It seems the British stance to trainer fashion is a bit of a paradox. On one side of things, you were deemed to be old-school and behind the times with ultra-classic styles and a penchant for all that was authentic, and exactly as we’ve seen, this is what is the dominant theme these days. Yet when things turn the corner once again as they always do and we’re all on some ridiculous pieces of footwear design with a 3-month lifespan, the British movement will once again be saddled with the title of being behind the times.
For Crooked Tongues, it was best known for its promotion of sneaker culture and now also peddles sneakers, was the addition of this new role a difficult one? Did you or Charlie have any previous retail experience?
Ha ha! I’m pleased that trends will come and go, and that we’ll stay constant, doing what we do. Things will move on, but personally, my tastes are a mix of the sensible and slightly stranger. I don’t understand the pre-occupation with adopting your new “thing” and then ditching everything else. It’s tunnel-visioned and pretty one-dimensional. I know everyone’s trying to play the pseudo-intellect at the moment, and it’s totally unconvincing. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got plenty of non-sneaker designs in the cupboard, but I’m not taking some hand-sewn, authentically remade human blood dyed moccasins, constructed by 150 year old craftsmen by the banks of the Mississippi because some herb is telling me they’re better than blowjobs. Cheers, but I’ll stick with some Blazers.
While I’ve left the cap on my haterade bottle loose, If I’m honest, personally I’d like to be deemed behind the times. If you’re chasing “cool kid” status, you need to fix up, but if you’re thirty or over and chasing that validation, well… you’re beyond help. Influencers…opinion formers? What’s all that shit about? I find it depressing. It doesn’t help that those assigning “cool” badges are usually burn-outs on an idea hunt. Maybe I’m quaint in my ways, but my idea of a cool kid is someone with specialist subjects and genuine passion rather than some vapid walking skim-read. We have access to so much information, and motherfuckers are still without a clue? It’s baffling really.
Speaking of getting a clue, neither Charlie or I had any prior retail experience. I did work experience in a comic shop, but that just involved reading ‘Punisher: War Zone’ and blaring the ‘Judgment Night’ soundtrack. Things done changed since then! We knew how to promote stuff, but buying was difficult. Wander into a showroom with signs of weakness and you’ll be cajoled into minimums of 1000! Sometimes as a fanboy it’s hard not to gravitate to the odder stuff, failing to remember a broader customer base. The dream is to sell the basic, staple models alongside the flossier stuff – remember Rivington Club selling some Saucony performance bits next to top tier releases? That’s my type of shit. By appointing a buyer, we can consult heavily, but not be bogged down with Excel and phone calls. Things have taken shape these last few months, and we’re pretty pleased with the progress. We’re learning every day, and it’s still pretty fun. Hopefully an impending relaunch of the site will bring everything together and help things run more tightly.
Pingback: MEANDERING… « GWARIZM()