Firstname: Uwe (aka xclozx)

Age: 31

Children: not yet

Job: hard to discribe. salesman, designer, driver, staff manager … chief cook and bottle washer, all in one.

Location: Dresden, Germoney

 

 

1/ What was you first pair of sneakers? Any nice story to tell about them?

 

i think it was christmas 1991. it was an all black nubuck nike air force with orange logo details. unfortunately i can’t remember the correct name of this modell. it was a present from my mother. it was my biggest wish to get a pair of nike sneaker. so i was scrambling all the time “mom, i only want some nike shoe, nothing else.” the price for the shoe was 179 marks (ca. 90 euros) and this was relatively a lot of money for a single mother in east germany. i was really happy holding this shoes in my hands. i was wearing them all day and i dare say i was the first kid with nike shoes at my school. it’s funny, because today i do not wear nike shoes anymore.

 

 

2/ How would you generally describe your relation with sneakers? Would you consider yourself as “addicted”?

 

i’m definitely addicted. if i could make money with waisting time on the internet searching for sneakers at ebay or get new information in communities like crooked tongues, i would be a rich man very soon. luckily this ‘interest’ for sneakers returns to normal. so i would forecast the addiction is not incurable.

 

 

3/ According to you, what are the ingredients for a good shoe?

 

first of all its the shape. second thing is the colour variety. but sometimes i think, ‘oh i really like this shoe’, but i do not really know why. but it’s definitely the shape and the colour. you can’t go wrong with a darker, not so colourful running shoe for me.

 

 

4/ How do you feel towards the so-called “sneaker-scene”? How did your feeling evolve over the years?

 

i think i’m not a follower of any scene. i don’t know if there is a sneaker-scene. i know some good guys here in dresden, but wouldn’t go so far and call it a scene. maybe in bigger cities there is a real scene, like the guys i know from berlin. but i have also been a member of some internet communities since a while. i met some really nice people there. maybe we can call this a scene. so i wouldn’t call myself a sneakerhead, i’d say i’m just an ordinary guy.

 

 

5/ What is the sneaker brand you’re giving most interest in at the moment & why?

 

i have reached the point where it is impossible for me to name a favourite footwear brand. maybe it’s still new balance. i love the “made in uk / usa” thing. the quality is mostly great and they have build some of the best decent runningshoe silhouettes in my opinion. but adidas is really growing on me in the last time. some people say new balance shoes are old man runner’s. but the way i see it, adidas is even more an old man’s sports brand. they just have a wider range of classic timeless sneakers. this year i will propably buy more adidas than new balance; not only runing shoes, but also stuff like campus, rod lavers or the like.

 

 

6/ Which shoe that you’ve bought was the hardest to get & how did it occur?

 

sorry, but there is no really exciting story about this. but it was definitely the purple devil 1500. it was not really hard to get this pair, it just took a long time to find a pair in my size that was affordable. now that i have a pair, my next object of desire will be a pair of adidas edbergs. uk 10,5 anyone?

 

 

7/ What is your current sneakers top 5 (shoes you either already have or would wish to)?

 

all time classics:

1. new balance 577

2. saucony jazz

3. adidas la trainer

4. vans era/authentic

 

most wanted:

5. adidas edberg (my most wanted pair, at this time)

 

… and i really need a pair of suedes or clydes in near future.

 

 

8/ Putting sneakers aside, what are your main interests/passions? How do you spend your time? Anything you’d like to make us discover?

 

i do some grafik design stuff. i really love this. but i’m very lazy and slow, why there is not much representative work which could be displayed.

furthermore i really love music. many kinds of music. as a teenager i started listening to punk, hardcore and rap music. later i became more open minded. today, i can delight in jazz & classic. also electronical music is in heavy rotation at my home these days. there is always some music that lets me say ‘wow’. i have been doing mixtapes and mixcd’s over the years, for friends and with friends together. i would say music is my main passion more than sneakers.

 

 

Thanks Uwe!

This weekend with the beginning of the ISPO fair in Munich, I met my man Mike West from 686.

I met a lot of guys over the last years and Mike is definitely one of the guys that I have a lot of respect for and look up to.
Besides being super determined and focused - I think Mike is being well known for being super humble and down to earth.
We had alright dinner but def a good chat.
Thanks for the advises and sharing stories of / for life!

PICS AND INFO VIA PUMA!

