Kenzo and Vans Present Their First Collaboration. A Peek At The Sneaks.

Kenzo and Vans have collaborated for the first time: from May to July, three capsule collections of Vans shoes will be available. First up is the Era skate shoe, revisited by Kenzo’s designers in seven different colours, and available mid-May in both men's and women's models, with prices starting at €90 ($119).




“We grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles and we’ve been fans of Vans since we were very young: we have so many pairs of their shoes that it would be impossible to count them”, explained Humberto Leon and Carol Lim, Artistic Directors of Kenzo since July 2011 and also founders of the American label Opening Ceremony.




The three collections will be on sale in Kenzo’s boutiques, on Vans’s website and at a selection of retailers such as Colette, Harvey Nichols, Bosco Milan and Lane Crawford.

Kenzo
Vans

Marimekko X Converse - 13 Styles And Many Are On Sale!

Original Marimekko patterns from the 1960s created by the well-known Finnish textile mill are applied to some Converse favorites in this special collection. The signature prints are paired with such classic Converse styles as Jack Purcells and All Star Hi and low tops.



Right now, about half the Marimekko Converse kicks are on sale. Here's a look at the 13 shoes in the collection:













Each pair of the 13 different styles comes with a matching cinch bag made in the Marimekko pattern, like those shown below:




Just Reduced Merchandise at Converse + Free Shipping on orders of $75 or more


click on the above logo to start shopping.

Brass Monki Puts Pop Culture On Kicks Resulting In The Coolest Custom Nikes.

above: Street artist Banksy's Rat recreated on pair of leather Nikes designed and sold online by Brass Monki

Brass Monki is a talented 22 year old artist named Daniel Reese who hails from Merseyside [near Liverpool] in the UK. In 2009 he began using software to place pop culture imagery and icons from video games, movies, art, comic books, logos and other popular brands upon footwear.



The response was so positive, he began to actually hand paint one-off pairs of leather Nikes and sell them online. His eye for composition and color makes his creations very desirable as wearable art. Below are his designs, several of which are available for purchase.

Lego:

Bob Marley:

Blink 182:

Kick Ass:

Resevoir Dogs:

Robocop:

Watchmen:

The Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo:

Mario:

Luigi:

Princess Peach:

Oscar The Grouch:

The Cookie Monster:

Minnie Mouse:

R2D2:

Batman:

Wolverine:

Green Lantern:

Iron Man:

Blanka:

Captain America:

Dr. Robotnik:

Sonic The Hedgehog:

Castle Crashers:

Pac Man:

Buzz Lightyear:

Woody:

Firefox:

Google:

Colour Doodles:

Doodle Splash:

Light Swirl:

Some of the above shoes are available for purchase right now in his online store.

NOTE: It should be known that I have not personally purchased shoes from Brass Monki nor have I seen anything but computer generated rendering of his shoes. That said, I feel I must remind you to either do your own online research before purchasing or "Buyer Beware."  Especially since some of my readers have left comments regarding their bad experiences with Brass Monki.


See more of his shoe designs on flickr.