Chicago, Don’t forget to keep up to date with Encores 2nd Saturday sale event every second Saturday of the month and every Friday on the first week of the month at Self- Conscious where customers are greeted with free food and drinks as well as a raffle every month.

Holding down the event was Cliff, Dee and Penny from Encore. The sale included many L’style and Quickstrike kicks and some were available only at Encore. The size selection on the shoes that were on sale for the event was pretty much diverse so if anyone wants to check out the future sale events at both stores You wont be disappointed. For those who aren’t aware of Encore, it is the brother store of Self-Conscious offering premier releases including Lifestyle and Quick strikes. So if you cannot make the trip to Self-Conscious, Encore is the store to go to if you are in the North side.

- Oscar Castillo AKA Wreckinkickz

Myspace.com/wreckinkickz

EnCore
3941 N. Sheridan Road
Chicago, IL 60613
773-477-4007

Self-Conscious
1021 W. Lake St
Chicago.
1(312) 633-4000

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About a month ago, I stopped by St. Alfred in Chicago and happened to catch the man behind the STA/Kicks Hi establishment. Ian Ginoza, a Hawaiian native who introduced Chicago to an independent boutique that made its mark as one of the most well-known sneaker spots in Chicago.

However, behind every prestigious establishment is a story. Some in Chicago can’t talk about the sneaker culture and its long term development compared to other cities without mentioning St. Alfred.

Rest of the interview after the jump! Read the rest of this entry »

Sneaker Files recently had a chance to interview Jason Markk, creator of the Jason Markk Premium Sneaker Solution. I had a chance to ask a couple questions which touched on such topics like his collaborations with Nort/Recon, Staple and Undefeated, also we went over the history of his brand and what goes into producing such a premium product. I want to say thank you very much to Jason Markk for doing this interview and cooperating so well with us. To Read the whole interview after the jump.

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The blueprint of the Air Jordan statement shoe is sketched at least 20 months before product launch. Working from his homeland on Oregon’s Gearhart Beach, Tinker Hatfield dipped his pen in company ink in November of 2005 to conceive this early mock up of the Air Jordan XX3:

The Air Jordan XX3 (23) was unveiled to the public last Tuesday at Nike’s New York headquarters. A rousing presentation of branded Michael Jordan video and anecdotal homage was cast by a panel of Tier-0 staff.

 (L:R- Tinker Hatfield, Gentry Humphrey, Hannah Jones, Roman Vega)

Most attendees at the Air Jordan XX3 unveiling represented mainstream media outlets who covered the event for what it was. Sneaker Files would have done the same, but a live Q’ and A’ forum emerged in the room following the Jordan XX3 presentation. Questions were posed by representatives from media powerhouses such as CNN and Market Watch. Mainstream media outlets relay sneaker information in Layman’s terms for the world to comprehend, as the masses are not likely to read about a “hypothetical” concept discussion of the emerging Air Jordan XX4.

A few hours following the event, Sneaker Files published a news break that the Air Jordan XX4 (24) had been “conceived.” Perhaps we ignorantly overshadowed the Air Jordan XX3 launch by publishing the Air Jordan XX4 “conceived” buzz item. Our Jordan XX4 story from last week was not a lead of misinformation or unnecessary hype. The leaders of Brand Jordan confirmed that work towards the Air Jordan XX4 is progressing in a form other than the imaginary.

Meet Gentry Humphrey (right), Footwear Business Director for the Jordan Brand, and Tinker Hatfield (left) Vice President of Nike Innovation, Design, and Special Projects:

Speaking about the Air Jordan XX4 last Tuesday at the unveiling of the Air Jordan XX3, Gentry repeated and rebutted his previous statement, “If I’m around, it’s going to end at (Jordan shoe, number) 23.” Gentry conceded, stating “I said that thinking that I would be doing something else… Now that I’m here, I think that because of the legacy we created, it’s incumbent upon us to continue to set the benchmark for the industry.”

And so my friends, this is why we open our Sneaker Files…

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By: Steve Kluback - http://www.shoeyork.com

Sports Agents know the quote verbatim:

“I will not rest until I have you holding a Coke, wearing your own shoe, playing a Sega game featuring you, while singing your own song in a new commercial, starring you, broadcast during the Superbowl, in a game that you are winning, and I will not sleep until that happens.”

-Tom Cruise as Jerry McGwire

Superbowl and “pop” aside, Bobbito Garcia landed all spots above. Though he did play professional basketball before graduating from Wesleyan University, the endorsements came without him being a super-star athlete.  Armed with a keen ear and clear vision of realism, Bobbito subsequently transformed into a true renaissance icon.

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