2011 in review...

With 2012 upon us and the world ever-changing (hopefully more for the better), I have a few things I need to ask:

1. Are you lost in your ways and looking for work, a partner, new style, etc.?
2. Are you stuck in your 2005 wardrobe...jerseys and tilted hat?
3. Are you looking for poorly manufactured, retro-Jordans available at the mall that anyone, including your little sister and grandma, can get??
4. Still wearing over-sized New Era fitteds with your pants hanging past your underwear?
5. Want to stand out and not be a clone in the crowd?

Should I keep going, because I think you get my point...
THE SHOE GAME HAS CHANGED!!!!!!!!!

It is about style, comfort, versatility, originality and buying products that make a difference and don't need HYPE to sell! ATEAM has ALWAYS been true to our values and will continue to do so next year launching our own brand which gives back and makes sense to consumers who lead, not follow. It has been a great 2011 in regards to sales numbers BUT, it has been an awful year watching people trying desperately to look cool and stuck in their old-hip-hop days. In case you haven't noticed, those hip-hop fashion icons are not rocking the aforementioned looks, they are dressed UP, more sophisticated and definitely wearing a nice pair of shoes, not something they could play streetball in! They stand UP and stand out, exactly what we strive for.

A LOT...I mean A LOT of changes for 2012 as we are going to revolutionize the things we do and how we do them. We are excited for change, never nervous about the future, just cutting our own paths and blazing trails for others to trek with us!

Peace, LOVE, Health, Happiness, USA and to a brilliant 2012!!!

The ATEAM

The NEW Dunks!

It has been a while since I have seen ANYONE wearing a fresh pair of Dunks which leads me to believe the sneaker aficionado has moved on...rightly so.  All those crazy collaborations and lame attempts at being cool have finally broken through to the mainstream and the only people wearing them are kids or doods who found them off-price, probably at Ross or Marshall's.  Not hating, just saying it how it is!  With that said, in my eyes, the NEW Dunks are the Supra Vaider Lows (see two below).  Such a great fitting shoe, excellent support and an ACTUAL shoe designed for skating with technology supported by R&D.  The new Holiday packs from Supra, www.suprafootwear.com are straight clean and classic.  I am excited to see some color coming back to the shelves as 2011 has been very conservative from our suppliers.  Obviously we have these in the the shop but I am not trying to 'make a buck' just blogging about how I feel and what I see.  Peaces Ninjas!!

Supra Vaider Low - Grey/Neon

Supra Vaider Low - Black/Red

Grown Man Shoes

This is my newest reference in regards to shoes we carry...'Grown Man Shoes'. This comment may not make sense to some but the majority of our consumers don't want the same shoes as a 10 year old boy. A Grown Man Shoe is something we wear to work and can play in as well. A dressy sneaker with style and substance. You can close a mega-deal then wear the same shoes to the ball-game or mixer after work. Brands fitting into this class...Atelier's Arthur, Clae and Pointer...some of my Fave's right now.

Defy Magazine

Peep out this article about ATEAM in Defy Magazine, http://www.defymag.com/Ateam. It is the Tito Ortiz cover for those going to Barnes & Noble.

One of the newer brands to ATEAM we have been building awareness and selling is HABITAT. Coming from the skate world, I am always looking for the return or new product offering from some of my favorite companies. For those who don't know, HABITAT is the sister (or brother) company to ALIEN WORKSHOP. Their creative genius internally continues to drop great design and concepts through their offerings. These shoes, the Ibex and Charter, are from a collection called 'Capture & Create'. The shoes are designed with materials and inspiration from old 35mm cameras (which used actual film). The black leather, tan patches and laces coupled with the silver accents truly feel like the original camera I grew up with. The insole have illustrations of the cameras and the BEST part to this package is this was derived from the past HABITAT skateboard tour where the team used these cameras and shot on film (no digital imagery) for all the ads and company imaging. Truly amazing, artistic, creative and original...what I love about most skate companies. There is one more shoe in the collection coming next month...stay tuned!

Anti-Jordan

A couple of kids from Fresno came into the shop tonight, laced up in Jordans. THEY thought their style and especially their shoes were the shit and they were super dope! Of course, they approached the front counter and began to drool over the rare Jordans we have on display. As soon as I dropped the $300+ cost on them they backed off and left themselves vulnerable for my 'assault'.

Those of you who personally know me already understand my distaste and anger toward the 'new-era' Jordan product and consumer. Any color that was NOT worn on the court during an NBA game should be illegal! Any retro sold at Finish Line, Shiekh, Foot Locker or your general mall shop are garbage. These new-era Jordans are made for the masses. I come from the days when you wore a pair of J's you had a MAD b-ball game. You were the first guy picked at the playground. You took the ball to the rim with flow and had flight and air in your style. People were f'ing KILLED for their Jordans back THEN...seriously...shot, stabbed, mugged and/or killed.

So what happened??? Nike knocked themselves off...horribly! They opened distribution and made the product with cheaper materials and appealed to the masses. Unfortunately, for those who aren't paying attention to US economics, a lot of the people who were buying trendy sneakers, lost their income and had to 'cut-back'. The malls started getting more populated with people having a place to be seen and heard and Nike/Jordan obviously needed to be in the hearts of the masses. Wearing b-ball sneakers and jeans is a BAD LOOK! Do we wear dress shoes on the basketball court??? So why would we wear basketball shoes to work or dinner. It doesn't make sense and although I have over 500 personal pairs of Nike and Jordans, you won't see me wearing a pair unless I am playing ball!

I directed my new found Fresno friends to the Fox Hills Mall, after my voice was clearly heard, and watched them scurry off into the sunset to join the masses.

Simple Shoes

I remember around 1991 when I first saw Simple shoes. I was stoked to see something from a new company that was a mash-up of Vans/adidas/Converse with an environmentally friendly message. 20 years later we are going to bring Simple into ATEAM for Earth Day and beyond. Peep these out and see if they bring back some memories...