The new Fourstar tour film is up and running on thier site.

I’ve always been a huge fan of Andy Mueller and his tight crew over at the Quiet Life. For those in the dark, Andy heads up design duties for Lakai shoes, contributes a ton of his work to Girl and Chocolate Skateboards, shoots flicks for Fourstar/Ruby, still keeps pumping out various projects for his OG company OhioGirl and even runs a small indie music label by the name of OhioGold Records. Phew.

Regardless, I just realized his brand new catalog for fall/winter 08 went live on their site over a week ago. Be sure to head over and give it a thorough browse. Don’t forget to check the “Good Cause” charity T-Shirt project as well. In Andy’s words:

“Good Cause is an ongoing project of ours to raise money and awareness for The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. It is personal cause for us, because our son Owen suffers from cystic fibrosis – a genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive systems of about 30,000 people nationwide.” Buy a great shirt and support the cause today.

Why a sneaker social network?
A social network just made sense; there were more than a few blogs floating around by the time we started back in ’06, plus message boards were a staple in the culture. But there was really no interactive community site that catered to sneakerheads specifically.

Did you ever imagine the site would blow up like it did? Was that part of your plan?
I’d love to say that this was all planned but I’d be boosting. In my opinion SP blew up because people needed something more, they needed a little piece of the web they could call their own and connect with likeminded heads, share pics, or get silly and battle kicks. The blogs showed us a lot of love early on, and our invite-only policy also really helped us focus on quality over quantity.

Are you making a living off the site?
Can’t complain! We’ve had a lot of solid brands supporting our community from the very beginning.

What were you doing before the site?
Ironically, before Sneakerplay, I dabbled with blogging and was contributing to a few of the “cool culture” blogs, going to school and running a business.

What’s the most rewarding part besides money?
I would have to say being able to connect people and seeing them establish real friendships.

It seems like everyone’s always trying to swoop everyone, but how do you actually swoop the other sites?
All our content comes from the community, so we don’t have any issues with that. If you go to our gallery you’ll see close to 200,000 pics—that’s all user-generated.

What’s your favorite blog on the interweb?
Here’re three: Techcrunch, Hypebeast and Zenhabits.

What are your five favorite shoes?
Don’t have a fave five. Right now I’m feeling more of the casual sneaker-inspired footwear from independent brands like Ubiq, Clae, Visvim and skate brands like Supra and Lakai.

Least favorite five, or most overrated.
This list is a bit longer and is pretty much filled with a lot of the releases from the big boys. Mind you that smaller labels are not immune to putting out garbage either.

What attracts your eye to a particular shoe?
Simple silhouettes are key, quality materials and comfort. Also, indie labels get a heavier rating on my scale—support the independents!

Where do you see designs going from here?
Less vintage and more future-forward designs, eco-friendly materials and manufacturing processes. Hopefully the future will bring more quality products and a new wave of conscious consumption.

Lastly, do you own a pair of flip-flops?
I actually have one pair a friend got me from Uniqlo. I haven’t worn them yet. You could say I’m keeping them on ice indefinitely.  

In case you don’t follow skateboarding or just like the ambience of living in a cave, Scott is an amazing pro skater, and one of the first white dudes on Chocolate Skateboards (way to break those barriers!). On top of making a name for himself on four wheels, Scott’s always been known for his impeccable personal style. So when Scott transitioned into shoe designer at Lakai, no one was surprised. As the saying goes, if the shoe fits…

When did you decide to become a shoe designer?
There wasn’t a time I said to myself, “I’m gonna be a shoe designer.” I guess the first sign of interest was when I got my first iMac. I would play around with Illustrator and teach myself to draw. I got into drawing shoes and submitted one to Lakai; it ended up being my first pro shoe. Through the years of having pro shoes, I’d go into the design office and work closely with the designers. Most pro shoes are made without much input from the skater. What prompted my career change is age. I’m not getting any younger and I’ll eventually have to hang up the pro board. So better get started on the future than try to hold onto the past.

