Sitting in a store completely surrounded by sneakers makes me feel calm.
To the untrained eye, each of these shoes look pretty similar, but when you used to collect basketball cards and notice how dope the shoes looked on the NBA players' feet, you begin to notice the individuality of each sneaker. Man, I miss basketball cards.
Today, people's fascination with sneakers can, in many cases, become borderline insanity. The kind of dedication to (obsession with) the cause that involves activities like, say, overseas holiday routes dedicated to find the right stores that can get those exclusive limited edition releases.
Thankfully, Sydney has its own sneaker pitstop by the name of Footage. Footage supports a culture that feeds off individuality and self-expression, and what better way to express your self than through a pair of shoes that are imported directly from Japan and the US? Footage carries the dreams of the sneaker lover by providing styles and colourways that are inaccessible to the rest of the city.
Located on Burton Street in the back streets of Surry Hills, the store sits alongside other clothing boutiques that form a type of mini street-wear district. A little block of stores where people can come and find items that are not necessary available elsewhere in a city bursting at the seams with mass-produced apparel.
But this was not the case back in October 2003 when owner Phil Koh decided to open its doors in a section of the inner-east dominated by eateries. Phil’s initial hopes were to 'change the landscape of an area that was predominately restaurants and cafes.' His vision was to create a precinct of boutique stores which form a community of sorts. This vision has blossomed with the opening of the Carhartt, Feit, Supply and An:other stores, as well as the Monster Children gallery, in recent times.
The aesthetics of the store are clean and crisp with completely white surfaces detailing the store from shelf to counter. This polished look places greater emphasis on the products that are on display. There is no branding on the walls allowing each product to share the limelight. As for the kicks the store stocks; as well as being unique to Footage the selection on offer is quite varied. Sneaker aficionados can obsess over Nike, BAPE, Converse, Alife, Vans, Puma and Adidas – to name just a few. By providing a healthy range of styles Phil ensures that the shoes available appeal to a broad range of people.
Though Footage's focal point is their range of sneakers, they also carry clothing, sneaker-related accessories and collectable toys that reflect the eclectic mix of clientele. 'We carry brands that have an interesting storyboard and therefore they a have a good story behind them,' states Phil as he explains to me the ethos behind selecting a brand that he represents in his store.
As Phil introduces me to his own vision and the story behind the store I cannot help but notice the passion he feels. Footage aims to go beyond merely pushing their products to customers; they try and create a service for their customer. It’s a casual store that encourages folks to drop buy and shoot the shit for a while, while looking through the range. On any given evening you find Phil and his mates winding up their days, hanging out on crates outside the store. They don’t bite and they sure do know their trainers, so make sure you pop by and say hi.