NEO SOLE: Letters from the Editor 004

Some of you are probably just feeling back to normal after Coachella’s first weekend. Well, pull up your bedazzled cowboy boot straps because Weekend 2 kicks off tomorrow and you’re still sneezing out dirt. The world’s biggest branding event that also features a little bit of music is back for round 2, and I don’t know if I’m going to make it through... and I wasn’t even there this year.

It’s just exhausting, even from a distance. Watching the insufferable fit checks, getting motion sickness from all the selfie twirls, people posting 40 little clips of one DJ set that we can’t even hear over their WOOOOOOs.

My Coachella years are behind me at this point, as I’m now too old for three-day festivals, too wise to pay those ticket prices when the livestream is free, and too disconnected from the vast majority of the lineup. I saw Creepy Nuts, Hot Mulligan, FleshWater, and Freak Slug on the lineup and thought it was a fake one someone made up to try to trick old disconnected people.

One thing that is real is everyone’s choice of footwear for Coachella. Real bad, that is. People go there for the first time having romanticized and glamorized it in their heads, forgetting that it’s in the damn desert. Saw way too many freshly un-deadstocked rarities and open-toed sandals.

The cowboy boots I can live with, even though you look like an idiot. At least those are meant for the conditions. But you’re trying way too hard if you wear sneakers of value to a 3-day-long concert in a literal dirt pit where drunk people are going to be stepping on your toes and heels the entire time. And don’t get me started on the people in flimsy little flip-flops, it’s absolutely insane. Feet gonna be so black it’ll look like you got frostbite on Everest by Sunday, not to mention how much pain you’ll be in from standing on sandals for 14 hours.

The Crocs are whatever, I guess. More supportive and you can hose them down later, but you’re definitely losing your Jibbitz so leave your prized Patrick Star at home. And don’t be surprised when the girl you made out with in line for the Port-A-Potty to the thumping bass of DJ Paris Hilton high tails it the second you take off your Crocs and she sees little circles of dirt all over your foot like Wild West swiss cheese.

[Note from the Editor on a Letter from the Editor: On second thought, after reviewing Danny Devito Coachella game tape, go ahead and rock the Croc. Live your life.]

As far as recommendations go, there’s really only a couple of ways to go. This is probably the best situation ever to break out your pre-distressed shoes. They already look dirty, so you won’t stress yourself out all weekend kicking dust around with them. But the real winner here is SKYLRK. I mean, how can you not be a Belieber after what we saw last weekend. Record breaking numbers on stage and in the merch booth. Number one in your heart and on your girl’s hall pass list.

SKYLRK has what TikTok is calling a very comfortable mule, and it’s available in a sandy brown colorway. Couldn’t be more perfect. Comfy with a closed toe, won’t show dust and dirt, plus you can kick ‘em off easily when you do find a rare patch of grass to frolic. While you’re on the SKYLRK site or in the merch booth in Indio, might as well grab yourself the genius phone case with the built-in Doob Tube, too. Essential.

Speaking of smoke, I don’t think anyone wants any with Nigel Sylvester right now. He’s trying to go back-to-back and stack Sneaker of the Year awards with the Brick After Bricks, and you can tell by the immaculate rollout. First, he was tearing up Beaverton HQ with Rent-A-Bikes, then he got Jeezy to model for the editorial shoot, and now he dropped a new Conductor Williams-produced song “Brick After,” featuring what may be the verse of the year so far from Stove God Cooks? While we’re here, FREE STOVE GOD AND HIS ALBUM.

Music is subjective and people like what they like, just like sneakers. But then you also have all the wannabe tastemakers jumping on the bandwagon and adopting takes just to seem like they’ve been around the block for a while. Take a look at what happened on Sneaker Twitter this week with the Jordan 1 Mids.

SneakerBae asked Twitter if someone who enjoys the AJ1 Mid can still be considered a sneakerhead, and the responses did more exposing than explaining. While, yes, the Mids aren’t great, to categorically exclude them from the sneakerhead discourse would be wrong. Making sweeping statements about anything will get you in trouble, because somewhere along the way, even a broken clock is right twice a day. Just look at the Blue the Great Jordan 1 Mids from the Fearless pack, maybe the best AJ1 Mid ever. Materials, colors, and storytelling on another level. Even the Melody Ehsani pair in that pack was pretty good, though I don’t want to have to bend down to tie my shoe just to look at my watch.

You know what, the Edison Chen CLOT Mids were decent. Were those part of the Fearless Ones pack? They were? Alright, maybe the Fearless Ones pack is doing a lot of the heavy lifting in the ‘Are Mids Actually Mid?’ debate. Now, would I ever be caught in Mids except my BTGs? No, but I’m not going to judge another sneakerhead if they enjoy that silhouette. Fine, maybe a little.

Blogs You May Have Missed

COMPARED: Nike SB Air Force 1 vs. Nike Air Force 1

Resident skater Zach Harris had the opportunity to go check out the Nike SB Air Force 1 up close and personal at an event in Philly. Check out his full breakdown where you can see how the Nike SB Air Force 1 differs from its old school basketball counterpart.

Kobe Bryant's Best Mamba Moments in Each Nike Signature Shoe

Juan is our go-to list guy and he’s been on fire lately. Mamba Mentality, if you will. This one was great if you missed it, a full rundown of Kobe’s best on-court moments in each of his (Nike) signature sneakers. RIP.

EXCLUSIVE: Estudio Niksen Founders Andrés Barrios and Gabrielle Gagné Slow Things Down for First Saucony Collab

Managing editor Nick Vlahos has been at the forefront of the Saucony wave, diving deep into the stories of the people behind the scenes and the collaborators taking the brand to the next level. This week, he spoke with the founders of Estudio Niksen to get the backstory on their new collab that went deep into the Saucony archive.

Best Jackie Robinson Day Sneakers from Nike

April 15th was Jackie Robinson Day, celebrating the anniversary of the Brooklyn Dodger changing the sports landscape forever. Every year, Nike rolls out new ways to honor the icon by giving the Jackie treatment to different silhouettes on and off the diamond. We broke down our favorites from over the years.

A Sneakerhead’s Guide to Spending Your Tax Refund

Jackie Robinson Day is also Tax Day. Win some you lose some. With some new tax cuts floating around, people may be seeing higher refunds than normal so we highlighted some banger deals to be had with your new-but-not-really-new-because-it-was-yours-to-begin-with cash.

More Bangers from Sole Retriever Social

Drew London

Drew oversees content at Sole Retriever and hates writing in the 3rd person soooo I'm going to stop. I've written for countless blogs and magazines, from Complex to XXL and everywhere in between. Spent a long time in LA, running content and working on branded collabs at The Hundreds. Now, I'm back home on the East Coast freezing my ass off. Email me at drew@soleretriever.com with scoops, story ideas, and size 13 heat.