XLR8R

With the sneaker-collecting hustle running rampant–spanning everyone from junior high kids to corporate execs–we got to thinking about the people behind the shoes themselves. So we hollered at Undftd's James Bond and HUF's Keith Hufnagel, who own the stores that stoke the fire for hard-to-get kicks. We phoned JB of JB Classics–on a break from designing displays for the next Sneaker Pimps show–to ask him about running an independent sneaker company. From Puma HQ, industrial design powerhouse Gavin Ivester broke down the connections between sport-shoe technology and fashion forwardness, and Vans' Steve Mills gave us a look inside the mind of Vans Vault. Here's a sneak peek behind the scenes.

Jason Bass
Owner, JB Classics
San Francisco, CA
Suite 2206

XLR8R: What was your inspiration to start JB Classics?

Justin Bass: I was influenced a lot by going to Japan and seeing the color palette [of the shoes] and the intensity of the testing core footwear companies were doing out there. There were a lot of shoes that never saw the light of day. That inspired me to investigate all these holes in the market that existed. I have an MFA and [have had] this whole creative bone in me from early on, and I sort of applied that to this lifestyle void in sneakers. It was something that I experimented with and it became my life real quick.

Do all your shoes start off with a theme?

I'm constantly influenced. An example would be going to the UK and stumbling upon the Jack the Ripper tour that goes on in East London and then being like 'I'd like to work out a Jack the Ripper-style shoe.' Then comes the shaping, the silhouette of the shoe, the color palette, researching, and before I know it, it's all applied to the footwear. A few months later, I'll hear a rapper like Kanye West mentioning Jack the Ripper [the guy, not the shoe] in an interview. Also, I find myself more now pushing into experimenting with actual footwear construction–the materials, the assembly process. For instance, I'll want rougher edges or certain materials to apply to killer bee graphics that I am coming out with.

Do you have a favorite shoe that you've made?

Some of the favorites are the huge collectible stuff. Me and NYC Lase–this graffiti head–put together the MOTUG (Monsters of the Underground), which had 10 artists [including Futura, Doze Green, and Shepard Fairey] on one shoe, produced 24 times, and released in a gallery in the Village. That was a huge inspiration to me. Once or twice a year I'll have a shoe that will shock me at how it comes together. Usually it has to do with collaborative efforts or a graphic theme that will play across many markets at once.

What is the longest you've worked on a shoe to get it right?

Oh, I just move on. I seriously look at it in a painterly way. Like, if I'm having a frustrating time with this painting, I'll move on to make another painting because the ideas are endlessly flowing. Lately, I've been nailing every sample [I get back from the factory]: the translations, the graphical stories, the color combinations, the materials. If anything, there are some construction issues that happen in any development stage, [usually] a matter of changing materials or applying different shoelaces or inner linings.

What kinds of things are exciting to you right now?

To me, it's just the acceptance of this whole sneaker culture. What was once this underbelly type of thing is now making really huge moves. It's really nice to see old graff heads and different designers coming out and putting a face to the retail part of this whole movement. And it's global. Wherever I go, there's another 10 new stores opening and you see the skate market adapting to this whole sought-after sneaker atmosphere. Now my mother or grandmother could walk onto a certain block and see various magazines that cover the culture.

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