If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives): kicks

Showing posts with label kicks. Show all posts

Superhero Sneaks! Converse Introduces DC Comics Kicks; Batman, Flash & Superman.

Converse has teamed up with DC Comics for a collection of special hi and low Chuck Taylors for Men. The collection consists of 6 different pairs of kicks; three Batman, one Flash and one Superman.

To raise funds for Michael J. Fox's Foundation for Parkinson's Research, Nike designed 1500 pairs of Nike MAG shoes based on the kicks worn by Fox's character Marty McFly in the original movie, "Back To The Future" to be auctioned off on ebay and at select Niketown stores.

The project consists of the shoe auction, a short film, poster designs, ceramic models of the shoe, souvenir pins and impressive displays- complete with DeLorean, flux capacitor, hoverboard and more.

The MAG shoes feature an electroluminescent outsole, spage-age materials and a rechargeable internal battery good for 3,000 hours. Designed by Tinker Hatfield and Tiffany Beers, the Nike shoes took six years, three restarts and thousands of hours. Not recommended for athletics, it's a coveted collectible by both entertainment industry and sneaker freakers.

above: Tiffany Beers and Tinker Hatfield designed the collectible shoe

By now, all of the shoes have been auctioned off, but the Wieden + Kennedy two minute film featuring Bill Hader with Christopher Lloyd reprising his role as Dr. Emmett Brown is quickly climbing the viral charts:

Tinker Hatfield, Donald Fullilove and KD also make appearances in this short film about the most famous shoes never made, in an effort to support the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research.

2011 Nike Mag Price Infographic
For sneaker collectors and enthusiasts curious about the recent 2011 Nike MAG developments, a pricing infograph has surfaced courtesy of Fordham University Graduate School of Business student, Zach Kingsley:

This piece of information above illustrates the economics of getting a pair in the most popular size 10. The infographic compares the price points of Nike’s coveted shoe against a timeline to see its steady decline. Updated every night, sources of this infograph come from eBay’s completed listings of MAG’s nightly sales.

Poster designs for the Back For the Future Event:

above: Back to The Future Nike poster designs by Kate Gibb, Brent Rollins, La Boca and Will Sweeney

Michael J. Fox says a few words about the project:

Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
To learn more, go to www.back4thefuture.com

Saucony Asks You To Find Your Strong In A New TV Spot And Ad Campaign.

The visually driven "Find Your Strong" campaign conceived by Mechanica founding partner and creative director Libby DeLana and her colleagues features print and online executions, retail and event-marketing components, and the brand's first-ever television spot, which was directed by Andre Stringer from U.S. creative production company Shilo.

"This new campaign continues to amplify our brand mission to inspire runners every day," said Chris Lindner, chief marketing officer for Saucony. "As we confidently emerge as a global athletic brand, we too are finding our 'strong.' Our first national television spot marks a pivotal point for Saucony, signaling a continued expansion of our marketing efforts to further drive brand awareness. Together with our partners at Mechanica, we had extremely high ambitions for every aspect of this significant spot, and the passion and craftsmanship of Andre Stringer and everyone at Shilo has truly exceeded our expectations."

The spot appears as a :60, a :30, and two different :15 versions (complete credits and behind the scenes stills for the spot can be found later of the post).

above: Director Andre Stringer

Along with the other elements appearing through targeted media placements, the :60 TV spot debuted two nights ago tonight on ESPN, and it will continue airing on CBS College, ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports, NBC Sports and Versus over the next five weeks.

The following print ads for the campaign were shot by the very talented photographer John Huet:

LEXINGTON, MA (April 25, 2011) – Signaling a continued expansion of its marketing efforts, Saucony, Inc., a leading global supplier of performance athletic footwear and apparel, today announced its new multi-media global brand campaign entitled Find Your Strong. The campaign, the brand’s largest marketing effort to date, inspires consumers to find their personal "strong" through running. The new platform encompasses multiple touch points, including an immersive digital and social media experience and the brand's first-ever national television commercial. The TV spot breaks nationally on Wednesday night, April 27th on ESPN.

above: a still from the spot
"As runners, we know that people run for intensely personal reasons," said Chris Lindner, chief marketing officer for Saucony. “Whether in honor of a relative, for a charity or medal, or for ourselves, running inspires the human spirit, making us stronger. At the core, this campaign is about just that; it's where and how we train and the people and moments that strengthen us. Ultimately, we're tapping into this emotional connection to create a dialog that we hope will inspire even more people to run."

above: a still from the spot

"The new campaign continues to amplify our brand mission to inspire runners every day. As we confidently emerge as a global athletic brand, we too are finding our 'strong'. Our first national television spot marks a pivotal point for Saucony, signaling a continued expansion of our marketing efforts to further drive brand awareness. The timing couldn't be better as the Kinvara 2, the campaign's featured product, was recently named Best Buy by Runner's World in their annual Summer Shoe Guide," added Lindner.

above: a still from the spot

The new campaign, developed by Mechanica of Newburyport, Massachusetts, includes the following elements:

