The Hollywood duo of Matt Damon & Ben Affleck are teaming up once again to do a movie about Nike’s efforts to sign Michael Jordan to his sneaker deal back in the 1980s according to the Hollywood Reporter
The movie will centre around former Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro who will be portrayed by Damon and Nike co-founder Phil Knight who Affleck will play. Damon & Affleck have already won the highest award when they took home the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting in 1998.
The movie will focus on Nike’s efforts to sign Michael Jordan in 1984 when Jordan was entering the NBA. Coming out of North Carolina, Jordan was the 3rd overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft. Vaccaro managed to do the impossible for what was at the time, a minor shoe company and keep Jordan away from Adidas, Reebok and Converse. By doing this, Vaccaro helped Nike transform into the powerhouse it is today by bridging the relationship an athlete and a brand, and the sneaker industry as a whole.
Vaccaro, who is now 82 years old, helped to make the sneaker industry what it is today by signing players like Jordan and Kobe Bryant to multi-million dollar shoe deals with Nike.
“I don’t think people understood how my career evolved. I wanted the public to know how sneaker marketing started. For better or worse, this is who I am,” Vaccaro told ESPN about “Sole Man” in 2015. “I don’t think people understood how my relationships with coaches evolved and how I got involved with Nike. This is how Jordan happened, this is how Kobe happened.
“Sole Man” was co-directed by Jon Weinbach, who is president of Skydance Sports. Weinbach was also a producer of the Emmy-winning ESPN series “The Last Dance,” which he did with Mandalay Pictures chairman Peter Guber, who will produce the upcoming movie. Now they’ll team up again for another part of the Jordan story.
Will this be worth seeing? Let us know sneakeheads!
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS (in the words of Thor from Ragnarok). We finally have the first (of probably many) trailer for the upcoming Thor: Love & Thunder movie. This is the next installment in the Phase 4 of the MCU following Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Fans have been waiting and begging for this trailer for sometime. Given the release date is only in a couple of months, we thought we would get it sooner.
The cast list for this one is MASSIVE. Not only is Chris Hemsworth returning as Thor, but we have Natalie Portman returning as Jane Foster, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif, and it appears we have some of the Guardians of the Galaxy stars in this one as well. In addition to the returning favourites we have Christian Bale starring as Gorr the God Butcher & Russell Crowe as Zeus.
In a recent chat with Empire, director and star (voice of Korg) Taika Waititi teased that this Thor installment is the craziest film he has ever done.
“Well, just between [me and] you and the readers, I’ve done some crazy sh*t in my life. I’ve lived, like, ten lifetimes. But it’s the craziest film I’ve ever done,” Waititi shared. “If you wrote down all the elements of this film, it shouldn’t make sense,” he added, “It’s almost like it shouldn’t be made. If you walked into a room and said, ‘I want this and this and this.’ Who’s in it? These people. What are you going to call it? Love And Thunder. I mean, you’d never work again. Maybe I won’t after this.”
Marvel has also released the first official poster for the movie, its a crazy one!
Thor: Love & Thunder is set to hit cinemas on July 7th here in Australia and July 8th internationally. Let us know what you think of this first look.
We really liked the creamy and neutral colour blocking scheme which was offset by the hirsute suede and faux leather on the uppers of a wide open mesh underlay uppers! Thanks again to Up There Store for hosting such an amazing party, it was the perfect time for the Melbourne sneaker community to connect again for the longest of time.
They retail for $190 AUD, Australian release on the 16th of April and worldwide release on the 23rd of April. Make sure you sign up to our newsletter, so you can stay up to date! For other ASICS features, click HERE and for sneaker features, click HERE.
Australian boutique Highs And Lows have reunited with ASICS to collaborate on the GEL-1130™. After 16 years in the game, 2021 marked a new chapter for Highs And Lows; founder Matthew Thomas and designer/creative director John Bouquet partnered up to launch a new project entitled “HAL STUDIOS®” — a multi-faceted creative house dedicated to the examination of design concepts. The project embodies a ‘Design Thinking’ approach to questioning and problem-solving. It is an ongoing conversation, a series of case studies and collaborative projects.
On the ASICS GEL-1130™, HAL STUDIOS® has taken a ‘maximal minimalism’ approach to the design by stripping back the usual characteristics and aesthetics of a traditional sports shoe. Instead, they have chosen to highlight the retro-futuristic form and shape of the archival running silhouette through the use of beautiful textures and tones.
The chosen palette reflects natural earthy hues found on trails of our home planet. Breathable mesh underlays contrasted by hairy suede and faux leather overlays deliver a highly wearable performance walking shoe for day-to-day use.
