ACG Wildwood
I have a fascination with sneakers, born from a childhood spent in the music scene and from a year long spell working in cutting-edge marketing for adidas. I have 30 or so pairs right now, many of which I have never, and will never, wear.
For the longest time I was a die-hard adidas fan, but I have softened over the last couple of years as the quality of their heritage range has tailed right off, and Nike have started to catch up.
As well as being ahead of the curve with the heritage product, adidas were also setting the trend in retail presence as well. They were first to pioneer retail experiences dedicated entirely to heritage product, and built the awesome and groundbreaking No.6 store in London. They made the smart decision to keep their sports line separate (there was no Originals product carried in the adidas retails for the first 6 months), and they still operate hyper-successful Originals-only stores in many cities.
But once again, Nike has caught up rapidly. Over the last couple of years, they have even out-executed adidas, most natably with the beautifully designed, and well curated, store in New York.
One Nike line I have always loved is ACG - built for rugged outdoor use but beautifully designed and massively desirable. I have been looking for the original red/white/grey/black colorway in the Wildwood for the longest time, and was thrilled to find a pair on the UWS of all places yesterday.
Happy Valentines to me!
