Streetwear boutique Bunker is celebrating their 3rd anniversary this Saturday (tomorrow, November 5) and it’s going to be a good one. From 4pm onwards, expect drinks, great music from Bee Eyes, Mike’s Apartment and Sell Our Door, and a release of an exclusive tee collab between Bunker and Obey and the Bunker Medals jacket. Aside from the music and the special release, they will also hold a one-day-only SALE that includes select Obey Shirts at 500 php and other stuff in store. See you all tomorrow at RONAC for Bunker’s third.

I was first year high school back then when Pearl Jam and the Seattle sound ruled the airwaves. Plaid flannels were the way to go (yes, even with our warm climate) with the cut off denims or cargos and your 8-eyelet Dr. Martens boot.  Dr. Martens was all the rage, with people coining them based on the number of eyelets or material your boot/shoe came in. Oily/Greasy, Shiny or Suede, there were Dr. Martens for everyone. But like any other trend, it died down. People decided the boot was too chunky and sleeker and simpler silhouettes reigned supreme.

This post is way overdue but definitely not tardy to the party. Dr. Martens are back and now available at Bunker. The shoe still carries the trademark layered sole but the uppers range from saddle shoes to loafers to brogues. If you drop by the store (which is at the Basement of RONAC), you’ll see pieces from the Modern Classics and Duple collection. Prices range from 5-7k php but definitely a refreshing look, especially if your wardrobe is limited to sneakers and flipflops. My picks here are the Doane (saddle shoe), the 1461 (the 3-eye Gibson) and the 3989 (5-eye wingtip brogue).

While you’re checking out the Dr. Martens at Bunker, pick some Jason Markk Sneaker cleaners as well. The original kit won’t be produced anymore so better pick one up today!

Yup. They just got here. They delivered the shipment while I was out all day yesterday. I’ll be delivering stocks of the 4oz and 8oz kits to the following stores:

• Titan (FORT)
• weLegendary (Kamuning)
• Bunker (RONAC)

Deliveries will be done throughout the day. 4oz kit retails for 750 php while the 80z kit goes for 1350 php.

The shipment finally arrived yesterday. Beginning today, February 12, you can now get your Jason Markk Premium Sneaker Solution at the following stores:

• Titan Barbershop (Forbeswood Heights, Burgos Circle, Taguig City)
• Bunker (RONAC Art Center)
• weLegendary (Kamuning, QC)

We have the following items now available at the three stores (see below). Bunker will also carry the basic kit (8oz bottle + standard brush). Hurry and get yours before they run out! Come correct, come clean.

Premium Brush (Hog Bristle)- best for suede and delicate materials, Php 550

Microfiber Towel- exclusive to Titan Barbershop, Php 550

8oz Refillable Bottle- Php 850 (available at Titan and Bunker)

4TW 4oz Kit- Php 750 (available at Titan and weLegendary)

JULY:

Heat Check! Although the looks weren’t at the top of anyone’s list, the adidas TS Heat Check is one comfortable shoe for ballin’. Adidas went hard with this, signing up and comers in the college game to wear the shoe. With the 3stripes changing color when your game heats up, it was a great gimmick to go along with the great technology.

Five Fingers. Not your conventional shoe, Vibram Five Fingers splashed onto the scene. Although this isn’t really a sneakerhead’s shoe of choice,  the shoe works as an alternative, especially for performance. Weird, yes. But does it work? Yes.

Vans Vans Vans. Vans has been pretty aggressive in 2010. From launching their OTW, California, Vault lines along with opening Concept Stores at key malls (Marquee, Galleria, and Glorietta), Vans was definitely off the wall. They have more in store for all of us in 2011. Watch out now!

Titan. Along with all the new stores that opened in 2010, Titan I believe made a major impact in the shoe game. Barbershop + Hoop store in one, Titan had their game on lock since day one. With special releases (Big Stage, MVP 7s, 5 Rings, Js, South Beach, Halloween Heat Checks and Superman Beasts to name a few) since they started, Titan’s been the top of mind store for hoop afficionados from all over. There’s more in store for us in 2011. Even we’re bringing in some quality TV to the store. You’d want to make Titan your second home this coming year.

