An Adidas Ultra Boost six months later update

After religiously wearing the Adidas Ultra Boosts for half a year now I thought it was time to give a update since in my earlier blog post I praised them very highly.

Now while I do still love this shoe to death I cannot help notice specific issues which have occurred after wearing these shoes for while.

The main problem is the sole, it has worn down extremely fast, granted I do wear the shoe a lot however I cannot help but feel disappointed since this was a £130 pound shoes. Now that is not a cheap shoe by any means so a part of me expects better, I simply wanted them to last a little longer.

The problem does not lie with the lack of traction or grip on the shoe, the problem is that the sole has worn so thin that it has split completely. This is a major problem as it leaves the boost material exposed, boost is such a soft and fragile material that I hate to think what damage has been caused.

Now this does not apply to the newer models of the Ultra Boosts as Adidas has completely changed the material on the sole. They now use Continental rubber, Continental is a brand of car tires so as you can imagine this new stuff holds up pretty well.

Do not let this deter you from purchasing Ultra Boosts as they truly are my favourite shoe on the market the comfort and style is unbeaten in my opinion. However simply bare this in mind if you are looking at the older models they could wear down on you a lot faster than you expected. I do 100% advise you to opt for the newer model with the Continental sole.

I have included a photo of my damaged Ultra Boosts, however the damage does not translate into the picture to well, as they have been super glued together in an effort to try get as much life out of them as possible. Due to this the damage may not appear as severe however I can assure you the split in the shoe was shockingly deep.

Reselling in the community

James Marriott a popular fashion blogger lives by Dame Vivienne Westwood’s motto: “Buy less, choose well, and make it last”, when it comes to buying clothes. He looks for quality brands and tries not to fall prey to reselling.

A lot of brands popular in Streetwear sell out so quickly people have to resort to a secondary resale market and purchase products at inflated prices. Egalia3 is a reseller who has bought Adidas shoes for £150 and sold them 24 hours later for £450.

These price increases are extremely common, specific products such as Supreme Box Logo t-shirt will consistently sell for at least four times the retail price. Most resellers know which items will have value and which will not, they use this knowledge to effectively control the market.

Certain brands guarantee high resale, a supreme box logo t-shirt will retail for £35 however it will always sell out in seconds once it hits the online store. You can be assured that literally minutes later you will find them posted on eBay for at least four times the price.

Shoes usually produce a greater profit. Yeezys are a trainer Kanye West made in collaboration with Adidas, the retail price was £150 but you can now find them on eBay for as much as £1200. In Hypebeasts most expensive shoes of 2015 article it says: “The YEEZY Boost 750 “Triple Black” came out on top as eBay’s most expensive sneaker, averaging an extortionate $1,876 USD at resale”.

The resale market buys extremely limited items and then sells them at inflated prices, most people believe reselling to be a curse put on the community. However it is viewed as a double edged sword while people hate paying the inflated prices, they need resellers to acquire items they could not get when they originally released.

Fashion graduate and blogger Styles by Nico said that buying items just to sell them instantly for a quick profit is ruining the community:” I think it’s very unfortunate that people can buy things at retail then sell them two hours later and obtain a couple hundred dollars in profit”.

Fashion writer and blogger Riley Tenglar says reselling is acceptable he said: “because I personally have made a lot of money reselling shoes (specifically Yeezys) and it’s been relatively good to me”. A lot of people buy items just to make profit enabling them to purchase more products.

The majority of resellers use bots to purchase these extremely hard to get items. Bots are a computer program in which you put your payment and delivery details. Bots enable the user to checkout and purchase items faster than any human ever could.

A lot of the community view bots as an unfair advantage, they make it incredibly difficult for the average person to buy popular items. Style by Nico said they are an unfair to the average customer: “The problems with bots are that it gives users unfair advantages over everyone else”.

They are a common method, Mathew Pike editor of Bucket and Spade said bots should only be used for personal use: “if you’re planning to use the product, but if it’s just for resale purposes then it’s not cool at all”.

However realistically for reselling to be an effective way to make money, resellers need to be able to buy a large amount of stock. Since a lot of stores limit customers to only being able to purchase one of each item resellers have resorted to find what the community call plugs, these are back door dealers.

People like Riley Tenglar have these options at their disposal he said: “I’ve been lucky enough to figure out other ways of copping hyped items like backdoor links or knowing the right people”. The deeper you go into the Streetwear industry the more connections you make, your success as a reseller truly depends on the people you know.

