 | |
| Editor | Brendan Dunne |
|---|---|
| Categories | Cultural Online Publication |
| Founder | Steve Mulholland Alex Wang Nicole Fesette |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Company | Complex Networks |
| Country | United States |
| Based in | New York City |
| Language | English |
| Website | www |
Sole Collector is an American media brand and publication founded in Portland, Oregon which focuses on sneaker news and sneaker culture. The company is currently based in New York and owned by Complex Networks. [1]
Sole Collector was founded in 2003 by Steve Mulholland, Alex Wang, and Nicole Fesette as a print magazine aimed at providing young males a report of the latest in sneaker culture. [2] Its origins reach back to 1999 when Mulholland created Instyleshoes.com which was both a forum and web store. [2] Instyleshoes (The Forum) was later re-branded Sole Collector (the brand) along with a quarterly print magazine and blog. [3] [4] After Sole Collector began to take off, Instyleshoes.com (The web store) was sold in 2010 and is now run by parent company Ivehademall. [5]
In 2013, Sole Collector was purchased by Complex Media (now Complex Networks), adding the magazine and website to its roster of "owned and operated" brands. [6]
In June 2023, the Sole Collector website was redirected to Complex.com. [7]
In 2010, Sole Collector released issue 34 dubbed ‘The Ultimate Issue' which was the first issue released in hard cover format. [8] The magazine released its first iPad all digital magazine issue in 2012 with an exclusive interview with Tinker Hatfield and Tiffany Beers, shot at a secret location on Nike campus. [9]
Sole Collector has worked with many sneaker companies including Nike, Jordan Brand, Reebok and Under Armour to create unique sneakers for the brand. [10] [11]
In November 2019, Complex Networks told sources they were developing a marketplace and content distribution app under the Sole Collector name. [12] In May 2020, Complex launched the Sole Collector app, which allows users to shop for sneakers, compare prices, create and share sneaker lists, and access Sole Collector’s media content, including the web series Full Size Run. [13] [14]
In 2017, Sole Collector began producing a web series and podcast titled Full Size Run, initially hosted by Brendan Dunne and Rich “Maze” Lopez. [15] The show features celebrity guests and discussions about sneaker news and culture. [16] Previous guests have included Jim Jones, [16] Rich the Kid, [17] and E-40. [18] The show's current hosts are Brendan Dunne, Matt Welty, and Trinidad James. [16] [17] [18]
Sneakers (US) or trainers (UK), also known by a wide variety of other names, are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise but which are also widely used for everyday casual wear.
Air Jordan is a line of basketball shoes produced by Nike, Inc. Related apparel and accessories are marketed under Jordan Brand.
Chuck Taylor All-Stars or Converse All Stars is a sneaker manufactured by Converse. Initially developed as a basketball shoe in the early 20th century, its design has remained largely unchanged since its introduction. The shoe consists of a stitched upper portion, and a toe cap and outsole usually made of rubber. Although Chuck Taylors are made of various materials such as leather or suede, the original and most widely known version is made from cotton canvas. The innovative detail of the original shoe was the "loose lining" of soft canvas that was intended to provide flexibility and prevent blisters.
Nike Air Max is a line of shoes produced by Nike, Inc., with the first model released in 1987. Air Max shoes are identified by their midsoles incorporating flexible urethane pouches filled with pressurized gas, visible from the exterior of the shoe and intended to provide cushioning to the underfoot. Air Max was conceptualized by Tinker Hatfield, who initially worked for Nike designing stores.
Tinker Linn Hatfield Jr. is an American designer of numerous Nike athletic shoe models, including the Air Jordan 3 through Air Jordan 15, the twentieth-anniversary Air Jordan XX, the Air Jordan XXIII, the 2010 (XXV), the 2015 Air Jordan XX9 (XXIX), and other athletic sneakers including the world's first "cross training" shoes, the Nike Air Trainer. Hatfield oversees Nike's "Innovation Kitchen". He is Nike's Vice President for Design and Special Projects. For his many innovative designs and numerous creations over more than three decades, Hatfield is considered a legend of design.
