(*Read to the end for an interesting NYC story)
Introducing the JM-Proto1
Sorry for the Hype’d email title. Although not really. The funny thing about this project is that I can go to the extreme with the marketing and it’s part of the idea. It’s fun to write like a marketer, especially when you have an excuse.
Also as part of the project, I have to become a sneaker seller (Thankfully I need to raise a little money as well).
| Reserve the JM-Proto1 & print |
Meet the JM Proto1, a single sneaker sculpture in Men’s 10. The sneaker comes with a complementary 7×9 inch print (which I’ll show below), meant to be displayed together. This shoe is for your shelf and not for your feet.
This is the prototype—ordered before the tariffs. I have 37 sneakers for sale, 15 of those are spoken for (*if you’re a part of the yearly print deal, expect to get one soon.) They are modeled after the Nike Panda Dunk, the most popular fashion item in New York City over the last five years, inspiring waves of rival brand and fake knockoffs. The sneakers were produced in Putian, China’s “Sneaker City,” and are the same (or perhaps better) quality than the Pandas.
I have (almost) trademarked my signature, which is stiched into the sole. The white leather is printed with details from an 1870s map of the project area.
I then painted the soles with silvery stainless steel paint. As Crazy Eddie once probably said, “I should charge more, it’s a lot of work, but my wife will bust my ass if these don’t leave the house.”
I always wanted to be a painter, but alas this may be as far as I get.
About the print options:
1. Canal Street Pavement (2023).
This is right off Cortlandt alley near Broadway where the fake goods sellers primarily congregate. Looks a bit like crop circles.
1. Nike Panda Dunk, Prince and Broadway (2023).
This photo has a cool story. On the bottom right, the interesting black spaceman shoes belong to Richie, an outgoing renaissance downtown artist and native; a man who can talk. Super kind, occasionally says things that make me feel a bit uncomfortable. A spirited, talented artist, a musician, a friend who knows everyone in the neighborhood. He’s what this city is all about, and I’ll share an interview we did for the project in the future. Say hi if you see him and buy some art.
Richie has a photographers ability to notice details, I think better than me. The speed and training of watching and selling on that insane corner for hours on end is something else entirely. A master salesman with an unobtrusive, playful approach—it is jaw-dropping watching him chat up tourists in multiple languages.
I stop and say to Richie, “Man, I really need a hero photograph of the Panda Dunks, since I’m doing that part of the book on the sneakers.” Immediately he notices a Panda Dunk and bellows something in a deep voice to the man, who freezes. Everyone on the corner paused for a second, and this was that moment.
It’s just one of those photos where the cosmos align. I think to myself that it doesn’t make sense how that just happened. Or maybe it does because 1/10 people in SoHo were wearing those sneakers.
In the middle of the photo, next to the Panda, is Ken Hiratsuka’s 1984 sidewalk carving. On the left is someone wearing the then $1,500 Travis Scott’s with $600 Off-White™ track pants. (Can you imagine how bonkers my Instagram feed was while doing this research?
“The Air Jordan 1 Off-White “Chicago”, released in November 2017 as part of Virgil Abloh’s landmark “The Ten” collection with Nike, is a deconstructed reinterpretation of the iconic 1985 “Chicago” colorway. Combining classic Jordan heritage with Off-White’s industrial design language, it features exposed foam, stitched-on Swooshes, bold “AIR” and Off-White™ branding, and the signature red zip tie. This collaboration became a cultural phenomenon, redefining modern sneaker design and achieving grail status in the resale market, where it regularly commands prices well above $5,000.”
This was taken near the tail end of the sneaker craze, my favorite sneaker sighting. If he had kept these in a box they would be worth a fortune but he wore them through the bubble and continued to stitch them and make them more beautiful.
*Jordans are actually terrible for playing basketball in.
The black boots belong to this woman, promoting her Instagram handle. And there’s also a pair of New Balance sneakers, which is funny because for my entire life the company made dad shoes, until I became a dad and then the kids adopted it ironically and the brand became cool. So basically, I’ll never own a pair of New Balances.
| Reserve the JM-Proto1 & print |
Interviews
If you’re close to the LES in the next 10 days, I’d suggest checking out Aaron Stern’s curated show on 53a Stanton. Check out the video, Aaron has a wonderful community formula and the show is beautiful, with many small photographs that would sing on the walls of small city rooms. Aaron has a great occasionally sent newsletter, which you’ll enjoy if you like mine.
My dorky tour guide gallery crawl suggestion:
- Start the day at McSorley’s (opens at noon) with a couple small beers.
- Go to Dashwood Projects (maybe stop at Dashwood Books and buy a zine and a bag, or a book if you want to add some strength training to the day).
- Hit up Stern’s show at Abri Mars.
- Check out the show at Baxter St (Camera Club of New York).
- Optional: stop at Russ & Daughters for (obviously) a bialy, cream cheese, and lox—called the classic; #1 best meal in New York—or stop later in the day at the Essex Market food court for an easy but slightly less spectacular lunch.
- Finish the day at the ICP (new show opens the 16th). Attempt to resist buying a book.
NYC Photographs Shows List
Support Glass City
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Or try the yearly print plan, with a limited print every year on special Japanese Bizan rice paper (Out of a choice of three options).
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