ISSUE 001 • NOV DEC 2018
SNEAKPEEK
B2-30, Orchard Gateway 277 Orchard Road
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EDITOR’S NOTE
T
he sneaker culture has been rising over the years in Singapore, especially among the millennial generation. What caused the sudden boom is the unification that sneakers bring to other larger communities - trap, hip-hop, streetwear, and sports. This gave birth to an entirely new community, the sneakerheads, as the trend of collecting kicks becomes a society obsession. Here at Solely, we aim to tackle the hows and whys of the sneaker culture by peeling through the layers of wonders, secrets, and knacks of significant icons that built the foundation of the sneakerhead culture in Singapore. On top of that, we have exclusive interviews, coverage of SS18 and features on rare kicks on this very first issue. Hope you enjoy this issue as much as we had enjoyed creating it.
Isaac Wong Editor in-Chief
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CONTENTS
FEATURE
STREET SUPERIOR
FEATURE
SNEAKERHEADS
SNEAKERHEADS
NATHANEL LIM
GARRICK CHUA
adidas
ultra boost
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FEATURE > STREET SUPERIOR 2018
FEATURE
STREET SUPERIOR
In the 3-part feature series, we dissect the event through different sections: the features of the event, the people around the event, as well as the event through the founder’s eye, in order to witness the scale of the local sneaker culture scene and examine its potential.
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FEATURE
THE STATION Witness two days of pure sneaker frenzy in Singapore’s very own street convention. Words and Photos by ISAAC WONG Edit by JAE-ERYANA FITRI
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I
magine witnessing a huge group of well-dressed people flocking around the Pasir Panjang estate for two days. It may not seemed off to many, but Pasir Panjang only has business parks and the Labrador Nature Reserve. What could’ve set off such a pandemonium in a usually peaceful environment?
On the 28th and 29th October, Pasir Panjang Power Station was the hosting venue for this year’s annual Street Superior 2018. The 2-day event, quoting from its website, “was a dedication to Singapore’s subcultures combining streetwear and sneakers, music, digital & street art.” Arriving at 7pm, rhythmic beats echoed throughout Pasir Panjang as one of the .Wav(y)’s DJ (@thewavyszn) was spinning some tracks. The music was also emphasized by the decorative neon lights and eerie animations projecting on the concrete walls. Compared to the morning scene filled with exhilarating excitement, the night landscape took a 180 degree twist and gave off a distinctive mellow vibe. Just by the timing difference, it was obvious that the night scene attracted a different kind of sneakerheads and hypebeasts.
Just like the past Sole Superior events, the scale for this year’s brand showcase was no different. Multiple major league brands were going full out with their shoe display. For Timberland, they showcased all of their shoe collabs to commemorate their 40th anniversary. Whereas for Vans, they went with a “House of Vans” themed convention that includes a skateboard ramp and even went as far as organising skateboarding tricks competition. Even New Balance didn’t want to miss out on the competitive fun as they conducted in-store activities in exchange for up for grab sneakers. On top of the clustered filled stalls, other brands found creative ways to showcase their products without the confinements of a stall. Like what Acis and local artist Mark Ong’s SBTG did during this year’s Street Superior. They took up the center of the venue with an exhibitionscale presentation of customised sneakers. Although the event is centralised around “sneakers”, there were other established brands such as OBEY, Under Armour and PONY were selling apparels as well. However, the surprising factor was G-SHOCK’s unexpected appearance, as they lined their watches up on display under their “Who Dat G?” campaign. Aside from the prestigious players, small-scale brands also rented their own booths at secluded areas of the venue. It ranged from Instagram-famous stores to first-timers. Some stores that were present are Novelship (@novelship) as they were actively doing a giveaway of Jordan I Retro High Off-White “UNC” and Canvaste (@ canvaste) that simply focusing on gaining exposure for it’s brand namesake. Other locally well-known names
