PUMA Suedes: Life moves pretty fast
Check out this short video created by Kalpesh from Blinking Lens
EXPERIENCE: PUMA X Marcus Troy X Me
My first pair of PUMA shoes were a pair of leather indoor soccer shoes which I picked up in the UK . They were the trainers that I never took off and fell in love with. Through-out the years, I have been fascinated by certain designs and silhouettes from the brand. PUMA has a great heritage and history for making some great inspiring collections.
At the end of 2011 I looked back at all of my shoe purchases and quickly noticed that every single pair of shoes that I bought were suede! brogues, trainers and hiking boots were all the same. I promised my wife that I wouldn’t buy any more suede shoes for the new year as I needed to change things up for 2012…..but that quickly changed.
As I browse through my twitter feeds one morning I came across a contest which was being held by Marcus Troy and PUMA. As I clicked on the link, what did I find? An opportunity to win 1 of 150 pairs of suede PUMA Clyde. What was I supposed to do? I vowed not to aquire another suede shoe. Well, this didn’t count as I was entering a contest 
The Clyde version was so classic when it was first created and I was quite glad to see a remake of the low top version. The first pair were made for the basketball legend Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier in 1973. It was one of the first shoes out there that focused on delivering optimum performance at the same time adding a unique street quality.
One lucky Friday I received a message from Marcus saying saying that he’s sending me a pair of PUMA’s .Overly excited, they arrived within the week in this cleverly designed recycled shoe bag that replaced the traditional shoe box. Inside, I found this beautiful pair of ‘red’ PUMA’s . I was very grateful for winning a pair and reminded myself that Marcus had only one ask when he sent the shoes….”send me a picture”.
I decided to have some fun with it and go on an adventure with my younger brother Kalpesh Mistry who is an inspiring photographer. I decided to adorn my suede’s with a Prince of Wales suit and a MAHAYATRA scarf . The bright red shoes are very eye-popping so I balance it out by pairing a tonal scarf so that it could it bring it all together. Why a suit? well my style as always been quite eclectic. I like to pair items that traditionally don’t go together just to give that little extra punch. The Clyde PUMA’s is a classic shoe so why not pair it with a classic pattern.
Here are some of the other shots that we took on the day.
Here are a few words from Kalpesh .
“When my older brother asked me to shoot these fresh pair of kicks, The PUMA Suede. I really wanted to show the versatility of these classics by shooting the kicks in an urban business environment setting, so that they really pop out. I decided to shoot in Toronto’s financial district where the dwellers are flooded with suits, slacks, penny loafers and brogues.
I had taken a variety of shots with the shoes in motion from using the panning technique, to contrasting the red shoes with different bright yellow objects. By standing on newspaper stands to lying down on city steps I was able to produce photos, which displayed the kicks from different angles.
I didn’t have a full game plan of how we where going to shoot but really wanted to have fun and improvise with what the surroundings was going to give me. I don’t usually pay a lot of attentions to the rules. (That’s probably because I never learn’t them). I shoot what looks pleasing to me…..Kalpesh Mistry”
Thanks to Marcus and PUMA for the opportunity to be involved in a great digital experience. Special thanks to Kalpesh for being the eyes behind the lens.
Experience the other participants here….and get yourself a pair of ‘Clydes’!
Peace
PROJECT: The Kid Famous – Press Kit 2012
Last year a good friend introduced me to a very talented rapper/artist who goes by the name ” The Kid Famous” . Famous is a well respected rapper here in Toronto and within the rap game. He has worked with some amazing artists and producers such as Boi-1da, Memphis Bleek and been on tour with international artists such as Nas, Method Man and others.
Many of you might recognize Famous from his radio intros for FLOW 93.5 or his work with Sportsnet .
There are many accolades to Famous’s career thus far and his ambitions of becoming a sensation in the rap game continues to evolve through his dedication to his art form and sticking to what he does well….make good music.
Nevertheless, he continuous to evolve and as of late I had a chance to work with Famous on a photo shoot for a press kit which he has recently released. Currently, he has been sharing his Road to center stage through his blog site. Its amazing to see someone work so hard on promoting his brand and this was very apparent to me as we worked on pulling the required looks for his press kit.
