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..oh...if you notice, the midsole looks scuffed or scratched, I intentionally painted it white(a well known no-no) and tried to scratch it off in places to resemble Jokers face paint cracking. I cant fit these so I couldnt wear them to make the cracking genuine, but when they are worn a "flesh" color will be revealed. I hope that makes sense. Back side of the tongue plays off his socks and...yeah, thats about it -emmanuel labor
my old friend emmanuel labor, killing them softly with his song.
I caught this interview on sneaker freaker about an artist who does custom vans slip ons.
i checked her site some neat work.
SHAUNA LUEDTKE (SLIP-OFFS) INTERVIEW
Calgary may be known for its famous Winter Olympics locale, but on the fast track to becoming the area’s best asset is the incredibly talented Shauna Luedtke and her burgeoning sneaker customizing business, Slip-Offs. Sick of rocking the same boring kicks as everyone else on the streets, Shauna’s forward thinking boyfriend spawned a beast of an idea when he asked the 23 year old graphic artist to lace his Vans Slip-Ons with a unique toe box design. Little did she know the power of the walking advertising machine her man had created. From celebrity customs, to a cameo on sneaker head Ellen Degeneres' high rating talk show, Slip-Offs have been taking the Vans scene by storm. With one offs being fiended all over the globe, Shauna is set to make history with her shoes becoming part of an exclusive ‘History of Vans’ book set to drop next year. Do we smell a collaboration? We caught up with Shauna in between her backlog of Slip-Off requests and put these questions to her.
City guy who caught Barry Bonds' record ball opens sneaker business
BY RICH SCHAPIRO DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Saturday, August 9th 2008, 11:11 PM
Appleton/News
Matt Murphy used part of his windfall to open "Solefood NYC," a new shoe shop on Lispenard St. in Manhattan
Ward/AP
Rosenstrauch/MCT
Elmhurst's Matt Murphy with historic ball; after he caught it (above).
He caught the ball the entire sporting world was after. Now Matt Murphy is the one swinging for the fences.
A year after emerging from a violent scrum with Barry Bonds' record-breaking home run ball in his hands, the 22-year-old Queens native is opening an upscale sneaker shop in Manhattan.
"It changed my life," Murphy said this week from inside his gleaming Tribeca store, Solefood NYC. "I've been wanting to do this for a long time."
Murphy sank $60,000 of his $300,000 share of the windfall from Bonds' historic 756th homer into his new store at 38 Lispenard St.
An aspiring entrepreneur from Elmhurst, Murphy was on his way to Australia last August when he and buddy Amir Kamal took in the hotly anticipated San Francisco Giants game during a layover in California.
Bonds had tied home run king Hank Aaron's hallowed record two days earlier, and the two friends agreed to split the proceeds if somehow either caught the historic homer.
The moment a towering blast left Bonds' bat in the fifth inning, Murphy sprang to action.
In an instant, he was at the bottom of a pile of angry Giants fans. His face was bloodied and his Jose Reyes jersey was torn, but the ball was safely in his hands.
"I had blood coming out of my nose; my leg was all thrashed up," Murphy recalled. "I couldn't breathe. I couldn't see. I was just holding on."
The ball was auctioned, and designer Marc Ecko got it for $752,467.20. Murphy kept 51% of what remained after taxes and fees and gave Kamal the rest, as he had promised.
Murphy invested some of the money in the stock market, moved into an apartment in the lower East Side, and tried to avoid the spotlight. "I don't like attention," he said. "I don't feel like it's deserved. I didn't save anybody's life."
His main focus now is the sneaker shop he's opening Friday with two longtime friends, Michael Cole, 29, and Jose Batilo, 28.
The shop will offer specialty Nikes and other kicks that can be custom-designed and outfitted with virtually any type of material imaginable.
"If you want stingray skin, you can get it," Murphy said, smiling broadly. "We actually looked into it."
During a tour of the eye-catching, two-level store, Murphy admired the abstract art for sale on the walls and brilliantly colored shoes lining the shelves.
