THE SEVENINCH PAPER A B I A N N UA L S N E A k E R A L M A N AC | I S S U E N o . 0 2
o f f T H E T RAC k THE GREAT MIX OF NEW AND OLD / C L A S S I C W H I T E IS STAN STILL THE MAN? M o R E T H E J U ST L A H A I N E PARIS SNEAKERS / R o B ST E WA R T A COLLECTORS STORY C H o o S E N ADIDAS | ONITSUKA TIGER | NEW BALANCE | NIKE
T H E S E V E N I C H PA P E R N o . 2
WELCOME
SNEAKERS ARE NOT MY THING Barry Manilow
THE SEVENINCH PAPER No. 02
T H E S E V E N I C H PA P E R N o . 2
EDITORIAL NOTE Welco m e to the secon d ed i t i o n o f T h e s ev en i n c h Pa p er. T h i s p a s t yea r h a s b e e n a g r e a t j ou r n e y fo r the n ewspaper a n d m ys el f, a n d i t w a rm s m y h ea rt t o s ee t h a t t h e r e is st il l r oom f or p r in t m ed i a i n t h e d a ys o f w eb 2 .0 . In this issu e , we’ ve a i m ed f o r l es s p ro d u c t , a n d m o re h u m a n - d ri v en s t o r ie s. You ca n r e a d a b ou t the wo rk o f On itsu k a’s o n l y n o n - Ja p a n es e d es i g n er, h o w c o m i n g f ro m Pa r is sh a p e s y ou a s a sn eakerhead , an d wh a t i t i s t h a t d ri v es r o b t o be s o f i rm i n h i s c h o i c e of t r a in e r - sh a p e s t h a t h e ch o o s es t o c u s t o m re - s ew t h em w h i l e t h ey’re s t i l l bo x f r e sh . Ho p e yo u en jo y ! Jo a c h i m7i n c h
THE SEVENINCH PAPER
THE SEVENINCH PAPER
MASTHEAD EDITOR
Joachim Friis – paper@7inch.dk CONTRIBUTORS
Thomas Mondémé Marit Strømmen Rob Stewart Joachim Friis
FRONT COVER
Onitsuka Tiger Harandia BACK COVER
adidas ZX5000 RSPN 80’s PRINT BY
Magnus Jorem
COPY EDITOR
The Seveninch Paper Gasværksvej 8D, 2nd floor 1656 Copenhagen V. Denmark
DESIGN
PUBLISHED BIANNUALLY BY
IRONFLAG – ironflag.net
HASHTAG ApS
THE SEVENINCH PAPER No. 02
o N I TS U kA T I G E R
OFF THE TRACK
T E XT | MARIT STRØMMEN
P H O T O G r a P H E r | ONITSUKA TIGER
The 1980s was an era when commuters championed the suit and sneaker look. This led to an explosion of joggers wearing neon colours, pounding the streets to post-punk indie music and the emerging wave of electronic beats.
Onitsuka Tiger was the brand that pioneered performance running shoes. Onitsuka Tiger was established in Japan in 1949 and has since created footwear and clothing inspired by Japanese values of craftsmanship and attention to detail. They have always created products for people who demand something above and beyond mainstream sports brands, and this season they’ve taken quite an interesting direction. Heritage
“It’s amazing to think that Onitsuka Tiger is one of the very few sneaker companies that does not have to fabricate its heritage; history is always the starting point of our designs and future ideas.” Harold Arandia, 38, is the only non-Japanese footwear designer at Onitsuka Tiger, working out of the brand’s Amsterdam office since January 2012. An established artist in his own right, he recently had a solo exhibition of his mixed media work at the Go Gallery, based in Amsterdam’s bohemian Jordaan area, which specialises in street art. The design process
After eight years at adidas, Arandia decided to go freelance to concentrate on his art as well as other design projects. He then went on to work for Onitsuka Tiger. As he says, “it was a big deal for the company to take on a
THE SEVENINCH PAPER No. 02
non-Japanese designer.” He explains that, at the start of the design process, they tend to look at what has been created in the line and where the new opportunities are in the collection. “We then go back through our rich heritage l and try to fine-tune our vision based on history to create something new.” He goes on to quote the American painter Chuck Close, who once said that inspiration is for amateurs, the rest of us just show up and get to work. “New ideas come from an active pursuit and mindset, so I try to remain very active at all times.“ a fresh take
Pioneering style, performance and heritage, Onitsuka Tiger takes its cues from contemporary Japan for the new season. The centrepiece of this collection is HARANDIA. Built from the ground up to feature performance technology in a shoe for everyday wear, the HARANDIA is definitely a new direction for Onitsuka Tiger, which traditionally has been Asics’s branch for retro-leisure shoes. Hightech performance shoes have always been exclusively Asics, but with HARANDIA, this trend has shifted. Developed and named after designer Harold Arandia, HARANDIA is the first Onitsuka Tiger shoe to include Asics ‘GEL,’ guaranteeing
