Shuffling blankly around sneaker boutiques and chainstores at the latest onslaught of uninspired rehashes, we’re reminded of the, “Some kind of instinct. Memory, of what they used to do. This was an important place in their lives” remark from Dawn Of The Dead. Because when there’s no more room in hell, bad shoes will rule the shelves.
Horror films made up as much a part of the young lives as footwear and music, and Romero’s Living Dead trilogy, with its skull splitting Savini (and latterly Kurtz, Nicotero and Berger) gore creations blowing the minds of three successive generations. It goes without saying that the dark imagery Pittsburgh’s finest conjured up is as sacred to many as an iconic Swooshed shoe. The second entry is arguably the crown jewel, from the Goblin score to the shopping centre carnage on a grand scale, remaining a benchmark horror opus. But enough of the film chatter.
Having enjoyed previous installments of the Nike Air Trainer 1´s SB makeover, this is no exception. This ‘87 classic is more or less evergreen, and with some good materials used, like Dawn… this is a shoe that purists revere, and beyond the original (and unexpected) skate foray, many are probably yearning for some chlorophyll in their cross trainer, or a release of the mesh version of the OG makeup. To avoid fainting, keep repeating “It’s only a sneaker…It’s only a sneaker.” Think of this as a decent contemporary remake, or ‘reimagining’ as the Hollywood buzzword goes.
Fittingly, the Mac-endorsed antidote to the snoozeathon of the Wimbledon range was a shock to the system on par with 70’s walking dead mayhem. Using purple, black and orange will work well with a release near Halloween, and while its a solid palette that seems to conjure the recent ‘Hoop Pack’ back from the grave, it’s actually informed by some artwork from the aforementioned film. We’re a little perplexed as to why the shades are taken from the cover of a late 90’s DVD (since superseded by several more reissues in more traditional packaging) instead of the red, black and purple tones of the ‘78 one-sheet, but at the end of the day, its a good looking shoe that’s got us drooling for further Velcro strapped SB goodness like the Supreme Totally Washables.
Additionally, a tie-in t-shirt carries lurid artwork which owes a debt to some vintage comic book horror from EC, Eerie, Creepy, and the old masters like Wrightson and Bissette, riding the current wave of zombie survival titles. Part of a horror-themed pack that’ll also incorporate Dunks based on Freddy and Jason, we would have killed (messily) to see a bloodied Blazer based on Cannibal Holocaust, or a Deadite TRE, because this is a concept with gory potential. Groovy.
Info/Image: CrookedTongues.Com
