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Speaker 1: The volume. All right, Rory.

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Speaker 2: Today we are joined by a very very special guest,

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Speaker 2: New York City legend, the legend in the fashion game,

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Speaker 2: legend in the shoe game.

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Speaker 3: Uh, we are.

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Speaker 1: We are honored and privileged to have here today.

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Speaker 3: His new line is.

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Speaker 2: Dropping, he has a new book out, and we get

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Speaker 2: to talk to him.

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Speaker 3: I get to ask some of my sneak ahead.

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Speaker 2: Yes, this is a sneaker this this episode is for

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Speaker 2: all the sneaker the sneaker heads around the world, very

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Speaker 2: special guests doing some amazing things.

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Speaker 1: We are joined by Sleat he been bread. What's up fan?

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Speaker 1: How you doing? I'm doing good. Listen, It's a pleasure

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Speaker 1: to meet.

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Speaker 4: Yes.

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Speaker 2: Yes, First of all, you're busy, you running around. Congrats

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Speaker 2: on a new drop on a new Sponge, the Sponge collection.

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Speaker 2: I don't know even know where to start with. I mean,

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Speaker 2: we wear his sneakers so fucking much.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, pretty much all the way at this point.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, today I even had like it was maybe a

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Speaker 4: self conscious thoughts, and then I felt even weirder after

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Speaker 4: because I was like, I don't want to wear his sneakers.

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Speaker 1: When he's like, is that weird?

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Speaker 4: But then it's I was like, but I support this

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Speaker 4: guy so much. Why why would.

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Speaker 1: I'm not wear not because he's coming today.

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Speaker 2: I'm not wearing my throtom ships in the back of

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Speaker 2: the closet. I was like, I'm not wearing my slaves today.

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Speaker 2: But how are you feeling?

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Speaker 1: Man? I feel great. I am in a very significant

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Speaker 1: part of my career and a chapter turning moment. I'm

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Speaker 1: releasing a book, I'm releasing a I've released a footwear company,

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Speaker 1: which is different from I guess what my audience has

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Speaker 1: been familiar with, which has mostly been collaborations. And we

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Speaker 1: saw this, We saw this happening though even I mean listen, like,

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Speaker 1: I didn't even see the collaboration thing in the in

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Speaker 1: the stars. For me, you know, my dream was to

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Speaker 1: ultimately work for a brand, and I never really saw

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Speaker 1: myself as someone that was going to put his name

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Speaker 1: on people, across people's chests or on their shoes. So

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Speaker 1: these opportunities have kind of been brought to me, and

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Speaker 1: me being a New Yorker, you know, I'm still going

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Speaker 1: to capitalize on them. And this is where I find myself.

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Speaker 4: So, yeah, when when did you have that moment that

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Speaker 4: it switched where hey, I don't want to just design

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Speaker 4: or be a head designer for somebody else.

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Speaker 1: I think I just got to look at the amount

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Speaker 1: of success that I brought other brands and across a landscape,

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Speaker 1: you know, like, you know, not only just simply like

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Speaker 1: one kind of sneaker. I've been able to tell tell

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Speaker 1: many different stories, and within telling those different stories, speak

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Speaker 1: to different audiences, and through that have a lot of

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Speaker 1: success with sales of shoes. And then that made me

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Speaker 1: realize that I, myself am a business. I'm not necessarily

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Speaker 1: like just this artist that gets brought in to like

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Speaker 1: throw some colors on, you know, the black and white whatever.

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Speaker 1: I am actually like a business myself. And and and

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Speaker 1: then I also became you know, I don't want to

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Speaker 1: make this about money, but I you know, was very

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Speaker 1: aware of the amount of money that I was making

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Speaker 1: these brands.

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Speaker 3: And I was do have you ever seen the real numbers?

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Speaker 1: Oh? Yeah, absolutely, that's a part of it. But and

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Speaker 1: then the percentage of what I was able to get

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Speaker 1: from that very grateful. But it'd be nice to have

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Speaker 1: the entire pie, you know, it'd be nice to Yeah,

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Speaker 1: it's a little different, yeah, the whole thing. Yeah. And

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Speaker 1: then and then this entire time I've been learning, so

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Speaker 1: I don't know if this is something I would have

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Speaker 1: been ready for for like five years ago. But now

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Speaker 1: I think that's why I said what I said about it.

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Speaker 3: I think it was inevitable.

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Speaker 2: I think people that have been following you and supporting

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Speaker 2: your brand over the years, we kind of saw this happening.

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Speaker 2: But when you say you were working at brands you

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Speaker 2: were learning, I mean, you've done some iconic shit with

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Speaker 2: Vasace cohon even with the Yeasy brand. Along your journey,

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Speaker 2: it made CrOx cool, made CrOx cool. But but again,

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Speaker 2: you've always had a certain aesthetic. We know a Salah

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Speaker 2: aesthetic when we see it, like even your whole aesthetic

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Speaker 2: appearance is a brand, you know what I mean? Like

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Speaker 2: you walking around and people know exactly who you are

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Speaker 2: now growing up in New York, do you feel like

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Speaker 2: that kind of molded you? Because this is a fashion

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Speaker 2: capital and everything that you wear, but it's now it's

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Speaker 2: it's more easy to follow than it is to set

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Speaker 2: trends these days. Yeah, how important was it for you

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Speaker 2: to remain who you are and always in anything you do?

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Speaker 2: It's a sleazy thing.

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Speaker 1: I think that growing up and maybe you can relate

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Speaker 1: to this, you guys can relate to this as individualism

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Speaker 1: was a high priority. So the people that were in

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Speaker 1: your friend group or just in the room were respected

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Speaker 1: and appreciated because of the individualism that they brought to

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Speaker 1: the table. And so if someone was wearing cheetah or

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Speaker 1: black and red or whatever it was, that's who they were.

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Speaker 1: And these days that doesn't really exist as much. And

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Speaker 1: so because that's an error that I come from, I

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Speaker 1: really lean into being myself. I don't think anyone can

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Speaker 1: be myself better than me, right, And that has high

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Speaker 1: authenticity in it, and I think that's something that when

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Speaker 1: people identify, they're really attracted to because that also is

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Speaker 1: rare in this time that we find ourselves in, you know.

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Speaker 1: So yeah, I think there's there's a balance that needs

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Speaker 1: to be maintained of like injecting a certain amount of

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Speaker 1: self into a project, but then also just considering the

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Speaker 1: consumer and what they would like and being commercial because

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Speaker 1: sometimes people push things a little too far and then

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Speaker 1: it's not digestible. So it's kind of about maintaining that

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Speaker 1: balance of like commercial and then I guess my taste. Yeah.

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Speaker 4: Now, I think it's interesting with designers that are born

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Speaker 4: and raised in New York. Typically the nature route isn't

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Speaker 4: represented in their designs outside of just the colors that

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Speaker 4: you use, Like what the shoe's purpose is for a

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Speaker 4: nature hike, for example, it's a functional shoe, yeah, which

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Speaker 4: typically isn't the New York City designer stereotype. What started

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Speaker 4: more of the nature side of things growing up in

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Speaker 4: the city, So I mean.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, born and raised in New York, spent twenty nine

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Speaker 1: years here, moved to LA about ten years ago, and

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Speaker 1: through that developed a relationship with nature just through proximity.

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Speaker 1: I mean, if you guys wanted to go for a

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Speaker 1: hike here, that'd be your full Saturday. That'd be like

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Speaker 1: going to what was it called Woodbury Commons. You know,

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Speaker 1: that's a full day. That's a full day. And so

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Speaker 1: in LA, you know, like hikes are fifteen minutes away

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Speaker 1: and they're really beautiful experiences and it's physical fitness and

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Speaker 1: it's meditative and it's just a nice way to start

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Speaker 1: the day. And then through that I started getting inspired

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Speaker 1: and started and not even like intentionally where I was

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Speaker 1: like looking at trees like give me an idea, Yeah,

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Speaker 1: but it was more just like, damn, these colors are

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Speaker 1: beautiful and started noticing the function of the shoes I

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Speaker 1: was wearing and how they were hurting or helping my

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Speaker 1: hiking experience. I made a shoe with a whistle on

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Speaker 1: it because I was like, wow, like, I'm out in

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Speaker 1: this environment where I need tools. I might need a

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Speaker 1: knife to protect myself. I might need a lighter to

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Speaker 1: start a fire, or I might need a whistle to

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Speaker 1: alert people that I'm injured or my friends that are

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Speaker 1: like on the other side of the mountain or field

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Speaker 1: or whatever. And so it really wasn't the most intentional thing.

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Speaker 1: It was just like, this is what I'm doing, this

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Speaker 1: is what I'm sharing on my social media, and now

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Speaker 1: it just kind of like authentically connects. I think it

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Speaker 1: would have been strange if I was in Los Angeles

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Speaker 1: trying to tell a New York story. Yeah, you know,

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Speaker 1: but at the end of the day, I think it

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Speaker 1: has to be authentic. And that's why even like the

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Speaker 1: Puma Haliburn thing that I've been doing is authentic because

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Speaker 1: I grew up pooping, you know. Yeah, I feel like.

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Speaker 4: You kind of had like the reverse career as far

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Speaker 4: as trying to go to the quote unquote designer brand

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Speaker 4: thing like earlier. How I was even introduced to you

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Speaker 4: was through the Versace stuff. I would have never guessed

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Speaker 4: at that point off those Versace designs that everything you

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Speaker 4: would do after would look the way it looked like.

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Speaker 4: Now I get it, because through Crocs, through New Balance,

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Speaker 4: through everything that you've done, I understand your aesthetic. Versace

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Speaker 4: would have been the last fucking brand I would have

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Speaker 4: thought that maybe you would have worked with, And it

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Speaker 4: was the one that introduced me to your designs. Yeah,

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Speaker 4: which is kind of weird because usually that process is switched.

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Speaker 4: You'll do maybe the lesser brands and then go right

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Speaker 4: to designer if you want to. I would never guess

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Speaker 4: you would even want to do high end designer stuff.

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Speaker 1: Well, for one, that's when I was like a nine

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Speaker 1: to five employees So that was about making a shoe

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Speaker 1: that was the best thing for Versace. It had nothing

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Speaker 1: to do with like me being involved. Maybe looking in retrospect,

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Speaker 1: maybe you could see a little bit of the style

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Speaker 1: or the so but like for the most part, that

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Speaker 1: was a Versachi shoe. But now when the collaborative shoes

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Speaker 1: have my name on it, now I'm able to like

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Speaker 1: really do my dance and kind of do what I want.

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Speaker 3: You have full creative control.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, but it's but at the same time, there is

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Speaker 1: like I couldn't just come in here and be like,

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Speaker 1: all right, listen, flip Flops, Timberlands, let's see how we

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Speaker 1: can merge these ideas. Yeah, you know what I'm saying, Like,

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Speaker 1: you know, it needs to make like commercial sense, but

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Speaker 1: I think I haven't. I've had enough of a history

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Speaker 1: of proof of concept and success that now there's trust.

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Speaker 1: So now like they're willing to give me budgets to

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Speaker 1: do the campaigns and no one shows up and I

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Speaker 1: can just like get it done and then they're just

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Speaker 1: expecting your assets. Yeah. So I think with proof of

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Speaker 1: concept in any field, there's more trust and people just

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Speaker 1: expect you to perform.

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Speaker 2: I've noticed over the years though, like the sneaker the

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Speaker 2: sneaker game has changed a lot from retail to just

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Speaker 2: fashion and in style. But one thing that kind of

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Speaker 2: like blew me away. Last week I was talking to

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Speaker 2: my boy and he last year he sold his Jordan

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Speaker 2: one shot a backboards. He sold them, somebody used, he

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Speaker 2: wore them a couple of times, sold them for five

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Speaker 2: hundred dollars. He just bought them again this year, last

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Speaker 2: week's they're sitting on the shelves for one hundred and

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Speaker 2: thirty dollars. How does that shift in a year where

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Speaker 2: you can sell this same exact shoe like resale, yeah,

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Speaker 2: for five hundred and then twelve months later it's sitting

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Speaker 2: on the shelves. One of the most iconic Jordan ones

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Speaker 2: ever is just sitting on the shelves, Like, how does

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Speaker 2: the market fluctuate that like drastically and such a short time.

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Speaker 1: So I'll give you two things, so one and that's

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Speaker 1: why I believe, you know, starting a brand right now

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Speaker 1: is the most appropriate time. I've been witnessing the death

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Speaker 1: of hype. I don't think it's dead. I don't want

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Speaker 1: it to die with Yeah, I would love to see

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Speaker 1: it be revived. However, I'm witnessing the death of it.

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Speaker 1: It doesn't seem like brands are investing in collaborations as much.

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Speaker 1: They're not telling stories, and the consumer is more edge

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Speaker 1: than they've ever been, so they see through the bullshit

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Speaker 1: like very easily. That combined with like maybe a pending

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Speaker 1: or existing recession, people are not spending money and there

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Speaker 1: is a huge oversaturation of product and things and gone

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Speaker 1: other times where you would like kind of wait for

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Speaker 1: a release to happen. They're happening every fucking day, and

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Speaker 1: so now I don't know if people are as invested.

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Speaker 1: And that's why I think the whole brand thing makes sense,

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Speaker 1: because it's not about just like you know, pulling out

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Speaker 1: this like shiny rabbit out of my hat and being like,

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Speaker 1: by this thing and it'll be gone tomorrow. It's more

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Speaker 1: about like long term investment in community building and telling stories.

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Speaker 1: Did that shift happen?

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Speaker 4: And of course we don't need to talk about Kanye's politics,

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Speaker 4: but once Kanye went to Adidas after the Nike thing,

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Speaker 4: where you know, it.

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Speaker 1: Was very tough to get the red octobers and.

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Speaker 4: His goal was to make sure you could afford Yeasies

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Speaker 4: and they were readily available at all times the Mass deal,

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Speaker 4: did that shift happen there? Because now you have what

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Speaker 4: would be quote unquote the hype Beast collab. Once Kanye

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Speaker 4: was with Nike and then you could just walk into

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Speaker 4: any foot locker and get some some Yeasies for a

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Speaker 4: reasonable price. Once he went over to Adidas, like the

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Speaker 4: hype wasn't there. I thought that was a good thing.

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Speaker 4: I thought they were quality shoes. And affordable, and I

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Speaker 4: hate when you can't just go get some shit that

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Speaker 4: you want.

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Speaker 1: But no, So that's an interesting it's funny that you

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Speaker 1: say that. So, and this isn't my take. There's this dude,

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Speaker 1: Jacques Slid. I've repeated this on like every for every

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Speaker 1: conversation I've had, but he pretty much was talking about

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Speaker 1: how the white Jordan cement for has been sitting on

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Speaker 1: shelves and outlets and people are really upset about that.

