“Sneaker Freaker” founder Simon Wood’s career story and sneaker thinking | Sole Mates

​Sole Mates is a brand new column of HYPEBEAST about sneaker culture. In this series, we will take the question of “Why do you love sneakers?” to explore the deeper meaning beyond “Hype”. Sole Mates will reveal the origin story of each “Sneakerhead” participant about the sneakers and let them tell why it is so important to have such a pair of sneakers.

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Simon Wood, who is referred to as “Woody” by everyone, is not only an OG in the sneaker industry, but also a famous storyteller. This is why he founded “Sneaker Freaker”, known for its publications in the field of in-depth study of the history of footwear, and has gone further than anyone in the past. The Ultimate Sneaker Book, published in 2018, is a 672-page book called the “Sneaker Bible”. This project combines Woody’s 15-year dedication and lifetime knowledge value in the world of sneakers. When recalling the preparation of the book, Woody said: “It almost broke me physically, mentally and emotionally.”

Then why does he do it again now? Because Woody still has a lot of sneaker stories unfinished. Before the release of his new book “Sneaker Freaker: Soled Out”, HYPEBEAST and Woody spent a whole afternoon talking about this new book, and more importantly, about his love for shoes. In this issue of “Sole Mates”, Woody discussed with us his love for Nike Air Force 1, and how he thinks about the fate of the sneaker industry.

HYPEBEAST: How did you like sneakers?

Woody: My story can be traced back to a long, long time ago. I was less than 10 years old. Once I was looking at my reflection outside the shop window, I looked at my feet and thought, “Are my feet too big?” Then I started to notice my shoes , They are as eye-catching as the exclamation marks on my overall look. That was decades before sneakers became popular. At that time, I paid attention to a pair of shoes mostly because of athletes, especially basketball or tennis players; I really liked tennis at the time, especially from the perspective of shoes, I would pay extra attention to what they were wearing.

In the past, you could not go to a sports shop to buy Nike products. It is not always available, and it is even more unlikely that you can buy it online. I used to think that those “magic” shoes owned by athletes would never be available to ordinary people.

Throughout your career, are there any critical moments?

I lived in London for more than four years. At the time, I was in the advertising industry in the Soho area, so my lunch time was either sipping a pint of beer in a bar, or visiting the ones that came back from Japan and the United States with shoes. Shops, there are many good things in these shops that you can’t see anywhere else. I still remember the first time I bought the Nike Terra Humara for the first year in Bulgarias on Oxford Street. I have very fond memories of that time, and I think that changed some of my views on shoes. On a trip to New York in the early 90s, I didn’t know where I was at the time, but there was a place near Canal Street—perhaps a very early distribution store—when I walked past its door, I almost got close. drop down. They put 30 pairs of AF1 on the wall.

That time I was going to the West Indies to watch a cricket match, so it was impossible for me to take 20 pairs of shoes and walk back and forth in the store for almost 2 hours before deciding which pair to buy. When I finally said: “Gosh, these are my shoes!” I had a real epiphany about sneakers. If you live in the UK or elsewhere, you would not be able to see 10 pairs of great shoes on the street like this, or buy 10 pairs of shoes online in a day. This kind of shoe store is very New York style, it satisfies the local people’s demand for sneakers. My love for those shoes has not faded.

This is a good introduction to your latest project, a new book you published, “Soled Out”.

Yes, it is very “fierce”. There are 720 pages in total. The publisher had to stop me because the first draft was 1,200 pages. We had to cut a lot of content, but I think there is still a lot to put in this book.

“I want to set a benchmark. This is the ultimate book about sneakers. If you think you can write a better one, then I would really like to take a look.”

The “The Ultimate Sneaker Book” that you released before is also a huge project. What makes you want to do it again?

