Onitsuka Tiger Mexico ‘66 Trainers

For a long time I’ve been interested in garnering myself a pair of Onitsuka Tiger trainers. In the recent January sales I managed to score myself a pair of classic Mexico ‘66 Onitsuka Trainers for the absolute bargain price of only £30.

It’s been a long time since we’ve had a review on Good Clobber, so it’s high time we revisited this feature. So here it is, my review of the Onitsuka Tiger Mexico ‘66 shoes.

First up, let’s have a very quick look at the history of Onitsuka Shoes: The company, founded in 1949 by former military officer Kihachiro Onitsuka is one of the oldest shoe companies in Japan. Onitsuka made history by introducing a basketball shoe with suction cups on the sole to improve grip; a feature which apparently found it’s genesis when Onitsuka was trying to prise a piece of squid tentacle from the bottom of a bowl.

In 1977 the company was having great success and merged with two other sports apparel manufacturers to become the ASICS Corporation. Despite the name change, the range vintage of shoes are still sold under the name Onitsuka Tiger. This particular style of shoe was originally called the ‘Limber Leather’ but is now called ‘Mexico 66’, a homage to the Japanese pre-olympic trials for the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico.

So let’s take a look at the shoe. It’s easy to see why they’re popular; they have a sleek and subtle style, they’re not obviously ‘shouty’ and yet they are easily recognisable, mainly because of the classic ASICS stripes on the side. This shape a style has been copied many times but never bettered.

Lightweight and well cushioned, these trainers are comfortable. The leather and suede upper is very flexible and so far they have held a good shape. I wouldn’t recommend them for anything more than everyday use; these aren’t shoes that were made for athletics or outdoor sport. I take a UK size 8 shoe and they fit fine, although I did add an innersole to this pair - just to make them a nice snug fit.

They tend to make your socks ride up around the heel. It’s a strange thing and I’ve never experienced this before in a pair of trainers. I think it may be something to do with the suede tab at the back - or it could just be the socks that I wear. Strange.

Also, be warned; the toes and some of the upper of these shoes are partly made of suede, a material that can look a little worse for wear if it gets wet or dirty. I’d recommend purchasing a suede spray and a good suede brush to keep them looking as new as possible.

This particular pair of shoes are in a grey / red colour way, which is why I think they were on sale - however there are many, many variations available and I don’t think this colour combination are the most popular. I picked up my pair in the sale at the UK high street shop Republic but you can find them in loads of shoe retailers.

I’d recommend these shoes. They look great, they’re comfy and so far they’ve held up well. I dare say I’ll be picking up another pair later in the year - keep your eyes open for sale prices.

Check out the official Onitsuka Tiger website here.

As a blog that’s interested in British sub-cultures, I want to take a quick moment to appreciate some footwear that’s a favourite with The Casuals.

Now, pulling off the classic 1980’s Casuals look is pretty difficult. In wearing a lot of sportswear brands you can skate you very close to a look that carries a lot of urban connotations. With that said, real devotees of the Casuals scene really know their clobber and Diadora is a footwear brand of worthy note.

A couple of years ago, Diadira re-released a fan favourite; the Diadora [Björn] Borg Elite, or ‘Diadora B-Elite’. Stocks of the shoes in white ‘Kangaroo Skin’ were very limited and popular sizes were selling for £250 on E-Bay. Subsequent releases are now sold for much more affordable prices, in classic colours made from leather.

Diadora is perhaps not a brand name that’s a main contender to the likes of Nike and Adidas, however the Italian brand has some interesting history.  The name stems from the Greek ‘to share gifts and honours’ and Diadora have been fabricating shoes since 1948. Wearers and advocates of their shoes included British Athelete and London 2012 boss Sebastian Coe and heralded Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna.

Diadora has found an almost legendary status amongst trainer-enthusiasts partly because of the commitment of the Casuals scene. The look great in these shots and the good news is that some of their styles are affordable. Check out JD Sports, 80’s Casuals Classics and Size? for shoes from as little as £25 (in the sale). Check out the official Diadora site here.

Thanks to the following for the info and pics. 1883 Magazine, Foot Patrol, Esquire, Nava Blog and Diadora.

The London 2012 Olympics is one of the best things our nation has ever done. This is a bold statement and many will disagree but this is only my humble opinion and I feel it has had a fundamentally good influence on Great Britain. I am sad to say that the games come to a close this evening.

As I’m sure you’re aware, Adidas are the clothing sponsor for London 2012 and to celebrate the games they have released these special edition trainers; Adidas Originals London 2012 - City Series.

I took a trip over to Westfield; the huge shopping centre next to the Olympic Park and visited the Adidas shop there to see these shoes up-close. I also went to soak up the final bits of the Olympic atmosphere that’s engulfed the country for the last seventeen days.

These shoes are fine footwear: As you’d expect from Adidas they are well made and well presented. They’re similar in style to a couple of Mod favourites from Adidas; the Samba and Gazelle. Admittedly, they are made from a fabric which won’t retain it’s colour or quality for too long; brightly coloured suede, however if you’re keen to get caught up in the zeitgeist, these shoes have a little bit of extra-special branding.

The general ‘look’ of London 2012 has had some disparaging response. As a nation we’ve got so much visual heritage and heraldry to draw from, therefore I  think it’s brave and clever to create something that doesn’t rely on these attributes but instead forms something totally new. The shouty, fractured, energetic design of the logo and branding certainly grabs you. No Olympic games have ever looked like this. They didn’t go with something ‘safe’, they took a chance - and given that this is the first ever games in history to sell out of tickets, each event has been a success and that the nation has been in a general state of positivity for two weeks, I can’t see how it’s been a failure.

I’m sad that the games are coming to an end today. However I’m glad that we’ve created a lot of positivity for our nation and it makes me proud to be British. Roll on the Paralympics - I’ve got tickets to that!

You can find the Adidas Originals London 2012 - City Series exclusively at JD Sports for £65.00 each. Check them out here.

Thanks to JD Sports and Adidas for the pictures. Go Team GB!