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Speaker 1: But that really shows you how backwards the sneaker community

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Speaker 1: is now, where like if there is an iconic shoe

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Speaker 1: and it's accessible, we're angry because we're used to we

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Speaker 1: need to be like waiting in line in the rain

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Speaker 1: and being whipped or something, or spend spending an obscene

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Speaker 1: amount of money on resale for you to feel like

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Speaker 1: you own it, right, and so you'll brought her a

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Speaker 1: cool crowd exactly. And so that's kind of how backwards

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Speaker 1: things are right now, you know.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, that's almost like I feel like in the hip

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Speaker 4: hop world, when fans feel like they got to an

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Speaker 4: artist early and then the artist becomes popular and they're mad.

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Speaker 4: It's like you don't want you to show I'm not

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Speaker 4: going to do. You don't want your favorite artists to

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Speaker 4: be popular.

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Speaker 2: But it is a different time though Slay, Like, I mean,

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Speaker 2: I can get a classic Jordan's shoe easier, and I

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Speaker 2: can get your shoe or easier and I can get

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Speaker 2: Joe Fresh Goods or you.

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Speaker 3: Know what I'm saying.

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Speaker 2: It's like that is just crazy to me, Like it's

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Speaker 2: it's long going of the days where you know, Jordan's

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Speaker 2: will sell out and it's like, I gotta go pay

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Speaker 2: resale now I'm paying resale for your shoe or Joe

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Speaker 2: Fresh Gooods or Action Bronson's new Balance, like it it's

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Speaker 2: insane the way it has flipped to. You know, it's

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Speaker 2: not just the iconic athlete that's selling sneakers anymore. It's

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Speaker 2: like creators and influencers who have a lot of style

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Speaker 2: and have been in the sneaking industry shoe industry for

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Speaker 2: so long, who are now doing their own thing. Like

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Speaker 2: those are the products that I think we want and

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Speaker 2: believe in more because we kind of feel like we

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Speaker 2: saw a Salty story.

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Speaker 3: We saw him, we saw his ascension, and.

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Speaker 2: Now he's here creating this thing where it's like, Okay,

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Speaker 2: I need to be a part of this because his

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Speaker 2: work speaks for itself. His brand throughout the years just

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Speaker 2: told the story and it's a part of the story.

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Speaker 2: If I don't have that, that's like a chapter that

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Speaker 2: I'm missing out on the so lazy story a little bit.

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Speaker 2: Is that something that you've done intentionally to create this

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Speaker 2: timeline and this storyline?

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Speaker 1: Has it been intentional?

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Speaker 4: No?

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Speaker 1: I think it's I've just been kind of like nimble

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Speaker 1: and like and kind of flex like flexible I want

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Speaker 1: to yeah, I would say, yeah, just flexible with the

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Speaker 1: opportunities that I've been given. And I think that now

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Speaker 1: that a lot of the work has had my name

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Speaker 1: on it, there's been this red thread that exists simply

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Speaker 1: because I can like make it how I want to

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Speaker 1: make it. And so I'm also somewhat of a selfish

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Speaker 1: designer because up util this point, prebrand, a lot of

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Speaker 1: these collaborations were just things I wanted to wear. I

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Speaker 1: was like, what's going to be dope? What's going to

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Speaker 1: be dope for this opportunity or this brand?

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Speaker 4: You know?

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Speaker 1: And so with like a Croc, I thought to myself, man,

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Speaker 1: like I respect the brand of Crocs. They've existed for decades,

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Speaker 1: but I've never really worn crocks like that, like maybe

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Speaker 1: had one or two in the closet, They've never really

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Speaker 1: left the house. How could I challenge myself to create

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Speaker 1: a crock that looks cool and that people want to

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Speaker 1: wear and that potentially you can like even exist within

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Speaker 1: like this sneaker space. Right, so there are even like

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Speaker 1: a lot of decisions with that shoe or like I

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Speaker 1: was like, you know, they put a lot of their

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Speaker 1: crocks and like bags, so when you buy a crack,

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Speaker 1: it comes in like a bag. Yeah. I was like, no,

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Speaker 1: we need to have like a box because this I

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Speaker 1: was even asking you about your sneakers. The sneaker snack,

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Speaker 1: the sneaker stacking ritual is a really important ritual within sneakers.

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Speaker 1: So immediately if we're making this thing that we wanted

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Speaker 1: the sneaker crowd to respect and they can't even stack

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Speaker 1: their boxes, yea, yeah, we were already behind. Like even

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Speaker 1: your boxes are art is a piece now, thank you?

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Speaker 2: Like when you get them, it's like I know by

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Speaker 2: stacking them obviously you know sneak As we you stack

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Speaker 2: our boxes is always the label out.

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Speaker 3: So we know exactly who what it is.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, with yours, I can just look at the color

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Speaker 2: of the box put on top of it, I know

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Speaker 2: exactly what it is. To me, that's just a certain

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Speaker 2: attention to detail. I think that you know, guys like you,

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Speaker 2: guys like Joe fresh Good's Action Bronch and like y'all

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Speaker 2: pay attention to those certain things.

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Speaker 1: How really is the thing of please? So if you

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Speaker 1: think about when you get an iPhone and you peel

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Speaker 1: off that piece of plastic and how smooth it comes up, right,

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Speaker 1: every every every piece of real estate on a product

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Speaker 1: is an opportunity to execute detail or display your brand

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Speaker 1: or portray excellent. So I really I believe in that.

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Speaker 1: And so whether it's the packaging or any of that stuff,

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Speaker 1: I think that lets the people know that it's the brand.

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Speaker 1: And so if you think about that Apple example, like

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Speaker 1: if you got an iPhone, then you peeled the plastic

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Speaker 1: off and it was.

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Speaker 2: Like, yeah, they just do this together.

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Speaker 1: This isn't an iPhone with Apple, It's like excellent. So yeah,

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Speaker 1: with all the things I create, I try to be

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Speaker 1: like intentional about you know, how it's done.

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Speaker 2: How many silhouettes have you you know, through the companies

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Speaker 2: you work for, like the silhouettes that are sitting there

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Speaker 2: where you're like, okay, let me take these and put

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Speaker 2: the silet he spent on it. Because a lot of

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Speaker 2: the easies that we've seen.

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Speaker 4: He's posted silhouettes that aren't coming out that have pissed

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Speaker 4: me off.

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Speaker 1: Then you could have kept that to yourself. You need Instagram.

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Speaker 2: But I can imagine these brands like Puma and Adidas

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Speaker 2: were easy.

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Speaker 3: They just have this warehouse full of silhouettes.

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Speaker 2: That they can't move, like quote unquote the Dad Sneaker,

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Speaker 2: I think the wave Runner is this dad sneaker that

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Speaker 2: Kanye just got his hands on and put some beautiful

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Speaker 2: ballads to it and just kind of.

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Speaker 1: Like, how how often does that happen.

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Speaker 2: When you when the brand reaches out to you and says, hey,

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Speaker 2: we want to we want to partner with you, we

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Speaker 2: want to bring you in. Like how often do you

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Speaker 2: just go into the warehouse and just see the silhouettes

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Speaker 2: and like, Okay, I want these four and let me

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Speaker 2: do my thing with these.

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Speaker 1: So it kind of depends on the amount of time

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Speaker 1: that you have, right because to actually make a shoe,

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Speaker 1: both design it and then develop it. Like when I

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Speaker 1: say develop it, I mean like factory samples that whole

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Speaker 1: exchange that can take up to a year. So like

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Speaker 1: even the Halliburns you for example, like that took like

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Speaker 1: a year. But then these runners that I recently came

380
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Speaker 1: out with Puma, that is an existing shoe that I've

381
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Speaker 1: kind of missed, potato headed some like new details on

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Speaker 1: to make it feel fresh. The way that I differ

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Speaker 1: as a collaborator is I'm a classically trained designer. I

384
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Speaker 1: went to school for this shit. I can take a

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Speaker 1: white piece of paper and create something and make it

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Speaker 1: into a real shoe.

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Speaker 3: Classically trained designer.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't know if that's my term. I've been

389
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Speaker 1: saying that it feels that sounds fine, like.

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Speaker 4: The Juilliard version of design, Like I really went to school,

391
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Speaker 4: exhibit to school.

392
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Speaker 1: I went to school for this, So I make things.

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Speaker 1: I know my ship, And I think there's a difference

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Speaker 1: with collaborations where they might take a shoe and just

395
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Speaker 1: add color to it and then what I do, which

396
00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:51,560
Speaker 1: is design something from the ground up. And I'm not

397
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Speaker 1: devaluing that at all because some of the best collaborations

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Speaker 1: of our time are color up. So I want to

399
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Speaker 1: make that very clear. But there's a difference, and so

400
00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:01,959
Speaker 1: you know, getting the opportunity with a brand to like

401
00:18:02,359 --> 00:18:04,240
Speaker 1: go into their archive and take a shoe and then

402
00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:06,879
Speaker 1: give a color. That's a cool opportunity, but I am

403
00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:10,760
Speaker 1: definitely way more attracted to making something new. Yeah, you know,

404
00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:12,680
Speaker 1: and then what's cool is like there's a Steve Jobs

405
00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:16,040
Speaker 1: quote that says the audience or the consumer doesn't know

406
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Speaker 1: what they want until you show it to them, and

407
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Speaker 1: so I think, you know, the crock is a perfect

408
00:18:19,359 --> 00:18:21,080
Speaker 1: example of that because if you were to ask people,

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Speaker 1: like a lot of the people, you know, the amount

410
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Speaker 1: of messages that I got that said like this made

411
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Speaker 1: me wear cracks for the first time. Like if you'd

412
00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:28,680
Speaker 1: ask those people a year ago, like, hey, like you're

413
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Speaker 1: gonna be wearing crocs to like the club, You're crazy.

414
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Speaker 1: But that's just an example of them not knowing what

415
00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:38,119
Speaker 1: they want you or making a sensible shoe. Cool.

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00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:42,040
Speaker 4: Yeah, because crocs were always they were always comfortable, comfortable time,

417
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Speaker 4: but it was just it was the moms started it,

418
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Speaker 4: so it just kind of turned into that type of

419
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Speaker 4: image of like I can't just be walking outside and crocs,

420
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Speaker 4: I'm gonna get smoke.

421
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Speaker 2: The Lady's Crock is the first crock I ever wore

422
00:18:53,119 --> 00:18:55,760
Speaker 2: lights to the airport, like a great airport.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, bro, good travel shoes, good travel shoes.

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Speaker 4: I just recently bought them. I don't know if we've

425
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Speaker 4: called the forest print one that you just I bought.

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Speaker 1: That research free camo. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I went right

427
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Speaker 1: to the resale to get that ship.

428
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Speaker 2: Now, how often do you do you play with like textures,

429
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Speaker 2: because I've noticed on a lot of your sneakers the

430
00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:15,080
Speaker 2: textures get a little different depending on what it is,

431
00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:16,760
Speaker 2: especially the ones with the whistle on it. Like that

432
00:19:16,840 --> 00:19:20,199
Speaker 2: whole shoe just felt like a whole thing that we use,

433
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Speaker 2: like all right, I want this here, I want this here.

434
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Speaker 2: How often do you jump into projects like that where

435
00:19:24,119 --> 00:19:26,119
Speaker 2: you're like, I want to think of the craziest.

436
00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:28,840
Speaker 1: Ship, yeah, and just execute it. So that year one

437
00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:31,200
Speaker 1: that was that was called the year at the Whistle one. Yeah,

438
00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:34,800
Speaker 1: so that was new balance. I had done two shoes prior,

439
00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:36,359
Speaker 1: which were color ups. That's why I'm not hating on

440
00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:38,879
Speaker 1: color ups. I've had I've had a mini collaborations and

441
00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:41,800
Speaker 1: color ups, and then they wanted me to design something

442
00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:45,080
Speaker 1: from scratch. They wanted the I guess the foundation of

443
00:19:45,119 --> 00:19:46,359
Speaker 1: the show had to be the five seven four, you

444
00:19:46,359 --> 00:19:49,119
Speaker 1: got similiar some four. I'm not the crazy about the

445
00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:51,280
Speaker 1: craziest about the five seven four, So I put a

446
00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:52,760
Speaker 1: lot of details on that to try to make it

447
00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:56,719
Speaker 1: feel different. So it's kind of a mister mister potato

448
00:19:56,760 --> 00:19:59,720
Speaker 1: head execution. And then yeah, I was hiking a lot

449
00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:02,880
Speaker 1: and and there's coyote, Like you could be hiking into

450
00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:04,639
Speaker 1: your coyote year, you could hiking into your manline. I've

451
00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:06,920
Speaker 1: never seen the maudline. But you need tools. I hike

452
00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:10,560
Speaker 1: with like some weapons, you know, because if you do,

453
00:20:10,720 --> 00:20:12,920
Speaker 1: you don't want to be caught without it. When the

454
00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:13,719
Speaker 1: lion roll.

455
00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:15,840
Speaker 2: I like, I like the whistle, But I was like

456
00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:17,720
Speaker 2: your selet from New York, Like, where can I stash

457
00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:21,440
Speaker 2: the you know, make make the make the joint where.

458
00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:22,920
Speaker 1: I could put put the put the ox. I could

459
00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:24,680
Speaker 1: put the box cut in hot ship.

460
00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:27,720
Speaker 4: But how dirty New York City is? I might just

461
00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:30,400
Speaker 4: I might just get beat up. I'm my mouth, I'm

462
00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:32,159
Speaker 4: not with like, I'm not we're not doing that. But

463
00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:34,280
Speaker 4: let me put a little different.

464
00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:37,560
Speaker 2: Put a little pocket with the blade and right, yeah, absolutely,

465
00:20:38,359 --> 00:20:41,360
Speaker 2: So who's some of the greatest sneaker designers that you've

466
00:20:41,359 --> 00:20:44,320
Speaker 2: had an opportunity to sit with and kind of just

467
00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:46,480
Speaker 2: like soak up some knowledge and something I.

468
00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:48,440
Speaker 1: Love that I've never asked that question. There's an opportunity

469
00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:52,480
Speaker 1: to just shout out some o gs. So it's tinkering asshole.

470
00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:55,800
Speaker 1: I've only met I've only met him on some like

471
00:20:55,880 --> 00:20:57,720
Speaker 1: shake his hand, maybe take a photo. Actually no, I've

472
00:20:57,720 --> 00:20:59,320
Speaker 1: never taken a photo of him, but just shake his

473
00:20:59,320 --> 00:21:00,920
Speaker 1: handside with I don't know. I have no idea.