Branding is kept to a minimum with subtle transparent tags on the back heels — the left shoe bearing the words “HAL” and the right “STUDIOS”. The ASICS spiral logo has been embroidered on the lateral sides of the hairy suede ASICS stripes. Lace options are abundant with two different coloured rope laces, and one flat lace option available for a more casual style.
The GEL-1130™, first released in 2008, has preserved its TRUSTIC™ support system to provide underfoot stability, while the iconic GEL™ technology cushioning in the heel unit absorbs shock to offer easy-wearing comfort -core to the sneakers’ original identity. Thoughtful design fused with advanced technology and a minimal aesthetic, allows this sneaker to blur the lines between performance and leisure.
The HAL STUDIOS® x ASICS GEL-1130™ ‘Earth’ will be available on the 16th of April at Highs And Lows, ASICS.com, Up There, Laced and USG. Global release will be on the 23rd of April via all good ASICS stockists. Make sure you sign up to our newsletter, so you can stay up to date! For other ASICS features, click HERE and for sneaker features, click HERE.
Ox Street is the fastest growing sneaker and streetwear online marketplace in Asia and has now set its sights on an official Australian debut!
Allow us to share with you our insightful conversation with Gijs, the energetic and inspiring founder behind Ox Street!
Before you founded the fastest growing streetwear marketplace in Asia back in 2019, you were known as a global travelling adventurer. Would you mind letting us know what some of these amazing activities are?
I had completed a few years working in finance, and figured out that my bosses weren’t that much smarter than I was, so I decided I wanted to become an entrepreneur. A friend of mine also challenged me because I had a lot of opinions, that I should put my money where my mouth was and start building companies myself. So I joined a German company called Rocket Internet, which is the backer of companies like Lazada and Zalora in Southeast Asia, The Iconic in Australia, and many others around the world.
They sent me to launch a jobs marketplace in Bangladesh, where I spent 5 months. Once it was set up, I moved to Myanmar, and ultimately managed a company across 5 countries in the region, growing it to over 100 employees.
This period of my life stands out as one of the most exciting in my life. I got the chance to travel a lot and learn from people who grew up in very different cultures. It was exactly the broadening of my horizon that I was looking for. One adventure that comes to mind is that while I was living in Yangon, Myanmar, I was part of a mixed group of locals and expats who were frustrated with the music in the local clubbing scene and started to organize parties. Music has always been a passion of mine, so one of my friends taught me how to DJ and over the course of the next 2 years I ended up helping create the first underground techno club in Yangon.
What inspired you to build Ox Street?
During my time at Rocket Internet, I came to believe that there were massive opportunities to build more internet businesses in the SEA region, in particular focusing on Gen Z. Ox Street was born when I was struggling to buy a particular pair of sneakers in Singapore. I saw a lot of problems with the experience, and having learned a few things about building online marketplaces during my time at Rocket Internet, I decided to build a new marketplace for sneakers and streetwear.
You are also well known for your genuine love of kicks and streetwear. Can you still remember the kicks/streetwear that set you off on this path?
One of my classmates showed up to school wearing a new pair of Nike Air Max. They were very on-trend in the mid-nineties in the Netherlands. It was the first time I saw shoes with the visible air bubble, and as a 10 year old boy, the concept of walking on air was just the best thing ever. So that’s how it all started.
A couple of years later, Puma had a brief period of extreme popularity in Europe. And through some friends I ended up being one of the early adopters of that trend. It was a good feeling to be early on a trend. So since my mid/early teenage years I have been interested in sneakers and have taken an interest in fashion in general.
What differentiates Ox Street from other selling online apps and platforms?
Our focus on customers. I feel that there is a lot of bad customer service in the sneakers and streetwear space. If you are a brand like Supreme, you can get away with that and even make it part of your identity, but as a marketplace you provide a service so you need to really raise the bar on service. We take authenticity to mean not only that all products transacted are authenticated, but also that our own approach to customers and the market in general is authentic. If you contact our support team, they will be a lot more open about what is actually going on behind the scenes compared to other platforms. Apart from that, we are usually faster and slightly cheaper on an all-in basis for buyers in the entire APAC region.
Any advice for future entrepreneurs that may want to follow your footsteps?
First of all, it’s too difficult to build a company if you don’t care about the product. Pick something you care about, and already know a lot about. That will keep you going through the inevitable low points in the journey. Secondly, I think it’s a very common mistake to kind of convince yourself a bit too easily that something is a good idea. Once you start, it’s hard to quit, so it’s really important to put in the work to validate your idea before launching.
