For avid readers of blogs like Hypebeast, SlamXHype, or High Snobiety, 24 Kilates [store info and website here] will be a familiar name. In fact, just recently it was announced that they are doing a stellar collaboration with New Balance, which has sneakerheads keeping an eye on their site.

On my last day in town and prior to meeting a friend for dinner, I ventured into Conti 24 Kilates, and was immediately greeted by a mural painted by SF’s David Flores, instantly reminding me of home–and my early morning flight. The crew was super helpful and the store is stocked with rare kicks [including a lot of Alife’s and the first ever “formed” Voltron I had laid eyes on from the Rebook colab], a huge selection of imported toys, and impressive selection of graf books and DVDs, and lots of clothing.

I’m not sure where my travels will take me next, but I highly suggest dropping by 24 Kilates if you happen to be in Barcelona’s neck of the woods…

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One of the perks of my day job is that I get to travel to some pretty cool places–like Barcelona, Spain. Once my work duties were done, I dusted off my Spanish and made a beeline with one of my colleagues for some of Barcelona’s coolest sneaker shops. First stop, the world famous Trust Nobody [website and contact info here]–2 levels of sneaker, toy and skateboarding heaven.

While I am always reminded how sneaker-stocked we are in SF, it was amazing to see the breadth and depth the store possessed. From limited edition and super hard-to-find kicks, to toys from Kaws and Bearbrick, to a full floor dedicated to skateboarding, reminding me of Huf and other similarly situated stores stateside.

Their prices and selection were great, but I was instantly reminded of how week the dollar was when I picked up a pair of shoes, but that is the price you pay to be in the game. Big thanks to Julio, who hooked me up and was gracious host. Next stop: 24 Kilates…

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There is a great cover story in a recent issue [should still be on many newsstands as of this writing] on the new direction of Nike under their CEO, long time employee Mark Parker. Instead of breaking things up into products [shoes, apparel, etc.], Parker has broken things down into divisions by sports. The article shows that Nike is laser-focused on global domination and serves as a great case study for any global business.

Read the article here….

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Sorry for the long overdue posts–personal matters have caused me to be a bit more distanced from the blog than I would normally like, so I shall make it up with a number of posts for those of you hungry for news on new kicks.

In keeping with their tradition of celebrating Chinese New Year by creating a shoe [or shoes, in some cases], Nike has dropped the Nike Year of the Rat Willdwood 90 Free Trail. Free Trails are super comfortable, and this year’s shoe is a bit more subtle than last year’s Year of the Pig pink woven 360’s…If you are lucky enough to live in Asia, you should be able to pick these up now. Thanks to our friends at Hypebeastfor the images.

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