SOLE COLLECTOR: Sneakers

words - Nick

So the first half of the day was spent checking out PUMA’s concept design store in Natick, MA. This mall carries tons of overpriced “high end” stuff like your Louis, Gucci, Burberry, etc…and the PUMA store is located near the middle of the second floor. It’s a different layout than your standard mall-based retailer, and you can surely learn more about the design influence and aesthetics of the store in the next issue.

We checked out tons of floor product like the sweet new RS100 Injex and of course the PUMA/Evisu denim collection. I’m always a late packer for trips and never check the weather before heading out East, so I went ahead and packed three jackets. It’s been 90+ of pure heat every day so far. To make things better, I forgot my two pairs of trusty cargo shorts and my belt.

So with the fashion help of Katie and Kristina from PUMA, I was recommended a few different looks.

Steve, of course, thought it’d be hilarious to mess with me while in the dressing room. It’s cause for Pause non-stop around this guy.

PUMA has a ton of little icons throughout the dressing room walls. Found these to be funny. (The editor in me has to call out that ‘Authority’ is spelled wrong. Unless that’s what they were shooting for.)

I picked up the olive Injex, some cargo shorts and finally a belt, and Zac came away with some wild pink/blue Injex. Way to be daring. We headed back to the PUMA Design Center for some product interviews and more terrible Steve jokes.

Next we had some time to kill. I’ve never dreaded that phrase more than in this city. We like to say it’s a different kind of terrible. There’s not much to Boston, so what better way than talking to a group of sneakerheads just off Newbury?

“So you got a Johnny Cupcakes shirt on, MFG shorts and Olympic VI’s…what kinda style do you guys got going on out here?”

“I just gotta stay pretty.”

EXACTLY.

In all seriousness, these guys were awesome and great sports, and it just goes to show you, bad Jordan colorways and suspect shirt companies are actually a universal thing.

Had to swing by Thrifty afterwards to switch out rental cars. Went from a white Chrysler 300 to a Jay-Z blue Sebring. I have no idea how that worked out.

I generally like to stay in the car and sleep while Steve or Zac handle things, but I couldn’t pass up capturing the essence of Boston in a single picture from the Thrifty parking lot. NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE.

After enduring enough Boston heat, we traveled to the middle of nowhere in Connecticut to maximize our fun potential with Steve, aka ‘airjordanXI’ and the man who’s been putting in WORK on the new Archive section of the site. Thanks for the cozy welcome and pizza, but there’s gotta be more to do than play Guitar Hero all night or listen to Insane Clown Posse….hahaha (kidding — kinda)