Where do you see yourself and Ox Street in the next 10 years?
My dream is for Ox Street to become a true lifestyle app that people use almost on a daily basis. The foundation will still be a transactional platform. A marketplace combining supply in Used, BNDS, from individual sellers and from brands. But on top of that, it will be about self-expression and community. Right now you would come to Ox Street if you want to buy or sell sneakers, but I want Ox Street to be also fun when you’re broke, and more fun together with friends. As for myself, I dream of the privilege to lead Ox Street to become a global platform, and to impact people all over the world. Hopefully we will also be leading in making second-hand fashion more popular!
Get $20 SGD/$20 AUD OFF your first purchase when you sign-up. Ox Street also rewards us 20 OX CREDITS ($20AUD) for every successful referral we make. You can save up these OX CREDITS to purchase any item in their platform.
“I’m not gonna lie….the last two years or so of the pandemicreally screwed up my drive to go out and shoot.…I can only shoot so many shots at the local car parks. I will admit since heading back into work for a few days a week got me the urge to go out and shoot again!
What keeps me going is—out of nowhere, I might get an idea for a shot and run with it…most of it involves making shit look like it floats or if I spot a location or if the light hits a certain spot in the room just right.
The Nike Air Max 1 is a classic silhouette that looks good with pretty much anything. From OGs colourways to the legendary Collabs and super rare Hyperstrike pairs it’s a timeless design with great history.”
The highly anticipated fourth collaboration between ASICS and Berlin fashion label GmbH is finally here, the GmbH x ASICS GEL-QUANTUM 360™ 6. GmbH is based in Berlin, Germany and was founded in 2016 by Benjamin A. Huseby and Serhat Isik.
The two new designs of the GmbH x ASICS GEL-QUANTUM 360™ 6 was shot by photographer and director Olgac Bozalp and styled by Raphael Hirsch. The video and images depict brotherhood and community between a group of young men in Berlin. The images portray physical activities which we see a kind of masculinity that often is vilified, but here pictured with beauty.
This radical design of an ASICS classic, the sneakers have been rendered almost unrecognisable through a unique methodology of colour, composition and materials. GmbH cut and sliced the shoe apart, deconstructing the upper into an open flat artwork, coloured in asymmetrically, making each shoe of a pair seem unique and mismatched. Executed in two highly contrasting colour combinations: Pure Silver/Sour Yuzu and Rich Gold/Black Coffee the sneakers features GmbH’s signature play with glossy and suggestive surfaces. The slick renderings appear both ominous and seductive.
However, all the functionality and technology of the GEL-QUANTUM 360™ 6 model have kept its integrity, uniting the fluidity of its technical components with a progressive look. 360-degrees of GEL™ technology cushioning circulates the midsole for lasting comfort. GmbH creates fashion through storytelling, craft and technology. Both brands further promote an importance in originality and craftsmanship within sportswear.
Exclusive pre-launch of the GmbH x ASICS GEL-QUANTUM 360™ 6 was on the 16th of March at the GmbH online store. In Australia, it will be available via ASICS.com and Above The Clouds on the 7th of April 2022.
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Let’s take it back. AFEW is a family business and was founded in 2008 by two brothers Andy and Marco Biergen, based in Düsseldorf, Germany. If you didn’t know, Düsseldorf has the 3rd largest Japanese community in Europe and the largest in Germany, hence the Japanese influences on their designs.
Over the years, AFEW grew to an international, well-known sneaker store. AFEW have collaborated and worked with big brands such as Nike, Adidas, ASICS, Diadora and KangaROOS. Every new event or project, AFEW pushes the boundaries to the max, which helped grow AFEW to its status today.
Following the successful release of the AFEW x ASICSGEL-LYTE™ III ‘Red Koi’ and ‘Orange Koi,’ comes the new chapter for AFEW x ASICS. After the ‘Koi’ was voted as the best GEL-LYTE™ III, AFEW had the opportunity to work on another project with ASICS.
Having just raised over €13,000 for charity with the 1-of-1 AFEW x ASICSGEL-LYTE™ III “Beauty of Imperfection CP 1/1” sneaker, ASICS are excited to present their next collaboration with AFEW.
The AFEW x ASICSGEL-LYTE™ III “Beauty of Imperfection” sneaker is inspired by the Wabi-Sabi philosophy and is meant to embody the concept that beauty lies in imperfection. Only premium materials was used for this collaboration.
