that.
Strong block colours? Yep also noted.
Suede, leather AND canvas uppers – we all love texture.
Nike’s first basketball shoe (1973), clearly has bucketloads of charm, but the question isn’t ‘Why would anyone want this shoe?’ but ‘Why does EVERYONE want this shoe?’
We all love a classic, and classics will tend to be born out of a ‘scene’. For example, LL Cool J, Run DMC and 1st / 2nd generation bboys’ love of an Adidas shell toe ensured that the Superstar became an iconic shoe of hiphop culture.
Growing up in Woolwich (Google it, haha), one of the popular shoes of the early 90′s was definitely the Reebok Classic.
Coupled with the Reebok Workout, Reebok kicks were pretty much a staple in my area and surrounding counties of Kent and Essex. A ‘working class’ classic, easily acquired in your local First Sport or JD sports back in the day and the Workout recently celebrated its 25th birthday.
The buzz around the Blazer, however is just confusing. Sneakerheads are expected to wax lyrical about a coveted release (eg. Galaxy Foamposites) or a shoe with ‘status’ (Jordans, Yeezys) but ‘normal folks’ are clearly enamoured with this unassuming item of footwear.
I typed ‘Nike Blazer’ into Twitter search on a regular Sunday evening and of the top 10 tweets, most people are going on like they can’t live without them.
Fill me in, Folks. Where’s the hype come from? I have one theory…
…but say it isn’t so!! If ‘The Only Way is Essex’ has truly had an integral part in the meteoric rise in popularity of this unassuming shoe, I have underestimated its influence, haha.
What do YOU think?
I want to hear from Blazer fans, owners, dislikers, and the curious on the rise of this shoe’s popularity. Leave a comment and start the discussion!
Some of the creative team at the Olympics have kinda taken to Shoeture, and it’s awesome to see the whole room sparkle at their rehearsals.
Unfortunately, I can’t tell you any more about the rehearsal process as It’s going to be a BIG surprise at the opening ceremony on July 27th. Stand by, Folks
When I was approached by an upcoming fashion designer to have my products featured as part of her collection I was humbled, yet unsure of how it would ‘fit’. Shows how much of a rookie I am to the game, heh, but I had a bag of faith in Taslima Khan and seeing her creations evolve from idea to sketch to physical artistry has been quite the learning curve!
The name of her first collection is ‘Girl Gang’ and is inspired by ‘A world Without Men’ – a book by Helmut Newton. Our crimson Hooks feature on Silver hi-tops.
I’d love to wax lyrical about the fabrics, concepts and craftsmanship, but it’s a better idea to contact Taslima via Twitter, so she can explain her hip-hop and sports inspired work with far greater clarity than I could ever hope to
No stranger to modelling herself, Taz is also professional dancer and has appeared at at least 2 exhibitions Shoeture have held this year. Look out for her in our upcoming videos, ‘Move It’ and ‘Ladies say what?’
Our last public appeal (for models) had an overwhelming response and thank you to all that applied.
We would like to ask the public again to leave an impression on us, but interestingly, we only want to hear from the women this time. (Fellas, continue to read, as ultimately this may benefit you).
Ladies, I want to ask a question:
“In menswear, what item of clothing makes the biggest impression and tells you most about them? What should dudes give the MOST consideration to in their outfit?”
Now, there are no right or wrong answers, and no answer is too short or too long. If you just say ‘hat’, that’s cool, but if you want to go deep on the stitching of Helmut Lang trousers, that is also up to you, ha.
Here comes the fun part – you need to send us your response as a video or a photo with you holding up a sign with your answer on it
Email your vid / YouTube link / Facebook link / picture to shoetureuk@gmail.com and the first 40 responses will be featured in our montage.
The guys need your help!! >_
All contributors that want their Twitter account mentioned in the credits, it shall be done, just say in the email. Oh, and you can call yourself a ‘style consultant’ now
Hover boards? Android slaves? Talking plants?! We may be a bit far off solving disputes with lasers and light sabers, but it’s clear that technology is moving forward at quite a rate. We take for granted that nearly every electrical device we own can ‘sync’ with pretty much any other and for those that don’t… we can download an app
Let’s have a look at a couple of ‘futuristic’ things that have engaged us recently.
Robot Bunny
In a bid to make Shoeture more easily acquired by the general public, I headed out to West London to find an appropriate retailer and was fortunate enough to stumble upon Robot Bunny
Yes, they have their own comic.
