I Dig Your Sole Man

B&W Candids; Sydney

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Wed, 30 May 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Crumpler Conquers

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Tue, 29 May 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Being on the move all the time can be pretty demanding. I never know what's around the corner, but thanks to the great folks at Crumpler I've never been better armed to face anything, as they kindly sent some fantastic new product my way which I completely dig!

It all starts with the Local Identity bag. Able to hold my Macbook Pro and all my camera gear, this bag is the elusive find; able to carry everything, while light, and not too shabby looking!
Using The Haven camera pouch which slots into the bottom, the discreet side access makes my camera gear easy to reach and well protected at all times.

Next up is the Captains Till No 4. This versatile travel bag is designed to take care of your travel documents in style with it's 2 split zippered pockets, but I reckon it can also take care of my day to day kit too, so I won't just be saving this for exotic trips afar.

Finally comes the Volume Rebate. This nifty space saver offers 3 fold up bags that when opened will take care of shoes, socks and shirts in a bid to maximise space in your luggage!

All up, some great product from a fantastic Australian company who have the rare ability to fuse style with functionality in a wide range with something to suit everyone, check them out now!

Vivid Sydney

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Mon, 28 May 2012 22:47:00 +0000

If you're in Sydney over the next few weeks then make sure you check out Vivid Sydney; an amazing Festival of light, music and ideas that is transforming some of Sydney's skyline into a Technicolor wonderland.
Running until 11th June the Festival kicks off at 6pm every night and as you can see from the above pics it's a magical experience that cannot help but a beaming smile on your face, as bright as the thousands of lights that are places in installations, and even beamed onto the Opera House in some incredible video projections.
For more info, see here.

Vans Lovers; Sydney

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Sun, 27 May 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Ah, young love. Usually I stop and chat with my subjects to get their stories, but this couple (although happy to be shot) were a bit too busy to talk so I'll let the pics do all the talking.

Daryl; Sydney

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Thu, 24 May 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Skating culture has a huge influence in the sneaker scene in Sydney, and indeed around the world.
Daryl (above) is originally from the US, and picked up these Nike SB Stefan Janoski's in Sacramento when working in a skate shop.
Although he feels that Australia has a very different scene to the US, his shoes finish off a look that translates well to Sydney, edgy yet laid back and simple, and of course, finished off with some nice kicks!

Sydney Comes Alive At Night

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Wed, 23 May 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Behind The Brand; DJ Neil Armstrong

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Tue, 22 May 2012 23:00:00 +0000

At the recent Melbourne Carbon Festival I was lucky enough to sit down with DJ Superstar and adidas Global Ambassador DJ Neil Armstrong.
His story is a pretty amazing one; he grew up in the golden era of Hip Hop in New York, and his eclectic love of music took him from a mere music lover, to Producing mix tapes, to becoming Jay Z's tour DJ and a global ambassador for adidas.
The 3 stripes have a rich history of backing music acts (think Run DMC, Noel Gallagher, Ian Brown, Snoop etc) and Neil is among the elite who wear the brand with pride.
Enough of my rambling, check out the vid to hear his story in his own words.

Walking In Colour; Sydney

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Mon, 21 May 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Ruby; Sydney

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Sun, 20 May 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Ruby is a student whose style is heavily influenced by vintage pieces. Her look is eclectic with a leaning towards 50's fashions, and she has a non-conformist approach to following trends and would rather fly under the radar than stand out.

Her shoes are a recent addition to her vintage collection and finish off her look well.

Kaka's Fusion; Sydney

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Thu, 17 May 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Kaka is originally from the Japan but is in Sydney on a working holiday. He finds the Sydney fashion scene very different to what he's used to, and misses his home countries influence of US styles, and the craftsmanship and cut of Japanese fashion.

While being in Sydney hasn't inspired Kaka to embrace Australian fashion it has inspired him to immerse himself in skating, something he only started 2 months ago.

He was keen to show off some moves, and also his kicks, some Dual Fusion Tr II's that are 1 of only 2 pairs of sneakers that he owns, and aptly from their name offer a fusion between his Japanese styling, and the Australian influenced board beneath his feet.

Bikes In The Shade; Sydney

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Ely; Sydney

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Tue, 15 May 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Originally from Paris, Ely has brought himself, his many talents, and his eclectic approach to style to Sydney.

