PUMA and Gumball spare no expense or effort to do things right, and to prove my point check out this PUMA Speed Cat 2.9 Mid Gumball racing shoe!

This black and silver leather and mesh sneaker not only looks great, but also helps drivers with traction, comfort, and most important protection against their toes getting cooked like cocktail wieners!

See more pics and details after the jump.

Each driver will be given this exclusive style for their coast-to-coast adventure. In addition, 200 pairs of the PUMA Speed Cat 2.9 Mid Gumball will be available exclusively at Journeys.com for $105 beginning on April 27th, just in time for the Gumball Rally fans to join in on the fun.

PUMA will launch an inline version of the PUMA Speed Cat 2.9 nationwide in a variety of colors and styles in June 2009, as part of their fall motorsport collection.With PUMA Stores featured throughout the Gumball 3000 route, PUMA will also release three limited edition t-shirts sold exclusively on store.puma.com, select PUMA Store locations in Los Angeles, LasVegas, Dallas, Orlando and Miami and at on-site Gumball 3000 events during the rally. Available for $20 each, the exclusive PUMA Gumball t-shirts will be a commemorative piece for participants, enthusiasts and fans alike.

For more news and info about PUMA’s involvement in Gumball 3000, visit www.pumamotorsport.com and www.gumball3000.com.

Shoes, shoes, shoes, oh my God, shoes.  Yes, yes, yes I love shoes.  I won’t lie, I fucking love shoes.  I don’t collect them to stare at or hawk on eBay 10 years from now.  I don’t buy a pair to wear and another to keep on ice, nope I wear my shit.  I love shoes, all kinds of shoes.  I love sneakers, I love brogues, I love boat shoes and desert boots and slips ons (Vans only) and hybrids and penny loafers and oxfords and saddle shoes and boots - oh I forgot about boots - I love boots too.  But I can’t buy any more.  Why?  Because I shot the moon and bought three pairs of shoes in 5 days late last December.  They were on sale!  It was like they were giving them away!

Well, now I’ve got to take a timeout from the whole shoe game.  And truth be told 08 was a fairly lousy year for the shoe game.  So I thought to myself,  I’ll just grab these three and I’ll be cool for 09 since the game is just about dying out.  But wouldn’t you know it, things just started heating up all over again.  Aint that a bitch?  So since I made a resolution not to buy a pair until one of my current pairs blow out,  I’ll use this blog to get some of this shit off my chest.  It’ll be cathartic.

Boat Shoes.  If you’re not wearing boat shoes by now, you’re sleeping.  Boat shoes are back in full-effect and have been for the last 4 seasons.  Now they are going to be everywhere, which isn’t such a bad thing for a few reasons.  First, with more people looking for boat shoes, more brands will be making them and adding more comfort, more styling, etc.  Second, more boat shoes, more competition, lower prices.  Economy of scales mother fucker. Here are my favorite boats shoes right now:

Sperry has teamed up with J Crew to create a unique Top Sider style.  Suede on the outside, cotton-chambray on the inside.  Definitely a cool shoe to rock to work or to the beach.

Sperry and J Crew also teamed up to pull out this older Sperry Chukka boot with the same worn suede outer and soft cotton-chambray interior.  This is definitely how you stunt on your pals who are already wearing boat shoes.

Just one more Sperry! This Sperry for Urban Outfitters is something I would never wear, seriously blue and red on a boat shoe?  But for some reason it works and I absolutely love it.

Vans will be getting a lot of love in this post and this Vans Vault Del Barco LX is my favorite of the bunch.  Boat shoe/chukka design on top, with an Era/Authentic sole.  Probably a little too casual for the office, but seriously dope for going out or weekend swag.  Double points if you live in an area with a lot of hot hipster/granola-type ladies.

White Mountaineering x Timberland Boat Shoe.  Good luck finding this thing stateside, it’ll be a Japan-only exclusive.  I love the blue suede with white laces, combine that with the comfort of Tims and you’ve got a serious boat shoe.

The grand-daddy of them all, the Visvim Hockney.  Absolutely incredible design work.  Black leather outside with a mesh inner-sock and leather inner lining.  A sneaker-esque, sporty sole for absolute comfort that will prolong the life of the shoe.  The shoe is designed to mold to your feet, and after a couple wears you’ll never want anything else on them.  Again, have fun trolling eBay to find a pair in your size.

Sneakers.  I don’t know how I really feel about the whole sneaker game these days.  I guess I just really don’t know how I feel about Nike, which means they probably need to go back and do a little strategizing because after a quick blog roll, you’ll see I’m not alone.  I’ve got one in there, not necessarily because I want to wear it, more because it’s probably one of the most hyped sneakers ever.  I guess I just really want to see the reaction when it hits the streets. Let me know!

The checkerboard swag is finally over.  The crazy designs and band logos still persist, but I won’t hold that against Vans (they are making the biggest showing on this list).  This spring, you’ll be rolling your jeans, chinos, cords to show the world your ankles.  Leave the socks at home and throw on a pair of these neutral gray slip-ons to complete the look.   ‘Member those hottie hipster chicks I was talking about earlier?  Yeah, they’ll remember these.

