Nurizat – Supreme x Ari Marcopoulos Era Red
more entries after the jump Read More
There’s a certain kind of awesomeness that comes with owning and operating Under The Palms. Who’d have ever thought that I’d be able to rub elbows with sneaker advocates like Mr. Sabotage himself, Mark Ong. In the short amount of time that we’ve gotten to know each other, he’s been a tremendous inspiration for me. He’s been in my shoes before. Arriving at a few crossroads, deciding if he should move on to other things, or rekindle the fire which was slowly starting to fade out for various reasons. As he got back into sneaker customizing, he started dabbling more into Vans, and while doing so, through Instagram and the Strictly Vans Facebook Group, he came across an old friend, Faisal, who is one of our more familiar Singapore sneaker friends, who is part of the group of cousins that go by the name “Kadir Warriors”. You may have seen a few of their members share their photos with us, and it’s no surprise that they are the unofficial Vans ambassadors of Singapore. SBTG and Faisal have known each other since the late 90s, back when they were very into vintage clothing and sneakers, and used to hang out at a mutual friend’s store named Vintage Closet in Far East Plaza. After Mark and Faisal got to talking, they both realized that their interest in this emerging Vans scene in Singapore, sort of stemmed from their love for “Vintage Japanese Americana style”. Soon after that, Mark learned about Faisal’s family, and their Kadir Warrior brotherhood, and their strong family bond. They plan out mini family reunions every so often, and their #KadirWarriors campaign keeps them all in the loop with one another. This interaction struck a chord with Mark, and reminded him of the phrase on old vintage Vans boxes, “Canvas Shoes for the Entire Family”. That is what inspired him to create a project with the Kadir Warriors. He felt that the project really encapsulates the spirit of Vans back in the day where they would customize shoes for their customers, and also capture the spirit of family.
Those factors made him pitch this idea to Faisal, and after many conversations they finalized on re-appropriating an old Vans print (spiderweb) in the spirit of the love for Vintage, adding a short for Kadir Warriors logo, as KWAR, and their signature hand sign in Bone form. They chose this print as the spiderweb was a reminder of their bond as a family.
They initially agreed on 2-3 pairs, but ended up doing 10 pairs, and even 2 T-shirt designs. Almost every pair is different in terms of pattern placement and silhouette, so each pair is essentially one-of-a-kind. Sad to say, this is a private collection, and I doubt any one of them will be selling their pairs. Sabotage is awesome for doing this for the Kadir Warriors, and I hope to see more projects like this in the future. Mark also was able to set up an interview for us, which I have prepared for you all, so that you can all get to know our friends from Singapore a little bit better. I hope you enjoy it, and feel free to kiss my ass if you don’t! Haha!
Read the interview and see tons more pics after the jump Read More
Erwin – Syndicate x Max Schaaf “4Q Conditioning” Oakland Era 79 “S”
more entries after the jump Read More
As the year draws to an end, we start to see a bunch of lists of whatever you can imagine. I figured some of you would be expecting one from me, and because I had the time, I said fuck it, sure, why not? I did however simplify it for selfish reasons, and I narrowed it down to just Vault by Vans releases, and even more specifically collaborations from 2014…and one technically from 2013, but only by like 4 days. Get over it. It’s my list. Anyways, this was an awesome year for Vans, particularly Vault by Vans. Vans has stepped up their luxury line tremendously with steady seasonal releases from Taka Hayashi, as well as a few collaborations with high-end names like Diemme, and Gosha Rubchinskiy. There’s also been quite a bit of collaborations with sneaker boutiques that carry the Vault line, and even some more rare regional releases, where only a select few shops got the pleasure of releasing them. It made it fun for the collectors, and tough for those who were new to Vans. We definitely had to pool our resources, and keep our ear to the “internet streets” in order to successfully get what we wanted. Proxies were obtained, and funds exchanged hands all year long. We made new friends, and our Vans collector community continues to outgrow itself! We all feel it. Shoes are becoming harder to find now days, and the reseller’s are now buying up our beloved Vans too, but we’ve got our established network which truly looks out for us first. Thanks to all the shops that support Under The Palms. I will do all we can to support you as well. With all that being said, here’s my top 5 Vault by Vans collaborations of 2014.
My list is available after the jump
It’s been awhile since I’ve written a review for a sneaker, and I have no excuse except that I’ve been lazy! My attention has been elsewhere, but I’ve finally made an effort to sit down and put some thought and effort into a blog post. With that out of the way, let’s get started.
Today we will be reviewing the Vans Vault x The Darkside Initiative “Armored Pack” Sk8-Hi Zip LX. A Vans shoe, featuring more tech than you’ve ever seen on any pair, and an aesthetic that you probably haven’t seen since the Vans Syndicate 003 “Ballistic” Sk8-Hi. When news first dropped of this pack, everyone was “hella” excited for this NorCal collaboration. Then the photos came out, and even more people became excited. Then the MSRP was announced, and that’s where a lot of people started to change their sentiment for the shoes. I get it. It’s totally understandable when very few Vans shoes have peaked above the $200 mark, mostly those that had Taka Hayashi’s name behind them, or the infamous “handmade in Italy” Vault x Diemme’s. Partnering with world-renowned companies to give some authenticity to the shoes, like Vibram or Horween, is just one example of making an already awesome product, better. Darkside did exactly this, by sourcing SuperFabric® material, which has quite a few benefits to it, which you can read about HERE. They didn’t stop there. They also added Outlast® material for the inside lining of the shoe, originally developed by Nasa, which utilizes phase change materials (PCM) that absorb, store and release heat for optimal thermal comfort. Read more about it on the same link I just mentioned.
All of this tech doesn’t come cheap, and I truly believe you are getting your money’s worth with these. Tech can cost just as much as Luxury in almost any industry, and sometimes we have to be reminded of that. The Darkside Initiative has a pretty specific clientele, and the brands they curate, are a direct reflection of that. Brands like WTAPS, Neighborhood, and Acronym, fill their store, and when your customers are dropping $100+ on a t-shirt, then what’s $180-$225 on a pair of shoes? These shoes reflect their style, their taste, their budget, and their sentiment. It’s a point of view that you either get, or you don’t, and Darkside is okay with that.
The shoes are limited to 100 pairs of each style, so that should also help add some value to them. Whether you’re a sneaker collector, a shop supporter, or a fan of tech gear, these may be just for you. Pairs can still be found on The Darkside Initiative webstore. Buy yourself something nice for Christmas!
tons more pics after the jump Read More
-
Currently on a little hiatus, but normally you can drop in for the live Twitch stream, or you can get caught up later on, by viewing us on our Youtube channel. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Anchor. -
Check out and add to our collaborative playlist on Spotify. Let's hear some of your favorite, obscure, B-side, and personal selections. The funkier and more eclectic it gets, the better. Let's show everyone how much range our community has!