I think there is nothing simpler than the title of the book to explain what this book represents. To me, this is like a statement. I see many people who write books and say, “Ah, I have already written 250 pages.” But my friend, it’s just a warm-up session for me. I want to set a benchmark. This is the ultimate book about sneakers. If you think you can write a better one, then I would really like to take a look. Decades of painstaking effort have been spent in this book. I have to say that it almost brought me to the brink of collapse physically, mentally, and emotionally. Just being able to edit it can be regarded as an immortal. Looking back at the entire creative process, this book broke my brain.

Facts have proved that the first book is very popular, for anyone who likes sneakers, it is an incredible reference material and database. I have received feedback from many mothers who told me, “I can’t let my 6-year-old son read any book, but he just refuses to let go of this one.” In high school, no one likes history. But if you are talking about stories about streetwear or sneakers, I think everyone will be very interested.

I don’t want to repeat what I have done, I could have written another “Ultimate Sneaker Book 2.0”, but I want to do something different. I found the CD and BluRay discs that store the original folder. Can you imagine how old it is? It was named “1,000 Sneaker Ads” from 2009.

At that time, I collected 300 or 400 advertisements, and I could actually publish this book at that time. However, I continued to buy and trade new data to build a larger database. Making this book is like completing a huge puzzle. I had to put everything together again, because the book is sorted in chronological order, brand and category, so I need to put all basketball shoe ads together. This is a spiritual challenge. And in the end, when we had to cut it down to 720 pages, it was another cruel moment. “If I want to keep this, then the other one must be removed.”

Let’s talk about Air Force 1. Why choose it as your Sole Mates?

I like its simplicity. I have always liked the generous Air series sneakers, and for me, AF1 has no other “competitors”. If compared with Dunk, only from the perspective of assembly, they are essentially the same shoes with many similarities. But I think the AF1 has a perfect appearance and contour, which is why the Counterfeit Chamber of Commerce likes to imitate it so much, because this is really an enduring classic shoe.

It is a basketball shoe, but it can also be a very casual collocation. It will not look like basketball shoes in the 80s, and I have never been a person who likes high-top shoes. I know that many people have very large collections of AF1. I alone have hundreds of pairs, enough for most of my year. Even so, I will still buy new ones on the market as soon as possible. Color matching.

“I have observed some “innovations” that Nike has done to it in the past year. As a traditionalist, I honestly don’t want to see it become what it is now, but I know they want to make it more youthful. Connect the groups of people.”

I have observed some “innovations” that Nike has made on it in the past year. As a traditionalist, I honestly don’t want to see it become what it is now, but I know they want to compare it with younger ones. The group is connected. For a long time in the past, it is a pair of shoes that have never been mentioned, never advertised, but just kept high sales through outstanding color matching.

I’m a traditional person. I recently tried the Nike By You service at my own expense. The leather used in those shoes is very beautiful. This pair of shoes is quite good, especially the ivory midsole. It is the best pair of shoes I have bought in years. AF1 is a shoe that does not require strange color matching, and its simple style is already the best design. If you choose the right one, it will never go out of style.

I have read somewhere before that if you have to give up some shoes, the one you must never give up is the Air Force 1 “Linen”.

This is a pair of shoes that cannot be called “masculine”. The combination of light brown and pink is very wonderful. It is not a very strong color with basketball temperament, but a pair of very delicate design. I have a few pairs of “Linen” from the first year, but they have begun to wear out, and the inside has begun to chalk (like many Nike shoes also from the Nissan period). We once cut one of the shoes and found that it was basically all powder inside.

When Ronnie Fieg re-engraved these shoes, I was really excited. This is a pair of shoes that you can wear in summer or other special occasions, but it is not at all like white clothes with white pants, it has more of its own taste. When you want to attract attention, but don’t make yourself look like the oldest person in a nightclub, and the kind of person I don’t want to be at my age, it is the perfect combination (laughs).

Many Sole Mates interviewees have chosen Air Force 1, but their stories are always different. Why do you think these shoes can resonate with so many people?