extra cushioning comfort with street style. The asymmetric toe front and irregular lace area give it a distinctive silhouette, which marries Onitsuka Tiger’s heritage with modern materials. HARANDIA’s signature design is crafted from black and tan suede, but is available in eight bright and neutral alternatives, with some styles in nylon. It is also the first to have ‘Onitsuka Tiger’ written in Japanese on its sole. Ultimate 81 is one of the most famous Onitsuka Tiger 1980s running shoes, and the ULT-RACER is a fresh interpretation of the old classic. The Ultimate 81 was originally crafted for lightness and stability, and the ULT-RACER captures this retro runner trend, with Onitsuka Tiger’s dedication to detail. The monosock upper part emphasises the shoe’s sleek style, while a chunky sole, combined with a mix of SoLyte midsole and herringbone rubber pattern, gives it a light and comfortable feel. ULT-RACER comes in nylon; its key colours are white, blue and green, but it is available in seven combinations, plus three female fits. You might remember a time when wearing sneakers to work was frowned upon by the establishment. Well, those days are over, and that is the message from Onitsuka Tiger. By combining high-tech with retro, Onitsuka Tiger takes a bold leap forward, cementing the fact that sneakers are here to stay.
O f f the trac k
It’s amazing to think that Onitsuka Tiger is one of the very few sneaker companies that does not have to fabricate its heritage history is always the starting point of our designs and future ideas.
THE SEVENINCH PAPER No. 02
C it y L i f e
T E XT | THOMAS MONDEME
i l lu st r atio n | SINE JENSEN
From looters to Colette: Sneakers in Paris
As global as it may seems, sneaker culture has its local specificities. We decided to focus on the city of love (and La Haine) In the past few weeks, walls in central Paris have been plastered with some unusual posters. This has been the doing of a young, hype-craving Parisian brand called Jack Le Black, and some of the posters feature the faces of three characters of the French cult film La Haine : Saïd Tagmahoui, Hubert Koundé and Vincent Cassel. They look identical to the original promotional poster yet the culprits have cleverly given the film a new title: “L’amour.” If this image continues to resonate so strongly through the collective imagination of Parisians, it is most likely because the film was more than an aesthetic manifesto for young French cinema. It was also the first cinematic glance into French street culture and quietly underlined a soon-to-be cult object: the sneaker. Sneakers are everywhere in La Haine: on the feet of its main characters, they become a tribe-like symbol of belonging. Though often in the background, the sneakers have a way of piercing through the screen. During the opening credits, the Nike of one young looter appears in our faces thanks to the camera’s
THE SEVENINCH PAPER No. 02
focus, as he is beaten to the ground. A few shots later, an ecstatic Vinz dances in a basement, his feet adorned with another pair of sneakers. The link and significance of these shots become clear instantaneously: these shoes are the symbol of the fun-loving and rebellious youth. Despite the many cultural and economic differences, sneaker culture somehow unites hipsters and kids from the projects (this was recently backed up by a conversation I had with a young boy from Aulnay-sous-Bois, a tough suburb of Paris, who spoke of Givenchy and A$AP Rocky and proceeded to ask me about the concept store Colette’s sneaker selection). Sneaker culture in Paris is first and foremost linked to certain places, places that vary depending on budget and taste. There is Colette, of course, but also stores like Zoum or Foot Locker for those with a more restricted budget. What they have in common is that they are always packed with both sneakers and customers. These spots are not only a place to buy shoes, they have become unruly forums, where sneaker lovers compare, argue and defend their footwear preferences… much like in NYC, London or Berlin. But
