crooked tongues magazine News Features

Nike Air Force 1s and the UK have a decent relationship, but they can be a tough sell in 2012 beyond the hordes of kids who wear JD's white on whites and blacks. It just isn't a particularly UK-centric silhouette. It's a shoe that needs a reboot at trend level. That doesn't mean that we're co-signing the super slim version either — even in monotone that thing is all shades of wrong. We knew the Olympics coinciding with the 30th anniversary celebrations would result in a London XXX shoe, but we didn't realise that it would be Comme des Garçons affiliated. If you've been to Dover Street Market over the years (one of the few destination spots in London that's capable of truly delivering) you know that shoes bearing the name are unlikely to be too audacious, in line with the starkness of the store. The scattering of Comme affiliated releases via Junya Watanabe have long been plain affairs and to even have a bulky shoe like the AF1 over a more Eurocentric runner or tennis silhouette is interesting, delivering a nice convergence of hip-hop's current love of the higher end things in life (think back to that 'Watch the Throne' Comme shout) and while at first glance this project seemed too stripped down, the concept at work is smart.

Representing for the 1948 Olympics — a post-war event with a little more austerity than usual but a statement sporting spectacle nonetheless, these are simplified, using the linerless variant (that's still pretty comfortable, with the sized down upper and larger size sole) to represent that era. The use of Ventile, a material introduced during World War II that's water, wind, flame and tear resistant, for the upper captures the time period but still performs admirably, while the Tyvek tongue and heel are meant to reflect the Tyvek numbers worn on the vests of runners. This time they bear the street number of the London store. That's a pretty stealthy little narrative to work into such a basic release, but you can also appreciate them as a more breathable, lighter take on the moonboot aesthetic. If you're interested in grabbing these, Tokyo's Dover Street Market sells them both from thid Saturday, while London's Dover Street Market will be selling them from Saturday the 28th of July to coincide with the Olympic opening. Blues are exclusive to DSM while the whites (which is actually slightly off white in the flesh) will be available at a handful of other stockists soon. These are an easy wear, even if they aren't so easy to obtain.