Resellers are able to continuously sell these items at the hugely inflated prices because people often prefer to have an item that has a lot of hype around it, rather than something that actually is more fashionable or suits them better. It is this mentality that is cemented into the culture which has given reselling its fuel, a lot of people view it as showing off but there is a more to it.

People desire these items because they admire celebrities and want to own the same shoes or t-shirt as certain celebrities. When influential celebrities like Kanye West wears something people immediately want it, the product sells out and a resale market for that specific item or brand opens up.

The attraction for these types of items also comes from owning something that very few people have. For a lot of people it is not a bragging right that they have something others cannot afford rather they have something that others physically cannot get. Jain Deleon who is Complexes style deputy editor mentioned in the “Sold Out” documentary: “Resellers are a bi product of a culture fuelled by the need to sort of have one thing that not necessarily everybody else have”.

Currently there is not much you can do to combat reselling, if you want to get certain items you either have to be lucky or willing to buy them for the inflated prices. However as Riley Tenglar said: “it is not the end of the world if you miss out on an item, stunt with what you have and cherish your grails”.

Are designer brands worth the money?

Mathew Pike the editor of Buckets & Spades said: “If the quality is there I have no problems paying a higher price” he is always placing the quality of the garment above everything else. In society there is a negative stigma when it comes to spending a lot of money on basic pieces of clothing, is it truly worth paying £150 for a plain t-shirt?

Designer brands can cost anything from £60 to £250 for a plain black t-shirt. For this price you could buy 100 t-shirts from Primark. This poses the question are designer pieces worth the price? How can they justify such a price tag?

Is it the quality of the garment? Designers such as Rick Owens use cotton blends that have either silk or viscose woven in, while Fear of God use a Japanese cotton for a lot of their pieces. Lucas Lee Tyson a popular fashion blogger said that the noticeable quality difference justifies the price: “the quality is definitely noticeable to myself and those around me”.

The quality of these pieces help extend their life span as they will hold up for a lot more years even when worn and washed regularly. Harrison Gering a popular fashion blogger,  says it is this extended life time that justifies the investment. He said: “if I spend $15 on a shirt that loses its shape/color after a few washes I’ll have to buy another one in say 3 months”.

However it is not just the materials used that drive up the price. A lot of innovation is put into these articles of clothing designers put their own twists on the classic plain t-shirt, hoodie and shirt. This can take form in a boxy fitting t-shirt, a cut and sew flannel or an elongated hoodie. People buy into these designers because they become fans of the designers they appreciate the work put into the clothes that give  the clothes a subtle difference. It is these minor design features that appeal to people. James Marriot a popular fashion blogger said: “these simple pieces have features that make them stand out above and beyond the likes of HM, Uniqlo etc.”

Jerry Lorenzo, the creator of the brand Fear of God, said in a GQ interview: “We created an entirely new silhouette, which comes with a lot of costs”. It is this extended design process and the risk designers take that can inflate the price as the process is a lot more expensive and time consuming compared to releasing a regular plain t-shirt.

It is this innovative design these brands create, that cheaper brands such as H&M and Uniqlo mimic on their clothing to make them more current. You can find things such as slits in the side of tops, dropped shoulders and oversized fits all made popular by designers such as Haider Ackerman in your local H&M stores.

This again poses the question why are people spending so much when they can get similar designs for so much cheaper. People buying these designer clothes view them as an investment, popular Youtuber T Blake covers this in one of his videos when he discusses the brand John Elliot. He said: “a piece of clothing were you can wear it a couple times and still sell it afterwards”. These clothes retain their value, you can buy a John Elliot t-shirt for £150 wear it for two years then still be able to sell it for around £100.

Most designer brands retain a lot of their value some even rise in price as they stop being produced and become a rare collectors’ item. This is why people view buying a £150 t-shirt as an investment, you get a quality garment that if need be can be sold for most of its base value.

It all comes down to whether you have the funds available to spend this much money on basic pieces of clothing. The fashion community believes they justify the price tag, if you have the money you definitely will not regret buying high fashion pieces.

The Daniel Wellington Classic Bristol watch review

There comes a time in every man’s life were he has to say goodbye to his treasured casual beat up digital watch and upgrade it to something a little classier. A few moths ago I was able to take this step after receiving my first leather strap watch and after wearing it religiously for the last three months I think I am finally ready to give my thoughts.

