Monday, June 8, 2009

Mike Cole SoleFood NYC

This is the first time I have really had no clue as to where to start an entry. So, we here at Life After Midnight, are in the process of working with Vans on a special custom shoe show taking place in Canada. We had seen some shoes coming out of SoleFood NYC by artist - Evan Macpherson (Revive Customs) - that we were totally into. He graciously agreed to be involved in the charity show, so today I made it over to SoleFood to drop off the shoes. 

So this is SoleFood NYC in a nutshell. The business is owned by two primary partners: Mike Cole and Matt Murphy. Crazy side story. If the name Matt Murphy sounds familiar that would be because it was Matt who caught Barry Bonds record-breaking 756th home run ball. He in turn sold it to Mark Ecko for $752,467 whom branded it was asterisks and donated to the Baseball Hall of Fame. (article). That is pretty much how I planned my life to go down but... 

SoleFood, according to Mike, was a response to the lack of customer service at footwear and sneaker boutiques. SoleFood NYC is like a restaurant for the sneaker head whose mission is not only to provide customers with a very unique product but also focus on providing an unmatched level of customer service. Upon entering you are greeted at the door by someone like a hostess per say and you are seated in a booth where a chef (shoe designer) comes out to meet with you and discuss your vision for a custom shoe. After a few renderings and customer approval the custom sneaker is created and in a matter of a few days you have a pair of kicks that are unique 1 of 1's. Depending on the level of customization these shoes can set you back upwards of $500. If that wasn't enough, Sundays you can even grab an actually bit here.

Anyways Mike was kind enough to give me the VIP treatment and give me a peek at some of the custom kicks in storage. Among them were the Canal Street AF1 that Revive Customs did. It looked crazy in pictures but pictures do not do this shoe justice. Revive is extremely talented as no detail on this shoe was overlooked. What surprised me more was that this shoe is still available. If your a 9 you need to get your act together and break open the piggy bank and get over there. 

There are some very talented artists and designers working alongside SoleFood. One of the weekly features is Ladies Night at SoleFood every Thursday night where Alana, Vivian and Cocoabella (so much for remembering real names) hold it down for the ladies. We will keep you posted as we explore a potential venture with SoleFood NYC. Thanks Mike for the time.