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STPL x Airwalk Gambit

If Drake has enough buzz to sell blank discs, then the sneaker equivalent has to be Jeff Staple selling Airwalks. The fruits of labor from the partnership of Staple Design and Airwalk, that has had the sneaker community buzzing for a number of months now, has finally ripened. The double labeled kicks have started to arrive at Payless Shoe Stores, is anyone lined up?

As someone who grew up in the era that saw the pinnacle of Airwalk’s popularity, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to see someone like Jeff lend a hand to the struggling footwear company. Aside from those feelings, I admire Staple for stepping outside the cultural glass box that seems to restrain the creativity of so many people in the streetwear and sneaker industries. I’ve never had any doubts in his abilities to succeed in this partnership. I can also completely understand why Airwalk was the perfect fit, the challenge.

It makes perfect sense, Jeff, like most of us in the age group, was most likely a fan of Airwalk’s growing up. So first off, there is a personal connection. Secondly, when you have accomplished what Jeff has in this industry, sticking with the norm becomes tiring to say the least. Not there is anything wrong with sticking with what works, but there is a lack of gratification when it comes to repetition. The challenge of making Airwalk into a successful brand again, regardless of whether it is sold in Payless stores, or the highest of high-end boutiques, would be equivalent to climbing Mt. Everest in those very Airwalk shoes.

With the shoes releasing at a price point of $50 and under, Jeff accomplishes two things. He makes them attainable to the masses, which is essential in an economy like this. In addition, the price point is right at that spot where, if quality is up to par, sneakerheads will likely consider it an option. It’s not too cheap, i.e. Starbury’s and Protege, yet it’s not at the typical Staple Design hype prices. Add to these points, the marketing power of Staple to have Airwalks in the USA Today with prime placement, the buzz created by Jeff merely announcing the partnership, and success is eminent.

Daps to Jeff for going against the grain, and to others immersed in the culture, a simple reminder. If you allow the cultural glass box to exist, it will inevitably suffocate you.

*Side note* Stevie Williams is the man for being able to skate in any shoe, Forces, Jordans, it doesn’t matter. I’m happy to admit my inabilities on the grip tape, even in a Vulcanized sole. Can we get a DGK x Jordan 1?

*Side Note #2* I wish I could get in to the whole G-Shock craze, but I’d rather have a nice classy watch or no watch at all.

Not only is this video funny, Ice Cube’s “It was a Good Day” is one of my favorites. (See the breakdown for a good day…Ice Cube It Was a Good Day) P-Rod is also doing it big and the combination of these to “street” legends is ingenious.

I’m somewhat undecided on the exact layout as of right now. No surprise.

“Energy and persistence conquer all things.” -Ben Franklin

Something I need to remember right now. Funny how when you let them, things fall into place exactly the way you need them to.

I don’t recall the name of the guy who “opened” that night, it seemed he was more interested in telling jokes than playing music. He was definitely skilled but with little to nobody in the place, his jokes fell upon the dirty floors faster than he could churn them out. The few people that actually followed along with his jokes were the performers to follow, and friends of theirs.

It only took a song or two for me to be completely infatuated with the sounds of the second group. Claire Small, and her bassist (sorry I forgot his name), had an incredible chemistry. Her voice had my attention from the start, and her lyrics were poignant. After a few songs, I found myself following the often familiar words of her songs (some strikingly similar to some of my past writings), which annotated the experiences of her relationships throughout the path of her life.

It seemed as if somehow she had experienced many of the same trials and tribulations of love that I had. Being on the emotional roller coaster that continues to never stop, listening to the words, and combined with her beautiful voice, had tears swelling in my eyes. I was in fact, so taken back, that I was unable to even introduce myself, something that is normally a simple task. It was one of the most unexpected experiences of my time here in Austin. She is by far the most talented voices I have heard while being here, and I would definitely suggest seeing her live. The simple combination of an acoustic guitar and her voice is the most incredible music I have heard in this “Live Music Capital of the World”.

