Hi New Order Online.
I want to put a few issues to bed regarding these as they are my project, and there seems to have been a lack of clarity out there regarding the shoes.
There is a traveling exhibition of limited and customized trainers called Sneakerpimps (not to be confused with the band of the same name) that was started several years ago by an Australian named Peter Fahey. (www.sneakerpimpsusa.com) The expo came through my hometown of Montreal, Canada in October of 2005 and I was asked by a local shop to customize a trainer for the show. After some careful consideration I decided that I would do my very best to do a "theme" shoe, but to do it with a level of detail that I felt was lacking in a lot of the collaborative rubbish that is out in the marketplace. Specifically I wanted to actually tell a story via the medium - albeit perhaps a frivolous notion that a sneaker should or could do that.
I've been a lifelong fan of the band - both as Joy Division and New Order - but also a fan of Peter Saville's. As a graphic designer and former DJ with strong ties to the electronic music scene in Detroit, Factory and all it's artists - both musical and otherwise - have had a huge influence on me and my work. 2005 was the 25th anniversary of Ian Curtis' death, I had just finished reading Touching From a Distance (again), and all these things converged in the decision to do the shoe as a tribute to the band, but also to Peter's work, with a nod to the attention to detail that set Factory apart from any other label at the time. The shoe that was originally used was a Nike Blazer from 1979, the same year that Unknown Pleasures was released, and the shoe incorporated the supernova radiogram artwork from the album cover, the groove notations from the original vinyl release, the FACT 10 catalogue designation, and some lyrics from the song Insight. I had a carpenter friend make a custom wood display case using Peter's Factory logo on the lid.
The New Balance "versions" were made on their (NB's) request. The black and green concept is clearly Substance' 87 inspired. "Made in Macclesfield" was a nod to Morris in TFAD discussing the roots of the band. Ran were involved as well as a proposed outlet for the shoe in and around Manchester and the Northern UK, should it ever be produced...
New Balance have clearly stated that they are NOT making the shoe.
From what I understand, the band liked the concept and there have been rumoured proposals for legitimate "product" to be made in and around the release of Control later this year. I have seen a lot of positive and negative posts by fans - not limited to this forum - and I think that if it wasn't obvious already, any attempt to go commercial with a collaborative product line will be met with frosty skepticism to say the least. I think that says a lot about JD/NO fans - particulary the scholarly ones - and their expectation that anything done will be executed with attention to detail and authenticity, the right balance of subtlety and wit, and the band members' (both past and present) best interests in mind. Otherwise, there be no need to do anything at all...
Thanks for the lively discussion on the boards. It's been very interesting.
Dylan Adair
Montreal, Canada
As I like to say, Hot damn!!
But i must admit this is a great post.Nice one.