Sole Collector Magazine. Issue 12 featuring cover art by Chris Lundy

Features:

• Lace ‘Em Up - A letter from Editor-in-Chief Steve Mullholand
• Rants & Raves - It’s time to turn the tables and hear from our readers. Or, as the adage goes, “But enough about us; what do you think about us?”
• On the Beat - Did you know Germany has a Mighty Weeny? Get your news, views and more stuff about shoes in this issue’s On the Beat. Also featuring the 2006 Jordan All-American Classic recap and Greedy Genius
• Focus Shop - This issue’s Focus Shop takes us to sunny (and sometimes smoky or mudslide-y) California to visit the growing Blends empire. Good taste and good shoes abound in all three—count ‘em, three—locations.
• Focus Collector - “I came to San Jose . . . with the intent and motivation to form an organization that would serve this growing hobby and culture.”  —Seth Wollman, the collector behind San Jose State’s first sneaker club, Soul2Sole
• Focus: Artist - “The initial inspiration for the project was a Jay-Z lyric from the Blueprint 2: ‘Nobody’s built like you/ You designed yourself.” Brett Golliff, aspiring lead footwear designer, shares his art as well as his dedication to design. From art class to art school to an internship at Converse, find out what it takes to follow your dream
• Focus: Street - Photos of you, by you. Some are fun, some are fancy and some are just downright goofy, but every photo here shows off some serious heat
• City Shots - City Shots, our latest addition to Sole Collector, includes photos of sneakerheads in different cities, taken by none other than our globe-trotting editor-in-chief, Steve. This issue features NYC and LA. Who’s next? Find out next issue!
• It’s ALL Good - “Can you stand the rain?” That’s the question posed by Dee in this issue’s column on sneakerheads vs. the weather
• By Any Means Necessary - Anthony Gilbert interviews Andre Iguodala, starting forward for the Philadelphia 76ers (and Sole Collector fan!)
• Retrokid Corner - RK tackles the age-old question: “What’s your favorite shoe?” His answer(s) might surprise you. Hint: Hype-free zone ahead.
• Industry Insider: Etnies - Did you know that Etnies is skateboarder-owned and operated? That it started in France? That it’s Etnies’ 20th birthday? Neither did we, until we sent Retrokid to meet up with CEO and former world champion skater Pierre Senizergues
• RS100 Inked: PUMA x Cubanbee - Wicked hot tattoo artist and graphic designer gives the old-school treatment to the RS100, sailor-style. Cubanbee breaks down his entrée into the tattoo scene, how he turned a love for PUMAs into one of this year’s most-anticipated collabs and why he doesn’t watch the “Go to Work” channel
• Sneakerphile: The adidas_1 - The adidas_1: We all know it’s the shoe with a computer on board, but how does it really work? Now you can find out. Retrokid delivers with in-depth interviews with the team leading the vanguard in “intelligent” footwear
• Sony’s NBA 06 - NBA 06 is out, and it is smokin’. More than your run-of-the-mill b’ball game, more than just cracking cheat codes for hotter sneakers, more than you can even imagine. Live “The Life” with Sony’s latest hybrid basketball game
• The Show: Derek Jeter - Anthony Gilbert talks to none other than Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter about his competitive edge, the honor of being a Brand Jordan athlete, his incredibly successful run with the Yankees and of course his latest signature shoe, the Jumpman Jeter Official
• Sneakerphile: The Jumpman Jeter Official - We’ve heard about what it takes to become Derek Jeter the man, but what does it take to create a signature shoe of the same caliber? Retrokid delivers an in-depth breakdown of Jeter and Jordan’s latest offering, the Jumpman Jeter Official
• Performance Running Guide—Spring ‘06 - Professor K endures over 500 miles of pavement pounding to help uncover this spring’s best running shoes and socks. Rich with history and tips, not to mention reviews of nearly 50 products, this is our most comprehensive round-up yet—even if you have just a passing interest in running or running footwear, you won’t want to miss it
• Crooked Tongues: Back in Black—The Story of a Collaboration - It’s a British Invasion of a different sort in this article and guest layout from the folks over at Crooked Tongues on their collab with adidas. If by some fluke you’ve missed out on their great design, articles and shoes, then read this and get international with your sneaker (or in this case, trainer) knowledge
• NBA All-Star Weekend, PlayStation Style - Late-night parties, DJ AM, free tequila and—oh yeah!—basketball. Steve recaps his crazy adventures with Ron Eagle and the rest of the folks from Sony PlayStation at this year’s All-Star Weekend
• Art & Sole: Chris Lundy - Another new section for your reading pleasure, featuring established artists who express their heart and soul through art and sole. We kick it off with an interview with world-renowned artist Chris Lundy, whose work we all know and love (and graced our Hawaii competition shoe, to boot!)
• Online Sneaker Communities - Joey Vital, a.k.a. AirJoey, won the Sole Collector online writing contest with this story about the ups and downs of the online sneaker scene
• The Rolland Berry Reebok Collection - Artist, designer and entrepreneur Rolland Berry discusses his latest collaboration with Reebok, the Rolland Berry Reebok Collection. From his start with the famed Fred Segal in Santa Monica to his own fashion lines and exclusive collaborations, you know this latest venture will be beyond your wildest dreams!
• Reebok Japanese Calendar - With sneaker colorways drawn from a variety of inspirations, Reebok footwear designer Ben Kuchler used the Ventilator and the ERS Racer as canvases to represent the months and meanings in the Japanese Calendar
• Showcase - The hottest, the newest and, this issue, some of the players that don’t always get the coverage we think they deserve. Get ready for a variety pack of the kicks you know and love and some hot new contenders, all together in one spot. You may have seen some grainy shots of these on the Internet, but now you can hold them in your hot little hands whenever you want to take a peek (new shoe scent not included).