TIA – New Balance – AO1 – Cyber Blue

Thought I’d break out a shoe I’ve not worn for a while….one of the three colouways released in the 2007 AO (Asia Only) model….the upper is comprised of the same material as tennis balls….so it’s not a shoe for rainy weather….hence the reason why I’m breaking it out now, before summer is over.

TIA – Adidas – Superstar 80s – ObyO – Luker

Since working in retail the non runners in my crate have been sadly neglected, but on the rare occasion I don’t have to stay stood up for 9 hours, I like to break out something like the classic Superstar 80s. This example is the ‘Luker’ ObyO (Originals by Originals) collaboration with Neigbourhood….it’s a simple colourway, with premium materials….exactly what a superstar should be.

TIA – New Balance 1500 – Provider

One of my favourite shoes from the crate, the Provider 1500 is a classic example of when a collaboration just works. The mix of suede and leather, the colour combination of grey and electric blue, just plain essential for any collection.

TIA – Vintage – Adidas Quesence

Anyone who’s got experience of buying vintage stuff from a selection of manufacturers, will probably sing the same song as me: Probably 80% of vintage Nikes are not wearable and will invariably crumble when worn….Adidas however, seem to have a better reliability when it comes to retaining integrity….whether that be down to the lack of air units or not I don’t know, it just seems to be the case.

This, Quesence is one of my very favourite vintage adi pieces and is in amazing condition for their age….every other pair I’ve seen (of which there are very few) seem to have had some pretty bad colour bleeding issues. They do however, have a slight problem on the left shoe where some of the stitching on the upper has failed….as long as they don’t fall apart/crumble though, I’m happy to show them off whenever I can.

TIA – Nike Air Current – Volt Black

Recently retroed, and widely slept on … many people will be sorry they passed on these and the Total Orange version. A historic shoe in a classic colourway…no brainer really.

Sneaks & Peaks 2 – Recap

2 weekends, 2 swap meets and 2 very different experiences for me. Last week I was snowed under with manning my own table at 6Acre, this week I had the pleasure of attending the second Sneaks & Peaks event, held at Boxxed in Birmingham.

There was a fantastic mix of new, used and vintage kicks on sale as well as a good amount of apparel, customisers and artists displaying their work. The space was really well appointed with enough room for everyone to move around quite freely, although there were a couple of pinch points that clogged up the flow from time to time. The wet start to the day didn’t do the graff artists or the food vendors in the outside area any favours, but thankfully the sun came out later in the day and allowed everyone to make use of the external space.

Anyway, all in all a great day and I managed to pick up a couple of pieces for my crate (more pics to follow)….and finally, a massive shout out to the Sneaks & Peaks guys for putting on such a heavy event, can’t wait for the next one….and also to everyone I managed to chat with (too many names to mention, but you know who you all are 😉

TIA – Nike – Lunar Flyknit Chukka

I didn’t do a ‘Latest Pickup’ post for this pair, but thought I’d share their first wear….Not everyone can get on with a chukka (it’s rare that I do), but these are awesome in my eyes….classic silhouette, great workmanship and seriously, soooo light….it has to be felt to be believed.

TIA – Nike Air Mariah – OG Colourway

The original and BEST colourway of the Nike Air Mariah….be aware though….if you do get a pair, remember that they fit quite snug…..

TIA – Nike Huarache LE – Melon

Whilst it is good to see the Huarache LE getting some love from the guys over at Nike of late….I would like to see them up the quality and shape to match up their previous efforts. I would also like to see them drop some of the (in my mind) more classic and often hard to find colourways….this particular example was a womens release, and is a lovely shoe, that rarelyi gets to see the light of day, and only when I know they aren’t going to be stressed too much and risk them getting wrecked.

TIA – New Balance 576

A fine example of how some women’s releases are better than their male counterparts. This shoe (from around 2007 I think) featured the more angular women’s 576 profile as well as some vivid premo suede. I’m glad to say I know have both the red as well as this, orange version.