Your first pro shoe on Lakai was definitely the best-looking shoe in the line, but the shoe was never made. How frustrating or disheartening is it to do all the work and produce a sample, only to have the shoe go into the vault?
I was bummed that shoe didn’t make it. It skated great and for that time in skate shoes, it had a good shape and a nice low sole. Years later everybody is asking for it. That always happens. The market is far behind what we want to make. It’s very frustrating that you can’t do exactly what you want with the design. Sales will always slow down the progression of design. Sales will always look at what’s done well in the past and request more of that. At the end of the day that’s what it’s all about, making shoes to sell. It’s fun to tackle the challenge of making something you like that is also received well in the market.

Lakai makes strictly skate shoes, but do you ever get the urge to design something that isn’t built around the abuse a shoe can take from griptape? Will there be a Scoot’s secret stash?
I’ve been thinking of that a lot recently. When I have the extra time I’d like to start working on a shoe of a non-skate nature. We could release something that is off the normal skate style. It just comes down to when we have the room in the line.

Would you still wear the black Lakai Staple with the fake red Prada tab on the heel? How do you feel about designs or cues that’re so obviously borrowed?
When we did that obvious bit it was very new to Prada. It wasn’t really their trademark thing at the time. So we thought we found something outside our market that would be cool to apply to ours. Now it’s Prada’s swoosh.

What attracts your eye to a particular shoe?
Shape is everything to me. Toe view is most important since you have to look down at it.

The silhouettes of shoes have slimmed down a lot in the past couple of years, and the market seems to favor simpler, classic, almost retro shoes at the moment. Do you think that’s just nostalgia, or was design simply better previously?
Nostalgia is a big part in what’s going on right now. The classic look is running everything right now. Everybody wants to look like a pro from the ’80s. Also the key purchases that go on right now are men buying items they wanted as kids but didn’t have the money back then, whether it’s BMX bikes, sneakers, or whatever.

Where do you see things going from here? Are designers just going to increase the height of high tops until they hit your knees?
I think it’s gonna go back to tech, but with a more refined, cleaner look. It’ll have elements from classics, but modernized with new outsole constructions and materials.

What are your favorite shoes?
Nike Wovens might be my favorite. That is the one shoe I got into collecting when they first came out. I’m glad I still feel that way about them since I have so many pairs.

What are your everyday, go-to sneakers?
Lakai Manchesters and Chuck Taylors.

Any new brands impressing you right now?
Visvim. The brand started out making a few shoe styles. Now they put out a full line with bags, clothes, etc. The quality of materials they use is on another level. The owner of this Japan-based brand is so gnarly I’ve heard he consults for Comme des Garçons.

Hello my name is…
Kelly Bird.

I was raised in…
I heard Geto Boys on the radio a lot when I was in high school.

The reason that you’re reading about me is…
Most likely because I know Canale, but being the Brand Manager for Lakai might have helped a little.

I work for…
Lakai Limited Footwear.

Right now I’m working on…
Ideas for this year’s Halloween costume.

But I’d rather be…
Shotgunning Monster Energy drink until I have a permanently irregular heartbeat.

My most prized possessions are…
Signed print from the first Danny Way mega-ramp shoot, my wedding ring and Fully Flared.

But I’d give it all away for…
The opportunity to witness Barak Obama take the Presidential Oath of Office in January.

The first thing I do in the morning is…
Awkwardly hunch over the toilet in an effort not to pee all over it, then hit the kitchen for some green tea.

The last thing I do at night is…
Usually Colbert.

My mom always said…
“Because I said so, that’s why.”

I love it when people…
Who make $28 grand a year and have no health care vote Republican because they can’t stand the idea of abortion. Pure brilliance.

I can’t stand when people…
Are full-fledged adults and can’t properly dress themselves when their friends get married.

The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen is…
Hakeem Olajuwon completely dismantling Shaq in the 1995 NBA Finals after he’d just annihilated MVP David Robinson in the Western Conference Finals.

The ugliest thing I’ve ever seen is…
Sam Cassell.