such as HypeDrop (@hypedropsg) were here to show their relevance. Their infamous hard and tricky claw machines effortlessly gathered a crowd watching as different players concentrating their best to aim for one of nine sneakers avaliable. Vendors of all brands were eagerly eyeing for buyers to resell their shoes. That was the objective of two co-owners, Jrome (@jrome.2k) and Clement (@finnrclements). The latter, who was on a study exchange programme from Melbourne, said that he enjoys sneakerthemed conventions and decided to set up a stall of his own to share his collection as well as exchanging his current kicks for new additions to his collection. Some vendors have other intentions in mind market popular sneaker lines that would attract majority of the sneakerheads’ interest. This was well executed by SG Sneakerheads (@officialsgsneakerheads) as their stall was set on Air Jordans, escalating themselves as one of the popular gigs in the marketplace. The owner of SG Sneakerheads claim that this increased his revenue as well as his Instagram page’s reputation. Hopefully his relatively new business will be long-lasting and more profitable due to the exposure at Street Superior 2018. In the midst of the competition, Sneakers Clinic (@ sneakersclinic) stood out the most. Being placed at the front of the two-storey tall DJ booth, they had the most exposure. Although, it was their sense of hospitality that welcomed their customers. Having a loyal 12.8k fan base on Instagram, they had the most exposure from other sneakerheads and their sneakers are arguably the most
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diverse. The owner, Benjamin, was more than welcome to give me, a newly self-proclaimed sneaker hobbyist, a quick crash course into the history behind the sneakers displayed. Nearby was the successful facebook-based brand, YBSG by AMME (@ybsg.amme). The stall, like many others, was reselling sneakers while also selling their own apparels and stickers designed by themselves. It’s impressive inventory includes at least three different colorways of Air Jordans I Retro 2018. Simply including sneakers and outfits while organising a convention about street culture would be too simplistic. Two of the stalls, Love Sick Tattoo (@louislovesicktattoo) and The Golden Rule Barber Co. (@thegoldenrulebarberco) are some of the ones that offers services rather than physical items for sale. The former, a collective of three tattoo artists led by Louis Tham, offers on-site tattooing with pre-drawn patterns and linearts; the latter, a Serangoon-based retro-themed gentlemen barber shop, offers full hair cutting and styling. In addition to the stalls, there is also a Hall of Flame at the back of OBEY. Basically, it is a wall of countless sneakers stretched throughout the length of three booths. Among the sneakers, there were extremely rare kicks such as the rare NIKE MAG, to the limited edition collabs like Adidas X Jeremy Scott. This is a complete flex from local collectors, in courtesy of one of the two founders of SS18 Dexter. There is also a snacking area that provides carnival standard bites and cups of beer, with benches provided for patrons to relax and chat. In conclusion, the successful event includes anything a sneakerhead can ever ask for, with much more extra features that is unexpected and surprising. Not only did it stay to its original vision as a sneaker convention, but also expanded its coverage to include other street cultures around locally. I would recommend anyone, with or without an interest to street culture and sneakers, to attend the convention as an experience. More about Street Superior continues next.
Left page: Acis X SBTG Exhibition Cover page: Interior of stall YBSG
This page 1st row from top: stall shots with owners of Sneakers Clinic, Jrone/ Clement, Novelship, SG Sneakerheads ; Top right: Canvaste
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Top Left, Top right, Bottom Right: Interior of Street Superior 2018 • Bottom Left: A section of Hall of Flame Background: Exterior of Street Superior 2018
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FEATURE
SUPERIOR Jonathan’s plan to revolt the local street scene. Words by ISAAC WONG, JAE-ERYANA FITRI Photo by ISAAC WONG Special Thanks to JONATHAN FONG
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treet Superior ‘18 tend to attract the same group of people which can be categorized into a few kinds: the casual goers taking instastories with phones, the obvious sneakerheads and hypebeasts, and the photographers with their professional cameras. If you didn’t know better, you would’ve thought Jonathan belongs to the former. He was first spotted standing in front of Sneakers Clinic, snapping away on his phone. He was responsible for the content on SS18’s official Instagram. But that was just the small part of his responsibility.
Until last year, SS was held in Zouk club, purely about sneakers. The big catalyst to change was last year’s presidential turnout rate. “Five thousand.” He said proudly with a satisfied smile as if a long-awaited achievement unlocked. “Zouk was relatively a small place, that it simply can’t fit that much people in concurrently.” It was only a matter of time for something bigger to happen. With a few partners he had, namely in collaboration with One Eleven Studio, he was able to secure the power station he has for this year, making it double - or even triple - the size it originally was.
