SOLE ORIGINS by Complex

Complex' 4-part series on sneakers, Sole Origins, takes a look at the world of the 'sneaker-head' covering brands from Nike to Supreme and beyond. The season ends with a bonus episode where Complex gave away rare models of shoes at Complexcon that the winners had to wear on the way out.

In a previous life, I ran a couple of websites focused on fashion and trainers / sneakers were an important part of it. Those websites sprung up (along with Hypebeast, High Snobiety and a few others) around 2005 and while I decided to call it a day half way through 2009 it had been a real experience conversing with such a wide variety of people. Sneakers became much more than just something comfortable to wear as the video below will attest to. And just to show how much they can mean to people, Nike's 2005 collaboration with Staple Design is currently available on Fight Club for just $12,020.

Sole Origins Season 1, Episode 1

Episode guide

Most striking for me was the lack of structural integrity in some of the shoes that have been left deadstock, just waiting for someone to come along and pay the right price. Clearly the right person never came along or the price was never right... As part of my previous work I'd come across Colette a few times but had no idea the founder was a woman or that it had closed in 2017. It was a store that secured a few famous collaborations and a magnet for street culture in Europe.

If you're in to sneakers or streetwear then this is a must watch. Marked as series 1, I'm hoping there will be more episodes or perhaps it will evolve to look at other items of clothing. Either way, Complex are putting out some great content, and not just about apparel, but food too.

Updates

Nike SB: The Dunk book

I'm a big fan of the SB dunk low, which it turns out Nike have created a book for: Nike SB: The Dunk Book - found via Bless This Stuff