Brainstorming is fundamental in any task and it was very vital during this shoot. We wanted to portray a few looks that could showcase the diversity of his persona and art. We visited Serpentine to pull a few items. Shout out to both Paul and Stephen for allowing us to borrow some serious items from their fine establishment. Stephen and Paul have curated a selection of brands which are so far ahead of many of the other contemporary boutiques here in Toronto or around the world to be honest. Serpentine definitely shocked the retail scene when they first opened as they brought in brands like Julius_7, Rick Ownes, FUCT_SSDD, Boris Bijan Saberi to name a few. Brands which were so far ahead of its time. They focus on bringing items which inspire them and those that that will hopefully inspire others to look at the future of fashion. Their focus is to build and educate their customers about the brands that they are bringing in, not to add/remove a dozen or so every season. I think that this is so important as loyal customers will want to know that a certain line of clothing can be continuously aquired.
Stephen was very helpful in pulling items that would work with the theme of the shoot and also pieces that would work with Famous’s body type. Always a pleasure working with people that put 110% into everything they do. Highly recommend that you check out Serpentine located in the Bloor/Yorkville area of downtown Toronto.
We selected items which are quite unique such as this military inspired Andrew Harmon parka which gave us a futuristic street look, and we paired some highly expensive garments with everyday items like Chuck converse high tops and a Kenzo SS2012 t-shirt & Cheap Monday jeans.
Below: Julius_7 Jacket, All Saints from Spitafields Top, Jewellery from a selection – Serpentine
Working with Famous was an amazing experience. He has so much passion in his art and is very focused when he’s working. As with every shoot, you never really use every look or shot, but check out the collage of some of my favorites. Shout out to Ishmil who was the man behind the lens.
Other items used during the shoot.
Nike Limited Airflows , Supreme Suede Snap back & Snakeskin pouch, Vintage Leather jacket, Rugby Tote, Engineer Garments Scarve, Selection of shades from Spectacles, BBC t-shirt, Jordan IV’s, Jewellery Kid’s own. RayBan Aviators and Wayfarer, Vintage Silk scarves.
Want to no more about Famous…check out his links below.
PROJECT: Judith & Charles OCC
The beginning of this year was quite hectic as I had the opportunity to produce the fashion for the Ovarian Cancer Canada charity event held in Toronto. I was originally brought into the committee to help with some style direction for the show which featured the new collection from Judith & Charles (formely known as TeenFlo), but this shortly turned into a full time fashion producer assignment.
I had a great opporutunity to work with the Charles and his team of stylist from the Montreal & Toronto office. There are so many dimensions to this type of role and being involved in all aspects from model selection, music, styling, hair, makeup, catwalk design, and logistics it definetly gives you an amazing amount of experience. I worked with Judith & Charles quite closely in making sure that we had the right collection and models to ensure that we showcasing a strong collection but at the same time being sympatheic towards the chairty and main messages of the event.
All in all , I had a great team, strong styles, amazing event producers to work with and happy to say that this project has opened up many other doors for me. Details of the show are below:
Collection: Judith & Charles 17 looks
Models: BNM Models :Amanda S, Claudia C, Katarina K, Pardeep B, Kelly L, Brennan C and Francina F
Music Playlist :
| All alone |
| Chapel song |
| Ritual Union |
| No need to rumble |
| Everytear drop is a waterfall |
Show Producer: Kevin Larstone Creatif.ca
Hair & Makeup: TAZ Salon, Yorkville
Interview with Speaking of Style
I recently had the opportunity to do a small 3 part interview with Matthew and Arun from Speaking of Style. The blog site focuses on inspiring its readers with dressing better and giving them insight on what’s in style and alternative ways of wearing clothing and accessories. I had a chance to vocalize my thoughts around fashion, trends and the city of Toronto in terms of global style.
Great work from the team on its posts thus far. Check out part 1 and part 2 of the interview.
Photo courtesy of Matthew Wong, Speaking of Style