I am what I drive, which is…
Magnetic Grey Toyota Prius, aka the new black Jetta. It’s pretty much every third car in LA, so would that mean I’m a waiter/Scientologist?

If you ever see me walking down the street…
This question obviously wasn’t written with Angelenos in mind. Uhh, if you ever see me walking down the street…uh, I don’t know. I guess say what’s up before I get into my car.

My most notable run-in with the law…
Arrested in Memphis at the 2007 MTV Sports and Music festival for destruction of property. If you’ve ever caught an episode of The First 48, you can understand why spending 36 hours in Shelby County jail could be sketchy for someone such as myself.

If I had to say sorry it would be because…
You slept outside a store on a sidewalk for something that cost $18 to manufacture.

I lose control when…
I hear George Bush talk.

The last time I swore I’d never drink was after a night of…
Getting barreled.

Future projects and plans…
November 4th, do or die.

And before I leave I’d like to give a shout out to…
David Cross.

I hit up Felix when I heard rumors about Converse re-launching their skate program, since he was one of the architects of Con’s first foray in skateboarding. Felix can be a pretty modest guy in his way, so I wasn’t expecting so much honesty about the ins and outs of the industry. As a veteran pro skater, shoe designer, clothing designer and stylist (and who knows what else he has cooking), Felix knows more about the shoe game from firsthand experience than most will ever learn. Feel free to see everything the man is juggling via onefelix.com. —PJC

Seriously Felix, have you ever met a shoe you couldn’t match to an outfit?
I’d have to say no. Riggin’ my kit is a pastime. But recently I’ve been streamlining my personal color palette. It makes packing so much simpler. So I travel in one colorway all the way down to my board.

Is the object of acquiring kicks to impress other heads? Or is it just pure materialism?
Being from New York, your kicks do a lot of talking, so I think it has just been embedded in my cerebrum since birth and strengthened as I grew up in that environment, where I found myself running home at times to not get flipped for my kicks in Washington Heights.

Are you still heavily influenced by NYC and nostalgia?
Definitely. I was around for the birth of hip-hop and B-boying, and I grew up alongside rap music in New York, so when I get in an old school state of mind it makes me remember some of the greatest moments in time, back when the NYC greats put swagger in the whole world’s step.

Who’re you working for now?
For the last three years I’ve been working for Famous Stars and Straps on various aspects of the company, more recently focusing on marketing and team development. But I always do some freelance design as long as it is non-conflicting with my work or sponsors. Seems like my workload is always growing.

You got any new shoes coming?
Some of my most recent shoes designs were a Nike Supreme I remixed with my cat head logo in chrome, like an allover print, for the Sneaker Pimps Tour; mid- and low-tops I did for Lexani Lifestyle; and a line of shoes for the Double B Brand, which you can check out at Finish Line.

How do you feel about Converse’s new push into skating, now that the brand is under Nike’s umbrella?
It has yet to be seen, but it’s completely expected. The blueprint we laid out when Converse made its first go set the template for Nike and all others to follow. Using classics with a twist for skateboarding, sneaker heads were able to get their OG favorites in new color stories with a slight morph of modern technology to bring them up to date for our abusive lifestyles. No hard feelings, but when Converse had their abrupt break before relaunching, unfortunately a lot of royalties fell through the cracks, so that was a tough break. It would be nice though, after I put them on two covers, in about 100 pages of editorial, and toured 15-plus countries, that I would be contacted. But hey, to be real, no one there now probably knows that history.

What was your title when you first got with Converse?
Endorser, but I worked on design, team development, marketing. I helped direct the company with the help of Andy Howell after we were able to get the “Skateboard Division” out of the mainstream advertising company’s hands, because I wanted it to succeed. The skateboard line was run kinda like a smaller company inside the bigger one, so we were able to have a lot of wins fast, but not fast enough in such short a time to carry the company. My shoes were top-sellers and at one tradeshow Shane Wallace [owner of the Active chain of stores] said he wrote orders for more DVS Daewons and my shoes than anything else at one ASR, so that was flattering. 

eBay—love it or hate it?
Cool if you don’t want to leave your house and have no friends. But I just recently tried to freak the game and searched for Kanye’s Air Yeezy hoping a stylist might had swooped some and put them online…

Which pair are your everyday go-to sneakers?
Lately, blacked-out Boings ’cause my feet hurt after I’m done skating. I’m kinda rough when I ride and got caught up in this vulcanized crack cocaine. These Lakai Rick Howard Selects hurt so good I love ’em, but my feet are humming when I’m done skating. And I’ve been pimping these all red Pony Uptowns ’cause they match my car.

