Generic Sneaks: NB vs Nike

So in this small feature I'm going put various different models and brands against each other. To expand and have an in-depth look at some of the everyday sneaks and I wanted to start with a pretty simple but worrying  comparison.

I'm going to start chronologically back in 1976 when Nike released the Elite. Which has now donned the the name "Elite Vintage" due to the fact they still release new versions of this model true to the original shape.This is a classic  in its own right and offers the basic look and shape in which most classic runners are based. With a 2 part sole to raise the heel , a smooth shape from top to toe (forgive the pun) and curves on the heel and toe of the sole for a fluent motion when running and simply comfort while walking.

then if we fast-forward into the 80's New Balance retaliated with their version of the Elite. In which I assume design was as simple as that of sticking a different badge on the same car or choosing the size to have your brands ever so original box logo. This is in short a poor design effort from new balance, and when considered alongside the context of originality surrounding the Elite and its lasting effect on the silhouette of running shoes this round belongs to Nike. 

Now, to offer a fairer comparison is to look at how each brand responded to the changes in the times and in turn, the shape of runners. The late 80's with a thicker heel and a greater slope from the tongue to the toe giving steeper and clearer "dip" in the shoes and in 1988 and 1989 both Nike and New Balance responded with their evolution to the runner. I've chosen to look at the New Balance 1500 and the Nike Air Pegasus 89. 

It is worth noting that the 1500 is noticeably easier to compare to the Air Max one coming out a year before in 1987 and featuring a similar structure and overlay however the AM1 is very much on its own level of influence and would simply not be fair comparison. but a good focal point to measure 

Both the 1500 and the Air Pegasus have a more triangular appearance to their predecessors and exaggeration the curvature of the sole as previously mentioned. However this is where Nike's persistent dominance of runners ends. The 1500 is a far superior shoe in terms of appearance they are an easily adaptable shoe for multiple collaborations and colourways and has a clear reputation amongst the sneaker community as a reputable alternative to the AM1. Not to mention it does show New balance clearly taking influence from Nike but not just re branding it but actually making it their own. For these reasons I'll happily come down on NB's side this time solely for my hatred of the Air Pegasus 89...

Air Pegasus or as I'm going to refer to them as the "89" has multiple visible and design flaws in my opinion. Firstly the shoe is nothing original for Nike and takes the weaker aspects from the Air range including: Max 1, Vortex, Elite and Windrunners to create a shoe that looks thrown together with the many irrelevant cut aways and additions  that make the shoe look more like an Elite in a shell than a whole new trainer, which is also the case for the Pegasus 92 which was an Elite in a Huarache Shell. The 89 is also tremendously toned down compared to the AM 1, the shoe is ugly, without a doubt but given the success and significance on the AM1 ignoring it's success was, to be blunt, a bit stupid and has left us with a tremendous skid mark on Nike's lucky boxers : it's Air Range.

 The 89 is simply a sign that the seed never falls too far from the tree and will try to compete but die because of the tremendous power of the parent tree. Yet the recent revival of this classic example of artistic failure shows you can dig any old crap out the ground and it'll sell. 

Stussy...

STUSSY

It is time for Generic to expand, with the mass of my coursework projects out of the way I now have more time for the blog. One of the things I want to achieve in the next few months is to have something preferably an article discussing most brands work for both reference and accessibility. So I decided to start big with, arguably, the godfather of OG streetwear Stussy. So I went and asked the person I know knows much more than most and certainly more than me. so here is brief overview of stussy courtesy or James "Jam Jam" Watkins:

"So I've been asked to write an article on Stussy for Josh’s blog and of course I was pretty honoured, as I don’t really consider myself as being particularly up to date with current streetwear trends etc.  But the reason he gave for me doing it was that I knew more of the back-story and history. And I suppose over the last few years of having been into streetwear, Stussy have been the brand that I will consciously have checked upon. The very mention of the name Stussy, the original brand that kick-started the streetwear trends and culture that are booming today will be, as of March 2013 into their 33^rd year, an amazing achievement for a company that have had to adapt to a very difficult market. In March of 1980 a young surfer by the name of Shawn Stussy decided that surfing was his true passion and he decided to brand his signature all over the boards he was making and to get the company and his namesake out there he would print graphic tee’s with said brand name. Summers spent surfing and winters spent skiing is how he met company co-founder and public accountant Frank Sinatra Jr. (Not in any way related to the singer!) Frank could see that this was a brand that would have authenticity, raw artistic talent and totally original character and in 1984 they set-up Stussy Inc.  He viewed the people within his company as a ‘tribe’ a family as such; he also had some people working for him that would go on to create their own streetwear brands such as:

 James Jebbia - Founder of Union; Founder of Supreme

Eddie Cruz - Manager at Union; Founder of Undefeated

Keith Hufnagel - Stüssy Skateboarding Team Rider; Founder of HUF

These people have now forged their own particular style and judging by the companies they started and founded, have made their own splash in the streetwear world. In 1991 they opened their first boutique shop in New York’s trendy Soho area, no one involved in the company quite realized what this had started and what it would later turn out to be.

