Shoes Magazine

shoes Converse holding casual shoes line Behind the story of the great Nike Air Jordans sneakers Boots back on trending fashion VOLUME 1 2022

SNEAKERS NIKE AIR JORDAN In 1984, Nike unveiled the Air Jordan 1, a basketball sneaker designed by Peter Moore for a young Micheal Jordan. The iconic silhouette tran- scended sneakers and sports, altering the trajectory of style forever. To- day, Micheal Jordan’s namesake brand contuniues to inspire sportswear and style movements around the world through new releases, retro drops and unexpected collaborations. In recent years, Dior and Jordan Brand unveiled their collaborative Air Jordan 1 at the Dior pre-fall 2020 show in Miami. Prior to the official debut, Travis Scott gave us a preview of Di- or’s Air Jordan 1 via his Instagram story. Made in Italy entirely of Dior-ap- proved leather, the shoe was designed to be, in Jones’ own words, the “most luxurious Air jordan 1 ever”. Celebrating the 35th Anniversary, the collabration was an attempt to bridge the world’s of high-fashion and street culture, and create a silhouette that embodied both.



Jordan Collaborations Jordan Collaborations The biggest and best collab- orations from Jordan Brand with the like of Travis Scott, Off- White, and Supreme.



Casual CONVERSE

Founded in 1908 by Mr Marquis Mills Converse in Malden, Massachusetts, the Converse Rubber Com- pany spent its formative years doing what most of the industry were doing at the time: “Really anything you could make out of rubber, we tried to make some- thing out of rubber,” says Mr Sam Smallidge, the brand’s in-house archivist. Early areas of expertise included but were not limited to galoshes, leather duck-hunting boots, automobile tires, tennis shoes and then, eventually, basketball shoes, which were initially intro- duced to keep Converse’s seasonal staff on the assembly line all year-round. Though the All Star certainly wasn’t the first basketball sneaker, or even Converse’s earliest foray into the market, it did boast certain features that gave it an edge over competitors. These included the heel patch, which was placed on the inner (rather than the more conspicuous outer), a feature supposedly de- signed to protect the ankle bones of players, accord- ing to Ms Semmelhack. But the diamond tread pattern, which is still present today, was really the bedrock of the design, Mr Smallidge explains. “The shape allowed people to push off in multiple directions and stop quickly,” he says. But what of the other half of its name, Chuck Taylor? In the early years of basketball, brands would start their own teams and send them around the country to advertise their wares. “A lot of shoe and rubber companies at the time, had these [clubs]. Basically, they used them as promotional tools,” Mr Smallidge explains. Converse’s own team – also dubbed the All Stars – was head- ed up by Mr Charles “Chuck” Taylor, who was hired in 1922 as a coach and salesman. “What set Chuck Taylor and Converse apart was that they would show up and not only play games, but they would put on clinics for coaches of players, as well,” Mr Smallidge says. “After all these clinics they would take the coaches down to the sporting goods stores… and they would have all the coaches order the All Star shoes. Then, year after year, the coaches would remember, ‘Oh, who taught me how to play basketball? Chuck Taylor. And what company did he work for? Converse. And what shoe was he selling? The All Star itself.”



Boots DR MARTENS The Beginning ‘OF AN ICON’ BORN FROM INGENUITY Back in England, the Griggs company was now being run by the third generation of the family, Bill, along with brothers Ray, Colin and son Max. Whilst scanning the pages of a shoe trade magazine, Bill’s eye was caught by the German’s advert for their innovative air- cushioned sole. An exclusive license was acquired and a few key changes made, including an altered heel, a bulbous but simple upper, a distinctive yellow welt stitch, a two tone grooved sole edge and a unique sole pattern. The boots were branded as ‘Airwair’ and came complete with a black and yellow heel loop featuring the brand name and the slogan “With Bouncing Soles” (based on Bill Grigg’s own handwriting). Taking its name from date of its inception, April 1st, 1960, the eight-holed 1460 Dr. Martens boot had arrived. The 1960s – the decade in which the Dr. Martens boot was born – saw an unprecedented wave of change, new ideas, cultural upheaval and eventually social revolution. This radical atmosphere also witnessed extravagant and often exotic fashion, an odd backdrop for the birth of such a functional work-boot ... but then Dr. Martens has always kicked against the norm. In 2010 a revitalised Dr. Martens celebrated its fiftieth anniversary: five de- cades that have witnessed the brand’s adoption by a diverse range of tribes, celebri- ties, musicians and free-thinking individuals – each subverting and twisting the boots and shoes to their own personal needs, attitudes and identity. Without music, Dr Martens would have remained a workwear boot. The music of tribes who wear Dr. Martens has become inseparable from the brand itself.





2022 VOLUME 1 shoes