I believe there is also something very specific about French sneaker culture. We asked Teki Latex, retired rapper, electronic music grand chef (with his label Sound Pellegrino) and sneaker lover to give us some insights. “It’s true that this culture has strong links to the difficult suburbs, or ‘ghettos,’ in France. For instance, the Air Max TN – which is currently the object of a strange gay fetishism, by the way – was until recently seen as the shoe your average, lower-level, pavementhitting dealer would be wearing because they were expensive and had this aggressive, almost shark-like shape. Before that, ‘90s rap stars such as Ministère A.M.E.R. (with Passy, Stomy Bugsy, Doc Gyneco) were all about the Stan Smith and were constantly promoting them. The group I AM even mentions them in their biggest hit. Since rap music is pretty important in France, sneakers are important too.” Let’s not forget the influence of East Coast and NYC rap, as herds of wannabe B-boys could be seen chilling in the center of Paris sporting white Air Force 1s. “At one point,” Teki says, “you could see a clear cultural border. In Chatelet, for instance [in the heart of
Paris
“I remember Pascal Monfort giving me a pair of Nike Free Trail 5.0 that had these really thick soles, yellow laces, hints of purple, that reminded me of a Ninja Turtle” Teki Latex
Paris], you would see the rap fans with baggy pants and Air Force 1s, but also some “hip” kids – they weren’t called hipsters back then! - with Evisu Jeans and Reebok Fury Pump! Two different worlds… Not to mention the West Coast fans, who actually wrote verses dissing Air Force 1s and never left their Chuck Taylors.” It seems obvious that sneakers have established themselves as part of Parisian cultural history: cultural markers, identifying and rallying signs, they tell us a lot about the city dwellers. And this culture has certainly not faded away. Far from it. It has however evolved, taken new forms, and is thriving: the Nike Paris Running Club is very active, stores like Colette and Opium are dedicated to selling the latest sneaker trends and French filmmaker Thibaut de Longeville has even directed a documentary exploring the birth and cultural implications of sneaker culture. “We have a few sneaker collectors and experts in Paris, like illustrator Yue Wu and Pascal Monfort, who worked with Nike for a long time… I wouldn’t include myself
amongst them because I never keep the boxes and try to wear all the shoes I get!” Teki says. In Paris, like elsewhere, the focus has been set on technical shoes for the past few years. Pictures of sneakers like the Nike Lunars, ACG shoes or the recent Flyknits (clearly inspired by Sock Racers) have been flooding Instagram. Teki has long been fascinated with new materials (such as those in the Nike Foamposite), seeing them as the ultimate clash of futuristic technology and organic designs and shapes reminiscent of animals. “Right now, I’m into trail shoes, while everyone is obsessed with running. But I always see my sneakers as part of my outfit. Sometimes the shoes themselves are the inspiration, but at the moment I bought a Jacket which has me searching for a pair of Nike ACG Mowabb that are pretty hard to find… One very strong trend seems to be the shoesock, or slipper-shoes, that are unbelievably comfortable. I’ve recently fallen in love with the Aqua Socks by Nike, once again a pair of shoes with a highly technical aspect.” So the weirder the shoe, the better? “Not
always”, says Teki, “although I find the way certain sneakers provoke you and challenge your aesthetic sense really interesting. I remember Pascal Monfort giving me a pair of Nike Free Trail 5.0 that had these really thick soles, yellow laces, hints of purple, that reminded me of a Ninja Turtle. Nobody wanted them; they were too “special,” “too Japanese” maybe, but I was instantly drawn to them. Sometimes it’s more complicated than that… I remember seeing some Predators in LA, at Undefeated. At first, I didn’t dare buy them. I wasn’t ready. When I got back to Paris, they started haunting me. I had to get them and started wearing the Predators with very high socks with crazy motifs – often from designer Henrik Vibskov – that joined the motifs on the sides of the shoes. Hesitating about sneakers is a good thing. It only makes you want them more!” Healthy hesitation
East Coast or West Coast, thugish or hipster, traditional or innovative… In one way or another, Parisians seem to have maintained this healthy and creative hesitation for a while now.