This boutique in Whitely’s, Bayswater is, in fact, a real-life comic with hidden compartments, robotic figurines and angular installations, creating a sense before you even enter that ‘something is gonna happen’.
Shoeture is now available to buy instore! (And no, you can’t have my Reebok Monopoly Reverse Jams). Shoeture displayed: Brushed Steel and Matte White Hooks.
Tweet us a picture of your purchase, or better yet, mail us a pic so we can mention you right here in Shoeturistic. For information of where else you can buy Shoeture in UK, visit here.
Solebox
While we wait patiently for 2015 so Nike can release the self-lacing MAG from the ‘Back to the Future 2′ movie, the good folks at Solebox have been plying us with amazing collaborations which are guaranteed to get heads turning, for the last couple of years.
Starting with the 20th anniversary of the Reebok Pump, Solebox produced arguably the most desirable pair of commemorative footwear of any boutique worldwide, when they produced these goodies…
ULTRA limited at 31 pairs worldwide, I couldn’t get ‘em, then in 2011, they dropped these babies..
…but I didn’t get my hands on those either. I know, I dropped the ball.
Hearing the news that they were dropping the red ones in green this spring, I knew I had to go out on a hardcore limb!
So I had to find someone in Berlin to cop them for me and 30 Facebook messages later, things started to unfold. Here’s a couple pics of their journey!
Finally they arrived in London
Success! With only 250 pairs worldwide, I will admit I have no idea when I’m gonna where ‘em, but it’d better not rain
Kanyezone
This episode finishes with an online game my sister discovered called Kanye Zone . Don’t want to spoil the surprise, but as you can imagine the game has an interesting soundtrack. If you are familiar with the song ‘N&&*^s in Paris’ you’ll be able to enjoy this for at least a couple of minutes.
Don’t delay, try Kanye Zone now, and tell us in the comments box what you thought!
With Instagram (the popular photo-sharing app) becoming available for Android phone users (finally), I figured I’d see what the hype was about.
Twitter has obviously been a great way to communicate with you all, and some of you reading this arrived here directly via that means, but Instagram, even in 2 days has already proven to be a different kind of interactive experience. And a welcome one at that.
Having our ‘followers’ comment on our pictures, gives us a greater sense of what you actually feel which is a lot more of a detailed feedback than a ‘retweet’. If you like something, at least now you can tell us AND start discussion with other people who may like it. I can feel the vibes
Expect behind the scenes shots of our videos, photo shoots, day-to-day adventures, and general freshness.
Kazmattazz is a shop long associated with sneaker culture here in London and finally the Brick Lane branch stocks Shoeture! I popped in on a sunny Thursday afternoon to do a quick demo and dress some shoes.
Sneakers and independant clothing labels are the bread and butter of the Kazmattaz stores (The original branch is in nearby Hoxton Square), but I was pleasantly surprised to hear Kaz’s collection of classic 90′s hip hop playing instore.
Woah.
Showbiz & A.G.. The Bush Babees, Fu-Schnikens and everyone in between can be heard halfway up Brick Lane, and you will KNOW when you are nearing the shop..
…in case the big sign wasn’t indication enough, heh.
Pumped by the Golden Era hiphop sounds, I proceeded to get to dressing..
Gold Hooks, £35
Gunmetal Tangs, £35
White Hooks, £35
Crimson Tangs, £35
Handsome, right?
All Shoeture products are currently in stock, so ask for what you can’t see. Be sure to tweet us a picture of your purchases, Folks! We may have a little discount promotion coming up too. Stay tuned!
Our second exhibition this year was at the amazing ‘Move It’ show. The pictures will do the talking!
Thank you to everyone that came through the stand and got busy with us. We were joined by a number of dance glitterati including Kymberlee Jay, Tashan Muir, Ben ‘Free to Dance’ Hammond and many more. Other notable faces were Eastender’s Matt Lapinskas and our first European brand ambassador, Alex Saidac. You can hear Alex’s vocals on our Shoeberia video.
Special thanks have to go out to the team of Matt, Simon, Renata, Nanette, Daniq and Taz without whom the magic could not have been achieved. Further thanks to Owen, Doc and Princeton for their parts played.
Naturally we’re hyped about exhibiting at Move It this weekend so here’s a sneak peek into the set up at Olympia.
Turns out we’re right beside the freestyle stage so you’ll certainly find us easily and be sure to have a chat with the B-Better reps about dance classes they do. You know it makes sense!
Want to know what the Petting Zoo is at our stand? Come visit or catch the next part of the diary