So from ’91 onwards the company were doing very well, sales were on the up, the designs were still as fresh and inspiring as ever. Many stores have opened since the boutique in ’91, there are now altogether 15 stores (otherwise known as chapters), not all based in the U.S. either, he went international with stores in Milan, Madrid, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Seoul  and Kuala Lumpur. He took over the world and it all really stems back to him scribbling his signature on his first surfboard. In this part of the article I want to really go into a bit more depth as to why I think Stussy is the best in this business and why it will still be the best. For starters the list of companies that they have collaborated with over the years; Nike (this is in itself an depth list that I shall touch on later), Converse, Vans, BAPE, UNDFTD, Adidas, Supreme, Parra & Carhartt. It’s also not just the other streetwear brands that the collabs have been limited to, they have worked with companies involved in the comic book industry (Marvel & Real Deal) Musicians (Bob Marley & J Dilla) and even in the world of cartoons and animation (Beavis And Butthead & John K). This is another reason what enhances and pushes them forward, sets them apart form other brands. I feel that other brands can sometimes rely on big flashy designs and bright colours that often distract from any decent design direction, all Stussy need is the signature on a tee and its near perfect and I’m not saying that Stussy haven’t used the above mentioned ideas on their tee’s and clothing in the past, but they can go back to a simple design and they are still miles ahead of the competition. The other thing that I really love about them is that they have instantly recognisable branding, the two versions of Shawn’s original signature, the double ‘s’, very reminiscent of the chanel logo, the bent crown logo, the Rastafarian Lion and the skull with the crossed surfboard and skateboard. It also goes to show that once Shawn had left in ’96 that the company was still successful and that he was happy to give more time to his family and eventually set up S/Double.

Another aspect of Stussy that I like are the adverts, below are a few of my favourite examples:

Yet again, simple designs, Shawn has taken old adverts and used his unique handwriting to make it his own. The adverts did their job, they sold t-shirts and other items of clothing and I believe it was due to the simple yet clever designs of the early ad’s. Even the more up to date advertisements for current drops are still doing their job, as is displayed in the link below:

http://www.stussy.com/nike

Simple, basic printer colours, explaining the products and giving a small history between Stussy and Nike’s past collaboration’s also educate you as to why these successful companies do so well together when they collaborate. And I think this maybe another reason why I love Stussy as much as I do, they have a great relationship with Nike, which is my favourite trainer brand. The collaborations that they have had in the past are the best collabs done by any two companies in the streetwear market, here are my favourite examples of Stussy x Nike:

Stussy X Nike Sky Force 88, amazing shoe, made even more amazing by the Stussy throw on it, particularly like the two camo variants.

Stussy X Nike Dunk World Tour, a stable classic here for Nike, which is given a few touched which yet again separates it from anything anyone else was doing, the green/red and purple/black/silver are the best colourways.

Stussy X NikeNike Court Force XXV, Wow, that’s all I can say on these, wow. Absolute classic, such a good choice for Stussy to collab on, these are stone cold classics and the colours are excellent, black/white and the purple/black/white are the cherry on the top.Stussy x Nike Dunk High, very, very rare, to have such a high profile drop this early on (2001) and to have it on a premium dunk with ostrich skin on the brown variant and snake skin on the black variant, these are true marvels for any sneakerhead and street wear fanatic to own.Stussy x Nike Blaze, my favourite, in my mind it really doesn’t get better than these, amazing, unusual and a unique choice of colourways (either the midnight navy with turbo pink swoosh or cool grey with emerald green swoosh) Stone cold classic. They’re literally second to the Tiff dunks and anybody who knows me, knows that they are my holy grail!

 That’s all I can really express about Stussy, there are only so many ways that I can really put it, but you’ll find the same with any fan, or fanatic, or connoisseur for Stussy if you ask them the question:

Why do you like Stussy?

And they’ll simply reply, Just cus!"

So there we have it james' insightful and in depth look into stussy. Stay on it for more.

...Breds?

Air Jordan Bred

The Air Jordan's Bred releases have received a lot of publicity in both the fashion and sneaker communities as well as the general news and media. So just like that cheesy situation that arises between peers... I'll tell you the bad news first.

Sneaker Killings

Usually this blog tends to take a light-hearted approach to things, however this is one subject I will approach with utter seriousness. People are being killed for their sneaks. Now many people have said "I'd kill for those" I myself have said it about the Nike x Staple Design Navigation pack. But I wouldn't some people have gone far enough to actually take another humans life for shoes. Most recently and notably was the killing of Joshua Wood which has been reported to be for his "Air Jordan XI "Bred"s. I may be underplaying the seriousness of this but somebodies life is not worth a pair of $185 sneaks that are by far not the nicest of the "Breds" (personally I feel the IV's) and the fact they will most likely be available on eBay in a few weeks.  What I'm getting at is that there are shoes that are worth much more. 

I do not want 2013 to be remembered as the year of the Sneaker Killings. So please, while i think it is important to take fashion and sneaks seriously. Life and death is a whole other level.