Before Sole Superior, there weren’t many events dedicated to local sneakerheads. Back then, Jonathan was new to the community, only collecting Air Jordans. Just like many others, he was fascinated by the sneaker scene worldwide. However, it wasn’t clear that Singapore had a strong support towards the sneakers scene. That gave Jonathan a reason to kickstart the first Sole Superior 2012, a first-of-its-kind convention alongside his partner Dexter. Initially, he never expected a ‘cult’ following.
With a bigger space and publicity, it was only natural to have more sponsors and partners on board. This was mainly the reason for the change of this year’s name: from Sole to Street Superior. He and Dexter told Streething, “We aim to provide a bigger space for the total experience of what the street culture has to offer aside from just sneakers.” It was also a relief to the SS duo. “For once, we can have some additional manpower support in planning and execution,” Jonathan added.
“The first year was unbelievable,” he said with a look of satisfaction, “We had our own day jobs to juggle, so starting out Sole Superior in a two-man band made it even tougher than it already was.” If it weren’t for the partners and sponsors, the event wouldn’t be a success with such a huge unexpected turnout rate. He couldn’t be more thankful enough for this experiment, as it paved the road ahead for SS to be an annual hallmark tradition.
In the end, he only has one wish for the upcoming SS events. “I want people in Singapore to find out about us, come here and be like, ‘Oh sh*t, Singapore have such an event for sneakers.’” When talked about the significance of SS, he just laughed it off. “Ultimately, it’s just a gathering for us sneakerheads to hang out and chill, you know?” Jonathan can be found on Instagram @mocopops, with his partner Dexter @dexter_t.
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FEATURE
SNEAKER MART The next wave of hype concept stores might just be your downstairs mom-and-pop. Words by JAE-ERYANA FITRI, ISAAC WONG Photo by ISAAC WONG
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Top Left, Right, Background : Interior of LE Convienence • Bottom Left, Right: Exterior of Entrance
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years ago when you enter into the warehouse section in IKEA, it was just another section, only bigger; fast-forward to present, millennials are seen kneeling down in the middle of the aisles, posing for the ‘gram. It seemed that items from the past are being brandished into the spotlight, glorified as “vintage aesthetics” by social media standards. This could be the reason behind heavyweight local sneaker retailer Limited Edt Vault’s unique design pop-up stall at this year’s Street Superior (SS18).
LE Convenience - with LE stands for Limited Edt. - was the first in Street Superior history that offers a nostalgic homey experience to local sneaker fans as their past meets their present. The pop-up stall aims to give the people a unique shopping experience as well as portraying Limited Edt Vault as a supply store for fashionable streetwear, accessories and exclusive sneakers. However, LE Convenience isn’t the first of its kind to apply the mini-mart deco into actual brick and mortar
hype brand stores. The Conveni, the name to which was taken from a convenience store, was the first to experiment with this idea. Founded by legendary Tokyo streetwear designer Hiroshi Fujiwara in the underground mall of Ginza Sony Park, the store sells limited streetwear items and apparels, with rare and exclusive collaboration drops such as FR2, UNDERCOVER, and more. The fridges consist of “drink cans” and “bottles” as well as look-alike food packaging containing apparels from shopper bags to hoodies. It is no surprise that the hype culture disciples are no strangers to creative concept stores. One can tell that LE Convenience draws a lot of parallels with The Conveni. It’s cleverly hidden venue - at the far-end corner of the power station - added a tint of mystery. The interior design of the shop resembles a mixture of 7 Eleven and local mini-marts, with commonly found items like fruits basket racks. Despite the limited space, which also became its appeal, it had fitted a significant amount of sneakers, as well as edible decorative elements such as bags of onions and cans on milk powder. But the convenience store concept wasn’t the only thing that made it exciting. Another appeal of the shop was located right next to the entrance, where a lit up, non-operating fridge serves as a display for rare and vintage type of collector sneakers, featuring 2003 Nike SB Dunk High Pro “Supreme”, a pair of their very own collab with Adidas Originals back in 2010 - only 500 pairs were available back then - and more. It was meant to portray as a drink cooler, as signified by cans of recognizable Schweppes drinks behind the sneakers.