474
00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:03,359
Speaker 3: That's that's my favorite.

475
00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:07,639
Speaker 1: Yeah, No he's No, he's because you're saying, oh, no,

476
00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:09,679
Speaker 1: I think he's a good guy. There's a there's a

477
00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:13,800
Speaker 1: Netflix dot called Abstract. So I watched that. He looked good.

478
00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:15,080
Speaker 1: He looked like a good yea, it looked like a

479
00:21:15,119 --> 00:21:19,679
Speaker 1: cool guy. Yeah. So Nathan man Hook he is a

480
00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:21,840
Speaker 1: designer that was at Nike for a bunch of years.

481
00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:24,240
Speaker 1: He designed the Easy two. He was head of a

482
00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:27,040
Speaker 1: CG for a very long time. He has a banger

483
00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:30,040
Speaker 1: after banger, and then he went to Montclair and when

484
00:21:30,040 --> 00:21:31,720
Speaker 1: I did My Mind Claire Collaboration got to work with

485
00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:34,040
Speaker 1: him there, which was cool, just kind of like working

486
00:21:34,040 --> 00:21:36,280
Speaker 1: with an idol. And now he is currently at Adidas

487
00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:40,119
Speaker 1: doing like Adidas basketball another Jeff Henderson. Yeah, so I

488
00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:42,280
Speaker 1: brought him up in probably every interview I've done. He

489
00:21:42,320 --> 00:21:44,920
Speaker 1: was at Nike for like twenty years. We met at Colhon.

490
00:21:45,480 --> 00:21:48,920
Speaker 1: I worked under him there, and then he helped me

491
00:21:48,960 --> 00:21:50,800
Speaker 1: actually get the easy gig because he was doing some

492
00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:52,840
Speaker 1: design work with him. Is that the one you got

493
00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:55,960
Speaker 1: when you DM somebody on LinkedIn? That was for Versace?

494
00:21:56,080 --> 00:21:58,440
Speaker 1: I can tell that story as well, Okay. And then

495
00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:06,880
Speaker 1: who else is a good a good designer? M oh yeah,

496
00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:12,840
Speaker 1: Fardin has Ratizade. He was my assistant designer at Versace. Okay,

497
00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:15,080
Speaker 1: so when I get into the Versadi st I explain that.

498
00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:16,400
Speaker 1: But it was just me and him and we were

499
00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:18,639
Speaker 1: just doing a gang of shoes together. And now he

500
00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:21,199
Speaker 1: works at a Miri and he's killing killing things, like

501
00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:24,199
Speaker 1: doing shoes and accessories, and it's just cool to like

502
00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:25,919
Speaker 1: see like have someone to work under you and then

503
00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:34,880
Speaker 1: see them grow and the blossom shoes, shoes. Who else

504
00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:39,560
Speaker 1: t bow is He used to be the Dior footwear designer,

505
00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:41,639
Speaker 1: so he designed like the be twenty two. This was

506
00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:44,040
Speaker 1: around the time of like the Triples and around the

507
00:22:44,080 --> 00:22:48,520
Speaker 1: period of time, and he is now he now does

508
00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:51,159
Speaker 1: footwear and sneakers for l V, as well as a

509
00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:53,480
Speaker 1: pretty cool birkanstyle collab that he just did. There's a

510
00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:55,680
Speaker 1: pretty small community of footwear designers and it will seem

511
00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:57,200
Speaker 1: to all know each other because it's like a very

512
00:22:57,200 --> 00:22:59,960
Speaker 1: specific craft. So yeah, shout out all those people.

513
00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:01,760
Speaker 3: So now where's the brand now?

514
00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:07,439
Speaker 1: Okay. So when I first left for Sachi and I

515
00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:09,560
Speaker 1: was going to kind of like be out on my own,

516
00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:11,719
Speaker 1: the first thing that I knew was just to make

517
00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:14,639
Speaker 1: a T shirt company. I grew up in Tribeca Lower

518
00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:17,119
Speaker 1: East Side, kid, I grew up on all these a

519
00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:20,160
Speaker 1: life and all these stores you know, to make ah,

520
00:23:20,359 --> 00:23:22,520
Speaker 1: exactly that like that. When that show was on, I

521
00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:24,520
Speaker 1: was literally living that exact life. So I was like,

522
00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:26,240
Speaker 1: that was one of the most legendary shows of all time.

523
00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:28,280
Speaker 1: Absolutely shout out Brian, I don't know the other guy's name,

524
00:23:29,920 --> 00:23:31,919
Speaker 1: and uh, bring me back, bring me back to how

525
00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:36,080
Speaker 1: to make an America took me somewhere with Sponge Sponge I.

526
00:23:36,119 --> 00:23:39,600
Speaker 2: Started, yea, so lady still going back there, Like I

527
00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:40,880
Speaker 2: was selling Nicks and.

528
00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:43,560
Speaker 1: Doms, right, yeah, yeah, So I started making T shirts,

529
00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:47,359
Speaker 1: making hoodies, making sweatpants and stuff, and it really existed

530
00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:49,240
Speaker 1: as like a streetwear brand so that you know, things

531
00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:51,159
Speaker 1: were selling out, but I was I wasn't really like

532
00:23:51,160 --> 00:23:53,800
Speaker 1: wearing the stuff too much. It was just more an

533
00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:55,800
Speaker 1: umbrella for me to kind of do whatever I wanted

534
00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:57,760
Speaker 1: because I had existed in this space for so long

535
00:23:57,800 --> 00:24:00,880
Speaker 1: where we were following trends and trying to hit different consumers,

536
00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:01,919
Speaker 1: and I was like, you know what, let me just

537
00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:05,000
Speaker 1: make some patterns sweatpans just because I want to write.

538
00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:08,040
Speaker 1: So it's more so freedom. Now. What this is is

539
00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:12,800
Speaker 1: I am making a real proper brand with ownership and

540
00:24:13,400 --> 00:24:16,760
Speaker 1: partners and all the resources that I would need to

541
00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:19,840
Speaker 1: compete with the footwear giants that exist in our space

542
00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:24,679
Speaker 1: and have existed for the last like thirty forty years.

543
00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:28,280
Speaker 1: And so yeah, this is the result. It will not

544
00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:33,320
Speaker 1: exist in hype that much. It'll be more about serving

545
00:24:33,359 --> 00:24:35,560
Speaker 1: as many people that want to be involved in the

546
00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:37,760
Speaker 1: operation as possible, and it will be about bringing in

547
00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:40,359
Speaker 1: community because a lot of my work in the past

548
00:24:40,359 --> 00:24:42,840
Speaker 1: at least like six years, has been about exclusion and hype.

549
00:24:42,840 --> 00:24:44,800
Speaker 1: And you can't get this and that's literally how we

550
00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:47,400
Speaker 1: started this, Like I can't get the shoes. The idea

551
00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:50,119
Speaker 1: is at a certain point anyone that wants sponge foothere

552
00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:52,080
Speaker 1: will be able to get it. There will be some

553
00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:55,320
Speaker 1: certain moments of hype, because that's where I come from. Yeah,

554
00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:57,880
Speaker 1: but this is about the full pie.

555
00:24:58,119 --> 00:25:00,960
Speaker 4: Was was that the plan with the spongebrand, even like

556
00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:02,960
Speaker 4: years ago when you were doing the Croc stuff and

557
00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:06,560
Speaker 4: even other collapse you would send the friends and family

558
00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:12,760
Speaker 4: ship through the Sponge website, which wasn't always the Sponge brand, Like.

559
00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:14,560
Speaker 1: Yeah, so that was kind of like a little corporate

560
00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:20,600
Speaker 1: finessing I did. Yeah, so every every new Balance and

561
00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:26,119
Speaker 1: Crocs campaign I believe featured Sponge socks and what and

562
00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:30,160
Speaker 1: what I was doing with that was kind of hijacking

563
00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:33,879
Speaker 1: all of those campaigns on a very sub like on

564
00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:37,240
Speaker 1: a lower level, like not a lower level, but kind

565
00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:41,920
Speaker 1: of like in a secret way, if you will, intentional,

566
00:25:41,960 --> 00:25:45,080
Speaker 1: but like low as a way to just publicize the

567
00:25:45,119 --> 00:25:48,840
Speaker 1: logo because the most the valuable thing about a logo

568
00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:51,119
Speaker 1: is the amount of times you've seen it, because then

569
00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:53,879
Speaker 1: it becomes more and more like recognizable, iconic whatever. So

570
00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:56,000
Speaker 1: I'm thinking to myself, if I have some far off

571
00:25:56,080 --> 00:25:59,280
Speaker 1: plan of starting a brand, why not just like inject

572
00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:02,720
Speaker 1: did into these campaigns. And I wasn't really thinking like hijack.

573
00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:05,080
Speaker 1: That's more like, like, no, it was tastefully yeah, it

574
00:26:05,119 --> 00:26:06,640
Speaker 1: was like it wasn't like it was in your face.

575
00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:09,320
Speaker 1: And then also the models needed clothes to wear, so

576
00:26:09,359 --> 00:26:12,000
Speaker 1: all often the clothes were all sponge. Yeah, and so

577
00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:14,320
Speaker 1: this was like kind of like and a lot of

578
00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:16,800
Speaker 1: these campaigns like had massive budgets, So I was like,

579
00:26:17,480 --> 00:26:20,280
Speaker 1: it was kind of a hijacking in a sense respectful when.

580
00:26:20,200 --> 00:26:21,919
Speaker 4: I think, yeah, no, I was a perfect way to

581
00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:23,800
Speaker 4: go about it, because that's how I even got familiar

582
00:26:23,800 --> 00:26:25,879
Speaker 4: to it. And then with the website, I didn't fully know.

583
00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:28,520
Speaker 4: I just knew that that was part of your brand.

584
00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:31,680
Speaker 4: Sponge some somehow has to do with you, So that

585
00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:35,280
Speaker 4: made more sense. With launching the sponge, choose to be like, Okay,

586
00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:38,000
Speaker 4: this was the next step in the entire process.

587
00:26:38,119 --> 00:26:39,840
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean it existed as an Instagram with no

588
00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:44,520
Speaker 1: photos for like years, and my platform for where I

589
00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:47,920
Speaker 1: sold my collaborations was called be a Sponge. So then

590
00:26:47,960 --> 00:26:50,840
Speaker 1: that was also kind of a way to publicize what

591
00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:53,600
Speaker 1: I don't know exactly I was sure I was ready

592
00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:56,560
Speaker 1: to do yet, but on the maybe opportunity on the horizon,

593
00:26:57,119 --> 00:27:00,399
Speaker 1: and yeah, and then now this moment is really more

594
00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:04,879
Speaker 1: about like a transition. So collaborations will continue, but I

595
00:27:04,960 --> 00:27:08,919
Speaker 1: really want to explore full brand ownership and get to

596
00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:13,240
Speaker 1: create freely and not necessarily collaboratively, because when you create collaboratively,

597
00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:17,320
Speaker 1: there are obstacles. Things don't always go your way, right

598
00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:19,919
Speaker 1: when you have two different parties trying to reach a

599
00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:23,480
Speaker 1: common destination. Different parties want different things. And so now

600
00:27:23,480 --> 00:27:25,480
Speaker 1: with this brand, it's just going to be It's going

601
00:27:25,520 --> 00:27:27,800
Speaker 1: to be mind and I'm excited. Would you rather sell?

602
00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:30,560
Speaker 2: Would you rather make one hundred shoes and sell one

603
00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:33,159
Speaker 2: hundred shoes or make a thousand and sell six fifty?

604
00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:37,600
Speaker 1: Make one hundred shoes and sell one hundred shoes.

605
00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:39,159
Speaker 3: Or make a thousand and sell six to fifty.

606
00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:40,600
Speaker 1: Well, I don't get what you're asking me that that's

607
00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:42,320
Speaker 1: a lot of numbers, because would you rather keep it?

608
00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:44,679
Speaker 2: I'm just saying, because would you rather keep it like

609
00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:48,040
Speaker 2: very small? A very small release or a wider release,

610
00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:50,080
Speaker 2: but you don't sell all the way through like the

611
00:27:50,119 --> 00:27:50,560
Speaker 2: shoot up?

612
00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:55,040
Speaker 1: Oh, I think it depends what part of the business

613
00:27:55,040 --> 00:27:57,280
Speaker 1: that you're in. You know, if you're introducing a brand,

614
00:27:57,280 --> 00:27:59,359
Speaker 1: it might be a little bit different. Because going back

615
00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:01,320
Speaker 1: to the whole demand thing. It's like, if a shoe

616
00:28:01,359 --> 00:28:04,840
Speaker 1: releases right now and they make enough for everybody, and

617
00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:06,520
Speaker 1: maybe someone in your life that you don't deem to

618
00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:10,080
Speaker 1: be cool has them, you're taking them off immediately, right.

619
00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:12,840
Speaker 1: But then if a shoe releases and you can't get

620
00:28:12,840 --> 00:28:16,280
Speaker 1: it at all and it's too rare, you're also upset, Yeah.

621
00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:18,639
Speaker 2: Because then I see a kid walking down fucking kin

622
00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:20,240
Speaker 2: Mare that has him on and I'm like, he not

623
00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:23,080
Speaker 2: even doing them, right. He went some bullshit like I

624
00:28:23,119 --> 00:28:25,240
Speaker 2: don't fuck he got I can't even get those, so

625
00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:28,240
Speaker 2: he stood online he got them. Yeah, And it's like

626
00:28:28,280 --> 00:28:29,760
Speaker 2: now I'm mad because I'm like, they only made a

627
00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:30,680
Speaker 2: hundred of those.

628
00:28:30,600 --> 00:28:32,760
Speaker 4: Like yeah, but that was even like when you were

629
00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:35,840
Speaker 4: a kid and the richer kid at your school got

630
00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:38,120
Speaker 4: the new Jordan's, but he laced them too tight worm

631
00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:39,840
Speaker 4: with corduroys, like he didn't even like, you don't even

632
00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:42,760
Speaker 4: deserve those types of sneakers. That's just that sneaker culture.

633
00:28:43,280 --> 00:28:46,880
Speaker 4: That's kind of like what comes like, all right, so words,

634
00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:50,800
Speaker 4: the definition of words change as time goes. In twenty

635
00:28:50,840 --> 00:28:53,960
Speaker 4: twenty five, would you consider yourself a sneakerhead? Everyone's hype beast?

636
00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:55,520
Speaker 4: And then you figured out your tribe and it went

637
00:28:55,520 --> 00:28:55,960
Speaker 4: to sneaker.

638
00:28:56,160 --> 00:28:58,320
Speaker 1: Yes, at that way. But even with hypees though, hype

639
00:28:58,320 --> 00:29:01,520
Speaker 1: East used to be or is, but it used to

640
00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:05,240
Speaker 1: be like one of the only websites that documented this culture.