“Pure street poetry.This inimitable, one-of-a-kind design is the birth of PUMA 4 LOT78 Vs Sadia.
The collaboration was a lyrical blend of thought, aesthetic, and soft, sweet materials – producing
an indisputable definition of fashion as art.
Sadia Rafique‘s portfolio is varied and experienced, with art direction roles in fashion, graphic
design, film, photography, web design, and illustration; and her ability to express herself is no
less extraordinary. Designing on a computer and illustrating by hand, Sadia‘s designs have been
translated into graphic placements, repeat prints, appliqués, and embroideries for knitwear,
denim, jersey, branding, and accessories.
In summer `08, Sadia took a full-time role working as a Graphic Designer for a number of
women‘s performance lines within PUMA, under the newly appointed creative direction of
Hussein Chalayan. While at PUMA, she executed a major collaboration with PUMA and LOT78
for this spring/summer `10 season.
LOT78 is a collaborative ‚non brand‘ designed and run by Ollie Amhurst, and features hand
finished luxury leather and jersey pieces, inspired by a desire to further expand the correlation
between art and fashion.
This collaboration originated from an earlier collaboration between Sadia and LOT78 which
consists of twenty six hand-illustrated vintage biker jackets. The PUMA 4 LOT78 Vs Sadia
concept was based on this previous collection, as Sadia chose to hand paint PUMA First
Rounds in the same vein as the jackets.
PUMA provided Sadia with the iconic First Round silhouette and she went to work – handpicking
fabrics, colors, trims, laces, print techniques, and designing the shoe bag to accompany the
shoes. She artworked all the shoe graphics, using the factory blocks so that she could place
artworks with more precision.
The final design features transfers of Sadia‘s ink drawings and poetic messaging in black, white,
and pink on PUMA First Rounds, enhanced by LOT 78‘s quality soft leather and suede.
Quantities of the shoe are limited to 400 pairs.
PUMA 4 LOT78 Vs Sadia hits Solebox March 27th.”

Finally we have a release date:

20th of February is the release date of both colorways:

Instore first and remaining pairs online.

So, I just started the second year of my studies and I already don´t like this semester. The first week is not even over and I feel like this is just wrong. I highly disliked the last semester but hoped things will get better in the new year. Nope. Absolutely not. Then I ask myself why am I studying this again? I study International Management and Business, so actually everything I always thought I would never study. I never even thought I am going to study. So what is it again why I am doing this? The only answer I have: because I don´t know what I want to do and with this education one might at least be able to get a somewhat well paid job. Hm, motivating? No. And I hate that. Not having a real goal.

I know many people my age who are facing exactly the problem and admire, just like me, everybody who has an idea of what they want to do. Because there are quiet some who do know what direction to go. But for many of us there is just a big questionmark in front of us. No motivation from inside. Sad.

And I am sooo annoyed by it. It´s no fun. If I knew what I wanted to do I would leave this here just like that, believe me. Then I am wondering is it some kind of generation thing that we are just running around without a clue basically? Where did things go wrong? Which path did we miss to take?

And most importantly how the f*** will we find out what we want? I am angry and sad about this situation at the same time. It is so frustrating and demotivating, it´s eating you from inside every day again. That´s why I wanted to move back to Berlin because, at least, there I would love my life outside of school very much, but I had to be honest and admit that the studies there would be even more boring and difficult (more math)! Also, the one thing I really like about studying here is that the program is in English. I don´t know why but to me it makes it less boring. If I think of the textbooks we have were in German OMG I would quit right away.

For now, all I know is I am NOT going to stop this unless I have a better plan. And the only New Year´s Resolution I had was to be more positive =) and I stick to that. So I am trying to focus on the bright sides like the summer break where I can just leave this all for 2 months. Or the exchange semester in 2011, that will at least be exciting because of the adventure of going abroad. Trying to keep myself busy somehow with non-school related things.

I know many people who don´t really like the courses but are so after getting good grades so that motivates them. I wish I was like that. Of course I like having good grades, but I don´t mind just having a passing grade especially since I don´t care about the subjects. I think I lost my fear of “bad” grades early in highschool.

But, as i said, until there is no plan b I am not going to stop, hope it will all get better and try to get in the right state of mind for this.

Anyway, to all of you who are doing what they love; I look up to you and hope to be one of you one day (soon). To everybody who has a passion but is not following it for some reason; do it! I strongly believe it will make you more happy. And to everybody studying or working just something for no real reason; not having a real goal for life; I feel you and I hope this chapter in life will end soon.

Because one thing I know, once I know what I want I will go hard and will get it! Trust me.

-Toyah-

Really cool:

I know where you can get them: ; )

[CLICK ME]

Berlin is being considered as one of the leading style cities (slightly after Dortmund - sorry I have to show some patriotism ) when it comes to Graff.
No question - GFA & GHS were and still are the heavy hitters of the capital of Germany.
My old time friend Wesp and his companions Poet62 and Bas2 created this amazing mural called Wallbreakers.
There is probably nothing comparable to Berlin Wall (maybe the Chinese wall in Beijing) - I dont think I have to add more to that….

Check out both versions.

Wallbreakers - Write the Wall from Modart Magazine on Vimeo.

AC