AUGUST:

FINALLY. After waiting for months on end, I finally got hold of my personal grail. I don’t care if they’re retros. I don’t care if they pale in comparison to the 08s. The Air Max 90 Infrared’s my personal favorite. After asking a couple of friends to pick them up for me, personally deliver it from the US, and going through all the trouble, I finally got ‘em. Happiness indeed. Later in the year Nike also released the Laser Blue and Pink AM90s to complete the OG line. Once again, 2010 gets a point for making things happen.

Who Knows. If you’ve checked out any of the sites posted on this poster, you must’ve heard the song already. Our boys Marc and ANE rocked a good one this past 2010. Local sneaker anthem? Most def. Who Knows got the whole (sneaker) world groovin’ to the beat.

APL. Athletic Propulsion Labs first came to be sometime March but was available in store over at Titan. The shoe was supposed to make you jump higher with the load n’ launch technology. With the hefty price tag, not only should it make you jump higher, it should also wake you up and bring you coffee when you need it. A few months later the NBA banned the use of the shoe in the A. Best endorsement ever? No doubt.

OCTOBER

The Return of Creative Recreation. The brand’s back and swingin’. Creative Rec‘s notoriety ended sometime 08 and resurfaced this year with a new group. Young, upbeat and definitely clicking, expect more from the group for 2011.

LeBron 8- Transformation is Unstoppable. With LeBron creating the most noise during the offseason, everyone was looking forward to LeBron’s first shoe with the new team. Enter  the LeBron 8. Since dropping in October, Nike released the V2 which officially dropped last Christmas.

OCTOBER:

More New Brands. Let’s admit it. We got spoiled in 2010. With new brands like United Kranes (above) and Keep (below) reaching our shores, we now have a quality selection. No need to get nasty ass kicks.

Fast Don’t Lie. Even though Nike’s been running the PE (player exclusive) game, adidas banked on their two major superstars to bring in the premium money. With the AdiZero Rose, adidas released an ultralight hoop shoe. Honestly, fast don’t lie.

Pacquiao-Margarito. Manny had another fight in 2010 and faced Antonio Margarito last November. With this fight, Nike once again had a whole MP collection lined up. From a new signature shoe (2 Trainer 1.2s), hoodies, and tees, Nike put out merchandise that really evoked Manny. I was fortunate enough to sit in on a telecon with the Nike Design team days prior to the launch of the line.

NOVEMBER

New Balance In The Building. New Balance also made an impact on both the performance and lifestyle lines. With the Night Runners, the 1226, 574 collabs, 1500s, 150s (tricolor) and collabs that never made here (577 LE Vault above), New Balance just made the game better.

Special Releases. From Js to LeBron’s South Beach 8s, the local scene had their fair share of camp outs and line ups for special release. Though some pairs also came out on regular stores the following day, attending sneaker event just makes it all better. You get to meet other heads, you get to see mad heat on their feet and people just get it. Definitely be on the look out for special sneaker events in the coming year. There will be more.

DECEMBER

December was one crazy month. But let me just enumerate things that made a mark for the last month of the year:

1- TS Beast Release/Fortress of Solitude (500 pairs worldwide, 40 pairs in the Philippines)

2- RONAC Art Center Officially Open

3- Vans Flagship Store Opening

4- Nike Special Releases (AW77 Hoodie, Jordan XIIIs, Player Exclusives, Cool Greys, Stoplight Pack

5- weLegendary’s One Day Sale

6- Niketalk Summit- Free Kicks, Awesome people. What more can you ask for?

7- Reebok Zig Slash- Do The John Wall!

8- adidas Neo official launch

9- Pointer/Huf now available

10- CoG store opening

Yes, those are just some of the things that happened in December. Clearly, a lot has happened over the year. For the site, traffic blew up. From 40,000 hits the whole of 2009, Sole Movement hit 482,044 hits for the whole of 2010. Affiliations with sneaker brands, stores, and the scene (Ronac, the Collective, etc) made the year a memorable one. What to look forward to 2011? You’ll just have to check the site out more for the local sneaker/street culture scene. Happy New Year and Cheers!