641
00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:08,320
Speaker 1: So it was the website. And then I think again

642
00:29:08,400 --> 00:29:10,400
Speaker 1: the media was like what do we call these people?

643
00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:14,240
Speaker 4: And it like hype beasts shouldn't have ended up being

644
00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:17,560
Speaker 4: somewhat of an insult to somebody like you a hypeieast,

645
00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:19,480
Speaker 4: which is fucked up. Yeah, because you're right, hype Piast

646
00:29:19,560 --> 00:29:21,280
Speaker 4: was the only one that was. It was during like

647
00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:24,960
Speaker 4: the blog era of music, like that first early time

648
00:29:25,560 --> 00:29:30,840
Speaker 4: of I think even taste Maker's culture was off hype Beast.

649
00:29:31,120 --> 00:29:32,640
Speaker 4: Then the world found out about it, and you got

650
00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:34,360
Speaker 4: a bunch of dwaves that are in the same line

651
00:29:34,400 --> 00:29:35,680
Speaker 4: as you, and then it's.

652
00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:37,440
Speaker 1: Like, yore you a fucking hype East. Get away from me. Yeah,

653
00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:39,520
Speaker 1: but it's but it's almost a perspective thing because there

654
00:29:39,520 --> 00:29:42,320
Speaker 1: are some people that are happy to be called hipster

655
00:29:42,360 --> 00:29:44,800
Speaker 1: and there's some people that would hate to be called hipster.

656
00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:50,160
Speaker 4: Yeah, I never minded it until again, words take new

657
00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:53,440
Speaker 4: definitions as time goes because in the beginning, yeah, like

658
00:29:53,440 --> 00:29:55,480
Speaker 4: a hipster would have never offended me.

659
00:29:55,720 --> 00:29:58,440
Speaker 1: It's fine with me. Cool now I know you saying

660
00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:00,920
Speaker 1: something else. Yeah, it's true.

661
00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:05,320
Speaker 4: So yeah, I think sneakerhead now has gotten that that

662
00:30:05,320 --> 00:30:08,120
Speaker 4: that insults to some degree too, because when people ask

663
00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:11,040
Speaker 4: you had a ten outside Supreme store right now away

664
00:30:11,040 --> 00:30:12,360
Speaker 4: from I think I'm a sneakerhead.

665
00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:14,680
Speaker 1: I don't think you are. I don't chase like I.

666
00:30:14,600 --> 00:30:17,560
Speaker 2: Don't chase the sneakers. You appreciate that, I appreciate it.

667
00:30:17,600 --> 00:30:19,000
Speaker 2: If I like it, I get it. But like, I

668
00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:21,280
Speaker 2: think a sneakerhead is a kid that you see at

669
00:30:21,560 --> 00:30:22,320
Speaker 2: every release.

670
00:30:22,840 --> 00:30:25,800
Speaker 1: He's chasing every drops, nothing wrong, nothing wrong with it.

671
00:30:26,320 --> 00:30:27,360
Speaker 1: A reseller, though.

672
00:30:28,080 --> 00:30:29,560
Speaker 3: But I think though, I think now that's it.

673
00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:31,440
Speaker 2: I'm glad you said that because I think it's one

674
00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:34,200
Speaker 2: in the same difference I think sneakerheads. I think a

675
00:30:34,200 --> 00:30:36,840
Speaker 2: lot of sneakerheads are now resellers.

676
00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:40,200
Speaker 1: I just had a I just came from a signing

677
00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:42,800
Speaker 1: a kid. Then there are some kids there that were like,

678
00:30:42,880 --> 00:30:44,959
Speaker 1: really happy to meet me. You want to take a photo,

679
00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:48,760
Speaker 1: ask me a question. If you kids there that just

680
00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:51,920
Speaker 1: get it signed and walk away, you can tell the difference.

681
00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:58,840
Speaker 2: Yeah, there resellers there. And they're going, yeah, but I mean,

682
00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:01,880
Speaker 2: I'm not the resell game. How do you feel about that? Like,

683
00:31:01,920 --> 00:31:06,200
Speaker 2: how do you feel seeing your sneakers sold for double

684
00:31:06,800 --> 00:31:08,680
Speaker 2: which you sold them on your website? Like is it

685
00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:10,760
Speaker 2: like you don't care once they buy it what they

686
00:31:10,760 --> 00:31:12,800
Speaker 2: do with it is not your business? Or do you

687
00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:16,560
Speaker 2: still kind of feel like I wish they weren't doing that.

688
00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:19,440
Speaker 1: I think everyone has a hustle. I think I came

689
00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:23,000
Speaker 1: from this. I used to camp Supreme is it. Well,

690
00:31:23,040 --> 00:31:25,080
Speaker 1: there's a new Supreme, but the old Supreme that was

691
00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:27,200
Speaker 1: only ten blocks from here. I used to camp out

692
00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:30,800
Speaker 1: there as a high schooler, buy a two hundred dollars

693
00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:34,400
Speaker 1: pair of shoes and sell them the same day for

694
00:31:34,400 --> 00:31:36,960
Speaker 1: two thousand dollars, and so like, I can't hate on

695
00:31:36,960 --> 00:31:38,760
Speaker 1: anyone getting that kind of hustling, you know what I mean.

696
00:31:38,840 --> 00:31:41,400
Speaker 1: And those are great experiences I remember, just like camping out,

697
00:31:41,920 --> 00:31:44,560
Speaker 1: going to the bathroom in bodega's, watching Family Guy my

698
00:31:44,640 --> 00:31:47,200
Speaker 1: portable DVD player. Yeah, those are good times, you know

699
00:31:47,280 --> 00:31:47,680
Speaker 1: what I mean.

700
00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:49,960
Speaker 2: Well, back when they were selling the Supreme teaese on

701
00:31:50,280 --> 00:31:52,320
Speaker 2: the table, Yeah, you just have the teacher and the

702
00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:53,120
Speaker 2: folding table.

703
00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:56,000
Speaker 4: They got me for two fifty six on his crocs

704
00:31:56,120 --> 00:31:56,600
Speaker 4: last week.

705
00:31:56,800 --> 00:31:59,320
Speaker 1: Okay, so dude, you guys, can you just hit me?

706
00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:00,920
Speaker 1: I mean, I don't like to posit it now well

707
00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:03,040
Speaker 1: now and now you can't. Yeah, I'm not guy, bro.

708
00:32:03,080 --> 00:32:04,520
Speaker 2: You know how many people hit me like yo the

709
00:32:04,560 --> 00:32:06,959
Speaker 2: silet's I'm like, I'll just be biting my love.

710
00:32:06,960 --> 00:32:08,720
Speaker 3: I'm like, you's fucking joined the so far. But I'm

711
00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:09,680
Speaker 3: not hitting Silas.

712
00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:10,480
Speaker 1: I'm just not that.

713
00:32:10,560 --> 00:32:10,800
Speaker 4: I don't.

714
00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:12,240
Speaker 1: I don't like doing it. If I can get him,

715
00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:15,920
Speaker 1: I'll get him in No. This is a perfect transition

716
00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:19,720
Speaker 1: for my versace story because it's about asking you guys. Ready, Okay,

717
00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:23,600
Speaker 1: I'm ready yet, Maul.

718
00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:26,120
Speaker 4: I know you're thinking about upgrading to an all new

719
00:32:26,240 --> 00:32:29,760
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720
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721
00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:31,440
Speaker 3: Yeah, my thoughts again.

722
00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:34,640
Speaker 4: Yeah, listen, man, weeks you've been thinking about this whatever.

723
00:32:34,680 --> 00:32:36,640
Speaker 4: You're also thinking about the traffic on the way there.

724
00:32:36,760 --> 00:32:39,000
Speaker 4: I'll think about that all the time, yes, you in

725
00:32:39,080 --> 00:32:41,560
Speaker 4: traffic has always been a matter of fact, that's one

726
00:32:41,560 --> 00:32:42,240
Speaker 4: of your best lives.

727
00:32:42,280 --> 00:32:42,840
Speaker 3: Absolutely.

728
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Speaker 1: Well, good news, mall.

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Speaker 1: Okay, So I moved to LA to design for Kanye

765
00:34:19,080 --> 00:34:23,760
Speaker 1: different conversation. That job exists for about fourteen months, it ends,

766
00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:26,279
Speaker 1: and now I'm looking up and I'm like, oh, I'm

767
00:34:26,320 --> 00:34:27,799
Speaker 1: in Los Angeles because I'm in New York. I moved

768
00:34:27,800 --> 00:34:30,879
Speaker 1: out there for that job. I never knew that, but yes,

769
00:34:31,760 --> 00:34:33,360
Speaker 1: native New Yorker moved out there for that job. Be

770
00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:35,120
Speaker 1: out there for like ten years now. And so I

771
00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:37,160
Speaker 1: look up and I'm like, oh, I'm in Los Angeles.

772
00:34:37,320 --> 00:34:39,239
Speaker 1: I got to figure it out. I start freelancing for

773
00:34:39,280 --> 00:34:42,760
Speaker 1: different brands brand no like good brands, but just brands

774
00:34:42,800 --> 00:34:44,279
Speaker 1: like make a paycheck. I get to the end of

775
00:34:44,320 --> 00:34:46,680
Speaker 1: that year, I have two months rent left. I don't

776
00:34:46,680 --> 00:34:49,200
Speaker 1: really know what I'm going to do. I'm shooting my

777
00:34:49,239 --> 00:34:54,480
Speaker 1: shot everywhere on LinkedIn and Craigslist and just everywhere right,

778
00:34:54,640 --> 00:34:56,920
Speaker 1: just hoping anyone replies. So it's not even about getting

779
00:34:56,920 --> 00:34:58,719
Speaker 1: like a flashy job. It's just about getting a job,

780
00:34:58,719 --> 00:35:02,720
Speaker 1: getting getting a paycheck. And then I see a Verashachi

781
00:35:02,760 --> 00:35:05,080
Speaker 1: design director and I hit him up and I propose

782
00:35:05,120 --> 00:35:07,280
Speaker 1: an opportunity. I'm like, the sneaker industry is a multi

783
00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:09,560
Speaker 1: billion dollar business. When we were growing up, it was

784
00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:13,160
Speaker 1: about Nike, Rebak, Adidas, pum a New Balance. And now

785
00:35:14,360 --> 00:35:16,200
Speaker 1: when I said this, it was five years ago. Now

786
00:35:16,239 --> 00:35:21,279
Speaker 1: five years ago because of raf Raff, Adidas, Ni Nike

787
00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:23,319
Speaker 1: come to Garson and blndcy I starts making cool ship.

788
00:35:23,560 --> 00:35:26,080
Speaker 1: Now this multi billion dollar consumer is aware of the

789
00:35:26,120 --> 00:35:28,320
Speaker 1: fact that fashion houses can make sneakers. So I was like,

790
00:35:28,360 --> 00:35:30,960
Speaker 1: it's an opportunity for you guys. What did you say?

791
00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:31,520
Speaker 3: Why three?

792
00:35:31,640 --> 00:35:32,960
Speaker 1: Exactly? Why three? As well? You should?

793
00:35:33,040 --> 00:35:35,399
Speaker 4: I feel like Door was putting out out of all

794
00:35:35,480 --> 00:35:36,799
Speaker 4: the those types.

795
00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:40,200
Speaker 1: It was like this storm of brands, like like a

796
00:35:40,280 --> 00:35:42,600
Speaker 1: light bulb moment of like, wait, we can make shoes too,

797
00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:44,920
Speaker 1: So this is me just bite from a lot of

798
00:35:45,080 --> 00:35:45,600
Speaker 1: other shoes.

799
00:35:45,640 --> 00:35:48,880
Speaker 4: But that's another com yeah, another But I saw I

800
00:35:48,880 --> 00:35:53,359
Speaker 4: saw the question threes and in no strooms was marsh.

801
00:35:53,480 --> 00:35:55,000
Speaker 1: I was like, yeah, what the fuck do we table that?

802
00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:57,799
Speaker 1: Because I got to I got a perspective of that.

803
00:35:57,880 --> 00:36:04,080
Speaker 1: So wait where my or my LinkedIn? And so I

804
00:36:04,120 --> 00:36:06,640
Speaker 1: proposed that opportunity just shooting my shot. I'm like the

805
00:36:06,800 --> 00:36:09,120
Speaker 1: image of unemployment? Am I underwear eating cereal? Like on

806
00:36:09,160 --> 00:36:13,359
Speaker 1: my couch and ship? And three days later, Donna Teller

807
00:36:13,440 --> 00:36:16,239
Speaker 1: replied to me Don Teller Verrasacci. And I wasn't that

808
00:36:16,280 --> 00:36:17,680
Speaker 1: familiar with who she was because I didn't go to

809
00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:19,279
Speaker 1: school for fashion. But I just knew that there was

810
00:36:19,280 --> 00:36:23,480
Speaker 1: like this important blonde lady and that was black that

811
00:36:23,600 --> 00:36:25,200
Speaker 1: were black in high fashion, right, So I was like,

812
00:36:25,200 --> 00:36:30,080
Speaker 1: did I know this is someone? And so I she said,

813
00:36:30,120 --> 00:36:31,480
Speaker 1: she reaches out and she says she wants me to

814
00:36:31,480 --> 00:36:34,000
Speaker 1: come to mind and tell her more. And I'm going

815
00:36:34,080 --> 00:36:35,600
Speaker 1: to just go out there with a few pages of

816
00:36:35,640 --> 00:36:37,959
Speaker 1: like trend of like probably just screenshots from hype beasts

817
00:36:37,960 --> 00:36:40,319
Speaker 1: of like check you guys, ever heard of Camo? You know, like,

818
00:36:40,760 --> 00:36:51,319
Speaker 1: well that's where my taste was, yeah, Jordan and so.

819
00:36:52,320 --> 00:36:53,920
Speaker 1: But then the week leading up it was strange. It's

820
00:36:53,960 --> 00:36:56,480
Speaker 1: like someone was like, you should do some sample design work.

821
00:36:56,520 --> 00:36:58,440
Speaker 1: Don't assume they know you can design. Someone else was like,

822
00:36:58,719 --> 00:37:00,800
Speaker 1: go to the store, see what's telling do you market research?

823
00:37:01,040 --> 00:37:03,000
Speaker 1: Another person was like, they're untuning people that look like

824
00:37:03,360 --> 00:37:05,040
Speaker 1: me or you in the high fashion space. So it's

825
00:37:05,040 --> 00:37:06,600
Speaker 1: bigger than us or bigger than me, and I could

826
00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:09,680
Speaker 1: be paving away. So what was going to be like

827
00:37:09,680 --> 00:37:12,239
Speaker 1: a four page presentation turned into like a forty page presentation.

