crooked tongues magazine News Features

Our friends at Nice Kicks have been putting in work for a long, long time. Having gone the retail route with a physical store as well as delivering one of the most frequently updated shoe blogs out there (that's pretty much a CNN-esque relentless rollout of sports footwear or at the very least, the Teletext of trainer information), they've earned the right to create their own product. The ASICS and New Balance pieces have been interesting and after their SXSW Vans pop-up space, we assumed that there was a Vans Vault piece by Matt and the crew coming. We just didn't know how it would look. Our respect for Vault is vast, with pretty much every drop being of interest and the Nice Kicks editions, nicknamed 'The Duel' are a Sk8-Hi (not pictured) and this Era LX in some premium materials. Paying tribute to Matt Halfhill's old cowboy boots as worn by any self respecting dweller of the Lone Star State, it's good to see Texas being repped sufficiently. In this neck of the woods we knew that the hipster stronghold of Austin would have some Vans love, but that west coast canvas, suede and baked rubber combo wasn't going to cut it. These oiled leather and rubber editions, with brass eyelets and Nice Kicks/Texas appropriate red heel branding, plus the store/site's logo and a spur/star embossed on the footbed are made to last. We have issues with denim shoes because they create a strange foot and trouser merger that can be a tough look to execute, but the leather cuts through that problematic similarity. Vault always brings the quality and while these dropped at the Nice Kicks store on Saturday, we're not sure if they'll see a release beyond that region. Salutes to Matt and the crew.