JANUARY:

adidas x Star Wars

It was a treat to see the Three Stripes do something interesting on the lifestyle front. From bringing in Storm Troopers to launch the line to actually bringing in the goods (Yodas, SL72s, Superskate Mids to name a few), this was the best way to start the year. To see more, check the actual post here.

Zoom Kobe V

I hate to say it, but the man can sell shoes. With the success of the IV, people can’t wait to cop the Vs after seeing Mamba wore them on Christmas Day ’09. Release date got moved so many times but hey, they dropped. 2010 saw so many colorways of the V drop locally and almost everyone got theirs. Heads were happy, some rekindled their love with sneakers because of the V. All I can say is nice. Check out the Official Release info here from Januar 2010.

Nike Dunk High Premium, DJ Series “DJ AM”

I’ve said time and time again that I started shunning Dunks. But Adam was a sick DJ. Adam was a sneakerhead. Adam was a major player in the game. Having his collab with NSW drop here was simply amazing. Hideout had a field day with these. Shoe sold out in minutes. There was a raffle for the lucky ones. I, on the other hand, stayed home. Read more about DJ AMs release here.

FEBRUARY:

They Legendary

weLegendary’s been around for over 2 years and loyal patrons from up north and way down south would take the trip either on a Friday, Saturday, or sometimes midday releases for the heat they brought in. From PRods to Omars to Dunks and the infamous Janoskis, weLegendary took care of their peoples. Monthly drops (sometimes biweekly) got people scrambling for them, it was just a great way to meet fellow sneakerheads whenever wL had a drop. By November, the weLegendary crew opened their third store over at RONAC Art Center. Truly, having weLegendary on our shores made our sneaker obsession legendary.

MJ 25th Anniversary Releases

February’s all about MJ. From the release of the not so popular AJ 2010 to the Silver Anniversary joints, Nike and Jordan Brand celebrated Michael with a boatload of kicks throughout the year. Local sneakerheads had their fair share of Js- VIs (Motorsports, Oreos, Black/Reds, Sakuragis and Infrareds), Anniversarys, XIIIs (white/red, flint, altitude), and the Cool Greys to name a few. February 17 is Michael’s Birthday and the whole world celebrated the man, even here in the Philippines.

RIP- Alexander McQueen

The fashion industry lost another one in February. A few months after his death, Puma made it big by bringing in Black Station, the cat’s high end designer collection. Alexander McQueen, you will be missed.

SBTG x SOLE MOVEMENT

Ok, so I was the only one who benefited from this. But it was something that had to be known. World-Famous SBTG did a 1 of 1 for me and I loved it. Usually he would ask you what you want on your sneaker but for this one, I asked him to go organic. He was so happy and came up with this. Mark Ong, aka SBTG dropped by Manila in March for his Circus of Mutants line with DC Shoe. The man’s awesome, and so is this shoe. If you guys want something real bad, go for it. You won’t regret it. Even if they’re Obsidian Janoskis with brown laces.

MARCH:

Passing the Peace- Bunker’s 2nd Anniversary

Bunker celebrated their 2nd year and it was fun. It was a cool Sunday afternoon and friends from all around celebrated with Borgy and co. Bunker eventually moved to RONAC by the 3rd quarter of the year. Being one of the upstarts in the game, we saw a couple more stores pop up in 2010. Expect the scene to grow some more in 2011.

Reebok ZIGTECH

Reebok got back in the game with the global launch of the Zigtech. I was able to get a pair months in advance and was impressed. Funky as hell, the new technology from Reebok caught the eyes of a lot of heads and over the course of 2010,  we would see the Zig run all over town. Thank God the Zig revived the ‘Bok.