828
00:37:12,840 --> 00:37:15,640
Speaker 1: I go out to Milan, presented down to tell on

829
00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:17,480
Speaker 1: one on one. She starts bringing people into the room.

830
00:37:17,560 --> 00:37:19,320
Speaker 1: She loves it. At the end of it, she's like,

831
00:37:19,360 --> 00:37:20,640
Speaker 1: I love you. I want to hire you. I want

832
00:37:20,640 --> 00:37:22,200
Speaker 1: you to like move out to Milan, or what do

833
00:37:22,200 --> 00:37:23,200
Speaker 1: you want to do? She was like, do you want

834
00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:25,319
Speaker 1: to consult? Do you want to come out here for

835
00:37:25,400 --> 00:37:27,520
Speaker 1: like a season? What do you want? So she was

836
00:37:27,520 --> 00:37:28,920
Speaker 1: so flexible about it. I was like, and I have

837
00:37:28,960 --> 00:37:30,880
Speaker 1: my own design studio in La and then I'll come

838
00:37:30,880 --> 00:37:32,960
Speaker 1: here once a month for shows and all that kind

839
00:37:32,960 --> 00:37:36,200
Speaker 1: of stuff, factory visits and stuff, and she was like sure,

840
00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:40,680
Speaker 1: So then I went outside and did my pursuit of happiness. Absolutely,

841
00:37:40,719 --> 00:37:42,720
Speaker 1: that's also that moment.

842
00:37:43,480 --> 00:37:46,720
Speaker 4: But to speak to her too, usually, especially on this podcast,

843
00:37:46,719 --> 00:37:49,600
Speaker 4: we shipped on a lot of execs. That's an amazing

844
00:37:49,600 --> 00:37:52,320
Speaker 4: story from an exec perspective too, that yeah, because I

845
00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:57,040
Speaker 4: like of what you've turned out to be. Clearly she

846
00:37:57,080 --> 00:37:58,840
Speaker 4: saw a vision that you had and knew how talents

847
00:37:58,840 --> 00:38:01,400
Speaker 4: would you work. That's a crazy thing to just be

848
00:38:01,480 --> 00:38:03,319
Speaker 4: that flexible, like what do you want to do?

849
00:38:03,480 --> 00:38:04,600
Speaker 1: But most execs don't.

850
00:38:04,480 --> 00:38:07,000
Speaker 4: Do that type of stuff, not taking any especially when

851
00:38:07,040 --> 00:38:07,759
Speaker 4: it's unproven.

852
00:38:07,880 --> 00:38:10,080
Speaker 1: She changed my life. So not taking anything away from

853
00:38:10,120 --> 00:38:11,879
Speaker 1: the decision that she made and maybe what she saw

854
00:38:11,920 --> 00:38:14,799
Speaker 1: in me. But another thing that was happening simultaneously was

855
00:38:14,880 --> 00:38:18,680
Speaker 1: Virgil was just doing what he did at LV. Yeah,

856
00:38:18,719 --> 00:38:21,680
Speaker 1: of course, and so now you have this world, this

857
00:38:21,760 --> 00:38:25,799
Speaker 1: high fashion world that maybe isn't the most familiar with

858
00:38:25,800 --> 00:38:28,520
Speaker 1: people that look like a Virgil or myself doing shit

859
00:38:28,680 --> 00:38:31,480
Speaker 1: like that. And so I definitely think that the storm

860
00:38:31,520 --> 00:38:33,719
Speaker 1: that he was creating where he was was kind of

861
00:38:33,760 --> 00:38:37,480
Speaker 1: just opening up to the eyes to that entire world,

862
00:38:38,080 --> 00:38:40,600
Speaker 1: you know, and not completely but just maybe making them

863
00:38:40,600 --> 00:38:43,319
Speaker 1: things like damn. And then not only that, it was

864
00:38:44,360 --> 00:38:47,120
Speaker 1: I'm another one coming off the Kanye tree and during

865
00:38:47,120 --> 00:38:50,799
Speaker 1: that period of time anyone that was a designer, And

866
00:38:50,880 --> 00:38:52,600
Speaker 1: actually I was just on the cutting room floor and

867
00:38:52,640 --> 00:38:54,800
Speaker 1: she made me realize this a male designer, which I

868
00:38:54,880 --> 00:38:59,000
Speaker 1: believe to be true by just proximity. You were knighted,

869
00:38:59,040 --> 00:39:02,320
Speaker 1: you were also mad. So like I think the combination

870
00:39:03,080 --> 00:39:05,719
Speaker 1: of Donna Teller, you know, observing something in me, but

871
00:39:05,760 --> 00:39:08,799
Speaker 1: then also Virgil showing them what we can do and

872
00:39:08,840 --> 00:39:12,319
Speaker 1: then also having a little bit of that of that

873
00:39:12,400 --> 00:39:13,240
Speaker 1: yeasy dustiny.

874
00:39:13,800 --> 00:39:19,320
Speaker 2: Yeah, how much of influence speaking of Virgil? Was Virgil

875
00:39:19,360 --> 00:39:23,160
Speaker 2: for you with everything he did with Off White and

876
00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:26,000
Speaker 2: then what he did obviously with footwear and now to

877
00:39:26,080 --> 00:39:29,480
Speaker 2: what Pharrell is doing. Like these are guys that I

878
00:39:29,520 --> 00:39:32,160
Speaker 2: mean Pharrell in particular, somebody that we've always looked at

879
00:39:32,200 --> 00:39:35,440
Speaker 2: and always just like had the right pieces on and

880
00:39:35,480 --> 00:39:37,080
Speaker 2: the way he put it together was always just a

881
00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:39,719
Speaker 2: fashionable person. But to see the spaces that Pharrell is

882
00:39:39,760 --> 00:39:43,480
Speaker 2: in now obviously, how much of that inspires you and

883
00:39:44,200 --> 00:39:45,960
Speaker 2: has helped you along your journey?

884
00:39:47,040 --> 00:39:48,640
Speaker 1: I mean I would just say with a Virgil it

885
00:39:48,680 --> 00:39:51,439
Speaker 1: was really more about representation. I think the obvious things

886
00:39:51,480 --> 00:39:54,400
Speaker 1: are like wow, Like it's like Obama becoming president, right,

887
00:39:54,400 --> 00:39:56,560
Speaker 1: It's like wow, we can get there, we can be

888
00:39:56,600 --> 00:40:00,040
Speaker 1: accepting this space and have success. But then it it

889
00:40:00,160 --> 00:40:02,520
Speaker 1: was like the smaller things. I was recently saying, this

890
00:40:02,600 --> 00:40:07,160
Speaker 1: is simply him just traveling, like traveling business class in

891
00:40:07,200 --> 00:40:10,239
Speaker 1: a hoodie with Jordan's on, and then he gets to

892
00:40:10,239 --> 00:40:13,080
Speaker 1: the airport, an old white dude picks him up, grabs

893
00:40:13,080 --> 00:40:15,120
Speaker 1: his bags for him. He's in the back of whatever

894
00:40:15,200 --> 00:40:17,960
Speaker 1: dope car, and like these are like superficial things. But

895
00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:19,880
Speaker 1: then also they were very eye opening because anytime I've

896
00:40:19,880 --> 00:40:21,080
Speaker 1: seen this in a movie, it was a white guy

897
00:40:21,080 --> 00:40:22,799
Speaker 1: in of suit, you know what I mean. And so

898
00:40:22,840 --> 00:40:25,520
Speaker 1: now I was like, wow, like I can have this too,

899
00:40:25,560 --> 00:40:27,640
Speaker 1: and I don't have to be a rapper to do it. Yeah,

900
00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:31,400
Speaker 1: So just that level of representation and inspiration was really powerful,

901
00:40:32,200 --> 00:40:33,799
Speaker 1: just because I had never really seen it done like

902
00:40:33,800 --> 00:40:35,960
Speaker 1: that before. And now He's going into this like high

903
00:40:36,000 --> 00:40:38,759
Speaker 1: fashion environment and accept it. And so that's ultimately what

904
00:40:38,800 --> 00:40:40,640
Speaker 1: I achieved at Versace. You know, I was in this

905
00:40:40,760 --> 00:40:44,719
Speaker 1: environment where in like Obama supreme like cropped pants and

906
00:40:44,800 --> 00:40:47,560
Speaker 1: like and like hoodies and tied I shirts. But it

907
00:40:47,600 --> 00:40:49,440
Speaker 1: was like I belonged and I brought value. And so

908
00:40:50,239 --> 00:40:53,239
Speaker 1: I think, you know, getting to witness what he did

909
00:40:53,640 --> 00:40:56,000
Speaker 1: made me comfortable doing what I did. And then at

910
00:40:56,040 --> 00:40:59,000
Speaker 1: for A Pharrell, I think more he's like a representation

911
00:40:59,040 --> 00:41:02,839
Speaker 1: of like black alien. There are just some individuals that

912
00:41:05,320 --> 00:41:09,720
Speaker 1: have kind of just inspired me and reminded me that

913
00:41:09,719 --> 00:41:12,520
Speaker 1: that black people exist on a spectrum and it's not

914
00:41:12,600 --> 00:41:15,520
Speaker 1: a monolith. And so where something may have been like

915
00:41:15,560 --> 00:41:21,040
Speaker 1: written off is like weird, like weirdo shit shout out

916
00:41:21,080 --> 00:41:21,520
Speaker 1: Troy AV.

917
00:41:27,960 --> 00:41:30,080
Speaker 4: I mean, if you go through that whole Kendrick and

918
00:41:30,080 --> 00:41:32,400
Speaker 4: Troy Av, I think we see where it landed.

919
00:41:34,120 --> 00:41:36,920
Speaker 1: But yeah, I just think that like it's like people

920
00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:40,799
Speaker 1: like Pharrell or Tyler or Yay or even myself for

921
00:41:40,880 --> 00:41:47,320
Speaker 1: people to see and just simply witness is different, regardless

922
00:41:47,360 --> 00:41:50,560
Speaker 1: of talent or anything, just witness like confidence and being

923
00:41:50,600 --> 00:41:53,719
Speaker 1: different in individualism. And you know, so just that's why

924
00:41:53,719 --> 00:41:55,880
Speaker 1: I lean into just being myself so much, you know,

925
00:41:55,880 --> 00:41:59,560
Speaker 1: because I've witnessed people like a Pharrell do the same

926
00:41:59,600 --> 00:42:02,120
Speaker 1: and get so much success for me literally being himself,

927
00:42:02,120 --> 00:42:03,920
Speaker 1: being himself, you know, at.

928
00:42:03,880 --> 00:42:06,200
Speaker 4: A time when it was corny to be everything that

929
00:42:06,239 --> 00:42:10,279
Speaker 4: Pharoh was when he first entered into the world. I

930
00:42:10,280 --> 00:42:14,640
Speaker 4: do want to ask you again with how these high

931
00:42:14,760 --> 00:42:18,799
Speaker 4: end designers have been remixing shoes. It's getting like a

932
00:42:18,840 --> 00:42:24,920
Speaker 4: little insane. Who redid this Sam Smith joint? Everyone was

933
00:42:24,920 --> 00:42:27,799
Speaker 4: wearing those fat McQueen yeah, McQueen McQueen ones with that.

934
00:42:28,960 --> 00:42:31,239
Speaker 4: When we was in Atlanta and the shit across from

935
00:42:31,239 --> 00:42:32,920
Speaker 4: the mall you get killed at, they got the high

936
00:42:33,000 --> 00:42:35,719
Speaker 4: end mall. I went in there, the Margiala's. It was

937
00:42:35,760 --> 00:42:37,839
Speaker 4: really the question threes. Like I was like, this is

938
00:42:37,880 --> 00:42:39,480
Speaker 4: the They're not even trying.

939
00:42:39,360 --> 00:42:44,759
Speaker 1: To hide it. It's legitimately the question three. I think

940
00:42:44,760 --> 00:42:46,480
Speaker 1: it's at the end of the day, it's like business.

941
00:42:47,200 --> 00:42:49,840
Speaker 1: And I don't think they're like this is purely speculation.

942
00:42:49,880 --> 00:42:52,560
Speaker 1: But I don't think they're too invested in like that

943
00:42:52,600 --> 00:42:55,040
Speaker 1: conversation because they didn't really give a fuck, And they

944
00:42:55,080 --> 00:42:58,120
Speaker 1: also know. I think they know that their consumer doesn't

945
00:42:58,160 --> 00:43:00,959
Speaker 1: either know about their original shoot or they give a fuck.

946
00:43:01,280 --> 00:43:02,680
Speaker 1: Like I think if you went up to someone wearing

947
00:43:02,719 --> 00:43:04,760
Speaker 1: those like mcqueens that are maybe like eight hundred dollars

948
00:43:04,760 --> 00:43:07,080
Speaker 1: and you were like those look like one hundred and

949
00:43:07,120 --> 00:43:10,480
Speaker 1: thirty five dollars Adidas, Like get that out of my face. Yeah,

950
00:43:10,520 --> 00:43:12,520
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. And so I don't know

951
00:43:12,560 --> 00:43:14,040
Speaker 1: if the consumers are even.

952
00:43:13,880 --> 00:43:17,680
Speaker 4: Like yeah, well even from the standpoint or even the

953
00:43:17,800 --> 00:43:23,080
Speaker 4: questions though, like is there a designer that's in that

954
00:43:23,160 --> 00:43:26,600
Speaker 4: office that's putting that up on a projector like let's

955
00:43:26,600 --> 00:43:27,919
Speaker 4: literally just redo this.

956
00:43:28,560 --> 00:43:29,840
Speaker 1: Well, if you think about it, like if there was

957
00:43:29,880 --> 00:43:34,000
Speaker 1: a shoe that's been successful for like fifty years and

958
00:43:34,040 --> 00:43:37,920
Speaker 1: then you identify that, you can probably make money off

959
00:43:37,920 --> 00:43:39,399
Speaker 1: of it. I'm not saying that's something I would ever

960
00:43:39,400 --> 00:43:41,839
Speaker 1: want to do, but course, especially if you're especially if

961
00:43:41,840 --> 00:43:44,640
Speaker 1: you're a brand, then maybe your four business isn't thriving.

962
00:43:45,160 --> 00:43:46,799
Speaker 1: One of the smartest things in the world would be

963
00:43:46,880 --> 00:43:50,520
Speaker 1: to just identify like a classic shoe because also McQueen

964
00:43:50,560 --> 00:43:53,200
Speaker 1: did it with a I think an Airmax ninety or

965
00:43:53,200 --> 00:43:55,640
Speaker 1: in MX one there's a shoe, yes, exactly air Max

966
00:43:55,719 --> 00:43:59,440
Speaker 1: ninety five. Maybe maybe, but did that was insane? Yeah?