An actor, musician and chef, Ely can lend his hand to many things but when it comes to fashion he is a creature of habit.

His wardrobe is full of black clothing, something very European in nature, but as you can see from the above shots it's an approach that still works well for the streets of Sydney, and I love the timeless vintage shoes he's finished the outfit off with.

Clarks Originals; Thanks!

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Mon, 14 May 2012 23:00:00 +0000

According to friends I've been working a bit too hard lately and with a flu circulating I received the best possible medicine, some cool free stuff!
Thanks to Clarks Originals I was sent some great new additions to my footwear collection in the Jink Suede in Cola, and the iconic Desert Boot in Denim Blue.
They look great around the house, and I can't wait to get back to full strength so I can wear them out and about on the street too - thanks Clarks Originals.
These fantastic styles are 2 of many now available from Clarks Originals, for more info check out their Facebook page here.

Boxfresh x Semi Permanent After Party; Sydney

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Sun, 13 May 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone - I hope you had a great weekend. The highlight for many of Sydney's cool set this weekend was attending the Boxfresh x Semi Permanent after party at The Standard on Saturday night.

The evening was a celebration of style, art and music, with great acts entertaining the crowds through the night and plenty of 'fresh' Boxfresh product around to check out (which is in stores now - check it out!)

It was a great night, and to ensure that everything went to plan The Avengers were even there to watch over proceedings (see last pic of neighbouring billboard overlooking the stage through the window).

Vanishing Elephant Store; Melbourne

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Thu, 10 May 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Last week I brought you a preview of my meeting with Huw Bennett, part of the fantastic Australian menswear label Vanishing Elephant (see here).
I was also lucky enough to be invited to shoot the brand's Melbourne store, and in keeping with the brand's contemporary design aesthetic, it didn't disappoint with an accessible fit out which allowed the great product to stand out and speak for itself.
It's the weekend, so I imagine many of you will be looking to indulge in some retail therapy. For those of you in the Melbourne area I urge you to head to the QV and check out the store, for the rest of you, enjoy the pics and here's a link to their online store.

Up In Smoke; Melbourne

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Wed, 09 May 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Lowepro Classified Sling; Roadtest

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Tue, 08 May 2012 23:00:00 +0000

I was delighted to be approached by Lowepro to roadtest their 'Classified Sling 220 AW' bag at the recent Carbon Festival in Melbourne (some new images for which are above).

I've been using Lowepro product for some time, but with the amount of kit I need increasing all the time, this bag looked like a great one stop shop for storing everything I need and keeping all my essentials at hand. There is ample space in the sling to carry everything from my Macbook, to my trusty Canon 7D, a couple of lenses, a Canon s95, Speedlite, microphone, cables/adaptors, portable drives and even a tripod within a bag that doesn't look too stuffy like a number of other bags on the market.

I was running around like a headless chicken for 2 days shooting the event, and it was great to know that my full range of essentials were all at hand within seconds and if you're looking for a new bag that offers maximum storage then check out the Classified Sling here.

Cat Code AW12 Preview; Australia

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Mon, 07 May 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Despite its solid reputation for rugged workboots, Caterpillar has never been able to transfer the success of it’s workwear into more fashion conscious product.

That is possibly until now, as I was recently invited to preview a new Cat diffusion line called ‘Code’ which the brand are hoping can get them some wanted fashion props on the street.

The line includes some clean and simple silhouettes with easy to wear colourways that will offer the renowned Cat comfort and build quality, but packaged in a style that looks more at home on the street than the building site. Check it out as it's dropping soon!

Nike Hyperfuse

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Mon, 07 May 2012 09:50:00 +0000

The winter has well and truly hit the southern hemisphere but cold weather and an earlier setting sun doesn't mean you can't inject some colour into your life, and if you're looking for a colour fusion, look no further than the new Nike Hyperfuse collection

The new collection features two Nike styles, the Nike Air Max 90 Hyperfuse and Nike Air Max 2012 Hyperfuse, both utilising the Hyperfuse blend of stability, breathability and durability.

The shoes will be available in select Australian Foot Locker stores (top doors only) from early June with

the Air Max retailing for $240 and the Air Max 90 $200.

And if you want to have a blast of colour right now, enjoy this cool video from Nike below...

