vintage persol by ratti
#624/3E
made in italy circa 1980's
new
we are now offerring the smooth ratti 624 in two colourways & two sizes. making material eyes materialise this side of the mediterranean, at the other side of the pillow
sitting here in a tiny airport in anywhere town middle america, far from home & familiarity, i get the distinct feeling im exactly where im meant to be. everything in its right place.... sucking a lemon. im following the yellow brick road, passing deja vu-marked spiritual checkpoints that communicate to me im on the right path. towards what, however, is the question. towards fulfillment? enlightenment? life's answers? well it's the question(ing) that drives us. what is your emerald city? at this moment i know mine is the american dream of the ultimate stock hunting motherload.
such checkpoints have become more frequent on my savage burn across america fuelled by an arsenal of uppers, downers, screamers, laughers. not in a literal gonzo journalistic sense, but instead a sense of sole-searching for canvas/suede uppers, lace-deck downers, vans to make you scream, vans to make you laugh. it was a journey from the origins of the van doren rubber company in anaheim california, to vans current HQ in cypress, where i narrowly missed an ill-fated meeting with steve van doren himself (although i did get to sit at his desk), to my latest incarnation of emerald city itself; ie the holy grail of made in usa vans!! you have no idea what im on about?? dj shadow knows what im talking about. he's permanently tapped into the art of digging.
whether or not in the short term this aspiration takes me further from or closer to spiritual growth, i simply trust the divine flow of things to align me with the karmic lessons im here to learn.
'when are you going to come down'? i guess 1 day i will welcome that deadstock high water mark, when the river runs dry, & say goodbye yellow brick road. right now im staying put in my tornado alley 'penthouse', while my 'plough' is not 'hunting the horny back toad' but original vans, & my 'old man' is steve van doren. along with the music of hunters & collectors, elton & bernie taupin's classic has become an anthemic tribute to the life i've led of late. the lyrics speak to me & eltons fantasy vocals resonate deep. being a persoanl fave of late musician elliot smith speaks volumes. if you don't know what elliot's emerald city was then you best go buy his records, for the yellow brick road can be destructive.
of course 1 day i too will 'decide my future lies beyond the yellow brick road'. maybe i'll realise the american dream is in fact a lame fuck-around, a waste of time & my over-compensated desire to pursue rather than peruse blinded me from seeing that i have already what ive been looking for all along. until then however ive got toto africa to keep me company & instead of clicking my red heels, i will tap in with my 2-tone dogtown era's.... because one's never to young to sing the blue/red/blues.
vintage vans style #44 authentic
P07 mosaic print canvas
made in usa circa 1989
new with defects (melt marks/sole lift)
US9/UK8-8.5
a pure product of vulcanised heat, coming complete with melt marks, this model edged too close to the burning oven it was manufactured in. 2 blemishes to the foxing, & minimal lifting to the original innersole are only superficial & will not effect wearability, & in fact may even add to the deadstock appeal? i have been known to purchase shoes having sat on mannequins for 20+ years, & stock exposed to the light of a window display purely for that faded look of deteriorated originals. nos nostalgia!
we're back from our global stock hunting mission, armed to the teeth & bringing the heat! our inventive inventory is so hot even the shoes are melting! regular hours now commence as we work back through our emails, with a 6-day week in the very near future!! don't sleep