Eight international teams and fifteen highly esteemed NBA coaches and players of past and present will gather in Dallas, Texas for six days of intense training and competition
WHAT: adidas Nations Basketball Experience, a global grassroots program
WHEN: August 7-12, 2008
WHERE: Dallas, Texas at the Integrated Athletic Development (IAD) facility
LOCATION: 2800 North Interstate 35E, Carrollton, Texas.
CAMP:Feature eight international teams – Africa, Asia Red, Asia Blue, Canada, Europe, Latin America, US 2009 and US 2010
HIGHLIGHT:Fifteen NBA players and coaches lead the 8 regional teams
MENTORS: NBA players Antawn Jamison, TJ Ford, Josh Smith, Kyle Lowry, DesmondMason and Raymond Felton
HEAD COACHES: Paul Silas, Detlef Schrempf, Terry Stotts, Larry Krystowiak, Lionel Hollins, Frank Johnson, Ed Schilling and Dwane Casey
DAILY:
adidas Nations is designed to emphasize and focus on adidas’ core belief that real success in the game of basketball comes from playing as a team.The training and educational activities are designed to provide insight on what it takes to elevate their basketball careers to collegiate and NBA-levels.All eight participating teams will take part in daily practices, workout rotations and games at the IAD facility. Athlete’s Performance Institute, a leader in sports training, will be on-site to lead and engage the players through advanced programs to supplement their on-court training.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH:
adidas’ long-term relationship with Peace Players International (http://www.peaceplayersintl.org) - a global not-for-profit organization and 2007 ESPN Arthur Ashe Courage Award ESPY recipient – will grant players a first hand experiencewith community outreach and social responsibility.
WHAT:Free youth basketballclinic for local youth hosted by adidas Nations
WHO: adidas Nations players
WHEN:August 11 from9:30am-11am
WHERE:Preston Wood Baptist Church (6801 W. Park Blvd, Plano, TX).
MORE: The clinic is open and free of charge to both boys and girls ages 9-14.
"Presented by NIKE SPORTSWEAR, the film chronicles the lives and creative process of artists including Shepard Fairey, Margaret Kilgallen, Mike Mills, Barry McGee, Jo Jackson, Chris Johanson, Harmony Korine, Stephen Powers, Geoff McFetridge, Thomas Campbell and Ed Templeton, among others, whose DIY attitudes informed the aesthetics and ethos of their generation.
To further commemorate the film’s release, Nike’s Sportswear’s JESSE LEYVA has also created a series of 22 Beautiful Losers Dunks emblazoned with iconic stills from the movie using the company’s new high-resolution digital printing process. Says Aaron Rose of the project, “We went back to the documentary and pulled frame stills of what we felt were key moments in the narrative. We used these moments to tell the Beautiful Losers story using the shoes as a medium, with the end result being a collection of works of art.” Viewed together, the shoes reflect the overall narrative of the film, and after being exhibited at the NYC and LA “Make Something!” workshops, two sets of the shoes will be auctioned off with proceeds donated to the Children’s Aid Society." Via Supertouch.
As mentioned above, two sets of the shoes will be auctioned very soon. We cannot remember the last time we were as excited about a set of shoes - a true collectors piece.
BEAUTIFUL LOSERS NYC SCREENING SCHEDULE: IFC Center 323 6th Ave (at W 3rd St), NYC Showtimes for Friday 8.8.08—Tuesday 8.12.08: 12:45, 2:30, 4:15, 6:15, 8:20*, 10:20pm*, plus Fri-Sat: 12:15am
Have a detailed look at the entire Nike "Beautiful Losers" Dunk Collection after the jump.
ps one time i met espo, he was really nice and i was really drunk. which is a shame, because i couldnt hold a conversation at that moment. i would have liked to express to him that he's one of my favorite artists in my limited art experience. I see alot of romance and love in some of his pieces. i wonder if he married that person or if it ended horrible and he is haunted by it and works it out through his work.
Appleton/News 
Ward/AP 
Rosenstrauch/MCT 