The sneaker’s ASICS Stripes feature a “Wear Away” upper that forms its own texture as the sneaker is worn, and the colour will change from green to pink. The upper is beige while the heel stands out in purple with ‘Wabi-Sabi’ stitched on. Purple stitching is on the inside panel of the sneaker for the ASICS Stripes. Also, for the first time ever used on a GEL-LYTE™ III sneaker, there is a cork sock liner with ‘Wabi-Sabi’ printed on.
The AFEW x ASICSGEL-LYTE™ III “Beauty of Imperfection” released exclusively at AFEW on the 26th of February and will be available through ASICS.com this Friday, the 25th of March for $270.
Make sure you sign up to our newsletter, so you can stay up to date! For other ASICS features, click HERE and for sneaker features, click HERE.
Here we go again Marvel fans, the next series in the Phase 4 MCU is heading to Disney+ finally has a trailer and a release date. As a long time Marvel fan, im not sure about this one however. It seems to be targetting the younger generation for Marvel, but still, if you have read the comics, it’s still a good time to be excited about Ms Marvel
People online are still trying to decipher everything going on with Kamala Khan in her first appearance in the MCU. Now, Marvel is dropping some big hints about her first steps in high school. Centered in Jersey City, Ms. Marvel is going to have some grounded adventures the first time out. A lot of the trailer focuses on her being kind of overlooked in school and her desire to be a hero like her idols, The Avengers. Well, it looks like a chance encounter and a very special set of bracelets starts her on the way to becoming a superhero (sounds familar right…).
For those who don’t know much about Kamala Khan, she is a Muslim American teenager growing up in Jersey City. An avid gamer and a voracious fan-fiction scribe, Kamala is a Super Hero mega fan with an oversized imagination—particularly when it comes to Captain Marvel. Yet Kamala feels like she doesn’t fit in at school and sometimes even at home—that is, until she gets super powers like the heroes she’s always looked up to. Life gets better with super powers, right?
Iman Vellani stars as Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel. The series is directed by executive producers Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah, Meera Menon and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, with executive producer Bisha K. Ali serving as head writer.
This should serve as a good introduction to the Captain Marvel sequel which is currently being filmed. While we dont know alot about the sequel, we do know its official title as “The Marvels” which means not only will we get Brie Larson back as Carol Danvers, but we will also see Kamala Khan as Ms Marvel and Teyonan Paris reprising her role as Monica Rambeau from Wandavision. The Marvels is scheduled for a Feb 2023 release.
Ms. Marvel is dropping on Disney+ from June 8th 2022. Let us know what you think about this one Marvel fans?
CASIO has announced the release of a new addition to the MR-G series, the flagship line of the G-SHOCK brand of shock-resistant watches. The new MRG-B5000 is the first MR-G timepiece to feature the iconic design of the very first G-SHOCK.
The DW-5000C is the first-ever G-SHOCK released in 1983, the MRG-B5000 now brings a brilliant shine and dignified distinction to the shock-resistant watch by employing cutting-edge metals finished with master polishing craftsmanship.
In order to apply sophisticated polished finishes to even the tiniest corners of the complex bezel form, which is made of 25 different components, CASIO developed the new Multi-Guard Structure. The new structure incorporates shock-absorbent parts in the multi-component bezel to ensure excellent shock-resistance, while also allowing polished finishes to be applied to each individual component, down to the most challenging spots, for a stunningly beautiful finish. The band employs a special structure, as well, with separate pins embedded in round holes in each metal link, to allow detailed polishing for an equally beautiful finish on the band.
The quality of the master polishing craftsmanship really shows on the cutting-edge, made-in-Japan materials used for the MRG-B5000. COBARION, which has a hardness about four times that of pure titanium and a brilliant gleam comparable to platinum, is used for the top surface of the bezel. The band is made with DAT55G, a titanium alloy that is both about three times harder than pure titanium and highly workable, making it scratch-resistant and ensuring a long-lasting, beautiful mirror finish.
Masterfully crafted polishing and meticulously selected materials come together to create a timepiece worthy of that original design, but with the trademark quality of the MR-G line, which stands at the pinnacle of the diverse family of G-SHOCK watches.
When it comes to function, the MRG-B5000 features radio-controlled calibration and Smartphone Link connectivity. The watch connects with the dedicated CASIO WATCHES smartphone app to automatically adjust to the correct time. It also comes equipped with a solar charging system and high-brightness LED light for added convenience.
As with other MR-G watches, the MRG-B5000 is crafted on the high-end Premium Production Line at Yamagata Casio, the “mother factory” of CASIO watch production.
The MRG-B5000 series are now available for pre-order at https://gshock.com.au/ and will be available end of March. To stay up to date, make sure you sign up to our newsletter. For other CASIO or G-SHOCK features, please click here.