Nike Trainer SC 2010- Manny Pacquiao

March was MP month and we were all met with a new MP signature shoe. The Trainer SC 2010 was Manny’s 4th shoe in 2 years and was the shoe he used leading up to the Pacquiao-Clottey fight. Unlike the previous 3 releases, this one was a GR. After all, Manny is the People’s Champion, and the people needed their piece of MP.

APRIL:

mi adidas

With April being more of a quiet month. It was all about POPs for Basketball and summer kicks. But if you wanted extra flavor, you could make your own via mi adidas. I was able to make my own and along with other brand ambassadors. We all had a crack at making our own special pair from the Three Stripes.

Sample Sales

For summer kicks and limited releases, the local scene had their share via sample sales from the brands. Vans did a couple throughout the year via Trilogy and heads were happy. Bad thing about it? You had to be a sample size (9 for most brands) to fit the goods. Sucks, but hey, at least the practice of having sample sales are now upon us.

MAY:

adidas Originals Street Party

adidas had their Street Party in May and it was a good one. From all their Originals collection embodied in one street party, we had fun that weekend right before election day. In 2010, adidas Originals brought in a lot of kick ass collections to our shores- Star Wars, OT Tech, ObyO, Ransom, Fafi, Vespa, and Porsche Design to name a few. Fail? They didn’t bring the Mega Collection. Otherwise, adidas brought their a-game in 2010.

Manila, meet Jason Markk

I was fortunate enough to bring in Jason Markk- the premium sneaker solution- to the Philippines. I believe that true heads need premium kits to keep their kicks premium. Launched in Manila last May, Jason Markk is now available locally via Titan, Bunker, weLegendary and Commune. Stocks are extremely limited but are still available at Bunker. The new shipment is arriving this January. Be patient, people!

World Cup fever hits RP Soles

World Cup Fever hit the globe in June but as early as May, adidas and Nike brought in their special releases for the World Cup. From Dunk ACs to Lunar Rejuven8s, Nike had their Country collabs in while adidas had their WC kits and Originals Pack in tow. Spain won it all and adidas sold out on their ESP goods. Hopefully with the Azkals push this month was any indication, football can be a Philippine-loved sport in the long run.

Air Attack Pack

I’m an Air Max nut and learning about the Air Attack Pack hitting the scene, that got me trippin’. With a hilarious viral to boot, Nike reminded everyone why people love their Nikes. As much as I enjoyed the Pack, there was one shoe that I was patiently waiting for and it would come in later in the year.

Rebirth of the Boat Shoe

Boat shoes are back and with classic brands Sperry and Sebago back in the game, boat shoes are all the rage. I took a liking to Sebago as they had some slick colorways and even better collabs. Manila had their fair share- from the 40th Anniversary Docksides (above), 1946 Ltds,  and the Vane Collab, the brand recognized the sneakerhead’s fascination for the limited. Expect a lot more from the brand in 2011.

JUNE:

Comic Cameo

One of our followers emailed me this image from his comic. Sole Movement is now part of Pop Culture! If you look at the top right, the site’s name is now a store’s name. Could Sole Movement be a sneaker store? I’ve thought about it, we’ll see how things go in the future.

More Brands Hit the Local Sneaker Scene

With the sneaker scene growing, you don’t have to wear your Nikes 24/7. We had so many brands come in (or make a comeback)- Clae, Generic Surplus, Creative Recreation (comeback), Keep, Vael Project, Pointer, VFF, Barefootwear- just to name a few. More to look forward to? Most Definitely.

I GOT THIS

With the Kobe Vs being a hit all year long (I actually lost count on the number of Vs that released here), this was one of the few that everyone had their eyes on. “I Got This” was taken from Kobe’s Hyperdunk ad from 2 years back but made sense when Nike made a collab with Aston Martin. Having 72 pairs locally, heads were happy to cop this special release with the Mamba getting his 5th ring in the decade. With the lining lasting a good 2 hours, Kobe fans can do their own version of the Aston Martin jump via photo magic (aka green screen) during the event. With Kobe winning another ring, his V colorways jumped 3 more- a 5 rings, and the 2 Big Stage Vs.