THE SEVENINCH PAPER No. 02
SEVENINCH CHooSEN
CAST LOOKING shoot at The royal Cast Collection
a r T W O r K | IRONFLAG
P H O TO G r a P H E r | SIGNE EMMA
MORE THEN 42
A D I D A S ?????? / A D I D A S TRIMM TRAB / A D I D A S ZX5000 RSPN / A D I D A S CITY MARATHON A D I D A S MARATHON 85 / A D I D A S ADIOS BOOST | W W W. a D I D a s .C O M
THE SEVENINCH PAPER No. 02
SEVENINCH CHooSEN
STILL RUNNIN’
N E W BA L A N C E RC1400 / N E W B A L A N C E M890 V3 / N E W B A L A N C E 850 / N E W B A L A N C E 996 N E W B A L A N C E 998 / N E W B A L A N C E 1300 | W W W. n E W B a l a n C E .C O.u K
THE SEVENINCH PAPER No. 02
SEVENINCH CHooSEN
CLASSIC FUTURE
o N I T S U kA T I G E R HARANDIA / o N I TS U kA T I G E R X-CALIBER / o N I TS U kA T I G E R T-STORMER / o N I T S U kA T I G E R ULT-RACER o N I T S U kA T I G E R COLORADO EIGHTY-FIVE HI / o N I TS U kA T I G E R COLORADO EIGHTY-FIVE LO | W W W.O n I T s u KaT I G E r .C O M
THE SEVENINCH PAPER No. 02
SEVENINCH CHooSEN
HOOPS UP FOR WINTER
N I k E AIR PEGASUS / N I k E AIR PEGASUS+ 30 / N I k E AIR MAX 1 / N I k E KD VI N I k E LUNAR TERRA SAFARI / N I k E KOBE 8 SYSTEM | W W W. n I K E .C O M
THE SEVENINCH PAPER No. 02
C O L L E CTO R S STO RY
P H O TO G RA P H E R | ROB STEWART
T E XT | ROB STEWART - @newbalance_GALLERY
The Perfect Toe
In my opinion and many others the finish project has a much more pleasing shape and is far truer to the original 1500 shoe
Looking back I suppose I have my high school woodwork and design teacher to blame for my sneaker shape OCD, he was a typical Scotsman short tempered with a wispy unkempt beard, he started each lesson by reminding the class that ‘form follows function’ and to K.I.S.S (Keep it simple stupid). Thankfully I seldom felt the wrath of said temper and he would often let me use school tools during lunchtime to modify my adidas predator rapier football boots; I could sit for days cutting intricate shapes out of the rubber forefoot panel to try and get that extra spin off the ball that might just make the difference come game day. Needless to say i’m not so sure it made a blind but of difference. My more recent career path has taught me to have a very keen eye for detail, manufacturing accuracy and most importantly pa-
THE SEVENINCH PAPER No. 02
tience to deliver results beyond the clients expectations. Currently that work includes Formula 1 components with an accuracy requirement like no other engineering firm. So this trained eye can spot a flawed New Balance 1500 or a misshapen Nike instantly, no second look required. Now I am confident that human evolution over the past 10 or so years has not included growing bulkier toes so why then the big change in shape of our favourite sneakers? I also know and can appreciate that manufacturing methods and costs change but should it always be down to the bottom line for these companies? Have they no regard for heritage and what matters to followers of their brand for many years........original shape! I first noticed (like many did) that the shape
of the NB 1500 was changing around 2008 when the provider collab release seemed to have a much bigger toebox. A year or so later and the solebox finals were no better and seemed way off shape-wise from a sleek sharp silhouette we had been used to. By this time I had already started restoring old original adidas runners with newer midsoles and making them wearable again. Getting hold of the correct tools and glues was made easier as i had and continue to have many fantastic contacts within my industry. Believe me, having the right tools and accessories makes the job of restoring sneakers a hell of a lot easier. I believe this is where many people give up when trying similar restoration jobs themselves but if you have the determination and passion to drive you towards perfection you will continue with trial
R O B ST E W A RT
& error and discover the optimum tools and materials that help to reach your desired results along the way. Since 2009 many 1500’s came and went both hyped collabs and general releases which I simply refused to pay any money for that was until we all got word of the Norse Projects weather pack now these being two of my most loved brands I knew that no matter what shape the shoe would be that I would have to have it. I think we all wanted NB to somehow copy last year’s Hanon 1500 CHF which by all accounts Hanon insisted on using a less obvious toe puff that has certainly blighted the 1500 shape for years now. I remember the day of release, we had built it up on our NB Instagram page for days, finally we had actual on foot photo’s from the release party in Copenhagen, whilst many of
our Instagram facebook page followers let out a sigh of disappointment I simply sharpened my scalpel blades and ordered some new glue. As luck would have it I had the day off work when the postman delivered the Danish brands 1500 within minutes of their arrival I had looked out the heat gun and started to prise that flawed upper from the midsole. About 30 minutes had passed and i’d separated the two enough to get to the thermal plastic toe puff which thankfully could be removed fairly easily. The difference was immediately apparent and so I set about gluing everything back together, I’m not ashamed or embarrassed to say I used my digital callipers and took measurements from my recent 1500 Chianti restoration job to get the dimensions on the Norse look just perfect.