967
00:43:59,440 --> 00:44:01,520
Speaker 1: I think there's more worried about the like the at

968
00:44:01,600 --> 00:44:03,719
Speaker 1: least in the sneaker game, the business instead of the

969
00:44:03,800 --> 00:44:05,000
Speaker 1: over the design integrity.

970
00:44:05,040 --> 00:44:09,120
Speaker 4: Perhaps you guys were talking off Mike that you feel like,

971
00:44:09,480 --> 00:44:14,000
Speaker 4: merch wise, you really don't need anything past a guilding hoodie.

972
00:44:14,080 --> 00:44:15,719
Speaker 4: I thought that was an interesting combo you guys were

973
00:44:15,719 --> 00:44:18,200
Speaker 4: having off microphone. Yes, and I think a lot of

974
00:44:18,200 --> 00:44:20,399
Speaker 4: people that listen to this that's still at home merch would.

975
00:44:20,480 --> 00:44:22,400
Speaker 2: I understand what you're saying, because when you look at

976
00:44:22,400 --> 00:44:25,160
Speaker 2: guys like you know, West Side Gun was able to

977
00:44:25,200 --> 00:44:28,319
Speaker 2: do with their merch, I mean those were champion blinks. Yeah,

978
00:44:28,800 --> 00:44:31,640
Speaker 2: and west might have two fucking rolls Royces and two

979
00:44:33,000 --> 00:44:34,920
Speaker 2: fucking you know, champion blinks.

980
00:44:34,920 --> 00:44:38,440
Speaker 3: But I just, you know, I just feel like now more.

981
00:44:38,280 --> 00:44:42,239
Speaker 2: Than ever, quality and texture, and I think those are

982
00:44:43,080 --> 00:44:44,440
Speaker 2: kind of would set yourself apart.

983
00:44:44,800 --> 00:44:45,520
Speaker 3: I get what you're saying.

984
00:44:45,520 --> 00:44:49,520
Speaker 2: If you're selling, you know, mass amounts of merch, then

985
00:44:49,600 --> 00:44:51,600
Speaker 2: you know you can kind of like but I still

986
00:44:51,640 --> 00:44:54,719
Speaker 2: feel like, you know, when you have something that lasts,

987
00:44:55,200 --> 00:44:56,799
Speaker 2: you know, something that you know. I can have this

988
00:44:56,840 --> 00:44:59,239
Speaker 2: hoodie for three years, I can wash it over and

989
00:44:59,239 --> 00:45:01,439
Speaker 2: over and it gets better with each wash and kind

990
00:45:01,440 --> 00:45:04,719
Speaker 2: of like the worn look. I just feel like, to me,

991
00:45:05,360 --> 00:45:07,560
Speaker 2: I'm on that side of the merch like because I

992
00:45:07,600 --> 00:45:09,000
Speaker 2: want to wear my merch like I don't want to

993
00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:10,600
Speaker 2: just have it and collected. I want to wear this,

994
00:45:10,920 --> 00:45:12,399
Speaker 2: I want to wash it, I want to be able

995
00:45:12,400 --> 00:45:16,160
Speaker 2: to travel with it. Do you still feel like the

996
00:45:16,280 --> 00:45:18,759
Speaker 2: lesser quality or the lighter quality, not as heavy on

997
00:45:18,800 --> 00:45:21,799
Speaker 2: the quality, but obviously just the moment being being able

998
00:45:21,840 --> 00:45:24,520
Speaker 2: to have it say something that says, Okay, I was

999
00:45:24,560 --> 00:45:26,839
Speaker 2: a part of this moment. You think that's the more

1000
00:45:26,880 --> 00:45:27,799
Speaker 2: important part of it.

1001
00:45:28,560 --> 00:45:30,279
Speaker 1: Yeah, because I think all the things you listened are

1002
00:45:30,360 --> 00:45:32,759
Speaker 1: things that people expect from a brand, not merch, like

1003
00:45:32,800 --> 00:45:34,440
Speaker 1: if you saw someone right now.

1004
00:45:34,280 --> 00:45:35,959
Speaker 3: But merch is almost a brand now these days.

1005
00:45:36,000 --> 00:45:39,160
Speaker 1: No, that's a good point, but I think it's a

1006
00:45:39,200 --> 00:45:43,160
Speaker 1: little bit more like temporary, like because I think merch

1007
00:45:43,200 --> 00:45:45,480
Speaker 1: constantly has to shift with what the artist is doing

1008
00:45:45,560 --> 00:45:47,640
Speaker 1: and like the moment, whereas a brand is a little

1009
00:45:47,640 --> 00:45:50,640
Speaker 1: bit more timeless if you think about like the regards

1010
00:45:50,719 --> 00:45:52,520
Speaker 1: of how you feel about them currently. But if you

1011
00:45:52,520 --> 00:45:57,560
Speaker 1: think about someone wearing a Yeeziest tea or something, you're

1012
00:45:57,600 --> 00:45:59,399
Speaker 1: going to see that tea and it's going to bring

1013
00:45:59,440 --> 00:46:01,040
Speaker 1: you back to a time, especially if it has a

1014
00:46:01,080 --> 00:46:02,279
Speaker 1: year on it. You're like, oh man, that was when

1015
00:46:02,320 --> 00:46:05,480
Speaker 1: he was floating over the stage, or black skinhead or whatever.

1016
00:46:05,680 --> 00:46:11,480
Speaker 1: You're not gonna be like, let me feel that collar.

1017
00:46:11,080 --> 00:46:13,759
Speaker 1: That doesn't make sense.

1018
00:46:13,840 --> 00:46:16,520
Speaker 4: I will say the easiest to me was the greatest

1019
00:46:16,560 --> 00:46:19,200
Speaker 4: live tour I've ever seen personally, just.

1020
00:46:19,160 --> 00:46:22,640
Speaker 1: My opinion, I've bought a dog was amazing, insane.

1021
00:46:23,239 --> 00:46:27,080
Speaker 4: I bought the merch at the easiest tour and outside

1022
00:46:27,080 --> 00:46:28,719
Speaker 4: of the design being cool and I'm not so about

1023
00:46:28,719 --> 00:46:31,960
Speaker 4: the Confederate flag one whenever the other one was the

1024
00:46:32,000 --> 00:46:33,839
Speaker 4: first thing I did think when I put the shirt

1025
00:46:33,840 --> 00:46:36,160
Speaker 4: on was like, I've never bought merch that was cut

1026
00:46:36,200 --> 00:46:40,120
Speaker 4: this way, Like okay, well they cut it different, Like

1027
00:46:40,239 --> 00:46:42,600
Speaker 4: I remember sitting there like, oh, this is cut different.

1028
00:46:42,640 --> 00:46:43,600
Speaker 1: Like I appreciated that.

1029
00:46:43,680 --> 00:46:45,960
Speaker 4: It felt like a more quality see and it was

1030
00:46:45,960 --> 00:46:48,479
Speaker 4: sold at the same price at any concert I would

1031
00:46:48,480 --> 00:46:51,040
Speaker 4: buy merch at at the garden. So I hear you

1032
00:46:51,080 --> 00:46:54,560
Speaker 4: on the merch side, But that did that did like

1033
00:46:54,840 --> 00:46:57,040
Speaker 4: resonate with me, Like this shirt. I could wear the

1034
00:46:57,080 --> 00:46:59,840
Speaker 4: shirt outside, like to a party.

1035
00:47:00,080 --> 00:47:02,960
Speaker 1: I love quality, So I'm definitely not speaking against that,

1036
00:47:03,160 --> 00:47:05,960
Speaker 1: but I think the idea of merch is ultimately to

1037
00:47:06,000 --> 00:47:10,920
Speaker 1: have a high margin. On the business side, Yeah, absolutely so,

1038
00:47:10,960 --> 00:47:13,879
Speaker 1: if you're investing, if you're leaning into like quality too much,

1039
00:47:14,440 --> 00:47:17,160
Speaker 1: your fans will love you. But I don't know. This

1040
00:47:17,280 --> 00:47:18,560
Speaker 1: is about just merch.

1041
00:47:19,239 --> 00:47:21,719
Speaker 4: I mean our first merch line that I think is

1042
00:47:22,000 --> 00:47:25,120
Speaker 4: the greatest podcast merch line that ever existed.

1043
00:47:25,680 --> 00:47:26,359
Speaker 1: Oh we were We.

1044
00:47:26,320 --> 00:47:28,640
Speaker 4: Went in the red purposely, like we knew we were

1045
00:47:28,640 --> 00:47:30,520
Speaker 4: going to lose money just based off the quality.

1046
00:47:30,520 --> 00:47:32,440
Speaker 1: And to me, that was the best thing. And I

1047
00:47:32,480 --> 00:47:33,320
Speaker 1: was fine with losing.

1048
00:47:33,200 --> 00:47:35,520
Speaker 4: Money in that regard because the quality was that good

1049
00:47:35,560 --> 00:47:37,480
Speaker 4: that s it was like Damny or John Elliottody.

1050
00:47:38,120 --> 00:47:39,560
Speaker 1: So like I think, who does it perfectly is like

1051
00:47:39,560 --> 00:47:42,680
Speaker 1: Travis Scott because I I've heard this again, I don't know,

1052
00:47:43,000 --> 00:47:45,239
Speaker 1: no confirmation, but I've heard that the quality of his

1053
00:47:45,360 --> 00:47:47,480
Speaker 1: merch isn't the best, but the design.

1054
00:47:50,080 --> 00:47:53,200
Speaker 4: The design makes the quality look okay. When it's on

1055
00:47:53,280 --> 00:47:57,480
Speaker 4: your body, it's executed the color paler it does amazing.

1056
00:47:57,480 --> 00:47:59,960
Speaker 2: But it's like I wore the sweatsuit when he did

1057
00:48:00,120 --> 00:48:02,440
Speaker 2: the Uh I forgot what you drop it? Which cactus

1058
00:48:02,520 --> 00:48:04,759
Speaker 2: jack drop? It was probably was the first of the

1059
00:48:04,800 --> 00:48:08,279
Speaker 2: second one. I wore a sweatsuit and by the time

1060
00:48:08,280 --> 00:48:10,799
Speaker 2: I got home, like in between the legs right here,

1061
00:48:10,800 --> 00:48:12,600
Speaker 2: it was like the limp balls. Like this is a

1062
00:48:12,640 --> 00:48:14,680
Speaker 2: brand news I'm talking about brand News. First they wore

1063
00:48:14,719 --> 00:48:16,960
Speaker 2: and it had like the limp balls, Like I wore

1064
00:48:17,000 --> 00:48:20,400
Speaker 2: the ship for three summers. So I'm like, I'm like Travis,

1065
00:48:20,400 --> 00:48:21,600
Speaker 2: we can't be doing this, bro.

1066
00:48:21,800 --> 00:48:23,520
Speaker 4: Another person that does it well with the quality of

1067
00:48:23,560 --> 00:48:28,239
Speaker 4: Saint John, like John, Yeah, they're they're like saying, you're

1068
00:48:28,280 --> 00:48:29,239
Speaker 4: saying that some of the best.

1069
00:48:29,239 --> 00:48:31,239
Speaker 2: He has some of the best merch that I think

1070
00:48:31,280 --> 00:48:32,480
Speaker 2: I've ever seen for any arts.

1071
00:48:32,480 --> 00:48:34,480
Speaker 1: But he again I don't know his business, but I

1072
00:48:34,600 --> 00:48:35,360
Speaker 1: believe he makes.

1073
00:48:35,239 --> 00:48:37,680
Speaker 3: A good He makes a lot of money off merch.

1074
00:48:37,760 --> 00:48:40,799
Speaker 2: Like the merch line at his shows after the show

1075
00:48:40,880 --> 00:48:41,480
Speaker 2: is over.

1076
00:48:42,120 --> 00:48:43,919
Speaker 3: Is like it's like almost like a meet and Greek.

1077
00:48:44,000 --> 00:48:46,880
Speaker 2: Yeah, like they're online waiting to get But again, he

1078
00:48:46,920 --> 00:48:49,080
Speaker 2: makes it very specific to the album, the whole story.

1079
00:48:49,440 --> 00:48:51,200
Speaker 2: The albums to drop, like you said you want to

1080
00:48:51,440 --> 00:48:53,680
Speaker 2: have this, and years they look back like, oh, this

1081
00:48:53,719 --> 00:48:55,799
Speaker 2: is when I went and saw him at this, this

1082
00:48:55,920 --> 00:48:58,279
Speaker 2: was the drop, this was the album. But again, the

1083
00:48:58,400 --> 00:49:03,239
Speaker 2: quality is also very heavy Totten, very heavy sweats And

1084
00:49:03,320 --> 00:49:04,960
Speaker 2: I think that's a lot of the reasons why people

1085
00:49:04,960 --> 00:49:06,800
Speaker 2: love his merch because they know I can have this

1086
00:49:06,840 --> 00:49:09,360
Speaker 2: sweatsuit for five centers and it's gonna look like I

1087
00:49:09,400 --> 00:49:12,880
Speaker 2: just got it last week. Whereas with Travis again selling

1088
00:49:12,880 --> 00:49:16,120
Speaker 2: a shit ton of merch, but the quality, I'm like,

1089
00:49:18,280 --> 00:49:19,839
Speaker 2: at this point, he can I'm not saying it has

1090
00:49:19,880 --> 00:49:22,399
Speaker 2: to be fair of god quality. Yeah, I'm not saying

1091
00:49:22,400 --> 00:49:26,800
Speaker 2: it has to be Jerry, but we gotta find we

1092
00:49:26,840 --> 00:49:28,520
Speaker 2: gotta get a little closer to quality.

1093
00:49:28,640 --> 00:49:30,239
Speaker 4: To me, it's more cut than it is quality in

1094
00:49:30,280 --> 00:49:31,399
Speaker 4: that I.

1095
00:49:31,360 --> 00:49:32,960
Speaker 2: Wasn't mad at the cut, but the fact that I

1096
00:49:33,000 --> 00:49:35,640
Speaker 2: had limp balls in between my legs and I only

1097
00:49:35,680 --> 00:49:37,840
Speaker 2: had to suit on for three hours was crazy. I

1098
00:49:37,880 --> 00:49:40,080
Speaker 2: just thought that, But again I was I was happy

1099
00:49:40,120 --> 00:49:41,440
Speaker 2: to have it because it was a moment he had

1100
00:49:41,440 --> 00:49:43,239
Speaker 2: just put out the sneaker. Now I got the sweat

1101
00:49:43,280 --> 00:49:45,040
Speaker 2: to the sneaker. Like you said, it's a whole storyline.

