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How about we indulge in some good old-fashioned puritan-baiting with the inclusion of the Pointer Comme des Garçons collection? It feels like that kind of day. We've seen the Pointer footwear brand pick up in popularity a helluva lot. To see a UK indie prevail and crucially, evolve (despite a personal prejudice against laceless footwear) has been refreshing and pretty inspirational. It couldn't happen to a nicer crew, and when Pointer's Gareth Skewis isn't being a workaholic and involving himself in Slam, the ready to blow-the-f*ck-up Palace brand, he's driving this shoe line to weather a potential vulc implosion by adding new silhouettes and sole units, and elevating the artier side of the brand. It's always been notable that they don't play the desperado (word to Don Henley) collaborator game. That's for suckers. They've quietly cleared their own path, but when Mr. Skewis mentioned that they'd been in touch with a certain Japanese brand, we were pleased for him. There's some dual-label opportunities you don't pass up.

The Pointer Comme des Garçons releases are incredibly simple, offering a selection of basic palettes, and with a Pointer Baracuta jacket release on its way too, don't expect a avalanche of collaboration product. This is the byproduct of some mutual respect rather than an urge to fill blog inches. Still, it's all significant enough to justify hunting the hardest working man in shoe-business himself for a speedier interrogation than our usual mammoth sweatshirt-centric conversations. These are dropping throughout Autumn and Winter, and your best bet is Dover Street Market if you're looking to grab a pair...

Is this collaboration a straightforward Comme teamup or is it a Comme Shirt project?

It is actually more alone the line of us creating a line of shoes with them, working with them on 9 mens Sku's for Comme des Garçons Shirting and 2 women's Sku's for Comme des Garçons Comme des Garçons. The entire double label thing is kind of done to death so this project was more along the lines of us really liking and appreciating what they do and vice versa. It was really all alone lines of finding a synergy between CDG Shirt, CDG CDG and Pointer and I am hoping that has been achieved.

Other than the Baracuta project, we don't associate Pointer with collaborations - to start with Comme is quite a leap - how did this hookup happen?

I have always been inclined that if we were going to work with another brand on a project it has to be something quite unexpected and from out side of your niche of product. I have held out for years regarding working with other brands on shoe projects and Comme des Garçons felt really right. The project came about through a mutual friend of mine and someone at Comme des Garçons in New York. I have always loved what Baracuta and Comme des Garçons are about. They come from two very different schools of thought and back grounds but that is not to say that they can both not be embraced from a product and a brand point of view at the same time. In my opinion they are both the best at what they do.

Was there a particular purpose behind the colour schemes picked? They're pretty low key, whereas Comme have mastered avant-garde styling with a certain wearability...was that a conscious decision?

From our side it was always going to be quite classic looking as I feel most of what we put out into public domain footwear design wise has a classic feel to it, well at least that is what we are trying to do. The whole aim was quite classic in feel and approach. I sometimes think that if you have to over explain a color way then the colourway does not really work. Colouring in my opinion was to be self explanatory as that is how colour works, it really has nothing to to with words or verbal explanations.

I know you like your gear — are you a Comme head?

It's a brand that breeds disciples...I do own a few pieces Comme and have a boat load of their wallets. My friend Ben Sansbury first turned me onto them in the mid-'90s and I will always remember my friend Ed Botha's Mum telling me about them in the early '90s. She was also the first person to give me a De La Soul and Fugazi record. I have always really loved what they have been about and the way they have gone about doing things. I feel really flattered to have worked with them.

How are the Comme team to work with?

I have to admit they were really easy and super professional to work with.