The watch I got was the classic 40mm Daniel Wellington watch with a dark brown Bristol leather strap and rose gold detailing.To start with the watch comes really nicely presented in a leather box with Daniel Wellington engraved on it. Once you open the box you are greeted by the watch secured in a cream leather holder. Which underneath has the guarantee, basic instructions, strap pin and and a little history behind the watch.

 

Now originally when I pictured a leather watch in my head the frame was always silver this to me was just the norm for these type of watches. However as soon as I pulled this one out of the box I instantly fell in love with the rose gold. This really is a beautiful watch, my initial thoughts were of how the brown and gold complement each other so well. I honestly could ramble on about the way this watch looks and why I love it for hours but to try prevent that I will sum up the details of the watch.

 

Firstly the watch face is timeless it has just a plain white face with a little Daniel Wellington branding in black. A hour and minute hand in rose gold, the hours are marked by rose gold lines and the casing is also rose gold. On the back you will find the battery in a silver casing with some more branding on it. The time so far has been very accurate it is still a new watch but its showing no signs of lagging. As for durability it is holding up stupendously there is no sign of the gold rubbing off and the glass has remained scratch free. Honestly I am impressed I have caught the watch on things numerous times but it still looks new out the box.

 

Now for the strap, the deep dark brown really is a superb colour it looks fantastic on the wrist and complements most outfits. The strap has also aged nicely the creases give the leather its own character. The buckles are also done in rose gold and again have Daniel Wellington branding on them which is a nice touch. The only thing I would say about the leather strap is that it was unexpectedly stiff, it took at lot longer then I thought to break in but now that I have it is perfect.

 

One of the great things about Daniel Wellington watches is that the straps are easily removed and on their website you can buy a whole range of different straps. This means you only have to buy one watch face but you can have a multitude of different watches. They offer all the different leather and canvas straps essentially meaning you can have a whole load of watches just by interchanging the straps. You can have a smart brown leather strap watch for an evening meal and then the very next day switch it out for a colourful canvas strap perfect for a day out.It is just incredibly satisfying to be given such and easy and useful feature that can prolong the life of a watch for years.

Overall I think it is a must have watch, the quality is really nice the style is timeless and you have the option to customise your watch. After owning one I can safely say they are worth every penny you can purchase them here, I highly recommend you pick one up before time runs out.

Walking on clouds, the Adidas Ultra Boost

I recently picked up the Adidas Ultra Boost in Core Black and I have to say they are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. I absolutely love them, they are atheistically incredible the materials they have used feel premium. The best way to put it is that they feel sturdy when you hold them in your hand it all feels very well put together.

To start with they come nicely packaged in the standard Adidas Ultra Boost box which is a nice vibrant box. It has a range of colours and a funky design which is a nice touch. Also the paper used inside the box has Boost branding all over it which again its the small things that make the product feel special.

Now for the actual shoe itself they consist of a Primeknit upper which is the Adidas alternative to Nikes Flyknit. It is such a soft material that really just shapes itself around your foot which really adds to the comfort factor. But this also makes the shoe fit rather snug so for me personally since I have a wide foot I had to size up on these. I have also heard that if you put a shoe trees in them you run the risk of ripping the Primeknit.The sole consists of boost which is really what sold the shoe to me apart for the fact it looks great, having boost makes them unbelievably comfortable. What boost does is it gives energy return, the sole is made entirely of energy pellets which is why it looks like polystyrene. Do not quote me on this but I believe there are over 3000 pellets in them which so far is the most in any Adidas shoe. There is also a stretch web on the out sole which gives them that extra durability and Torsion technology for that added support.

The Ultra Boosts also feature a plastic cage on the side which gives them the three stripes and is actually where the laces are threaded. The laces are threaded though the cage so that the shoe can be one whole piece with no breaks essentially making it a sock.

The Ultra Boosts also features a few nice additions for example metal lace tips, a 3m reflective Adidas tag on the tongue and hits of silver on the side of the shoe and on the inside.

Overall this is a really great shoe that I would recommend to anyone, you get a amazingly practical shoe. Along side a very stylish shoe that has been in the public eye a lot recently thanks to Kanye West. The quality is there, the comfort is there and the style is there what is not to love.