TROOP & SPX FEATURE!

Do you have any other funny stories about the brand from back in the day?
Funnily enough, as you rang I was going through a lot of old photographs looking for something completely unrelated, and I came across a whole load of when we were out in the Far East sourcing this stuff. Pictures of myself and Clive wearing these weird clothes out in the Far East. There was a whole gang of us, the Dutch guys as well, we used to go out there en masse to Korea to go around all the factories to get the stuff sorted. You’re not interested in the clothing are you?

I am. I just love the outrageousness of it. The big embroidered patches and the all-over prints and the monogrammed effects on the panels and all that sort of stuff. It’s of my era when I was 17 or 18 as well. It's very 'now'
See, you’re still a young man. You’re younger now than I was then.

[laughs]

You can do the maths. Yeah, it was just a mad, crazy time and I look back on it with affection, really. It’s sad it all went wrong, but there you go, these things don’t last forever, do they?

No, they don’t.
It was very much a faddy thing. Whether it would have carried on, I don’t know. I could go into all sorts of personal reasons why the brand failed but I’m not sure that’s a good idea, really.

No it probably isn’t.
Are you still involved in footwear at all?
Nah, but I take an interest in it.

Thanks for your time Mike... it’s been great talking to you.