Although there are sneakers of different brands on sale, another appeal of the store is from the fact that they are exclusively dropping some of the Adidas brand sneakers. The catalog features the long-awaited YEEZY BOOST 700 “MAUVE”, two of the Dragon Ball Z edition series, and NMD HU X Pharrell. This may be the cause of the hype as sneakerheads ballot on-site or/and the app Frenzy, depending on the release schedule online. Though, that didn’t stop them as LE Convenience was one of the most queued stores. One of the store’s crowd control marshal expressed about the sight he witnessed as a wave of sneakerheads rushed into the stall after hours of queuing. Overall, the success of LE Convenience puts sneaker stores into an interesting perspective. In the age of ever-rising online commerce, where sneaker releases happen on apps and sites like GOAT, HBX and END., when hypebeasts are used to brands dropping apparels digitally - sometimes even exclusively - it is a rare sight for brick and mortar stores to experiment different concepts, if not operational. On one hand, we witness the popularity that physical stores still retains; on other, the shift of consumer habits is happening silently. It would be insightful to see the possible evolution of conceptual mini mart aesthetics, its cultural impact on sneaker design, and the expectation to live up to the hype. Maybe display outlets are needed after all.
Limited Edt. Vault stores can be found islandwide. They are online at limitededt.com, or on Instagram @limitededt_sg.
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Shawn (left) wearing Adidas Yeezy Boost 700 “Wave Runner” Jerry (right) wearing Unknown
Ying Hui (left) wearing Vans Old Skool, Green Cedric (right) wearing Nike Air Jordans I HIGH OG Retro 2016, Varsity Red
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Edward (left) wearing Nike Air Max Irfan (right) wearing Adidas EQT
We are still buzzing from Street Superior Festival 2018! We brought together a diverse mix of streetwear, sneakers, music, art and grub at the historic Pasir Panjang Power Station. Our goal was to fill this expansive space with exciting brands and activities inspired by the subcultures that we know thrive in tiny Singapore. Small...but we have fire. 16 showcase brands. 70 vendors. Music. Art. Parkour. Skate. Grub. Nearly 9,000 people came and celebrated with us at Street Superior Festival 2018. We can't wait to show you what we have for next year! Big shoutouts to the volunteers, supporters, brands and sponsors who helped make Street Superior Festival a success. And huge thanks to everyone who came and connected with us. Look out for the full gallery coming up at streetsuperior.com and on Facebook and Instagram. If you have more to show us, tag us on Instagram @street.superior and #streetsuperior. More exciting events will be announced for 2019. HINT: you won't have to wait a full year for the next Street Superior event. Watch this space.
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SNEAKERHEADS > I AM: NATHANEL LIM
SNEAKERHEADS
NATHANEL LIM Maybe - just maybe - wearing deadstocks isn’t so bad after all. Words by JAE-ERYANA FITRI Photos and Edit by ISAAC WONG Special Thanks to NATHANEL LIM Location Recee ISAAC WONG
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SNEAKERHEADS > I AM: NATHANEL LIM
P
eople tend to wonder how a sneakerhead stores their valuable collection. Maybe they do it like how Adidas and Superga does in their outlets - shelves and shelves of limited edition shoes, stacked on top of one another against the wall in a colour coordination fashion. Could it be a fancy walk-in wardrobe built just for these glamorous kicks like trophies earned by a proud athlete?
What do these two have in common? Well, storage.