In my opinion and many others the finish project has a much more pleasing shape and is far truer to the original 1500 shoe, however I still believe we should not have to butcher £120 shoes to create a shape that we had grown to love for several years previously. Let’s hope that 2014 brings a return to the older shape 1500 or at least something that resembles the Hanon 1500 CHF, I have it on very good authority that the correct people are working on it as we speak. Until then you’ll continue to find me repairing, reshaping and gluing shoes from all around Europe and continuing to search for the ultimate grail vintage find. Follow Rob on instagram at : @newbalance_gallery
THE SEVENINCH PAPER No. 02
A DI DAS
P H O T O G r a P H E r | ADIDAS
T E X T | JOACHIM IDESTRUP FRIIS
CLASSIC WHITE
The white tennis shoe – the unknown model known to all
When you talk about what sneakers are, most people think of either running shoes or basketball shoes, which of course is a bit funny when the most famous silhouette is the classic white tennis shoe, whether it’s Nike Tennis Classic, adidas Stan Smith or neo-classic The Achilles from Common Projects – but these models tend to be forgotten or just taken for granted. And it’s not just buyers who take this silhouette for granted. In 2011, adidas decided it was time to stop the production of the Stan Smith, which was as big a surprise to most sneakerheads as to the average person. It was probably the first time I heard normal people without any particular interest in sneakers comment on the topic.
THE SEVENINCH PAPER No. 02
The closing of production marked the end of an era that started in ‘63–’64, when adidas launched its first white leather tennis shoe. It was Horst Dassler, son of Adi Dassler, who had the idea for this model, and it was initially not called Stan Smith, but named after the French tennis player Robert Haillet. It was only when Haillet retired that Stan Smith was able to get this model as its own, and in ‘71 it was named adidas Stan Smith, as we know it today. Why stop? What made adidas stop producing a shoe that back in ‘88 got a place in the Guinness World Records for having sold more than 22 millions pairs is still a mystery to most. If it was poor
sales figures or that adidas just wanted to try something new must remain in the dark. It didn’t take long before it was known that Stan Smith would be making a comeback within a very short time. So was the whole story of discontinuing the model just a New Coke-esque marketing stunt to spur renewed interest in the classic, was it perhaps a blunder at a very high level, or are we simply talking about a shoe that refuses to die ? Personally, I don’t care if it’s one or the other. I’m just glad that it was not forgotten and that 2014 will be the year when I can say “welcome back Stan, my old friend!”
CLASSIC WHITE
What made adidas stop producing a shoe that back in ‘88 got a place in the Guinness World Records for having sold more than 22 millions pairs is still a mystery to most.
THE SEVENINCH PAPER No. 02
THE SEVENINCH PAPER A B I A N N UA L S N E A k E R A L M A N AC | I S S U E N o . 0 2
C L A S S I C W H I T E IS STAN STILL THE MAN? / o f f T H E T RAC k THE GREAT MIX OF NEW AND OLD M o R E T H E J U ST L A H A I N E PARIS SNEAKERS / R o B ST E WA R T A COLLECTORS STORY C H o o S E N ADIDAS | ONITSUKA TIGER | NEW BALANCE | NIKE