You can find her music on iTunes…

Earlier this month I found myself digging through the collection of “Sample Maps” that Ethan Hein has been creating. I was mesmerized to say the least. It is truly amazing to see where the musical samples come and go, and the intricate web they weave. If you know me then you know how stoked I am every single time I open up a new CD. Reading through the CD inserts and playing connect the dots with artists, writer, composers, and producers, is one of my favorite pastimes. You also know I have quite the list of songs that I someday want to sample to create my own music. As you can imagine, discovering Ethan Hein’s sample maps was comparable to tasting Sour Patch Kids for the first time.

Little did I know at the time, that I would be revisiting the site as part of mourning the King of Pop’s unfortunate passing. Michael Jackson’s influence will never truly be known in my lifetime, it so far beyond comprehensible. The man sold out tours nearly instantly with outrageous prices priceless tickets. No culture, no location, no country, was exempt from his popularity. From groundbreaking videos, to sold out tours, to dance moves that every artist emulates, he not only was the King of Pop, he defined pop. All aspects of it.

Musically however, he was and always will be on a level of his own. The whole world has been revisting his music for the past few days. Listening to songs from his time as a child leading the Jackson 5, to his disco influenced “Rock With You”, to songs like “Scream”, where he was finally able to speak his mind more freely. One thing about EVERY Michael Jackson song that most artists need to strive for, they are truly timeless. No matter what era they come from, they lose no quality of impact listening to them today. That is what makes him the best ever, that is what makes him the King of Pop.

Wherever Michael is now, I am sure he is finally enjoying the childhood that he so longed for, and all the while singing tunes that those around him will be singing from now until eternity, just like he did in his time here with us.

House of Pain x Adidas Campus 80's Mission Accomplished!

Since March I have been hunting for some sneakers, specifically the House of Pain x Adidas Campus 80′s. When these shoes came out I was able to get my hands on a pair of size 14′s, one size too big. I bought them with the intention of reselling them and using the money to pick up a size 13, because there is now way I can own a pair of shoes and not wear them. Wearing a 14 was out of the question. I was able to resell the 14′s fairly quickly, within a day or two, but unfortunately the one size 13 on eBay had already disappeared. So I added it to my notifications that day so eBay would email me every time a new listing was posted that included House of Pain and Adidas. I was amazed, and entertained at how many people use irrelevant keywords, but I have not seen a single size 13 since March.

After hunting through the pages and pages of for sale posts on all of the sneaker message boards, I thought I would give twitter a try. The following is what I posted…

Sneakerheads WTB: Adidas Campus 80 x House of Pain Size 13 Help me find these please RT!

Within a few hours, I had a message from @adiSpecialOps saying he might be able to get them for me. From previous experiences, I decided not to get my hopes up. The next day I was greeted with a message saying he thought he had located a pair in my size. Hopes are up at this point, three plus months of searching, I couldn’t help it! A couple hours later he let me know he had found a pair and was having them sent to his desk to make sure they were what I was looking for (This is something I am greatly appreciative of, because had I ordered and received the wrong or style, it would have been nothing short of devastating.). My hunt seemed to nearing a joyous ending, I waited patiently. Two days later I received the message, the kicks were in his hands and waiting for me to claim! Woohoo! On top of it all, I paid retail pricing and had them shipped to me for free!

This is by far one of the best experiences I’ve ever had with any purchase. In the sneaker culture, most often the shop owners overlook customers who aren’t buying the latest and greatest. Which in turn, means that customer service at the retail level is lacking, and of course getting in touch with a brand representative is near impossible. Even if you are able to get in touch with one, they are likely to direct you to the same shop owner that is tired of seeing you by this point.

After my experience, I realize, THIS is the future of customer service, the future of marketing, guerrilla marketing. People are looking to spend there money, especially in the sneaker industry, but finding what they are looking for is the challenge. Enter in the Special Ops team. Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, eBay, and message forums are all places nearly EVERY sneakerhead for those elusive kicks, and holy grails. People like @adiSpecialOps can reach these customers, time and time again. On top of that one sale that they may make, it’s the after effects that will benefit these companies the most. Personally, after this experience, not only did I pick up a few pairs of Adidas, I’m sitting here typing about this experience. You can believe everyone I know who may be interested in sneakers will hear about it the next time I see them. Many, already have.

3 times in the chest, point blank range, 44 right on the back like Danny Ainge… can’t wait to pick up this CD!