Shoes Of The Week - Random Mark McNairy's

I really love what Mark McNairy has done in the shoe industry. In what used to be a relatively dull, no-color ridden market, Mark McNairy decided to do something about it and launched his line, emphasizing this prep-chic style (loafers, heavy brogues and buck's) that incorporated a lot of color, particularly in the soles. And since then, he has seemed to grow at an exponential rate. And that is simply great! When coming out with something so bold, as this concept is, one would think that it is either going to make it, or break it. Luckily he made it, even with shoes as daring and colorful as a crayola box.

As I put together my first collection, I am growing insecure (even though I shouldn't) about offering classic dress shoes with colorful options (such as a full-brogue in navy or a forest green whole-cut). When you think about starting a line, you have to know that even though you may want to make all of the craziest options that you always dreamed of owning, you have to also realize that you need to make things that will sell, so that you can stay in business. This is what I appreciate about people like Mark McNairy and Mr. Hare. They both created something that they felt was missing, hit it dead on and are now growing at exponential rates. I just hope that my first collection will have this kind of impact, as I believe that I have been studying a long time, what is lacking in the current marketplace....

Some pictures provide by: The Shoe Buff

Boat Shoes - Sebago Fall/Winter 2011

While I still consider myself a relatively small-time blogger, at least in terms of daily hits, I have recently had the pleasure of being invited to a couple of events/showcases for several shoe brands, one of which, as you can see above, was Sebago. It's great because I always enjoy seeing shoes in the flesh (no surprise there) and also being part of the introduction to new brands/seasons/sub-lines etc. While Sebago is definitely not a new brand by any means, you can say that as of recent they have been positioning themselves differently, aiming to hit new markets and thus, in a way, becoming a classic brand with a 'new' feel. And while classicists might turn their nose to this idea of becoming more modern, I think that with the way the shoe industry is going, most older and historical companies, have to get on board with the times, or they might just get left behind. Sebago, being a staple company in recent American history, has done a great job of repositioning their image due to their recent collaborations with young, fresh designers.

With all of this in mind, Sebago just recently had their Autumn/Winter 2011 launch party at the Soho House in London and I just so happened to get invited. It was a lovey day and since the party was being held on the rooftop deck terrace, we were able to enjoy a little sunshine, snacks and all of the cool shoes that they are releasing this upcoming season. While some of the shoes were indeed, models that I have seen from previous seasons (such as my Billy Kirk collabo's), there were a lot of new colorways, as well as some fresh new designs and models. If you have read my blog for awhile, you might be able to guess my 'likes' by now and therefore understand when I tell you that I had my eyes set on the gray pair with the red sole that is called 'Abenaki' and was a collaboration with Mr. Ronnie Fieg (top left pic, above). For those that may not know, Ronnie Fieg is a designer who, in my opinion, is taking over the casual shoe industry at the moment. His talent and story are inspiring and I can only hope that one day he will look to design dress shoes as well. Who knows.......?

As you can see, Ronnie Fieg, was not the only collaboration in the house. There were shoes by Billy Kirk, a shoe/bag combo by Filson, as well as shoes by Vane. As I have said before, 2010 and onwards marks the era of collaborations and many classic companies have hopped on board to give a revamp to their image and it has worked. I absolutely love the idea too, because you have these designers that may have a passion for all sorts of products and instead of being pressured to start their own line of product, they can now just bounce around and do contracted design pieces for such and such company. This new way of getting shoes styles from all avenues is absolutely brilliant!! As much as I want to start my own shoe line and am in the process of doing so, I still would be flattered if another company came up to me and asked for a season's piece......maybe one day.

Well, as usual when the sun comes out, the boat shoes do too and ever since Sebago stepped it up in the design department, I can say that I have been absolutely loving their styles. I have one pair and am definitely going to be looking to get another, one of the Ronnie Fieg collabo's for sure. And if you are in the market to get some boat shoes too, I would give my recommendation to look no further than Sebago, for right now, they are as fresh as it gets. They even do ladies shoes too, as you can see from the two pictures directly above. Alright everyone, I am tired and have other work to do so enjoy the rest of your bank holiday if you are in the UK and everyone else, realize that Friday is just around the corner!


-Justin, "The Shoe Snob"

My Shoes #21 - Sperry #1

 

On that note of American's favorite summer shoe and Sperry's, I just recently got back one of my favorite shoes of all time. For me, the navy blue and white classic Sperry boat shoe is universal! I can wear them with anything except a suit and the outfit will coordinate. And to prove just that, I decided to dress them up a little bit for this party that I want to and create an outfit that was one part English Dandy and one part classic American boy. That being, I had my Sperry's and some jeans but then paired that with my button-up, waistcoat and bow tie. And the look seemed to hit the target because many people were diggin' the outfit. So that just goes to show that if you are a proud owner of a pair of Sperry's there are far more outfits that you could create rather than simply wearing them only with your shorts or chinos. Now, I just can't wait to get back all of my other 7 Sperry's that I have waiting for me in the States. But they are going to arrive just in time for summer so be on the look out!