Many have this perspective that all sneakerheads do with their expensive shoes is to store them away, unused, waiting to be resold or to collect dusts. Well, that wasn’t the case for Nathaniel “Nat” Lim. Being a sneakerhead himself, he appreciates the value of his shoes. However, instead of storing them away like other sneakerheads, he wears them out proudly in public. As Nat opens his bag of shoeboxes he carried, the scratches and creases on each shoe are immediately noticable. However, this doesn’t seem to bother Nat as he continues to chat away with us casually. “It doesn’t make sense to buy shoes and not wear them,” Nat bemuses, while wearing in front of us with his Nike X Undefeated Air Max 97, which is currently priced for at least a thousand dollars. According to him, he feels that shoes are made to be worn, not kept hidden within closed doors. Shoes are recognised as a fashion statement, especially during the early era of sneakerhead culture. To him, the creasing just makes his pair stands out from others.
part of the sneaker’s design”, he believes. “For example,” he continues as he took out one of the shoebox out front, “the box of Off-White’s collab with Nike is unique, as it’s design is inside out.” He flips open the shoebox to reveal the signature Nike “swoosh” logo in the inner cover. Since 1970s, sneakerheads have been around when hip-hop and b-boy culture was the trend. It slowly evolved to a niche community of people who actively collect shoes out of passion or as a hobby. The range of shoes never stops. From vintage to limited editions, these people are known to treat shoes with utmost care and admiration - treating them like precious babies and ensuring that it stays flawless. However, there was a recent outrage when Oneness, a sneaker retailer in America, forces their customers to wear into the Air Jordan 1 “Not For Resale” after purchasing it. The reason behind this was to discourage the toxic culture of reselling. By breaking into the shoes, there will be crease marks, making it unsellable. Even though it may not seem like a big deal to others, but this disrupted the sneakerhead community. Although Nat finds it ridiculous for people to get upset over it, “All of my shoes have scratches and crease marks but they still remain in-tact and usable,” stated Nat as he ranted to us over how unnecessary the community’s reaction was towards such a small issue. At the end of the day, as long as you’re able to afford some nice kicks, you’ll have the rights to do it as you pleased. Nathanel can be found on instagram @cvpivlstic.
Given Nat’s sneakers condition, it would be a questionable desision to outsiders for one to even bother packing the shoe in it’s original boxing, but rather bringing it out as it is. Nat begs to differ. “The shoe box is a
“Missing the release date was a blessing in disguise, as it bought me time to save and cop it in the same year.”
OFF WHITE X NIKE BLAZER
“It took me to win a pair of Hyperdunk model from Nike’s “The Ten”, additional $200 to get a hand of these bad boys.”
AIR JORDAN Q BRED 2016 Edition Release
“Will forever be grateful for these amazing kicks because my friend cop it at almost retail price.”
RAF SIMONS OZWEGO “KYOGRE”
“Got them at Pedder @ Scotts for $690. Took me years to get this after it was first released.”
SNEAKERS
NIKE X UNDEFEATED AIR MAX 97
FOUR
Different from the normal sneakerhead’s collection, his consists of the slight scratches and markings, indicating of the frequent used. Regardless of his huge worn kicks collection, he shares with us his top four favourites and his journey in collecting them.
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FEATURE
Photo and Editing by ISAAC WONG Modeling by KIMI T, WILLY, NURISSA, TIGER, RAMON Location Recee KIMI T, MARK JHOMEL, RAMON
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FEATURE > LOOKBOOK SS19
KIMI T. wearing Nike Air More Uptempo “Supreme”.
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Willy wearing Vans Old Skool Black.
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Narisa wearing Nike Air Max 1 - Women, Navy-White.
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Tiger wearing Nike Air More Uptempo White.
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Ramon wearing Vans “The Canvas” Classic Slip-on, Solid Black.
