DJ Freddy Blassie with some perfectly untied Nikes
Why not use a baby Doc as a pen holder like Bleecker Street Records?
A leather belt I got for $14 at Marshalls is being sprayed with Meltonian #651 to match some very special shoes… Thanks East Village Shoe Repair.
Here at Popdiatry, we’ve been writing about the Berry Amendment, and the sense of having U.S. armed forces gear being domestically made. But I go to a store and see these cheap made-in-China boots branded by the US Army- with a dog tag? I’m writing my congress person ASAP! These boots are hideous, and whoever OK’d this should be peeling potatoes.
Attention: Used Derek Jeter game socks are on sale from Steiner Sports Memorabilia for only $409.99. Peep the screenshot.
Not a joke
Since you bought a baseball player’s sock for so much, it put a huge dent in your basketball sneaker budget and you can no longer afford $240 forthese newTitolo Reebok pumps. No problem because Shaquille O’Neal now has his own inexpensive brand of high-tops available at Walmart.
Pic by Funyagi
It’s no secret that Nike is chomping their competition in worldwide sneaker and apparel sales. Rival Adidas went and hired three Nike design vetsand will stick them in a Brooklyn design studioin hopes they can carve a bigger piece of the North American pie.
Since you bought that Jeter sock, you won’t have enough for a pair of these $400 New Balance Horween leather models
ubiqlife.com
Bus to Philly for a chance to buy some of these limited edition U.S. made NBs on October 1st: $11
ubiqlife.com
It appears the New BalanceBerry-compliant 950v2 models we talked about earlier this year may be closer to hitting real ground.
New Balance
Members of congress visited a New Balance biomechanical research/prototype lab in Lawrence, Massachusetts last month to see how an athletic sneaker is made entirely in The United States using US materials. The Department of Defense is expected to make a decision soon about enforcing a rules that states new military recruits should buy products (sneakers) made in the USA with their vouchers. Read the full article in Navy Times.
To squash any debate about how exactly to pronounce the brand with the swoosh, chairman of Nike’s board, Phil Knight confirmed via letter sent with a self-addressed-stamped-envelope that it is definitely pronounced “Nikey”.
Screenshot of letter sent by Ben Martin and Kendal Peters to Nike’s Phil Knight
Adidas is involved in a little marketing battle with international competitor Nike on who can out-sponsor each other in the glow of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Puma is playing the ‘come get me’ strategy by waiting until after the big match to promote their kicks, hoping that kids will see teams playing in Pumas and then press ma and pa for a ‘back to school’ pair. Does Skechers make cleats?
Meanwhile, the US Navy is wearing boots that they do not love. In an article in the Navy Times called “Building Better Boots”, writer Lance M. Bacon identifies the problem plaguing today’s Navy-issued footwear, and offers up solutions based on feedback from hundreds of current and former sailors. Sentiment says the things are too heavy, uncomfortable, and way out-of-date.
Image cut from photo by Photographer’s Mate Airman Ian W. Anderson (via Wikipedia)
I wonder if ideas provided by these suggestions, along with increased commitment to the Berry Amendment can create a solution. Could we see New Balance and Wolverine footprints on aircraft carriers some day? Could another maker meet this need?
Clothing designers dropping shoes:
Thakoon Panichgul is releasing Thakoon Addition shoes this summer for the ladies (made in Portugal).
Tom Ford has line of Italian-made sneakers now.
Hi Stan, this is Tom…
Stories that Boston College was being bothered by a serial foot tickler look to be unfounded according to Boston police on an update on Boston.com . Of course the story has been shared thousands of times by now, but can you blame folks? Serial tickler?
