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HANON X NEW BALANCE -website -pics This spring we are proud to present the hanon 'Northern Sole' series - a forthcoming collaborative project with New Balance. The hanon x New Balance 'Northern Sole' footwear series pays homage to those early rare & obscure soul 45s that were pressed in short runs and became integral to the Northern Soul scene that flourished in English club venues such as Wigan Casino and the Torch club in the 60s and 70s. Each shoe is manufactured in Flimby, Cumbria, in similar short edition runs of 120 pairs as our tribute to the energy and excitement that the Northern Soul fans invested in their culture. Just like the patches that the Soul boys would collect from the Clubs they visited, each style will come with its own unique ‘Club’ badge set to collect. hanon’s Northern theme is also a tribute to the massive influence that the Northwest of Britain has had within trainer culture generally, a legacy that spread from the 1970s football terraces to the Madchester era of The Hacienda and on to the present day. To accompany the forthcoming project we will be releasing a selection of canvas prints by esteemed photographer Brian Sweeney. A veteran of leading art, advertisng and editorial campaigns, glaswegian photographer Brian Sweeney has become one of London's most sought after snappers. Shooting for Melody Maker, The Face and ID magazine, he has captured stars such as Oasis, Happy Mondays, The Chemical Brothers and Eminem. For Sweeney the Northern Sole portrait series is very much a long-term labour of love. I began taking photographs in Cumbernauld, the Scottish new town where I grew up, and then, when I was touring with bands in the 90s taking pictures of the towns we visited became the ideal means to keep me out of trouble (ie the pub) during the day. He says: I suppose these pictures are really a celebration of how I grew up the shared culture of 70s architecture, the rundown terraces around the football grounds. When I was young, watching football was really the only reason kids had to visit another city. This pictorial record probably mirrors the music and the clothes I was into then. It wasnt a difficult or uncomfortable thing to do. In some ways, I didnt even think about it in terms of a preconceived idea or in terms of research or preparation. I think the photo doc style works well too. I had in my mind old photos of Joy Division, The Fall, The Mondays, Josef K and so on. These reference points are where it all came from. hanon x Sweeney gallery wrapped canvases will be released in conjunction with the shoes. 4 Prints will be available in editions of 10. Our roll out will start on the 28th of April and will consist of one edition of Northern Sole© trainers, 1 x club badge set and a Brian Sweeney portrait limited edition postcard as featured in the campaign. The postcards will be hand numbered and unique to each edition. There will be a total of 4 models released each in a strict edition of 120 pairs. |
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