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SBTG x MR..SK PROJECT AC/DC Part 2: "AC/DC ECLIPSE" - Dunk Low "Mono Militia" & "Rapid Assault"
Posted Sunday, December 16, 2007
In mid November, SBTG teamed up with the Hong Kong sneaker store Mr..SK (Samplekickz) and did a Project called PROJECT AC/DC, and because they were only limited to 12 pairs, the entire 12 pairs were sold out in 3 mins, and there are still enquries for these models up to now. So both SBTG and MR..SK felt its time to do a part 2 to thank those who made the purchases last time and to offer those who missed out last time an opportunity to get one this time. And because for the last project, only dunk high and af1 low were used, a lot of sbtg fans expressed that there should be a dunk low as well, so this time, dunk low will be the model used.
As part 2 of the Project AC/DC, the main concept is still Electrical Storms, but this time, SBTG is experimenting with his latest techniques "Raindrop Camo and more realistic faded sky with lightning". And this time, its Night time Electrical Storms hence the uses of darker colors and gave the name of the project "AC/DC Eclipse". And with the use of his exclusive lacelocks and also the latest pyramid stud toe straps, they certainly gave the shoes a "Noir theme".
Release Date: 18th December 2007, 00:00AM GMT+8:00 / Ship Out on: 21st Dec 2007 - 24th Dec 2007
With the Crooked Customs Threads in particularly rude health, and a generous handful putting in serious hours to make their creations look like factory creations, it seemed timely to hookup with a key sneaker alchemist in the shape of Rob L, whose distinctive patterned PUMAs have led to a ton of requests for one-offs. A man only has so many ours in a day, so Rob has taken the initiative, with PUMA's support to offer a little Xmas bonus in the shape of these subtly embellished XR Runners. Well, as subtle as a green, patterned running shoe can be.
With ten made and exclusively sold via the CT Store, Rob has given these his usual ultra-precise penmanship with truly professional results that renders them particularly wearable, and pretty damned impressive on close inspection. DIY designs to cater for mass appeal, despite the double figures, each of these pairs is a real one-off that'll embellish your collection if you're weary of the next themed 'limited run' of 200,000 production line fodder.
A few words with the marker maestro himself...
With every Tom, Dick and Harry being given a colab at a drop of a hat and with more and more brands offering an iD-like experience, isn't sneaker customization getting kind of redundant?
I'd say the opposite. Customising is evolving away from just making simple changes like colouring a stripe or toebox, and becoming more about making stuff that really is unique. It's about redefining 'rare' again as I think the trainer buying market has suffered a bit from 'limited edition fatigue'. In that context, what I do is closer to designing a sample in some ways, especially as I always want my work to look factory quality. The difference is that as I don't have my own factory I end up having to make it myself.
What's your take on the current state of collaborations?
Well, ultimately I'm looking at any shoe from the perspective of either 'do I like the design?' or 'does it mean something to me?' If a collab is one or the other, or even both it's cool. Where it falls down is with the kind of end product that's not pushing anything, or pushing the wrong thing, like a shoe that looks like a GR or the colours are nasty and clashing.
To me that feels like a wasted opportunity really. By doing collaborations, brands have outsourced a proportion of their design work to outsiders who may or may not be design minded. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't. I don't think the collab "thing" has made more or less great shoes though, it's just evolved how those shoes came to exist, and added more reasons for people to check them out. If you think about it though it's not a new idea - the old name for it was a 'signature shoe' and it would be a sports person who'd have something to do with it. Clyde is a good example of this - he said what he wanted and PUMA obliged. Perhaps today's non-sport collabs are one way for brands to acknowledge the fact that they're not just sport brands anymore.
You first came to our attention when we were impressed by your off-key take on that classic of the custom world- the graffiti shoe. What made you abandon this approach (and your graffiti nom de plume) and start doing patterns?
I never really set out to make 'graffiti customs', I set out to make unique trainers to wear. Graffiti lettering was what I applied to trainers initially as it's what came naturally, but ultimately it's a very specific thing to do to a shoe, and it's also been done before many times. I realised that I wanted a wider design scope with less connotations to the shoes - something more aesthetically neutral really. Ultimately I decided that I didn't want to explain anything about the shoes though, just let them do the talking, hence the shift over into patterns and using my real name.
Bristol has a strong affinity with Hip-Hop and had a remarkably influential scene - did shoes play an important part in that?
I moved here in 1999, so that's where my day-to-day experience of Bristol begins, but I can say that a lot of the the people involved in that sort of stuff love their trainers, as with anywhere really.
PUMAs seem to be your favourite target - do you have a strong affinity with the brand?
For me, it honestly all stems from one picture - 'Harlem USA by Flite' on page 19 of Spraycan Art. The dude is wearing a pair of burgundy Clydes with a white stripe and burgundy fat laces. I got that book when I was 12 and I knew I had to have those trainers, and since then I have always worn them. For a long time it was almost a statement of being into Hip-Hop, or more accurately being into graffiti, especially when they were harder to find than they are now. I guess I thought of myself as different to other kids around me because of that.
Now I think that translates into my custom work in terms of me being one of the few customisers to really concentrate on PUMAs and not Nikes or whatever - it's another way to stand apart from what else it out there.
How did this custom project come about? Did you choose to work with the XR Runner?
Yeah, I love that shoe! PUMA's 90's runners are fresh!! I have a friend who designs apparel at PUMA and I would always send pics of the shoes I was doing, or ebay links for something rare etc, knowing he was a fiend for it too. After I while I met other people in the organisation which opened up new possibilities and I've been working on a few things for them in the last year or so.
This project came from an idea I had to do something a bit more than just one pair at a time, and to do that I needed a little assistance. Apart from the subjective reasoning that they are fresh, I chose the XR Runner because it's a really good shape - not too skinny, not too fat, and has a smaller surface area to customise than a Clyde. It can be a bit of an endurance test laying down a perfect pattern on a shoe with no mistakes over and over, so it made doing ten pairs at a time more viable really.
How long did each of the XR Runner customs take from start to finish?
The pattern is applied with Pantone markers so it's permanent, and each pair took the equivalent of about a half-day to complete, but spread out over roughly three weeks.
Are you looking to keep evolving your style? Are you going to keep adding patterns to shoes?
Yeah, I always want to evolve what I'm doing, otherwise I feel like I'm coasting, you know? I push myself quite hard to work on stuff whenever I can, and it's seeing a new idea through that gives me the determination to put in the long hours that a lot of these things take.
Something I have in the pipeline is to start experimenting with a vinyl cutting machine to make stencils/templates/masks for shoes and see what methods of customising that throws up. A lot of my current patterns are really a response to the parameters of the materials I've had available, so I think introducing new methods could lead me in different directions with it.
Why choose the colours you've opted for? Are you a green fiend?
Practicality really. It was a case of looking at the three UK XR colourways and thinking which would be most suitable for customising. I went for the green as they were lightest, and I knew an emerald green on top would make them zing. Handily that's also the CT colours, so when it came to releasing them it all fell into place. As for being a green fiend, well, I'm always a sucker for a pistachio/mid green combo, which is also why the CT 1 Clydes are one of my favourite shoes.
Where did you source the laces from?
I think laces are really important, and I love getting trainers that come with tons of pairs like all the CT Clydes had. I wanted people to have several options, plus a bunch of spares to flip into other shoes, so I spoke to some people at PUMA and they hooked me up.
What's next for Rob L?
I'm aiming to do more multiple-pair custom releases like this one, plus I'm working on some t-shirts and stuff like that as well. Also, as I mentioned earlier I've been doing some work with PUMA and I have some more things in the pipeline, so watch this space...