1102
00:49:45,080 --> 00:49:45,680
Speaker 1: So I get that.

1103
00:49:47,040 --> 00:49:50,560
Speaker 2: Who's some of your favorite current designers as far as

1104
00:49:50,600 --> 00:49:53,239
Speaker 2: like sneakers, Like who are wearing outside of sponge in

1105
00:49:53,280 --> 00:49:54,000
Speaker 2: your products?

1106
00:49:54,160 --> 00:49:55,640
Speaker 3: Who sneakers do you enjoy wearing?

1107
00:49:55,880 --> 00:49:58,719
Speaker 1: There's this brand called viz Vin. I've heard of them,

1108
00:49:58,760 --> 00:50:00,239
Speaker 1: You've heard of him. It's a Japanese b to go

1109
00:50:00,320 --> 00:50:03,400
Speaker 1: jacket over there. They're not really a sneaker brand by

1110
00:50:03,680 --> 00:50:08,200
Speaker 1: any but I wouldn't say, but they make this sandal

1111
00:50:08,280 --> 00:50:11,279
Speaker 1: called the Crysto and it's like this kind of like

1112
00:50:11,320 --> 00:50:14,160
Speaker 1: you've seen probably Travis Scott or like John Mayer wearing it.

1113
00:50:14,719 --> 00:50:16,480
Speaker 1: And it's what's funny about it. There was this like

1114
00:50:16,520 --> 00:50:19,279
Speaker 1: tweet about it that said that the Cristo is like

1115
00:50:19,440 --> 00:50:22,319
Speaker 1: the male version of the Lui biton Hill because it

1116
00:50:22,320 --> 00:50:25,920
Speaker 1: doesn't feel that good, but you feel like a battie okay, okay,

1117
00:50:26,840 --> 00:50:31,359
Speaker 1: so and so it's like finally feel like yes, finally yeah.

1118
00:50:31,400 --> 00:50:33,799
Speaker 1: So it's like it's honestly not the most comfortable, but

1119
00:50:33,800 --> 00:50:37,359
Speaker 1: it's like just a really well made sandal that you

1120
00:50:37,400 --> 00:50:39,480
Speaker 1: can have for like ten years and kind of molds

1121
00:50:39,520 --> 00:50:43,040
Speaker 1: your foot like a birkenstock. And so Visdom as a

1122
00:50:43,040 --> 00:50:45,040
Speaker 1: brand is just like a top tier brand that I love.

1123
00:50:47,920 --> 00:50:49,399
Speaker 1: And then also, you know what's tough with that question.

1124
00:50:49,400 --> 00:50:51,239
Speaker 1: I'm going to a complex un on this weekend and

1125
00:50:51,360 --> 00:50:53,319
Speaker 1: I get asked that question, all these like kids running

1126
00:50:53,360 --> 00:50:55,440
Speaker 1: up to me asking me if I'm confident shit, And

1127
00:50:55,680 --> 00:50:57,359
Speaker 1: I can't really shout out a lot of the brand

1128
00:50:57,480 --> 00:50:59,120
Speaker 1: the shoes that I like because I am not in

1129
00:50:59,200 --> 00:51:02,320
Speaker 1: partnership with them. And so that's an endorsement I totally

1130
00:51:02,360 --> 00:51:04,880
Speaker 1: get it. I get it.

1131
00:51:04,960 --> 00:51:07,359
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's crazy how he gotta like you gotta think

1132
00:51:07,440 --> 00:51:09,480
Speaker 2: like that now, Like, yeah, I just can't do it.

1133
00:51:09,480 --> 00:51:12,160
Speaker 1: But that's a testament to the work that you put in.

1134
00:51:13,640 --> 00:51:17,480
Speaker 4: I wanted to not approach this topic because it's going

1135
00:51:17,560 --> 00:51:20,400
Speaker 4: to get me riled up. But tonight is the Knicks

1136
00:51:20,440 --> 00:51:22,960
Speaker 4: home opener. Yeah, and you work with the enemy.

1137
00:51:23,520 --> 00:51:26,239
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. Wait so you guys both

1138
00:51:26,280 --> 00:51:29,239
Speaker 1: Dixs fans, right, die hard? Okay, so first time live

1139
00:51:29,280 --> 00:51:30,960
Speaker 1: and die on. Let me tell you. Let me tell

1140
00:51:30,960 --> 00:51:33,440
Speaker 1: you the full story of this and then you'll understand. Okay.

1141
00:51:33,600 --> 00:51:36,160
Speaker 4: So Tyrey Saliburn for those that don't, yes, yes is

1142
00:51:36,560 --> 00:51:38,560
Speaker 4: enemy number one who asks.

1143
00:51:38,719 --> 00:51:42,000
Speaker 1: So I signed with Puma. It's a new opportunity for

1144
00:51:42,040 --> 00:51:43,480
Speaker 1: me because, as you said, I've been telling all these

1145
00:51:43,480 --> 00:51:46,520
Speaker 1: outdoor stories and this is the opportunity to tell basketball story.

1146
00:51:46,640 --> 00:51:50,200
Speaker 1: Group playing basketball, high school basketball basketball camps. Got a

1147
00:51:50,239 --> 00:51:53,280
Speaker 1: lot of bodies in that basketball court in Battery Park City, Okay,

1148
00:51:53,680 --> 00:51:56,560
Speaker 1: and uh I signed with Puma. It's basketball. I'm like, great,

1149
00:51:56,560 --> 00:51:58,440
Speaker 1: I get to do the whole basketball thing. And they

1150
00:51:58,440 --> 00:52:00,320
Speaker 1: also want me to help them sign a basketball player.

1151
00:52:00,400 --> 00:52:02,800
Speaker 1: So they gave me a list of basketball players, and

1152
00:52:02,840 --> 00:52:06,160
Speaker 1: the one that I chose was Tyrese Haliburn. Truthfully, I

1153
00:52:06,239 --> 00:52:08,120
Speaker 1: chose him because I saw what he did to the Knicks,

1154
00:52:08,400 --> 00:52:11,919
Speaker 1: not this most recent playoffs, but the one before. Yeah, right,

1155
00:52:12,960 --> 00:52:15,080
Speaker 1: and so we have to pitch to him. We signed him,

1156
00:52:15,360 --> 00:52:20,439
Speaker 1: we make the shoe, and then he has the most

1157
00:52:20,480 --> 00:52:25,799
Speaker 1: like amazing, you know, season whatever. In response to what

1158
00:52:25,880 --> 00:52:29,239
Speaker 1: you just said, if it was between your team and

1159
00:52:29,280 --> 00:52:32,280
Speaker 1: your career, what are you choosing, of course?

1160
00:52:33,160 --> 00:52:37,319
Speaker 4: And what's funny is after that last playoff series, like, yeah,

1161
00:52:37,440 --> 00:52:40,200
Speaker 4: of course we should have on sorry's Haliburton every time

1162
00:52:40,200 --> 00:52:42,360
Speaker 4: we got a mic in front of us, But once

1163
00:52:42,440 --> 00:52:44,759
Speaker 4: we got beat, it was like that was one of

1164
00:52:44,800 --> 00:52:48,680
Speaker 4: the best playoff performances I've ever seen in my entire life.

1165
00:52:48,880 --> 00:52:52,200
Speaker 4: Like he is one of the most talented players. Oh,

1166
00:52:52,200 --> 00:52:54,719
Speaker 4: it's like definitely, yeah, no, of course I work with him,

1167
00:52:54,760 --> 00:52:56,560
Speaker 4: but crazy New York.

1168
00:52:56,600 --> 00:52:57,880
Speaker 1: I was a little mad when I found out you

1169
00:52:57,920 --> 00:53:01,160
Speaker 1: were the one doing a sneaker. No, anytime around, I'm

1170
00:53:01,320 --> 00:53:03,640
Speaker 1: I'm vocal about the next thing. He talks his ship too,

1171
00:53:03,760 --> 00:53:10,560
Speaker 1: So yeah, there's a nice relationship there. I remember Game

1172
00:53:10,600 --> 00:53:12,000
Speaker 1: one of the finals because were trying to figure out

1173
00:53:12,000 --> 00:53:14,120
Speaker 1: when he was gonna wear the shoes. Yeah, I was

1174
00:53:14,120 --> 00:53:16,640
Speaker 1: telling him to wear him against New York. Obviously selfishly,

1175
00:53:16,640 --> 00:53:18,080
Speaker 1: he was like not went away for the finals, like

1176
00:53:18,120 --> 00:53:20,160
Speaker 1: he saw he had the vision that he was there,

1177
00:53:20,239 --> 00:53:23,920
Speaker 1: he already knew. And then I thought that I would

1178
00:53:23,960 --> 00:53:25,640
Speaker 1: get emotional if I saw him like hit a three

1179
00:53:25,760 --> 00:53:28,000
Speaker 1: or dunk, because this is something basketball is the reason

1180
00:53:28,040 --> 00:53:30,960
Speaker 1: that I became a forward designer. And I saw him

1181
00:53:31,000 --> 00:53:33,600
Speaker 1: stretching in the tone, and I started weeping, like proper,

1182
00:53:33,760 --> 00:53:36,839
Speaker 1: like really, yeah, it's amazing though. This was the little

1183
00:53:36,920 --> 00:53:38,560
Speaker 1: kid and me finally accomplishing the thing I wanted to

1184
00:53:38,560 --> 00:53:40,960
Speaker 1: acomplish my entire life at that moment, you know. And

1185
00:53:41,000 --> 00:53:48,600
Speaker 1: so I cried. And then he hit the game winner again, No,

1186
00:53:48,719 --> 00:53:50,600
Speaker 1: you know, you know what I did? Then, I like,

1187
00:53:51,040 --> 00:53:56,279
Speaker 1: I like yelled so fucking loud because there have been

1188
00:53:56,320 --> 00:53:58,920
Speaker 1: a decent amount of people that have not allowed me

1189
00:53:58,960 --> 00:54:01,640
Speaker 1: to have this opportunity of of designing a basketball shoot

1190
00:54:03,400 --> 00:54:07,040
Speaker 1: you said, so, I will say I definitely felt some

1191
00:54:07,120 --> 00:54:10,120
Speaker 1: level of redemption, you know, when that happened. And then

1192
00:54:10,400 --> 00:54:12,239
Speaker 1: at the end of it, or right after that, he's

1193
00:54:12,239 --> 00:54:14,040
Speaker 1: at the press conference with the shoes on the desk

1194
00:54:14,040 --> 00:54:16,520
Speaker 1: and he's getting credit to the shoes, So it couldn't

1195
00:54:16,520 --> 00:54:18,879
Speaker 1: have been a more perfect rollout for some stormbik ship

1196
00:54:19,280 --> 00:54:22,560
Speaker 1: and then unfortunately it ended it the way it did.

1197
00:54:22,960 --> 00:54:24,920
Speaker 1: But you know, even him making that decision to playing

1198
00:54:24,920 --> 00:54:27,239
Speaker 1: that game is you know, a testament to him as

1199
00:54:27,280 --> 00:54:32,200
Speaker 1: a player. So I'm a Knicks fan, but also my

1200
00:54:32,239 --> 00:54:34,600
Speaker 1: career is way more important than you know, Tyr's halburn is.

1201
00:54:34,719 --> 00:54:36,279
Speaker 2: It's not going to help you if you're down to

1202
00:54:36,360 --> 00:54:38,319
Speaker 2: two much rent there you go, not at all can

1203
00:54:38,400 --> 00:54:41,880
Speaker 2: promise you, not at all. I still haven't gotten able

1204
00:54:41,880 --> 00:54:44,640
Speaker 2: to get any Knicks tickets from the exactly that.

1205
00:54:45,760 --> 00:54:48,000
Speaker 1: But yeah, definitely it was weird. Like I was in Indiana.

1206
00:54:48,120 --> 00:54:50,600
Speaker 1: We just did a pop up for the Hallie Mart

1207
00:54:51,000 --> 00:54:54,200
Speaker 1: where I'm like doing Pacers trivia with Pacers fans and

1208
00:54:54,239 --> 00:54:55,919
Speaker 1: like I.

1209
00:54:55,840 --> 00:55:03,680
Speaker 2: Know that, Yeah, that is just.

1210
00:55:07,160 --> 00:55:07,920
Speaker 3: That is fire.

1211
00:55:08,239 --> 00:55:12,439
Speaker 1: So talk to us about this book past. The book

1212
00:55:12,480 --> 00:55:12,680
Speaker 1: is far.

1213
00:55:12,719 --> 00:55:15,800
Speaker 2: I mean just the aesthetic, like yeah, yeah, the material

1214
00:55:15,840 --> 00:55:17,560
Speaker 2: and everything I make shoes.

1215
00:55:18,800 --> 00:55:22,719
Speaker 1: I make shoes published by Rossoli. The front is a

1216
00:55:22,760 --> 00:55:24,520
Speaker 1: painting by my buddy delphin Finley.

1217
00:55:24,600 --> 00:55:25,920
Speaker 3: Wait hold on, not to cut you off.

1218
00:55:26,000 --> 00:55:29,600
Speaker 4: Yes, this the texture thing, and I like how he

1219
00:55:29,640 --> 00:55:30,239
Speaker 4: did like a track.

1220
00:55:30,360 --> 00:55:31,080
Speaker 1: This is album.

1221
00:55:31,480 --> 00:55:36,279
Speaker 2: This is insane, like again a slate attention to detail. Man,

1222
00:55:36,320 --> 00:55:38,000
Speaker 2: I love you, Bro, I love it, but I can't

1223
00:55:38,040 --> 00:55:40,479
Speaker 2: I can't take all the credit. A design agency named

1224
00:55:40,600 --> 00:55:43,799
Speaker 2: play Lab, or called play Lab look at this. They

1225
00:55:44,160 --> 00:55:47,480
Speaker 2: designed the book, so credit to them. Delphin Finley painted

1226
00:55:47,480 --> 00:55:51,799
Speaker 2: the cover. I think I'm one of the first, the

1227
00:55:51,800 --> 00:55:53,920
Speaker 2: first non rappers to get an Andre future. We got

1228
00:55:53,920 --> 00:55:56,719
Speaker 2: an Andre feature in that book, which.

1229
00:55:56,239 --> 00:55:57,759
Speaker 4: Was gonna be my last question before we got out

1230
00:55:57,760 --> 00:55:57,920
Speaker 4: of here.

1231
00:55:58,000 --> 00:56:01,240
Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, So Andre and I have sparked a friendship.