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SNEAKERHEADS > I AM: GARRICK CHUA
SNEAKERHEADS
GARRICK CHUA
What it takes to enjoy the fun of waiting and balloting. Words by JAE-ERYANA FITRI Photos and Editing by ISAAC WONG Special Thanks to GARRICK CHUA Location Booking with help from VEERA K
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O
n the day of our interview, Garrick Chua couldn’t decide which shoes to bring. It was either the newly delivered Adidas or 10 other pairs awaiting inside his house. Contrary to popular beliefs, the 19-yearold doesn’t identify himself as a “sneakerhead’, even though he has a collection of exclusive and valuable kicks. From queuing 12 hours all the way in ION Orchard Adidas store for the NMD Pharrell’s, to casually balloting five pairs in a goal, he can adjust his own hype meter accordingly. One thing for sure, he will go for Adidas, and Adidas only. To him, he has his own philiosophy when it comes to collecting sneakers. We sat down and talked with him for more about him and his shoes. SOLELY.: What made you start collecting sneakers? Garrick: It started when my sister showed me some NMDs 2 years ago which made me want to grab a pair regardless of its price. It was a trendy piece back then, but what attracted me wasn’t the hype. It was the unique design. Not many shoes have the molded EVA plugs on the sides. And ever since then, I’ve been collecting sneakers. What makes you want to continue this hobby? It’s more of a passion for me than a hobby. Plus, I have friends who have been seasoned sneakerheads and their knowledge about the sneaker scene really fascinates me. Also, have you seen the resell prices? I’m totally hooked into it and the entire buying processes. Which pair is your favourite sneaker? Why is that so? The Daniel Arsham’s 4D Future Craft. The Future Craft series had always been a fascination of mine. Not only does it have UV details (which, by the way, under UV light will have the word Future on both sides. So meaningful!) it’s midsole is printed by synthetic material. The idea that technology could be implemented into a shoe really amazes me.
Given this opportunity, what is your advice to beginners in the sneakerhead culture? Do not just spend on a pair because of it’s possible resell price. Spend on a pair that’ll make you admire and cherish it forever. Also, please don’t be fixated on spending money on sneakers, there are still people in this world that deserve your time and money. Tell me your views about Off-White’s designed sneakers with colons. For me, I think it’s okay to let designers to do whatever they want to when it comes to sneakers design. But, to be honest – not gonna lie, the brand philosophy of Off-White is just plain ridiculous. Like, I don’t understand the rationale behind their design and it seems rather sloppy in comparison to other existing sneakers. However, I will still go and ballot regardless of their bad sneaker designs because it has good monetary and experience value for my collection. Between high-speed wifi or free sneakers forever, which will you choose? High-speed wifi, definitely. I don’t need to have sneakers being provided for me forever. Why would I want them for free? It just defeats the thrill of the process. The queuing, trying to raffle and sourcing for it online. That’s the highlights of sneaker collecting, and taking it away only loses it’s meaning entirely. Besides, what’s the point for having so many sneakers? Garrick can be found on Instagram @chua_garrick.
FOUR Garrick’s daily sneaker while going out. It’s flexable to fit with different outfits.
adidas Human Race NMD Pharrell Sun Glow
The one that he’s proud of the most, queuing for 12 hours straight in ION Orchard Adidas store.
adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 White
“It’s Yeezys man, what more do you want?”
adidas Ultra Boost 2.0 Gold Medal
This pair just landed fresh to his doorsteps on the day of the interview. He got it from balloting on GOAT.
SNEAKERS
adidas Ultra Boost
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CREDITS
ISSUE 001 • NOV DEC 2018
Follow us on Instagram @solelymag for more content Editor-in-Chief • Photography • Art Direction Isaac Wong (@pinsaregood) Editor • Additional Writer Jae-Eryana Fitri (@f.j.writes) Additional Photography Ramon Goh (@visuality_shotz) Photography Contributor Mark Jhomel (@_markisan) • KIMI T (@lowerby) • Jasmine (@wanlayamakai) Special Thanks (Not in Order) Tiger • Willy • Narisa • Garrick Chua • Nathanel Lim • ABGDaniel • Cherie Eng • Veera K • Jonathan Fong • Irfan • Edward • Ying Hui • Cedric • King • Clement • Jrome • Canvaste • Sneakers Clinic • Novelship • Shoebox.sg • SG SOLESHEILDS • dropncop • SG Sneakerheads • Anti Running Running Club • The Golden Rule Barber Co. Unless stated, all photographs, artworks, advertisements and words are original work commissioned by or created for SOLELY. magazine. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced in part or whole without permission from the editorial team and publishers. Although SOLELY. strive for accuracy and objectivity, the content of the magazine contains a mixture of factual events and fictional details. As a result, some content can be inaccurate or false. The editorial team of SOLELY. apologise if there is any offense or inconvenience caused. Advertisements featured in this magazine is entirely fictional. SOLELY. is , in no way, endorsed by nor associated with the mentioned brands.