Television
The campaign's new TV spot entitled "What is Strong?" was produced by the Emmy Award-winning creative production company Shilo, and directed by Andre Stringer. Filmed at various locations in California's Marin Headlands, the spot depicts a composition of runners finding their "strong" as they run on roads, trails, tracks and playing fields. The diversity of runners featured conveys the premise that finding one's "strong" is an intensely personal experience.

above: a still from the spot

Stringer once again teamed up with director of photography Max Goldman for this project. On various locations in California's Marin Headlands, the Saucony, Mechanica and Shilo executives and production crew filmed many of the same premier athletes who appear in the agency's campaign print ads.

above: shooting the commercial

Footage was captured on Kodak 35mm and 16mm color negative films using two ARRI 235 and one Aaton A Minima camera packages, the Revolution Steadicam and a custom camera car. Footage was transferred and color-graded by Tom Poole of Company 3 in New York. Editorial credit goes to Cassidy Gearhart, and the spot was finished in HD at Shilo's New York studio.

The 30 second spot breaks nationally on April 27th with an ad flight of 5 weeks, and will be seen nationwide on ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports, CBS College, Versus and NBC Sports.

Digital
Because runners are both personally motivated and passionately united, "What Is Strong?" the campaign's online destination, allows runners to honor the people and moments that inspire them while drawing inspiration from the "strong" of others.

The innovative digital application creates a visual depiction of user-generated "strongs," highlighting those most shared by the community. Additionally, users can share their personal "strongs" through social media channels and personalized tee shirts. To coincide with the launch of the TV spot, saucony.com/strong will go live on Wednesday, April 27th. Boston-based Beam Interactive developed the campaign's digital platform.

above: the tv ads were shot in the Marin Headlands and San Mateo

Print
The national and regional print campaign, shot by famed sports photographer John Huet, was launched this month in vertical running and consumer fitness magazines, including Runner's World, Running Times, Men's Health, Women's Health, Fitness, ESPN Rise and the Running Network's regional publications.

In-Store
In-store elements at key national retailers include window displays, point-of-purchase, product displays and consumer brochures. A mobile video resource will reinforce the brand's new marketing platform and feature its product collection.

Event sponsorships, a national tour and a new expo booth will also support the brand's marketing platform.

The Find Your Strong campaign is planned to run throughout 2011, with several new executions for the fall. Saucony will continue to integrate the theme into upcoming marketing initiatives throughout the year.

Complete Project Credits: Saucony "What is Strong?" TV Spots

Project Title: Saucony "What is Strong?"
Project Lengths: :60, :30, 2 x :15s
Debut Date: 4/27/11
Film Location: Marin County & San Mateo, CA
Client: Saucony, Inc.Chief Marketing Officer: Chris Lindner
Advertising Agency: Mechanica
Partner/Creative Director: Libby DeLana
Creative Director, Copywriter: Ted Jendrysik
Brand Director: Arabella Plum
Producer: Mary D. Hanifin
Director: Andre Stringer
Production Company: Shilo
Director of Photography: Max Goldman
Editor: Cassidy Gearhart
Assistant Editor: Hedia Maron
Rotoscopers: Paul Daniel, Djeison Canuto
Associate Producer: Sheina Dao
Line Producer: Jeremy Yaches
Head of Production: Julie Shevach
Executive Producer: Tracy Chandler
Telecine: Company 3
Colorist: Tom Poole
Music Composer: Darrin Weiner
Sound Design and Final Mix: Penny Lane
Sound Designer/Mixer: Joseph Miuccio

Sneakerknobs. Door Handles Shaped Like Nike Air Max Kicks By Metrofarm.

The Sneakerknob by Berlin-based Metrofarm is a Nike Air Max sneaker cast in aluminum or bronze that functions as a door handle.

Created for such hip shoe stores as Overkill in Berlin, The Good Will Out in Cologne and most recently, the new Paar sneaker boutique in Vienna, the doorknobs make opening the door a real kick.

For Paar:

At Overkill:

The Good Will Out in Cologne features a bronze Sneakerknob:

About Metrofarm

Founded in 2001 by Julia Böttcher and Jan 'Nunu' Müller, Berlin-based Metrofarm's expertise lies in design & manufacture, from the pre-conceptual stage to finished products & installation.

Their versatile and fully integrated skill-set enables them to successfully initiate and control multi-faceted international assignments, combining graphics, packaging & promotional materials, garments, artefacts, lighting, exhibitions & events, retail/showroom/gallery interiors and product displays, fittings & furniture.

Their willingness to continuously experiment and improvise innovative techniques results in unique & original solutions for clients Nike, Absolut, Smart, ZDF, Allianz, Bang & Olufsen, Zeiss, Royal Copenhagen, Fritz Hansen, Georg Jensen, Louis Poulsen, De:bug, Dummy, Die Welt, etc.

Metrofarm constantly develop their collections of furniture and products as well as designing individual pieces for private clients.

Metrofarm
METROFARM GMBH
LOBECKSTRASSE 36,
AUFGANG 4
10969 BERLIN
GERMANY

TEL.: +49 30 23457753
FAX.: +49 30 23457755

info@metrofarm.net

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.