1232
00:56:01,280 --> 00:56:03,920
Speaker 1: We hike often, and I've just found on these hikes,

1233
00:56:03,960 --> 00:56:05,600
Speaker 1: like with him and a lot of other people, I

1234
00:56:05,600 --> 00:56:07,360
Speaker 1: have a lot of great conversations. Yeah. I don't know

1235
00:56:07,400 --> 00:56:10,880
Speaker 1: if it's because you're like isolated, common goal nature, but

1236
00:56:10,960 --> 00:56:12,959
Speaker 1: we've had many. And when I was doing this book,

1237
00:56:12,960 --> 00:56:14,440
Speaker 1: I was like, Bro, is there anyway we could like

1238
00:56:14,480 --> 00:56:16,680
Speaker 1: record one of them, transcribe it and put it in

1239
00:56:16,760 --> 00:56:18,839
Speaker 1: the book. So that's what that is. There's a good

1240
00:56:19,320 --> 00:56:22,200
Speaker 1: six or seven pages of just oh wait, go back,

1241
00:56:22,239 --> 00:56:28,359
Speaker 1: go back. You're right there. The small right there that

1242
00:56:28,600 --> 00:56:33,360
Speaker 1: is there, you go back. That is myself. O. J. Simpson,

1243
00:56:33,920 --> 00:56:37,360
Speaker 1: Nicole Brown Simpson and the Ninja Turtles. Yes, and my

1244
00:56:37,400 --> 00:56:40,120
Speaker 1: dad took that photo. Yes, And that's history right there.

1245
00:56:43,200 --> 00:56:45,080
Speaker 4: This should have been this should have been the cover.

1246
00:56:49,800 --> 00:56:54,000
Speaker 4: Can I use this photo as my next single? That's

1247
00:56:54,040 --> 00:56:57,040
Speaker 4: the wildest photo I've ever seen this. All right, So

1248
00:56:57,040 --> 00:56:58,840
Speaker 4: where was this at when you saw OJ? So?

1249
00:56:58,840 --> 00:57:01,360
Speaker 1: My dad's a photographer, and I think he had to.

1250
00:57:01,560 --> 00:57:03,440
Speaker 1: I think I think OJ was doing something with the

1251
00:57:03,520 --> 00:57:05,279
Speaker 1: Ninja Turtles and I was I wanted to come because

1252
00:57:05,280 --> 00:57:06,520
Speaker 1: I wassy like to meet the Ninja Turtles. I don't

1253
00:57:06,520 --> 00:57:08,919
Speaker 1: even know, I didn't know who O J was. Total

1254
00:57:09,120 --> 00:57:11,280
Speaker 1: I'm wearing I'm wearing like a Ninja Turtles like jumpsuit.

1255
00:57:11,600 --> 00:57:14,600
Speaker 1: That rat costume is crazy. And then and then actually

1256
00:57:14,600 --> 00:57:16,960
Speaker 1: that next page right there, that is a letter from

1257
00:57:17,040 --> 00:57:20,240
Speaker 1: SHK Wes, like good like eight years ago before he

1258
00:57:20,360 --> 00:57:23,520
Speaker 1: was like shack Wes and it's hilarious, so you obviously

1259
00:57:23,600 --> 00:57:24,760
Speaker 1: don't need to read it now, but it's a really

1260
00:57:24,760 --> 00:57:28,720
Speaker 1: good letter. And he starts it with this is a

1261
00:57:28,760 --> 00:57:30,800
Speaker 1: piece of art, and that when I read it at

1262
00:57:30,800 --> 00:57:32,520
Speaker 1: the time, I thought he was crazy. But reading it

1263
00:57:32,560 --> 00:57:34,520
Speaker 1: and going back now like it actually is a piece

1264
00:57:34,560 --> 00:57:34,800
Speaker 1: of art.

1265
00:57:34,920 --> 00:57:37,720
Speaker 2: Yeah, No, this is this, This this book is incredible. Man,

1266
00:57:37,760 --> 00:57:39,560
Speaker 2: I can't wait to really get into it and think

1267
00:57:39,600 --> 00:57:42,880
Speaker 2: you read it and he had attention to this is fire, Yeah,

1268
00:57:42,920 --> 00:57:43,760
Speaker 2: this is this is dope.

1269
00:57:44,040 --> 00:57:47,560
Speaker 4: With some of those hikes, obviously a lot of you know,

1270
00:57:47,560 --> 00:57:50,400
Speaker 4: those conversations with Andre three thousand on those hikes would

1271
00:57:50,440 --> 00:57:53,840
Speaker 4: be private and personal outside of the one in the book.

1272
00:57:53,920 --> 00:57:55,760
Speaker 4: Is there anything that you can share of just what

1273
00:57:55,760 --> 00:57:56,880
Speaker 4: that relationship.

1274
00:57:56,400 --> 00:58:01,520
Speaker 1: Has been, Like, I think one of the most powerful

1275
00:58:01,560 --> 00:58:04,000
Speaker 1: things that I've witnessed with him is just like that

1276
00:58:04,120 --> 00:58:07,080
Speaker 1: he's really human and just some of the vulnerability that

1277
00:58:07,120 --> 00:58:10,360
Speaker 1: he's displayed was kind of refreshing, because you think some

1278
00:58:10,400 --> 00:58:12,600
Speaker 1: of these people that are living at such a high

1279
00:58:12,680 --> 00:58:16,200
Speaker 1: level are like these godlike creatures. But with some of

1280
00:58:16,200 --> 00:58:18,160
Speaker 1: our hikes, it was around the time of like right

1281
00:58:18,240 --> 00:58:20,440
Speaker 1: before his flute album, and just some of the things

1282
00:58:20,440 --> 00:58:24,680
Speaker 1: he expressed about being uncertain about making certain decisions or

1283
00:58:25,000 --> 00:58:29,440
Speaker 1: even releasing a flute album was really empowering because myself,

1284
00:58:29,440 --> 00:58:31,720
Speaker 1: at whatever level I'm at, I have so many insecurities

1285
00:58:31,720 --> 00:58:34,680
Speaker 1: and vulnerabilities and imposter syndromes. But you look at all

1286
00:58:34,680 --> 00:58:36,400
Speaker 1: the people that we like worship and you're like, no,

1287
00:58:36,520 --> 00:58:38,680
Speaker 1: they just they off.

1288
00:58:38,800 --> 00:58:41,080
Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, they must be so sure of everything.

1289
00:58:40,880 --> 00:58:44,600
Speaker 1: Right and so just to kind of like witness that.

1290
00:58:44,600 --> 00:58:45,520
Speaker 1: I thought it was pretty powerful.

1291
00:58:45,600 --> 00:58:46,680
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, it was dope.

1292
00:58:46,960 --> 00:58:47,200
Speaker 1: Yeah.

1293
00:58:47,920 --> 00:58:49,960
Speaker 4: There's been a running joke on this podcast. Well not

1294
00:58:50,000 --> 00:58:52,760
Speaker 4: even a running joke, it's been a fact everyone has

1295
00:58:52,760 --> 00:58:56,480
Speaker 4: met Andre three thousand except you in Soho and I

1296
00:58:56,560 --> 00:58:59,560
Speaker 4: remember after that joke started. It must have been the

1297
00:58:59,560 --> 00:59:03,160
Speaker 4: first week I saw he was in your studio, your

1298
00:59:03,200 --> 00:59:09,680
Speaker 4: crib flute, and I was like, everybody, he doesn't want

1299
00:59:09,680 --> 00:59:10,400
Speaker 4: to be to l A.

1300
00:59:10,440 --> 00:59:11,720
Speaker 1: That's that's where he's where you be.

1301
00:59:12,000 --> 00:59:15,200
Speaker 4: Yeah, I've read some articles Venice, he's like full time

1302
00:59:15,320 --> 00:59:18,560
Speaker 4: or I wouldn't say, I wouldn't say something that he

1303
00:59:18,600 --> 00:59:22,600
Speaker 4: didn't put in whatever. The only piece he did after

1304
00:59:22,600 --> 00:59:25,080
Speaker 4: the Flute album talked about how he met even some

1305
00:59:25,160 --> 00:59:27,240
Speaker 4: of the band members of that they all went to

1306
00:59:27,240 --> 00:59:28,960
Speaker 4: the same grocery store in Venice, and that he was

1307
00:59:28,960 --> 00:59:30,640
Speaker 4: living in Venice and that's how the whole yeah sh

1308
00:59:30,840 --> 00:59:31,520
Speaker 4: had came together.

1309
00:59:31,880 --> 00:59:35,080
Speaker 1: Your book available, wins. It is available now. You can

1310
00:59:35,120 --> 00:59:39,560
Speaker 1: go to any retailer that has Resoli Books or Amazon

1311
00:59:39,680 --> 00:59:42,200
Speaker 1: or Barnes and Noble. Go get this man, Yeah, go

1312
00:59:42,240 --> 00:59:43,240
Speaker 1: get it. Support me.

1313
00:59:43,280 --> 00:59:43,840
Speaker 3: It's amazing.

1314
00:59:44,040 --> 00:59:49,120
Speaker 1: Sponge available Sponge available also now on beasponge dot com.

1315
00:59:49,160 --> 00:59:52,640
Speaker 1: And uh, we were just at Kiss and we're about

1316
00:59:52,680 --> 00:59:54,320
Speaker 1: to be a complex con Oh yeah, I should probably

1317
00:59:54,320 --> 00:59:57,640
Speaker 1: plug that. Gonna have a booth, a complex count of

1318
00:59:57,680 --> 01:00:01,480
Speaker 1: sponge booth. There will also be a Salahi Museum of

1319
01:00:01,600 --> 01:00:04,600
Speaker 1: just past samples and projects that I've worked on. And

1320
01:00:04,720 --> 01:00:06,880
Speaker 1: this is uh, maybe you could consider it like the

1321
01:00:06,920 --> 01:00:09,560
Speaker 1: doorway to this brand of my beat your launch as

1322
01:00:09,600 --> 01:00:10,440
Speaker 1: well as the book.

1323
01:00:10,600 --> 01:00:13,040
Speaker 2: Love before You Go, And he plans for a brick

1324
01:00:13,080 --> 01:00:16,400
Speaker 2: and mortar in New York City. I think any brand

1325
01:00:16,440 --> 01:00:18,840
Speaker 2: that has a brick and mortar first needs to have

1326
01:00:18,920 --> 01:00:22,960
Speaker 2: success digitally, so that is right now the goal and

1327
01:00:23,000 --> 01:00:25,680
Speaker 2: then for the first store, if it were up to me,

1328
01:00:25,720 --> 01:00:27,040
Speaker 2: I'd actually probably be in Japan.

1329
01:00:28,280 --> 01:00:30,560
Speaker 1: Yeah I'm a New Yorker. I said that five times

1330
01:00:30,560 --> 01:00:31,040
Speaker 1: before anyone.

1331
01:00:31,040 --> 01:00:32,640
Speaker 2: But if you got that, you got that aesthetic the

1332
01:00:32,680 --> 01:00:37,040
Speaker 2: old Japanese god actually like that. Yeah, Japanese fashion inspires

1333
01:00:37,040 --> 01:00:39,600
Speaker 2: me because I definitely, because I think in America is everywhere.

1334
01:00:39,840 --> 01:00:41,520
Speaker 2: If you look in America, there's so many rules about

1335
01:00:41,520 --> 01:00:43,680
Speaker 2: like what you can wear at what age, and where

1336
01:00:43,760 --> 01:00:45,000
Speaker 2: you can wear and where you can wear it. But

1337
01:00:45,040 --> 01:00:46,920
Speaker 2: then in Japan, like you'll see like a six year

1338
01:00:46,960 --> 01:00:48,760
Speaker 2: l seven year old dude in like full camo and

1339
01:00:48,760 --> 01:00:51,400
Speaker 2: some Jordan's and he's like being taken very seriously.

1340
01:00:51,720 --> 01:00:56,600
Speaker 1: And you know what I mean, you know, so I

1341
01:00:56,720 --> 01:00:58,920
Speaker 1: just that inspires me. So now it's like, you know,

1342
01:00:59,040 --> 01:01:02,560
Speaker 1: where told that like maybe someone of a certain age

1343
01:01:02,560 --> 01:01:04,440
Speaker 1: can't wear like yeah, I feel like it's like that's

1344
01:01:04,480 --> 01:01:07,760
Speaker 1: only our cultural exactly. He only did exactly exactly, and

1345
01:01:07,800 --> 01:01:10,160
Speaker 1: it's something wrong. There's something fundamentally wrong with that. Sola.

1346
01:01:10,320 --> 01:01:12,600
Speaker 2: Thank you for coming through man, appreciate it. The book

1347
01:01:12,640 --> 01:01:14,240
Speaker 2: is fire. I can't wait to really get into it

1348
01:01:14,280 --> 01:01:16,360
Speaker 2: and read it and just and just you know, read

1349
01:01:16,400 --> 01:01:19,120
Speaker 2: more your story. Congratulations on everything that you.

1350
01:01:19,120 --> 01:01:19,760
Speaker 1: Thank you very much.

1351
01:01:19,800 --> 01:01:20,400
Speaker 3: Support you here.

1352
01:01:20,800 --> 01:01:22,760
Speaker 2: I'm saying it now before we signed off. He will

1353
01:01:22,800 --> 01:01:25,240
Speaker 2: be designing the first new roorial Mall sneaker.

1354
01:01:25,440 --> 01:01:25,919
Speaker 1: It's a fact.

1355
01:01:25,960 --> 01:01:27,440
Speaker 2: We're going to make it happen. I'm going to keep

1356
01:01:27,440 --> 01:01:28,840
Speaker 2: harassing until we make that happen.

1357
01:01:29,840 --> 01:01:31,160
Speaker 1: Can we get a shoulder roll? Can we get these

1358
01:01:31,200 --> 01:01:33,040
Speaker 1: numbers up? Get a shoulder roll for him? We are not.

1359
01:01:36,560 --> 01:01:39,200
Speaker 4: Shout out to all the nokes. I retired my shoulders.

1360
01:01:39,240 --> 01:01:44,920
Speaker 4: I think in twenty twelve time even like, yeah, I

1361
01:01:44,920 --> 01:01:46,240
Speaker 4: don't even know how to work.

1362
01:01:46,280 --> 01:01:50,160
Speaker 1: I'm here the back of where the ship.

1363
01:01:51,040 --> 01:01:54,160
Speaker 4: You gotta put oil in them SHIPLEI thank you, my brother.

1364
01:01:54,200 --> 01:01:58,400
Speaker 1: We appreciate you. Appreciate you. That's Slay appreciate you, Bro.

1365
01:01:58,520 --> 01:02:01,520
Speaker 1: Appreciate you, Bro. Man Oh, Wollie and Mound