Common Projects: Cool, simple, wear with jeans not shorts.  Oh and start saving because they go for close to 4 bills.

Chances are you’ve already heard all about the Air Yeezy.  Chances are you’re already sick of this shoe.  Chances are there are people walking around right now with this shoe tattooed on their body.  This shoe has been loved, hated, blogged about, written about, argued about, fought over, shot over and my dear lord hyped like crazy.  Will it come out in March like everyone says?  Who knows, but I tell you what’s for sure - this shoe is going to cause a serious ruckus at the few accounts that have it.  Take my advice: tickets, formal lines, security.

Collections.  Collections get passed over quite a bit when it comes to shoes.  Everyone seems to focus on one at a time, while completely forgetting that there is a designer with an idea that he or she is trying to convey.  They have a style or lifestyle they are attempting to promote, and most of the time their overall design aesthetic takes a backseat to what a critic, blogger or forum poster has to say about that one “gem” of the collection.  So, I’ll take this time to shout out a few entire collections or “packs” of footwear.

Breaking away from the style that made them an overnight blogger sensation, Gourmet, cools the jets on all the Jordan reinterpretations and is preparing to launch a collection of footwear for next Winter that is going to turn heads.  Hopefully by then we’ll all still have some cash to spend.

Pointer Footwear, a UK based shoe company, is a brand that I am really starting to like.  Their shoes remind me of a more dressed up Vans, without the skate influence.  They seem to be pretty affordably priced, but I have still yet to find a domestic outlet.  They do great combinations of color and their slimmer silhouettes go with just about anything.

Vans x Taka Hayashi will probably be the most talked about collab this year (outside of the ones Mr. West is running with Nike and LV).  The reason being - it’s original.  For the first time in a long time Vans has a collections of new shoes that are actually really cool.  I love Vans, don’t get me wrong, but I love Eras, Authentics, Gray Slip-ons, Half-Cabs, Skate-His, etc.  I don’t really love anything new they’ve been putting out, until this.  One word - UNIQUE.

Conclusion. So, I can’t have any of these shoes, but now that I’ve told you all about them, perhaps I can let them go.  Yes, I think I will survive without them after all.  I mean, I’ve got some great things in my closet already.  I’m secure about what I have … I think, I hope … Ah fuck it, where’s my credit card at?

Why?  Because all the hype is now surrounding Mr. West’s LV shoe drop.

Now we have the first official photos of what is at the moment rumored to be a 6 piece collection.

And since I’m a huge boat shoe fan myself, I’m pretty hyped on these.

Pray for another stimulus check this year.

Tags: Everyday Villains, Kanye West, Louis Vuitton, Nike
]]> http://www.everydayvillains.com/blog/2009/ev/kanye-west-for-louis-vuitton-boat-shoes/feed/ http://www.everydayvillains.com/blog/2008/footwear/america-i%e2%80%99m-talking-to-you/ http://www.everydayvillains.com/blog/2008/footwear/america-i%e2%80%99m-talking-to-you/#comments Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:18:08 +0000 EV http://www.everydayvillains.com/blog/?p=799

Listen up people. We are in a recession. I know some of you know, but I don’t know you if you really realize what the fuck that means or how serious that is. It’s like my generation when we are at war. We are like; hey we are at war in this country. Crazy, huh?! Do you have any idea how the state of the country and people were when our parents or their parents were around and America was at war. Everybody was aware and concerned and would listen to their radio shows every night for more information. People signed up in numbers to join the army to go fight. Everyone. Now yes we pursue information and sure we have news at 11, and Google will post the top Political stories on our tricked out Google page, or maybe will see someone update their Facebook status with some political insight. But is that enough? Is that really self driven?

My basic comparison is previous generation’s were more involved and directly pursed this information and insight, where I feel a lot of times (since respectively we are too busy surfing MySpace) we are given this information. This poses a problem. Even with the previous generation’s pursuit of direct information, we have still managed to build a government where we have officials who are corrupt as the mafia and can’t get the job done. Just this week alone we have people attempting to sell their senate seat for some cash, we have one of the top dudes at the FCC get investigated over playing favorites with some companies over others and purposely leaking company patents and documents before they are approved to hurt that companies outlook. We need to have more of an effort here to be involved with who we are electing and what their performance is when elected.

I picked the above image for two reasons. It’s a historical poster that was used to bring people together to join the forces of America. It spoke to people all over the country that they are important, they are needed, and they are influential. Now whether they were or not, that is another post for another time, but the point being, we all can make a difference. If you don’t think you can then please live MY country. This country is great for the one true reason that you can make a difference. Look, if you freaking Gandhi or Hitler, both created waves of followers from just themselves. They weren’t the son of an ex-president, they weren’t millionaires, and they weren’t even physically or socially trend-setters or leaders. They just had a vision, a goal, and set mind and soul. So yes, one person can make a difference.