Bred Itself

"Bred" is a clever way of making a standard black and red colourway sell, because its not like the majority of Jordan's don't already have black or red in the colourway. I doubt this is due to a lack of ideas in the Jordan HQ. Considering the latest Thunder/Lightning releases have actually restored my faith in the brand and the future of street/sportswear in itself. But while people seem to go crazy for Breds it doesn't excuse the fact this colourway was existed since 1999 when NikeID was originally launched. Seriously: black body with touches of white/grey and a red sole and red details and you have made yourself a pair of Breds... simply enough. surely?

The Titles
If any of you clever kids looked at the titles of these posts and realised my oh so witty pun of "Infra-Breds?" you'll have probably coined my idea. now imagine, Nike ID "Air Jordan Spiz'ike Infra-Bred" is this a ridiculous combination? or is it the start of something beautiful? 

Infra...

"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me."


I've just listened back to a recording of myself from boxing day after I was a pint bottle of Bulmer's, quite a few JD and cokes and copious amounts of wine down, hence the Hunter. S.Thompson quote. It takes two minutes of listening to drunken drivel to actually reach the focus of my "in depth" discussion with my phone... my boxing day purchases especially when all goes silent and I state "Today I have bought some beautiful shoes"

After this the question I ask is one of terminology. What should I call shoes when I talk about them? Because I think the term trainers doesn't seem specific and seems to be the word used by those who don't really under stand, as I'm sure you've all heard "£100 on a pair of trainers?!" and I feel it doesn't reinforce the knowledge or culture behind streetwear. While Sneakers seems quite an american and cringey term that seems a little too risqué for a little unimportant blog like this one. Ill settle for sneakers and if "sneakerism" were a religion and shoe with an infrared colourway would make it a holy artifact. Which in respect to Nike make any of the Air Max 90 Infrareds the holy grail of sneaks.

But yes £100 is what I spent on my Nike Air Max 90 OG Vintage Infrared which I think is a good deal considering all places selling them for less had them in a January release and by the time I had money in my bank many pre-sales had ran out. So to get my shoes at least 5 days early I queued up in JD Sports on boxing day amongst the cretinous customers all pushing to spend their Christmas and dole money on some new 95s, PTs or Air Pegasus 89s... god I hate Air Pegasus, but I digress.

Following the hellish excursion for food supplies for the day and that sweet, sweet IR we faced the second ordeal of the British public transport system, all in search of some accessories and clothes to set off my new sneaks. My first port of call was the Candy Store where I bought one of this seasons staples: a thick cuffed beanie (Carhartt) and I finally gave in to the camo trend that assaulted fashion this year like the military that it was designed for, with a grey camo tee (Benny Gold).

But on one final, none vain, note you have the patience, creative drive and money you could customise yourself (through Nike ID) some spiz'ikes with some of that critically acclaimed Infrared, whic has also been underplayed by nike, but lets face it they dont need the "spare change"

Nike SB Eric Koston X Heritage

Nike SB Eric Koston X Heritage

In may whilst discussing Air Max over a cup of tea, seriously that shit happened, me and a few mates were more than curious at the new look of the Nike SBs. But are they just an attempt at cashing in at the spike in popularity of air max 90s?

This story begins in late 2007 when The Berrics was established. With Steve Berra and Eric Koston working together and making skateboarding move away from the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater confines of the 2000's. The websites popularity grew amazingly other the following years where it has become THE go to for all skateboarders.

Now if your reading this you're probably aware that Nike Air Max are pretty much the shoes of choice for Streetwear collectors and fiends alike, for example any Supreme London drop turns Peter Street into Air Max central. So it's not unusual that the new Nike SB model has been modelled on Air Max given that Koston isn't unfamiliar with streetwearhimself. He can be seen wearing a Red Box Logo 5 panel in most berrics' videos(whether supreme is street or skatewear is for another article) or wearing some nice obscure tees.

Nike may be risking putting all their eggs into one basket here. But i think these will prove popular with those who do skate as it will allow them to get thier Air Max fix without risking the Air Unit popping.

-Josh

Image: Google Images

"The Article"

"The Article" 

What "streetwear" actually means is something i will delve into another time.  But at this moment in time i'll use the wikipedia definition of "Street wear is a distinctive style of fashion not to be confused with hip hop fashion. Its roots are in skateboarding and the "skatewear" of the 1980s. It was later adopted as an urban fashion in Japan before growing to an international business. An important element to the style is vintage or vintage-style sneakers.".
    Close enough.
    Whilst doing some research by reading the book "streetwear" by Steven Vogel (i reccomend reading as i will reference it alot) I noticed Matt Irving (Delphi) talking about the 'Weaknesses' of streetwear and stating "As popularity grows more and more people want to get involved and everybody copies each other until it becomes a homogenous cesspool." To be frank i could not put it better myself and if you had not already realised that is the inspiration for the name and background of this blog. "generic" is that really what people should should be buying into because if it is aren't we all just paying money for slightly better quality H&M tees?
     Another one of my main topics of discussion will be the ever tested fine line between streetwear, sportswear and skatewear. And how current companies and brands are exploiting this paper thin barrier.

-Josh.