Nike Skateboarding, primarily known as Nike SB, is the Nike brand for its line of shoes, clothing, and equipment for skateboarding. Nike Skateboarding won the 2020 Webby People’s Voice Award for Best Home/Welcome Page in the category Web.
PF Flyers is an American brand of lifestyle shoes owned by Kassia Designs, LLC. Founded in 1937 by B.F. Goodrich, it is one of the original American sneaker brands.
Complex Networks is an American media and entertainment company for youth culture, based in New York City. It was founded as a bi-monthly magazine, Complex, by fashion designer Marc (Ecko) Milecofsky. Complex Networks reports on popular and emerging trends in style, sneakers, food, music, sports and pop culture. Complex Networks reached over 90 million unique users per month in 2013 across its owned and operated and partner sites, socials and YouTube channels. The print magazine ceased publication with the December 2016/January 2017 issue. Complex currently has 6.02 million subscribers and 1.8 billion total views on YouTube. As of 2019, the company's yearly revenue was estimated to be US$200 million, 15% of which came from commerce.
Sneaker collecting is the acquisition and trading of sneakers as a hobby. It is often manifested by the use and collection of shoes made for particular sports, particularly basketball and skateboarding. A person involved in sneaker collecting is sometimes called a sneakerhead.
Nike, Inc. is an American athletic footwear and apparel corporation headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, United States. It is the world's largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, with revenue in excess of US$46 billion in its fiscal year 2022.
The Nike Air Yeezy is an official sneakers collaboration project between Nike and Kanye West, launched in 2009. Notable as the shoe brand's first non-athlete full collaboration, the project has released two editions: the "Air Yeezy" (2009) and the "Air Yeezy II".
Nike Blazer is a sneaker manufactured by Nike. It was originally released in 1973 as a basketball shoe.
Ewing Athletics is an American basketball shoe brand. Shoe production is done by privately held company GPF Footwear LLC established in 2011.
Adidas Yeezy was a fashion collaboration between American rapper, designer, and entrepreneur Kanye West and German sportswear company Adidas. It offered sneakers in limited edition colorways, as well as shirts, jackets, track pants, socks, slides, lingerie and slippers. The first shoe model was released in February 2015. In 2020 Forbes described Yeezy's rise as "one of the great retail stories of the century". Yeezy influenced and inspired a multitude of other fashion brands. Outside of the former Adidas collaboration, Yeezy is the name of Kanye's company Yeezy LLC and is not connected to Adidas.
Off-White is an Italian luxury fashion house founded by American designer Virgil Abloh. The company was incorporated in Milan in 2012.
Rothy's is an American direct-to-consumer company which designs and sells shoes and accessories. Rothy's was initially founded in 2012 and launched in 2016 by Stephen Hawthornthwaite and Roth Martin as a women's shoe company in San Francisco. It has since expanded with handbags and a men's line.
Nike and Off-White: "The Ten" was a sneakers collaboration between Nike and Off-White in 2017. It initially involved the deconstruction of ten iconic Nike silhouettes, designed by Founder and CEO of Off-White, Virgil Abloh. The ten shoes were individually broken down by Abloh, and then rebuilt with a different design and rearranged components. The collaboration sold out and the shoes became highly sought after. Further additions to this collaboration were then added throughout 2018 and 2019 which included endorsements from athletes and celebrities but are not included in the original "ten".
Space Hippie is a line of sneakers by Nike engineered from recycled materials, released by the company in 2020.
Jordan Michael Geller is an American sneaker collector who founded and operated the ShoeZeum, the world's first sneaker museum. In 2012, Geller was certified by Guinness World Records for having the largest sneaker collection in the world, at 2,388 pairs.
On is an athletic shoe and performance sportswear company originating in Switzerland that designs and markets sports clothing and running shoes.
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