Who are some sneaker heads that keep it rilla?
DJ AM—his kicks are always clean. I loved watching Javier Nunez doing frontside flips in the red Supreme Blazers days before they dropped while all the fools sleeping on the sidewalk in line for them cringed.

Any brands that impressing you right now?
In skate, Lakai has clean styles, so does Fallen. Gucci will always do some cool stuff, although since the departure of Tom Ford, stuff has fluctuated. Royal Elastics will do some cool stuff and has never sacrificed their integrity. Right in the middle of skate and fashion, I’d give it to Supra. Supra is probably the most I’ve been impressed lately.

Kelly has been busy as a busy bee can be launching Gravis’ latest push into skate shoes, the IVSK8 line, but took some time from his Italian vacation to talk about sneaker design. Unfortunately he couldn’t be bothered to send a photo, so you’ll just have to pretend you’re reading a novel that hasn’t yet been made into a movie.

How’d you get such a great gig?
Before joining Gravis in ’07, I was the Design Director at Podium Distribution, home of DVS and Lakai. I started working there back in ’97, but I moved to Oregon to work for adidas for a bit then came back to DVS around ’01. [With Gravis] it’s still hard to believe, but I actually applied for the job online. They didn’t have a position open at the time but in the end it all worked out…I guess they liked what they saw.

What was the hardest part of developing a new line? Was there total freedom, or what were the constraints?
I’m given a fair amount of freedom to come up with designs, but it’s interesting, sometimes that actually makes my job harder. I can design for days if I’m given the opportunity. But when you’re working on a pro shoe, you know there’s going to be specific wants and needs pertaining to shape, fit, comfort, materials, etc. It’s that type of input that helps me when starting a new project. But what really makes it tough is not getting the results you expect during the sampling process. Taking one step forward and two steps back drives me crazy.

The silhouettes of shoes have slimmed down a lot in the past few years, and the market for retro shit just seems to grow. Do you think that’s just nostalgia, or was design better before?
I don’t think shoes were necessarily designed better back then. I think those shoes were designed for specific purposes—especially athletic shoes. Silhouettes, panel shapes, padding, sole designs—they all had a reason for being there. Today you have the elements of fashion that have a bigger influence in the overall design.

For me it’s interesting. I’m down for retros and reissues but at the same time I can appreciate today’s influence of fashion and technology in footwear. I’d have to say that some shoes are a bit over the top, but I don’t mind wearing some teched-out trainers or b-ball shoes. I guess it’s the influence I have from my time in Oregon. But don’t get me wrong—the shoes still have to look good.

What direction do you see shoes going from here?
It’s hard to say, but knowing the current state of our economy and the big push to go green, I’d say footwear brands will put a good amount of their efforts towards affordability and sustainability. As for design, let’s just wait and see.

What are the companies you’d like to emulate or equal? Do any other brands impress you right now?
I like brands like Know1edge and In4mation. I like what they stand for and I have a lot of respect for them. I really like what Clae is doing; Visvim holds it down as well.

I used to live right across the road from Cock and Bull in Santa Monica. I only went to the bar once, to meet this guy Mike Piscitelli, a photographer I met through Jason Dill. (They used to do that clothing company Fucking Awesome together.) I don’t remember what Mike and I talked about, but I drank two pints of Boddington’s pretty quickly, then walked home. As far as I know, Mike has gone on to be a really successful photographer, I think?

Considering this night of boozy olympics is hosted by Travis Graves of Mt. Egypt and the inimitable Clyde Singleton, it should prove more eventful than that forgettable night.