Sneaker Freaker Swap Meet; Melbourne

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Sun, 06 May 2012 23:00:00 +0000

The Sneaker Freaker swap meet provides an exciting opportunity for sneaker lovers and urban stylistas to get together and share a passion for everything street.
Last week saw a Melbourne meet as part of the Carbon Festival and I was at hand to see what was going on as well as speak to Sneaker Freaker Founder and top bloke Woody, co-owner of the fantastic Melbourne Up There Store Brendan, as well as some great sneakerheads to find out about the event and how sneakers are bringing people together.

Music; Hey boy by Nicolas Jaar

DJ Neil Armstrong; Carbon Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Fri, 04 May 2012 03:00:00 +0000

One of the key messages from the Carbon Festival was that passion is one of the most highly sought catalyst's for turning an idea into a success story.

DJ Neil Armstrong is a walking, talking and spinning example of just how successful this theory can be, as he has gone from out and out music fan to become one of the world's leading DJ's.

The combination of growing up in NY amidst the golden era of hip hop, combined with Neil's passion for an eclectic array of music has seen him evolve to be at the forefront of the music scene.

Fusing the roots of hip hop with his own varied tastes he has been able to establish a credible and unique voice by bringing some fantastic musical marriages together on his infamous mixtapes, and once his voice had been heard and established it was only a matter of time before an appreciation was developed.

I could sit and write more about Neil's background, his role as Jay-Z's DJ, and becoming a global adidas ambassador, but I will leave Neil to talk about that in his own words in a video interview where you can hear from the great man himself in the coming weeks.

For now I will simply say he's a top bloke, and I love his adidas aidrise 2's!

Neuw Sharp Launch Party - Pt 2; Sydney

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Fri, 04 May 2012 01:15:00 +0000

I couldn't resist throwing up some more pics from this week's Neuw 'Sharp' denim party launch...enjoy!

Tammy; Melbourne

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Thu, 03 May 2012 23:00:00 +0000

If you check out the work of Tammy aka The Obnoxious Owl it seems that she's someone who loves to love design.

She was at the Carbon festival to celebrate all things relating to urban culture, and wore her love of colour and texture for all to see.

Her style is embodied by an eclectic fusing of bright colours and textures and her footwear choices always revolve around her beloved Air Max, a style synonymous with colour, and she wasn't also afraid to admit height.

Huw Bennett; Vanishing Elephant

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Thu, 03 May 2012 03:00:00 +0000

It's always great to meet people whose work you like/admire, but all too often the experience can leave you feeling deflated and slightly disappointed. However, I am now officially prepared to add the names of Huw Bennett, Felix Chan and Arran Russell to my illustrious list of greats who exceeded all expectations when I had the pleasure of meeting them *.
The guys are the brains behind the fantastic Australian menswear label Vanishing Elephant. Despite only being 4 years old, the brand is regarded by many as a bright light on the Aussie menswear scene, and in 2010 their clean, contemporary styling fused with an accessible price-point and quality product was (deservedly) awarded Designer of the Year at the prestigious GQ Men of the Year Awards.

All up it's a brand that I love, and I was delighted that Huw was invited to speak at the Carbon Festival about the Evolution of an Idea. It seemed only fitting that the brand were asked to contribute to this forum after achieving great success in such a short space of time and Huw spoke about how having, and focusing on a clear vision is integral for turning a mere hobby into something bigger.

I'm delighted to reveal that there's some great Vanishing Elephant content to come soon on IDYSM with an exclusive Behind The Brand video IV and a showcase of their great new Melbourne store.

* The list includes Muhammed Ali. Rod Stewart. Robbie Fowler. Yes, I like some Rod Stewart stuff - don't judge me!

Bree; Melbourne

noreply@blogger.com (Sole Digger) — Wed, 02 May 2012 23:00:00 +0000

After yesterday's quick break, today is a chance to get back to celebrating last weekend's fantastic Melbourne Carbon Festival.

Bree was one the many sneaker loving attendees, and she made little disguise of the fact that she loves the brand with 3 stripes as she came out decked from head to toe in adidas.

Her kaleidoscopic homage to to the brand was topped off with her new beloved Blue Haze samples in Turbo that capped on her eye-catching look. If you like the shoe keep them peeled as it could be dropping soon!