Last Friday, while you were thinking about dinner and I was working sound at a theater in Manhattan (wear-testing a pair of Injinji toe socks*), the United States Department of Defense made a move toward ensuring that service members are outfitted head to toe with gear made in the USA. The Berry Amendment was introduced 73 years ago to promote the purchase of certain U.S. goods. Over the years, exceptions were made when it came to military training sneakers. Boots were an issue item, but most service members wore their choice of trainers. These New Balances pictured are made in Maine using soles, uppers, textile parts, and straps sourced from Massachusetts- plus laces made in Rhode Island- making it a Berry Amendment compliant product. This NB 950v2 athletic shoe is being tested by the military and may soon become available to recruits via their vouchers. U.S. Congressional reps Niki Tsongas (D-Mass), and Mike Michaud (D- Maine) were instrumental in pressuring the D.O.D. to get it right with Berry. Michaud is a bigger New Balance head than you, and even sports made-in-USA blue and yellow New Balances while campaigning for Governor. Wolverine Worldwide, who already provides Berry-compliant boots through their Bates brand, and New Balance are currently the only American companies capable of producing competitive sneakers in the US. Now that Pentagon officials have made this announcement, other brands may consider rekindling their domestic production in order to compete for these military voucher bucks.
I never heard of the evil stepsister procedure until reading Laren Stover’s piece in the New York Times. “Make them fit, Please!” is something women have been saying to foot doctors in regards to outrageously impractical high-heeled footwear. Electivecosmetic foot surgery is a thing, and there are procedures ready to treat high heel foot, hitchhikers toe, toebesity and other man-made ailments that are keeping sufferers from comfortably wearing Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik, and Christian Louboutin products. Get a load of the comments after the article as well.
Voting is now open for the 5th annual Vans Custom Culture Art Competition. Vans, who dropped some Star Wars gear this week, sends blank white shoes to 2000 high schools across the country so art classes can battle for design supremacy (and resources for their art programs).
Did you know VIbram has a line of FiveFingers for golfers?
V-Classic LR: Not your dad’s golf shoes
* I went my first day wearing some Injinji toe-socks under some New Balance walking shoes. I was moving around all day with them and like that they allow some splay.
No sooner did I press “publish” on my post about fraying-pant-leg-conditiona few weeks ago, then I discovered these Atlas boots from shoe company Artola:
Frayed pant legs no more
Their design incorporates a molded leather heel piece that keeps sagging pant legs from scraping the ground. Thumbtack guy take note.
Not long after Tony Wroten’s Nike Jordan sneaker fell apart during an NBA game last week, rumours hit the net that the Jordan brand itself may discontinue in 2015. “There is absolutely no truth to this rumor…” according to Michael Jordan’s Business Manager Estee Portnoy (via smokingsection.net). What’s unclear is if MJ personally called Wroten’s agent to apologize for the sneaker blowout. NBC Sports says that didn’t happen.
Pharrell Williamshooked up with Adidas, New Balance dropped some Golf shneakers, Terra Nova was awarded a contract from the Canadian government to manufacture boots for Canadian armed forces at the company’s factory in Harbour Grace. Here in the US, American footwear manufacturing is lobbying congress over the Berry amendment, which roughly states that the Department Of Defense is required to give preference to domestically produced, manufactured or homegrown products, especially foods, clothing, fabrics and certain metals. An exemption to that amendment includes athletic shoes, which aren’t considered military-issued uniform pieces. Soldiers are wearing their own Nikes, Adidas, and other kicks not made in the U.S.A. while training. Wolverine, New Balance, Danner and Lacrosse have all come forth with compliant products that are 100% made in the U.S.A. and are relying on a growing expectation that U.S. service members should be equipped in U.S.-made gear. Read details in the International Business Times.
DJ Freddy Blassie with some perfectly untied Nikes
Why not use a baby Doc as a pen holder like Bleecker Street Records?
A leather belt I got for $14 at Marshalls is being sprayed with Meltonian #651 to match some very special shoes… Thanks East Village Shoe Repair.
Here at Popdiatry, we’ve been writing about the Berry Amendment, and the sense of having U.S. armed forces gear being domestically made. But I go to a store and see these cheap made-in-China boots branded by the US Army- with a dog tag? I’m writing my congress person ASAP! These boots are hideous, and whoever OK’d this should be peeling potatoes. 