Today's Favorites - Ronnie Fieg + Sebago = Nexus Project

If you don't know, Ronnie Fieg is the man behind many of the best shoe collaborations created in 2010. Yet, this is not his first year on the scene. He has been making waves with Asics for awhile now, creating some of the coolest colorways they have ever had to offer. Hailing from New York, Mr. Fieg, has persevered and worked hard at what's known as the 'American Dream.' Having aspirations to become a sneaker designer at a young age, he made his start as a stock boy at New York store, David Z. He eventually made his way up to buyer while at the same time thinking about his jump into the designing side which eventually broke through with his first collaboration with Asics. Fast forward some years and we have him doing collaborations left and right and designing some of the best shoes we have seen in 2010. With the way that the shoe industry is going, thanks to designers like Mr. Fieg and the introduction of non-orthodox colors, I am quite excited to see what he brings 2011!!

Pictures Courtesy Of: Ronnie Fieg's Blog

My Shoes #12 - Sperry Slip-On

Over the last weekend, we actually had some really nice days in which the sun stayed out for longer than 3 hours. Considering that I am limited in the shoes that I have with me in England and that I need to post new shoes for each week, I figured that with the sun out, it would be the perfect time to pretend like it was summer and break out my classic Sperry slip-on's. During the real summer, Sperry has to be my go to shoe. I think I must own like 10 different Sperry shoes. The style of them is just so versatile and the fact that they come in every color that you could think of is great. While I am a big fan of the classic boat shoe (with laces) I think I might be finding that I like the slip-on version better, due to it's comfort and not having to tie those annoying boat shoe laces. And as you can see, even though I tried to pretend that it was summer, my upper proves that indeed, it wasn't!!

Today's Favorites - Band of Outsiders

While most brands are making boat shoes that all look the same, the collaboration between Sperry and Band of Outsiders finally gave the world some other options to choose from, and better one's for that matter. While you usually find your average boat shoes in leather uppers, what's cool about these Band of Outsiders remixes is that they are all made with something other than your traditional leather ranging from wool, nylon, suede to even corduroy. And while I have not really displayed it here, they also produced shoes in an array of colors that are different than the norm, as you can see by the top shoe in that dark teal type of color. Since writing this blog I have really began to notice the amount of cool shoes that are created through collaborations and I am curious to see how far this goes in the future, whether or not collaborating will become 'the thing' that every shoe company does.

Sebago's Comeback

It truly is funny how everything reinvents itself and what was once the 'in' thing in popular culture 30-50 years ago becomes once again the 'in' thing in today's modern culture. The two styles that frighten me about this constant reinvention, though, are the 80's and men wearing bell-bottom's with platform shoes. I cringe just thinking about the return of those atrocities. This act of reinvention is one of the reasons for Sebago's current position in the shoe industry. Growing up I would hear the word Sebago and think of old people and boat shoes, never once associating myself with the brand. Today that is different. I just received my very first pair of Sebago shoes. Considering that I already own upwards of 5 or 6 boat shoes (although I have to admit that none of them are as cool as the one's above) I decided to go with something a little different and ended up getting the Fairhaven boot, which you can see HERE in another post. I was quite surprised of how many compliments I received from my friends about the boots while wearing them (not to toot my own horn!). My Sebago's are comfortable, stylish and I look forward to adding more to my collection, preferably the two above!!

Sebago's history goes as far back as 1946 when 3 New England natives created first their hand-sewn penny loafer which was modeled after the then popular Native American moccasin. With this creation, they also pioneered what would become of the company's patented welt-construction (Sebago.com). They have come a long way since those days and our now taking boat shoes to a whole new level. During the recession I feel like shoe companies either needed to revamp their products in some shape or form or suffer through some tough years with the possibility of just straight tanking. Sebago saw this and in an intelligent attempt to reposition themselves in the "fashion shoe" industry began collaborating with many young and fresh designers. You will notice between the plain Sebago in grey/blue above and it's counterpart to it's right with a orange painted toe, both inspired by the French fashion boutique, Collette. In fact, a lot of the shoes that you will see on this post were created through a collaboration between Sebago and some 3rd party designer (such as Ronnie Fieg) or person of influence.

What I love about this recession and modern day culture is the fact that shoe companies can no longer skate by, making the same old crap that they have been for the last 50-100 years. With the bombardment of options these days, you need to be on top of your game as a designer, marketer or distributor of a shoe company in order to maintain your survival. With that, you see these amazing collaborations that create such unique and colorful pieces of footwear. Things are not so plain Jane anymore and that makes me happier beyond belief!! There is no amount of disappointment greater than going somewhere to find something unique and feeling that every shoe looks just like the other one. Luckily, this is happening less and less!! I applaud Sebago's direction and can only hope to continue to see the same amount of creativity, if not more, put into their designs for future collections!!