Sneaker Freaker Magazine - Have You Ever Fancied Putting your Designs on Sneakers?
Final Part
Woody Editor of Sneaker Freaker magazine talks to us about designing sneakers, the lingo and why he thinks they are so hugely popular.
Angel: What advice would you give up and coming artists who want to have their designs on sneakers?
Woody: Just do it.
A: When is comes to designing artwork for sneakers is there any rules?
W: Oh yeah, you could write a whole book.
What are your top three favourite sneakers?
W: - Nike Air Max 1 (Berlin iD)
A: Explain to me the terminology used in sneaker design? what are the main words that non sneaker people may not be aware of? and What is a custom?
W: Well to put it simply, a custom is a shoe that has been painted or modified in some way after the purchase. Like a custom motorcycle or car.
Here’s some other words that may be of interest.
ON ICE - Keeping your shoes in a cupboard in the mistaken belief they will go up in value but instead they go yellow and fall apart.
DISCO - Making someone in a shop give you a discount, or a ‘disco’.
DROP DATE - The day a shoe goes on sale
SOLE COSTE - Slightly effeminate person who wears bright coloured pants
WIFE SWAPPING - The practice of exchanging shoes you have loved for ages but are no longer fond of.
HOLY GRAIL - The ‘one’ shoe you’d sell your liver for. And pimp your sister.
DEADSTOCK - Sneakers that have never been worn or even taken out of their box
BEATER - Really shitty old sneakers
EKIN - Tragic figures who claim to know ‘Nike’ backwards
A: What sneakers are hot at the moment?
W: Solebox x New Balance ‘Toothpastes’, Supreme x Nike Trainer 3, CLAW Vandal, ACG Wildedge, Nike Huarache, Reebok x Bodega Omnilite.
A: Why do you think sneakers have become so hugely popular?
W: Well there’s the sneakers themselves. Then there’s the culture around it, which involves events, international shopping expeditions, internet hounding and wheeling and dealing. Some dudes buy shoes like they dine from a buffet, a bit of this, a bit of that, topped off with a few mixed nuts. Some only like white bread. Some guys like spicy, hot stuff. What determines this is personal and does include hype, fads, peer pressure and brand loyalty, but mostly I think it has to do with the emotional connection you get when great design hits the hip-pocket nerve. Sure you can have little flings here and there, office romances and so on, but once you fall in love the first time, you can never leave it.
A: What exciting things have you got coming up in the future?
W: Well as I say we have a new shoe with Puma very, very soon. It’ll be in the next magazine so watch out for that. Issue 11 is due out in December. We still got a lot of work to do so it’s hard to say, but I think it looks like the best we’ve ever done so far!
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