Sneaker Freaker

THAT’S OK, IT’S NOT A JOB INTERVIEW. WE’RE HERE TO TALK TURKEY ABOUT THE MOC. DO YOU WANNA GO BACK TO THE START AND RUN THROUGH THE INSPIRATION BEHIND IT?
The idea started with the ACG ‘Rockquasock’ in the Summer of 1991. Lots of outdoor sports, like skiing, climbing, hiking and cycling, have an assortment of ‘cruel shoes’ that are part of their sports. The Rockquasock was to be a reaction or relief, from these cruel shoes. Something you could slip-on before or after being punished by your regular shoes.
Early Rockquasock samples fit amazingly well, but because they were so simple they looked too sleek on your foot. This made them look a little too feminine on a man’s foot. Tori and I were both a little cynical about ‘Shoe Design’ and the over-hyping of faux technology. The Rockquasock was to be the ‘anti-shoe’. No visible bells and whistles. The final Air Moc is simply a Rockquasock with a loose bag over it.

I KNOW YOU GUYS CALL IT THE POTATO SHOE, IT’S GOT FORKING HOLES. YOU GOTTA TEST THE POTATO TO SEE IF IT’S DONE, EH?
The fork holes were Tori’s idea. These kind of ideas are my favorite in design, where function, aesthetics, style and humor all come together at the same time. I wanted these to be tyres for your feet. That’s why the bottoms wrap round your feet like a mountain bike tire. The front is a non-stretch material to help ‘contain’ the foot, while the collar is stretchy to make it easy to put on and take off. Here’s a few pics I took of the original prototype of the ‘Potato’ Mocs. We found some acid stained leather that looked just like a russet potato. These never made it to market.