LOVE THY SHOE
leading spanish sneaker site lovezapas just posted this fresh interview with k1x footwear mastermind sneaka pete. read it in english below or click the link for spanish …
1. k1x has always been influenced by the old school style on one hand and by performance on the other. While the Chiefglider is radically old school the SB silhouette is a high level performance shoe on the court. is every shoe designed in the same way? Is it part of a different fashion line at k1x or will you
keep coming up with old school style performence shoes?
We do not really see ourselves as particularly old-school. But we do not like the fancy stuff often times included on a performance shoe for show. So we keep it straight forward. We actually prefer to hide footwear technology in the sole, rather than boasting with it on the outside. K1X’s core performance philosophy is to push for a wide outsole, that is built low to the ground. This makes for superior court feel and limits injuries, obviously you are less likely to roll your ankle if the ankle is closer to the ground! Basketball typically involves quick lateral movements and turns, our construction supports that fact.
Eventho we always claim to be from the Nation of Hoop, we are also from Europe, specifically Germany. but of course. Most of the Basketball music is played in the USA, so you could say we are U.S. inspired, but always have a distinct Euro-twist in the K1X design. Our next shoe is a very sleek, very very sporty pure breed performer with a revolutionary upper. At the same time, we have just launched the DCAC (Don’t Call It A Comeback), a reloaded version of Basketball’s most classic silhouette. So you see, we like to mix it up.
2.How much contact to the athlets wearing your shoes is needed? How do you handle this at
k1x?
We make every sample in sizes 11/5, 12 and 13 before seriously thinking about mass production. The 11,5 is for me and our marketing guy, Niels. The 12 is worn by most of our athletes (Homicide, Rick Apodaca, High Rizer etc.), and the 13 fits our brand manager Fu, as well as our CEO Chris. That way, we can personally take them for a spin, which makes for the most valuable feedback. We are in regular communication with most players on the performance of the shoes, mostly in terms of comfort, traction and wear & tear. In developping the Corey Homicide Williams signature shoe 187 we went back and forth with Homi alot to make sure that the shoe bigs up his hustling attacking style of play.
3. What kind of roots does the SB bluprint have? They say that the bootleg is based on a
roller-skate. It’s common to get inspiration by extern elements. Based on which idea is the SB
designed?
Legendary hip hop combo EPMD’s album “Strictly Business” was the main inspiration: authentic, real, no ornaments, no bullshit.
A shoe that hits home without frills. A shoe that gets the work done in a blue collar manner. A dope shoe.
4.What other projects/designs are you working on at the moment?
Right now, this very second, I am in China visiting our factories, inspecting our new and upcoming models and looking for ways to tighten all possible screws. I want to make sure that when we hit the market, we hit it at full throttle. Play hard, don’t embarrass our products! It’s actually quite inspiring here, I have managed to fill a whole new sketch book in just one week …
5.Have you been working for other brands/companies?
I used to design football shoes for the german footwear brand with the big cat, but it didn’t feel right. I am a ballplayer and want to make basketball shoes. Also, because basketball shoes are the cream of the crop in footwear design period. I feel blessed and very proud to work with my friends and bring our very own interpretation of basketball to the courts.