The second reason for choosing that poster is the crucial need for action. This poster was created in 1917 and was used to recruit soldiers for both World War and World War II. As mentioned, it was a national campaign and they (we) needed all the soldiers it could muster. So, in short, America needs all the soldiers it can muster today. Not real, gun slinging soldiers, but soldiers of morality, soldiers of aptitude, soldiers of truth, and soldiers of change. We need people to stand up and do something here. We can’t let these high-talking members of our government woe us with their candor and confidence. They need to be checked on, regulated, and if they commit any social or political injustices, they need to have higher penalties. If you make any illegal trades or provide insider information for stocks, that’s a felony. This is important because stocks and publicly traded business affect the economy here and around the world. But yet if your company or brokers give out foolish house loans you don’t even get a slap on the wrist. But hey at worst maybe millions in bail outs. If you are in a government position and you abuse your power, it becomes a giant speculation game but no one ever really gets reprimanded. Being asked to resign does not correct the million’s of lives or billions of tax payer money that wasted.

I see government officials the same as professional athletes. Both may have been born with raw talent, but for the most part fought their way to the top. Both are highly paid (some more than others) for on and off the field practices (illegal or not!). Both have tremendous pressure at what they do and thousands if not millions of people heavily criticize every action. Both depend on their career highlights to give them future and higher job opportunities in their field/industry. And here is the kicker, both are high profile persona’s that a lot of people look up to and put a lot of trust and faith in to. This means these people have to be held to a higher regard, and a higher moral value since their public influence is so much greater. We need to make more examples out of these people (sorry Plaxico). It’s been way to easy for people to do horrible things and get away with them. This needs to change now.

We simply need to be more involved with politics, but more important our politicians. Now it’s hard for the youth as you/we have so much other items of life that we are trying to understand or improve. So it takes time. It also hasn’t helped that our government hasn’t really related to the common man in a very, very long time. Now, not common like Palin; I don’t need Earl from down the street running, but common like Obama that he has a modern view on a modern world. And most importantly, he wants change.

If we could just have a percentile of the passion like people who follow sports who know every pitch in the Dodger game of November 27, 2001, to have that insight, memory and intense studying of our government we could be such a great country without all this poverty and corruption. Use the internet, use your friends/network, and you use your voice to start taking action. Don’t wait for someone else too. It’s time for YOU to get up, stand up … well you know the rest.

The Hundreds have been a favorite amongst us here at Everyday Villains for many years. It’s amazing to watch their progression from a t-shirt and hoody brand to a full line offering cut and sew, denim and now footwear. I’ve been watching them closely for the last few months, anxiously anticipating the launch of this new business. I’ve seen all the preliminary leaked photos and now I’m exited to show you the final product. The shoe has a very simple design drawing from brands like Vans and Converse, offered in a basic black, along with some more interesting colorways including kelly green, purple/pink and a Timberland-esque wheat. From what I hear these should retail for around $75. These will be available this Thursday, October 30th at their LA store on Rosewood and their SF store on Post.

Although out here in California it still feels like hot-August days of Summer, the rest of the country is preparing for a cold harsh winter. Regardless of the heat, there are some of us trying to plan out their footwear purchases for the colder months. Since my transplant to California’s Central Coast (read: colder Winters) this usually includes the addition of some form of work boot. Therefore, I’ve been trolling the internets for a nice warm shoe to keep my tootsies warm and dry between November and February. That generally means some heavy duty leather, steal-toe deal that looks slightly older than what I’m ready for.

But then along comes Nike and that Goddamn chameleon-like Dunk. This time they’ve opted to stay away from the Winter dark grays, blacks and browns and make it a white Christmas. They’ve gone ahead and employed some nice technology to the Dunk, in this case utilizing Scholler’s 3XDRY-treatment on the uppers and Nike’s proprietary 0.44 Sticky Rubber compound for extra grip on the soles. No word on price or release. Check out more pics after the jump.

Gourmet, known best for it’s reinterpretations of classic Jordans, released images of their new Resort lineup today. Simple colors, premium materials and innovative designs. As always, both the Due (above) and Quattro come with memory foam for maximum comfort.  I’m happy to see them steer their ship away from JB for a while. They make amazing kicks and I think this collection shoes just how innovative they are from a design perspective. Great stuff, definite cop. Hit the jump for more pics.

In addition to the black and red leather blazer we showed you yesterday, Nike SB will release a second signature Lance Mountain shoe. This time they have decided to go a little more natural, using oranges and browns on this SB Blazer. The shoe looks to be a perfect finisher for Fall fashions. We are getting excited about Nike SB all over again.

Just when you thought it was safe to write off Nike SB as past its peak, comes the addition of world-renowned skateboard legend Lance Mountiain and his first signature SB. In this case Mountain opted to craft his first kick off the much-loved Blazer high. Buttery soft black leather accented by a cushy red interior this shoe has the streets talking about the Oregon-based shoe giant once again. Reportedly dropping sometime during the month of October, pull out the cash you were saving for that twinkie costume.

Image: Crooked Tongues