Nothing beats getting up at 5am in the morning to hop on a plane with only one hour of sleep. Well maybe the hope that Brisneyland will deliver some holy grails in a size 7, but those chances seemed slim. Hans and I rocked out to the airport delirious from the lack of slumber to endure a two-hour Virgin flight and to help launch Issue 12 of the Best Boogazine in the world, Sneaker Freaker. It also gave us a chance to show off the Puma “Blaze of Glory” colab, which surprisingly already appeared on sale at one of the tables, alongside the SF x Lacoste shoe. These kids work fast!
Brisbane has probably the biggest burgeoning sneaker community at present, proven with the sheer amount of heads that turned up not only to sell proddy, but also to catch a squizz and hopefully bag a pair of deadstock goodness. Store owners turned out with their best product to display, with Fuel taking the title of Best on Show. Their intricate set up with oriental flavours left most of us drooling over the tasty selection of Nike SBs and Pyknic clothing. Dean, the head honcho, knew exactly how to woo the freaks and with so many neck breaking shoes, it was hard to beat the heat of Fuel.
Other stores representing were the good folk at Level Three, with a diverse selection of brands on show. They were forced to keep a close eye on their table as uneducated heads tried to pick shoes up and test their flexibility much to the horror of John and his team. Laced also continued to bring the heat with plenty of sample treats from Puma, New Balance and Asics, but it was the cross breeding customised Nike Air Force One Reebok Pump that had us scratching our domes.
The weather couldn’t have been more perfect for this event, and all thanks have to go to Taz from the SF forums for pretty much organizing the whole swap meet himself. Not only did he act as a dope tour guide to us Melbourne heads, he co-ordinated the whole day with such ease and calmness, one would ever wonder if that toothy grin would ever leave his face. This kid is definitely going places, and seriously, if you are ever thinking of holding an event like this and you need some guidance, Taz is your guru.
Extra thanks go to Twizm, Kangas, Dodgin, Breno, Jason Frag, all the heads that we met throughout the day, all the DJs, Nick and Ben at Apartment, Phil and Clint at Laced (thanks for the email access!) and of course the man of the hour, Taz. Never again will I complain about having to get up so early for a flight because when you’re treated this good and around this many dope peeps, you ain’t got nothing to complain about!
Onya BrisVegas!
Peep the Brisbane Shop Guide here
