Issue #326 | Farewell, Adidas Sambas—What’s Next in Footwear?

Farewell, Adidas Sambas—What’s Next in Footwear?

Leave it to politicians to give everyone the ick. Last week, prime minister Rishi Sunak tried to be a cool guy and “rocked” a pair of Sambas, delivering what some are saying finished the reputation of the most popular shoe in the world. Nobody wanted it to end this way, but this is how it works. Something becomes cool by a cultural force, and then in an instant, can become tragically uncool by another. With a void to fill, some toes are pointing to a revamped football cleat as the next “it” shoe. But the Guardian has a few ideas of its own.

The Guardian

Wait, You Can Get a Rolex for How Much?

[Partner] Last week, Watches and Wonders, the industry’s biggest trade show, taunted us with a lot of shiny new toys, among them a spread of highly covetable Rolexes. We almost sold the farm to go on a buying spree, but good sense got the better of us. Now, you don’t really have to use any. Premium Time Company, which holds weekly contests to win watches with absurdly low entry fees—some folks have gone home winners for just $20—is dangling a Rolex Submariner. For this one, they’re capping tickets at 500, giving you a fighting chance at an absolute grail of a watch.

Go home a winner.

The Indie Sleaze Revival Was a Mistake

“There’s good nostalgia and bad nostalgia,” says cultural commentator, podcaster, and sometimes GQ writer Chris Black. The good kind is boat shoes: nothing new, but a staple of prep style that’s somehow exciting again after big fashion houses and smaller designers started reworking them. The bad kind is when it’s pure self indulgence, argues Black, “the final resort of aging people who lack the vision or energy to keep up with the new shit.” And anyone who thought revisiting the hipsterdom of the 2000s and its American Apparel dress code was a good idea is complicit. Here’s why the indie sleaze revival was a mistake.

GQ

How British Workwear Took Over Men's Wardrobes

Long live the chore coat—a good functional layer born of yesterday’s industry that’s now aligned with a “contemporary set of earners: architects, designers, creative directors, chefs,” and more, says Esquire. The garment is a common denominator for a grouping of menswear makers in the U.K. that are retooling workwear for modern day, with a reverence for the past. “My dad was a baker; my uncles, a carpenter and a house builder—practical workers,” shares one of the maker’s founders. “I always loved their working garments.”

Esquire

You Could Levitate in Snow Peak’s Light Mountain Cloth Jacket

You’re not actually going to leave the ground if you put this on, but the jacket, a bomber profile made with recycled nylon and cotton, will make you feel like you might. The construction is crisp. The loose fit gives you room to move. There’s a mesh panel across the shoulders with a vent that keeps air moving while giving the garment a fast look. When everyone says “it’s light jacket season” in that dumb little cheery voice they’ve been waiting all winter to break out, this is the exact layer they’re talking about. $124.95

Our Gentleman’s Agreement
We’ll keep the free daily newsletters coming. You share with a friend if you’re enjoying. Capeesh? Forward to a friend.

Love Blazer? 
You’ll probably dig our other newsletters too. Check out Elevator, Jimmy, and Shift.

Let’s Partner
Put your brand in front of 200,000 passionate Blazer readers. Get in touch.