Tuesday, June 29, 2010

SNEAKER ART

It would be fair to say that here at bigsneakz australia, we love talking about cool sets of sneakz. Whether they are a new release, special edition or the old favourites – we love ‘em & since you’re here, we figure you do too...


This week bigsneakz australia stumbled upon someone who definitely shares a passion for his favourite footwear. And since we’re all about sharing the love, we’d like to introduce you to, Daymon Greulich.


Daymon is a freelance artist/designer based in Melbourne, Australia who specialises in poster design & illustration. He’s pretty good, so he got a job with Disney Toon Studio where he worked for over 2 years on some of their big productions. Daymon has also created some of the best gig posters for musicians such as; Jack Johnson, Kings of Leon, Jet, Queens of the Stone Age and Pearl Jam to name a few, with custom requests coming from all over the globe.


But it’s the work Daymon does in his down time that caught our eye here at bigsneakz australia - creating genius through passion - with the result being, sneaker art. All the big name players over the years get a run; Pumps, Air Jordan’s, Superstars, Air Max, Allstars,Dunk’s... Even the old New Balance 574’s feature in some of his work. Clearly, Daymon knows a good pair of sneakz when he sees them and spares no time in the detail when recreating them!


His website, features an online store where you can order prints of selected work. Prints are all reasonably priced and are a perfect gift idea or as we did here at bigsneakz australia, treated ourselves to something new! There is also a contact link should you wish to discuss a personalised creative design with Daymon himself.

Sneakers are a passion, that's why we say 'listen to your sole people.'
Do you have a collection or perhaps a pair of go-to's for a big night or hot date? What's your favourite set of sneakz & why? Share your story with all of us here at bigsneakz australia.

Don't forget to lace up with the bigsneakz facebook page & follow us on twitter.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Nike Air Max LeBron VII


Ok, so we’ve got our feet set – now just get us the ball…



The bigsneakz australia juggernaut left the station barely 12 hours ago & the response provided by the public has been fit for a king (King James that is!) So while we’re hot, we’ll just keep lettin ‘em fly.

You could be excused for not noticing the side order of NBA Finals recently – basketball fans worldwide were too busy feasting on the main course which is undoubtedly ‘Free Agency 2010.’ Columnists and NBA experts have had July 1, 2010 circled on their calendars for the last 18 months, with a big question mark next to ‘What will LeBron do?”

Thankfully, we’re a little under a week away from gaining perhaps a slightly better understanding of what exactly is going through LBJ’s head. Of course it’s about winning… Isn’t it? It has to be. Wherever James signs it’s going to be for the maximum salary, so it has to come down to winning & where is he most likely to get his hands around the Larry O'Brien Trophy... Isn't it?

One thing is for sure, regardless of what team James is reppin’ it’s almost a certainty the Nike Air Max LeBron VII already comes in the correct colour way. Over the course of the 2009-2010 NBA Season, James has rocked no less than 12 editions of the VII’s. Nike won’t even need to consider producing the VIII’s until at least All-Star Weekend 2011. (But if we must, we suppose we can lace the VIII's up sooner!)


Whilst the Kobe V’s are dominating the guard market, it’s pretty safe to say the forwards are getting’ it done with power in LeBron VII’s. And like LeBron himself, this signature shoe just keeps getting better & stronger & lighter & more advanced & well… just better!

Credit to the design team at Nike, they keep forging ahead with new concepts & improvements so it’s no surprise they are on top of the shoe world right now. The LeBron VII introduces basketball specific technology via Nike Max 360 air sole – a cushioning first for Nike, designed for multidirectional use, providing up to 80% more air than any previous full length performance basketball shoe. Improved Flywire Technology makes the shoe lighter & stronger, making continual developments from when it was originally introduced in the Hyperdunks.

Like any signature shoe, the LeBron VII is at the top of the range, but I struggle to think of any other shoe that has turned in such positive results. In fact, you would be hard to find a negative feature anywhere on the shoe. They’re not heavy like previous editions in the LeBron series, they’re stylish, stable & outperform any other shoe you’d put on your power player. They are so good, that bigsneakz resident hoops specialist is off to pick up a second colourway after testing the LeBron VII for us.
 
The LeBron VII is available in Australia, with multiple colourway’s hitting our shores & stores over the past couple of months. Some special editions have been kept exclusively for the U.S. but word has it that the new LeBron VII Low arrived this week in Australia.

Approx. AUS $260.00


Thursday, June 24, 2010

Nike Zoom Kobe V

It’s our rookie entry here at bigsneakz, so we’re drawing on some experience from a combo that knows how to get it done in big game situations. Nike & the Black Mamba have teamed up once again and their latest instalment has come up bigger than a seven game finals series!





The Zoom Kobe V is quite possibly the lightest performance basketball shoe ever to hit the market. An upgraded design from the not so old Kobe IV, the Zoom Kobe V’s are more of a traditional ‘low top’ giving it more of a guard focussed appeal (It is Kobe afterall). Dual Zoom Air means that the shoe features Zoom Bags in both the heel & forefoot, aimed at providing extra cushioning throughout. Nike are pumping the next-generation Flywire Technology for enhanced durability & better fit. This ultimately is a huge factor behind the shoe being so light (approx. 300 grams) and we can expect it to continue being a major feature on all their signature shoes for the next 12 months.

There’s your usual improvements as you would expect with any upgraded version; the outsole pattern is designed for additional traction – a must for the agile baller, the sculpted midsole for an overall better fit. But what really caught our attention was the moulded heel, inspired believe it or not from soccer – yes that other sport that forks out ridiculous amounts to its stars each & every pay day! The heel is designed to reduce foot movement within the shoe, resulting in better performance & less internal wear.

Did we mention that this shoe is light? (Approx. 300 grams!!)

It almost sounds too good to be true. So much so, we tracked down a pair of Size 15’s and let our resident hoops specialist test run them over a month of training & competition. The verdict – they’re as legitimate as Kobe’s jump shot with less than 2 clicks left on the clock.


The colour scheme displays good variety but there is a strong Lakers theme throughout. A couple of special additions expected to pop up here & there. They are available in Australia and retail for around the AUS $240.00





Bigsneakz congratulates the 2010 NBA Champions – L.A. Lakers. Awesome seven game series against traditional rivals Boston, if only everyone could get rings! Game 7 proved – Defence Wins Championships! Kobe – Finals MVP (Must have been the sneakz) and our main man, Phil Jackson – title #11