One Block Down Interview The best sneakers shop in Milan
With the same enthusiasm with which we would add a seat at the table to make room for one more friend, we are delighted to say welcome to One Block Down in nss magazine’s network.
A young, fresh and dynamic as that of the iconic sneaker shop in Milan, fits perfectly with our conception of streetwear and we are more than confident that the combo nss-OBD will be something more than appreciated.
One Block Down ... But it is not just a store. It is first of all a project born from a deep rooted passion for the world of sneakers and culture linked to them. Maker and creator of all this is Patrizio, with whom we exchanged a chat.
#1 Hello Patrizio, where is born the idea and concept behind One Block Down?
The idea of OBD born thanks the history of sneakers. The first shoes that have left the play ground for the street were those basketball. First with and then converse with adidas that sparked the change came with Jordan in the 90 So all the imagery of the play ground in New York with the wire mesh, the basket and bold characters were the basis of the concept of One Block Down.
#2 When is started your love for sneakers?
My love for sneakers started when I was 6 years old during the elementary schools in the full of the 90, we had a band in which could access only those who wore nike. Michael Jordan was a myth that you could not follow, on and off, then the expected annual release which represented the largest evolution in terms of basketball shoes. The new pair I used to play only games, the old couple for training and the even older under my jeans. Maybe at the time I was one of the earliest that almost gave more importance to the look and the shoes that not the game itself, in fact, here I am.
#3 Are you inspired by anyone in particular in your choices of buying?
My buying is driven by the culture that I have and that I build over time, often what appeals to me is not just the horse to bet on but I have learned that some shoes or staining meet popular taste, then I always leave a little 'budget for me and for my friends.
#4 It was difficult to ask to the big brand their pieces to keep in stock?
In Milan in 2009 nobody was selling Jordan and we were orphans of one of the most influenced shops, Quinto Round in Corso Matteotti. So we decided to open One Block Down but it was not easy. Companies in Italy knew not relate shops sneakers like ours. The real work was held in chains, Foot Locker or AW Lab former World athlets. Our demands of the releases coming out overseas were misunderstood and selections of the product that arrived in Italy there soddisfava, so we decided to import a bit 'of shoes from abroad doing research before opening in key cities to the sneaker culture all 'era much more active than the Italian cities such as Tokyo, Barcelona, New York, Paris and Los Angeles. This led us to have a selection of products unmatched at the time, maybe everyone will remember the Nike Air Yeezy autographed by Kanye West when we visited.
#5 What is your greatest satisfaction related to OBD project?
Satisfactions arrive every day in an activity in which you put passion, sure I still remember when I was sharing between my old job and the store to carry on the activity or when I put my hands in my pockets to pay the bills because the shop could not pay them. Now of course it is great to see that there are kids who sometimes offer to help us exclusively for the sake of the cause. Another thing I'm really proud of is that One Block Down is not only a retail project but sometimes flows into social because many people find themselves in our store to make small talk with friends and with people who know the industry, this may is the strength of us and how our stores, giving something more than the noble size ?, Foot Locker and AW Lab.
#6 In recent times, the magnifying glass of the fashion world has settled on sneakers. The matching sneaker-high fashion is increasingly common and this has not done anything but make more consistent demand in the sector. What do you think is causing this phenomenon?
The phenomenon has always influenced fashion sneakers especially the street culture, just think of the run dmc with the hit My Adidas, or brands like Fila and Reebok used by supporters of English football teams or Jordan by the entire Hip Hop scene and subcultures createsi in the suburbs, told by authors such as Spike Lee. The difference today is that the streetstyle after 30 years on the sly is influencing the high fashion. Also there is to say that the high fashion is now in a time of crisis and therefore the approach to street can ensure that you acquire new customers more easily and market levels never reached before or with the bad attempts second lines now dead for almost any label. Perhaps this phenomenon has also occurred in the capital, in the age of globalization and global crises, even the privileged class moves his interest in sports brands that cost less and match very well with the outfits fashionistas. Remember, too, that influential people like Kanye West for the street scene who collaborated with Louis Vuitton in 2007 or, in the same year, Marc Jacobs, then creative director of Louis Vuitton, started a collaboration with Vans. In doing so they began to mix and contamination between street and high fashion until you get to today where companies like adidas based whole dedicated lines with well-known designers such as Yohji Yamamoto and Stella McCartney or Nike who works through his Lab with Riccardo Tisci and Hiroshi Fujiwara. And here come the many fashionistas but the sneakers are another thing.
#7 What would you like to come true collaboration in the future?
I don't believe in collaboration between stores and brands, but if some brand were to propose surely I would accept
#8 We look forward: what do you think Oneblockdown wait? What will be your future?
It's a very challenging question. One Block Down is a creative workshop than a shop. We give advice of image and communication. Maybe it would be nice to expand our sales network.
#9 If you were asked: choose a sneaker to wear for the rest of your life, what would it be?
The sneaker that I could wear for a lifetime is the Nike Air Zoom Spiridon launched in 1997.
#10 Shopping tips: the sneaker fresher for next season?
For next season certainly will be the Nike Huarache NM with a shape totally renovated.
... and if you would like waiting for the event to expand your collection of sneakers, our advice is to take a leap in the shop One Block Down - in Corso XXII March and the new premises Brian Berry & Building in Via Durini 28. Surely you you will find the right place and the right time to buy a bomb.