It’s definitely because of the diversity it contains. I do have a lot of weird and lesser-known shoes, such as the ACG and Mowabb of the first year. They are really difficult to match, unless you wear white T-Shirt, which are only suitable for specific times and occasions. . I am really obsessed with certain color combinations, such as Stardusts, Realtree Camo and Orange, etc. I like the bright and fancy sense of these color combinations, especially the wild feeling. However, those disgusting accessories and upside-down logos stuck to the upper may not be suitable for me. And that pair of USPS version also surprised me. I bought it because I didn’t know how anyone would pass this pair of designs. Sometimes it’s a good thing to secretly give birth to something that shouldn’t exist. Although it’s really scary, I like it so much.

So the initial is the best for you?

Sometimes it is, but I don’t mind making shoes more comfortable through new technology. I’m not the kind of purist who will be so attached to something so as not to make it better. I think Air Max 1 is no longer soft, it is now as hard as a rock, which should be improved. It is impossible for sports brands to make shoes like the original ones, because things like foamed polyurethane can no longer be copied and used, perhaps because it is too toxic. I think it is not durable enough, of course, there are many other reasons to abandon it.

Many people are obsessed with the silhouette of the shoes, but I will dislike certain styles because of the comfort, such as the toe of the New Balance 1500. As long as I was wearing the 1500 to sit down, my toes would be very uncomfortable. New Balance took a long time to solve this problem. Thinking carefully about the quality, price and industry, you will find that the price of shoes has actually not risen for a long time, and now people will be shocked by the 20% increase in the price of Nike shoes.

You and Air Force 1 seem to have the same approach: adapt to the environment, but be loyal to yourself.

I like this argument! I once saw a Belgian on YouTube explaining music theory and how to make Techno music, and at the same time I thought of Ostinato (fixed tone) in Italian. In music, if you let the music repeat enough times, Ostinato refers to the time that becomes familiar after hearing the repeating melody or rhythm.

I think there are many shoes that are the same. They were shocking when they first appeared, such as Air Max 1, which was very futuristic at the time. Now as one of the most well-known shoe types, anyone can recognize it from two blocks away, which is why it can become a classic shoe. I think the same is true for AF1. Simplicity and importance define it.

Do you think being truthful and honest is important to yourself and your position in the industry?

We are trying to do the right thing. We have had a lot of conflicts with brands… When you have been in the industry for so long and someone says, “This is something that has never been done before,” I will say, “Well, In fact, you did this five years ago.” Someone must be the conscience of this industry. I think we are the closest to this. Now more young people are entering this industry one after another and are shaping it. For me, even after 20 years, I still hope that brands can do better…I care about every aspect of this industry very much.

What changes do you think the current sneaker industry needs to make?

Last February, I went to the Portland office of adidas, just as the COVID-19 outbreak was gaining momentum. I was thinking at the time that if the virus really spreads, it may create a situation for the entire industry to reflect on how much rubbish it has created. I feel that all brands are increasing in variety or differentiation. There are so many products now, and my carbon footprint is far from perfect, but I hate to hear that hundreds of millions of pairs of shoes are burned or buried every few years. This also applies to the fashion industry, how to do more with less resources.

“For me, it’s incredible that there are courses on how to sell and sell sneakers in universities now. It’s like the version of sneakers that cocaine was legalized in the United States in the 1980s.”

I hate to think of a child who spent the $1,000 he saved to buy a pair of shoes, only to find out that they were inferior fakes. It really drives me crazy. These are challenges, and no one has the final say. I still use the term “shoe culture” reluctantly, but now no one wants to pierce the needle.

I think to a large extent, the creativity and dedication to make cool things are still there. I like this. This is why when Nike By You appears, I still feel excited, it far exceeded my expectations. If this happens frequently, I think it will be a victory. But sometimes when you keep failing, it will make you demoralized. On the one hand, I don’t want this business to become bigger and bigger, but at the same time, I don’t want it to go back to 2002 and return to the state where only a few people run a city.