World Basketball Festival

June also marked the start of Summer and the amazing program Nike Inc had in store for the World. Nike had their annual summit and launched WBF- World Basketball Festival- a bi-annual event to celebrate basketball. With the event happening at NYC, Nike Inc presented their three brand offerings for the summer to the media. This got heads excited as the packs were all great.

Six months into the year and so much has happened. I can’t believe we went through so much product in 6 months. But are we really complaining that products are actually reaching our shores? Thought so.

If you haven’t picked up your kit, you can pick it up at the following stores: Bunker, Commune, Titan, and weLegendary. The Original Kit and the 8oz bottle is now available at Bunker, Commune and wL, while the FTW kit is available exclusively at Titan. For provincial orders, please contact me at martin@solemovement.com.

I strongly suggest you buy your stock from these stores and Sole Movement as you are buying it from the Official Distributor of the product. Resellers and Multiply sellers sell it much much more than these stores are selling them. If you have any questions, feel free to email me or comment on this page as well. Thanks and have a great weekend!

Last weekend was the first time I was able to drop by the RONAC Art Center, this peculiar building along Ortigas, an installation that I believe is the home of local street culture. I heard about RONAC for some time now, maybe dating back to late 09. Big Boy of Fresh Manila, also head honcho of RONAC, had some images of the court and shared plans of what was going down.

With Bunker opening a couple of months back and with First Dibs happening there this year, I had no reason not to drop by and check the place out. I was impressed with the place! From the materials used, the wooden elevator, the steel panels, everything- you definitely get a sense that RONAC was well thought of. Blood, sweat, and tears (and a boatload of dough) was put into the center and it’ll definitely show. With a quality court, a couple of stores all slated to open November 2010, good eats (Charlie’s Grind & Grill and Yoggle), RONAC is definitely a destination for all you design enthusiasts. I got lazy with the photos again but here are some to at least get you interested.

If you park at the basement, you’ll immediately see Borgy’s joint, Bunker. Moving his store from  the Fort to RONAC was definitely a wise decision. Carrying select apparel, accessories and footwear, Bunker’s got goods that you only see on the net or read in magazines. From special edition Product (RED) CLOTs to the Pattas, Bunker’s got the elite status on lock.  The store also carries Vans and some QK/Tier Zero Nike pieces. Bunker also shares the space with OBEY, the iconic street wear brand. The OBEY store’s got hats, tees, and other garb worth your hard earned dough.

It’s all about timing. I also dropped Jason Markk Premium Sneaker Solution at Bunker that day, making them 1 of 4 stockists carrying the quality solution. With Bunker carrying JM, we now have QC, Ortigas, the Fort and Makati covered– all areas where you’ll also find special kicks.

Like most of my posts, my photos will never do justice to the places I check out. Blame it on being overwhelmed or just appreciating it (and not immortalizing it by clicking), but RONAC, Bunker, OBEY are just 3 reasons why you should visit the Art Center. And with Yoggle and Charlie’s at the ground floor, do you even have to think twice?

RONAC Art Center is located along Ortigas Avenue (right before the Petron by the corner of Ortigas and Santolan). Grand Opening is slated to be on the 6th of November. Congrats to Big Boy and the rest of the Fresh Manila crew as well as the Commune guys for successfully hosting First Dibs 2010.

Talk about taking lazy photos. A dozen or so people had photos so why bother, right? Well, I apologize for the laziness. And obviously this is not indicative of what went down yesterday for Bunker’s 2nd Anniversary over at the Karport. Better check out someone’s facebook posts for better images of the day’s event. I even left early as I had to get some stuff done for the fam. Mad props to Borgy and the rest of the Bunker crew for Passing the Peace since 08. I failed to pick up a Tee but I’ll most likely pick it up one of these days. It’s a pretty simple yet cool tee. Each tee comes with a Peace hand so that you too, can keep the peace. I’d like to invite everyone to check out the kicks, tees, and everything else  sold at Bunker.

For much, much better photos of Bunker’s 2nd, check out kingcrux’s site here.

I guess I’ll see you guys there?