ACG FEATURE - PART TWO
“Way before my time, in the early ‘60s, late ‘50s, there was a group of crazy-arse rock climbers called the ‘Vulgarians’ who climbed in the Shawangunks, northwest of New York City. Their primary goal was to maximize fun and to push the limits so they did things like climb naked. Many of the original Vulgarians went on to become, or to heavily influence the great climbing pioneers of the Yosemite valley in California.
The Nike Vulgarian was my homage to these fine folks and was true to the irreverent Nike way of doing things. My friend, Doug Tompkins was an original Vulgarian and is an amazing person. He was a mountain guide who started both the North Face and Esprit de Corps in the San Francisco area. He did all this while living by the philosophy that you should work six months a year and play six months a year.
The Nike Vulgarian was an outdoor boot, but it didn’t look like an outdoor boot. It was a black oxford, but it didn’t look like other black oxfords. It was a really comfy sport shoe, but Vulgarians had a lot of stealth technology and humor in them too, like a form-fitting slim-fit neoprene tongue that was flat seam-stitched to the vamp and a big old ‘NIKE AIR’ screened up the back. The toe area was built like a steel-toe work boot but weighed almost nothing. I’ll bet Clark Kent must have worn Vulgarians”.
STEVE MCDONALD
Check out our next feature: NIKE ACG FEATURE - PART ONE
