Posts Tagged ‘shoes’

li ning X lei feng trainers ::

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

LN X LF:: “为人民服务” is a classic revolutionary Chinese phrase meaning “to serve the people.” Lei Feng is legendary historical figure and model citizen / comrade who dedicated his life to serving the people and the Chinese communist party / government.

Chinese mega sports brand 李宁 (Li Ning) has combined the man / myth and the unforgettable phrase in the release of a new limited edition shoe, the “为李宁服务” 雷锋 001 (“To serve Li Ning” Lei Feng 001) – a cheeky play on words that capitalizes on the retro-military look of Lei Feng-era design. A cross between classic and over the top, but carried off with panache.

“为李宁服务” 雷锋 001s are not cheap. A pair will cost you RMB 2800, and that’s only if you can find them.

If you liked these, there is plenty more shoe pornography at Dunk.com.cn to check out.  // XD

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[Xiao Du (小杜) is a guest contributor on 56minus1]

Posted in china, cool hunting, design, fashion, people, snaps, things well done, youth | creative culture | Tags: , , , , , , , , 李宁 | 2 Comments »

things well done | shoebox ::

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009

:: I’m a fan of Chinese retro and “revolutionary” footwear. This past weekend I picked up another pair of Shanghai-made Warrior / Huili (回力) trainers. The shoes are great, of course, but check out the packaging. This is a beautiful, timeless shoebox. The font and copy are nearly perfect, especially the line: 穿回力鞋, 走成功路, which In English is something like “Wear Huili Shoes, Walk the Road of Success.” It’s so much better in Chinese, perhaps that’s why Huili didn’t bother translating it. Bravo, well done.  // AjS

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Posted in china, cool hunting, design, fashion, shanghai, things well done, youth | creative culture | Tags: , copy, , , , , , , , , , 穿回力鞋，走成功路 | No Comments »

trends | chinese retro sneaker evolution ::

Thursday, February 26th, 2009

:: …first came the original, Huili / Warrior (回力), priced between RMB 30 – 65…

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…then came the, also original, Feiyue (飞跃) sneaker, priced between RMB 30 – 65…

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…now there is The People’s Shoes (人民牌), a modern, higher-quality and more comfortable, hybrid version of the above two, by Anton Brandt (who, by the way, is cool enough to donate a portion of the brand’s profits to The Starfish Project, a Cambodia-based humanitarian organization), priced at USD 42 (RMB 285)…

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…similarly, there is also OSPOP. (One Small Point of Pride.)’s Skywolf sneaker line by Ben Walters, priced at USD 76 (RMB 520)…

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…which is essentially an indie-hipster remix version of Tianlang’s (天狼, literally “Skywolf”) classic revolutionary-flavored Chinese military / migrant worker “liberation shoes” (解放鞋), and also the timeless Chinese electrical workers’ “boot,” priced between RMB 10 – 35…

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…and of course, let us not forget about the recent return of traditional Chinese “cloth shoes” (布鞋) to the modern fashion scene, priced between RMB 10 – 30…

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…and last but not least, my favorite, a shanzhai’d NIKE version of “liberation shoes,” by a young man who actually wears them during military training exercises, priceless.  // AjS

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Posted in china, cool hunting, fashion, trends, youth | creative culture | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  | 4 Comments »