What’s in a name ?

Not a 'Nike Air' logo in sight !

Not a ‘Nike Air’ logo in sight !

Sometimes you just have to stop and take stock of everything. Nike are having a great time milking money out of gullible Jordan collectors by re-releasing pairs a year later with slightly altered designs. Invoking the name ‘OG’ in vain, and deliberately adding ‘Vintage’ treatments to badly retro’ed classic pairs.

It’s a shame. There was a time when they would innovate and produced great, inspiring design. I had to set this picture up just to celebrate some of the great heel logos of all time on the Air Max 1.

Can you name them all ?

Kidrobot

krRare, unusual and just plain cool. Kidrobot’s are one of the most exclusive and expensive pair of Air Max 1 ever made. Released at Barney’s in New York and limited to just 250 pairs. These are have long been a favorite amongst sneaker collectors and Kidrobot fans alike.

The black, gold and pink styling was created by Paul Budnitz & Chad Phillips of Kidrobot to match the exterior of Kidrobot’s 1986 Maserati Quattroporte III Royale. Each limited edition shoe comes packaged in a specially-designed gold and pink box and includes a mini Kidrobot keychain.

In addition, one of five blind-chase sockliners packed in Kidrobot’s signature foil bag, will be packaged with the limited edition shoe. The sockliners were created by artists Gary Baseman, Dalek, David Horvath, Huck Gee and Frank Kozik.

This deadstock pair has found its way into my life and I couldn’t be happier !

Rainy Day

The weather had been going so well. Today is dark and grey. Moments like this I find it easy to express an inner flame with some simple colour. These are probably one of my favorite pairs of shoes. They are from 2000 which isn’t that long ago in real terms, but you have to think about time for shoes like dog years. Due to the unstable nature of the Poly-Urethane sole, Air Max 1 will only last 12-15 years at the most! So there are very few of these left in the world, less again in my size and this might be the only pair left in this condition. Rarity is only part of the reason to collect something. Moreover these speak to me of a moment long ago when a lot was changing in my life and new horizons were unfolding.

My day in four Pictures

What did I do today

Carnitas.

Slow cooked with orange, cinnamon and cumin. Then back into the pan for a final crisp fry.

AM1 USA. Fresh off the boat from London.

After months without, I can finally start wearing some of my treasures. These are so classic and still holding up very well despite their age.

Starting to sort and Label the collection

A lazy hour or so in the sun, just opening up boxes, checking that everything survived the trip. Still waiting on some racks for the rest of the kids.

Tropical Pirate Grog

A quiet nightcap at The Library, with the exotic name of Tropical Pirate Grog, served in a Tiki mug for effect.

New Arrivals

Welcome to your new home !

 

After months of packing, traveling and waiting something pretty awesome happened yesterday. All our stuff arrived. Imagine a Christmas morning where you know that everything you want is actually in the boxes.

And speaking of boxes…..

Just the shoes !

Still a long way off actually having everything unpacked and sorted but the first order of business was to get something on my feet.

Same kicks, new location !

Pick-ups

An old compilation of my collection

Like most people I really enjoy the little buzz you get from walking around in a favorite item of clothing. Imagine being able to do that everyday. I never planned on starting a collection. I just got annoyed at wearing holes in my favorite shoes and not being able to find that pair again once they were worn out.

Some of my favorites

Then I went looking for similar pairs and discovered that there was a near limitless amount of variety to be found. New colours materials, designs and ideas all working off the same theme. A nearly endless source of inspiration and a world of exploration.

So much choice

Eventually it was the search and the discovery that captivated me.

But at the end of the day, I still love wearing my favorite pair of shoes……. even if I now have many many favorites.

AM1 HOA

Air Max 1 : History of Air (2005)

In 2005 Nike released the History of Air pack with the tagline “3 decades of cushioning”. This pair was part of the now legendary Nike Powerwall which was a collection of 8 Air Max models released in 8 different styles or ‘colorways’ as they are referred to. The HOA shoes make up the top line of shoes in the wall image and where the most common release. The rest were much rarer with the bottom row only being available at certain select outlets who had special seller relationships with Nike referred to as ‘Tier 0’ accounts, in very limited numbers. (allegedly 144 pairs per shoe).  Because of this the shoes that make up this row are often referred to themselves as Tier 0.

The Nike ‘Powerwall’

Some debate continues as to whether the fourth row is actually part of the so-called Powerwall or a special sub-release as they were named Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS) packs in honor of the name of the company that was a forerunner to Nike.