As legend would have it, Ian Brown wore his Kickers Kick Hi to the infamous Manchester club Haçienda as a way of going against its strict “no trainer” policy. It was 1989, a year that saw rave culture and indie rock collide to spawn the Madchester scene. The Stones Roses frontman is often credited for setting the trend in the UK, as the footwear features prominently in the band’s iconic Fool’s Gold video, but the strong connection to music has always been there.
Elton John, David Bowie and The Who’s Roger Daltry were already fans a generation before, and Noel Gallagher of Oasis and Jarvis Cocker of Pulp affirmed the Kick Hi’s cultural relevance during the Brit Pop ‘90s. In the 2000s, British acts So Solid Crew and Rodney P gave the shoe brand new urban appeal, one that the Kaiser Chiefs, Arctic Monkeys and The Streets’ Mike Skinner helped sustain until the close of the decade. The French brand may have marked its 40th birthday in 2010, but it isn’t going away anytime soon: the group has just collaborated with edgy British designer Christopher Shannon, famed for re-appropriating the styles of his youth, on the limited edition Kick Chunk CS for autumn-winter 2012. Kickers has come a long way from its beginnings as a casual boot inspired by a poster for the musical Hair.
Mecca for the young
In another place and time, Bauhaus, a store on Nathan Road in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui, was beginning to establish itself as a mecca for the young and trendy. In 1995, it evolved into a flagship outpost selling classic denim labels from all over. Tough Jeansmith, the first in-house brand launched a year prior, quickly became a byword in the local fashion scene. The birth of women’s clothing line Salad and the military-inspired 80/20 in 2002 and 2005, respectively, propped up Bauhaus’s reputation as an ever-evolving company.
Frequent visitors to today’s Hong Kong will no doubt have noticed that Bauhaus, named after the influential German modernist art school founded by Walter Gropius, has continued to provide solutions to the curious riddle of retail: it has added even more international brands to its roster. There’s G-Star Raw and Energie, Desigual and Evisu, and Back by Ann-Sofie Back and Silent by Damir Doma. The names are enough to sate serious shopping urges.
In tandem
I was recently invited to get to know the product in a unique activity that was part-road show, part-snack time. Bauhaus and Kickers have already established themselves in the Philippines, but it was the first time that they presented their collections in tandem with each other, evoking the spirit of Christmas on a rainy day in October. Smoothly cloaked Brazilian models posed for magazine editors and journalists, who were, in turn, free to pose questions about the merchandise. The vibe was casual and it didn’t feel like a club I was not a part of.
Admittedly, Kickers is somewhat close to my heart. When I was six, my parents gave me the brand’s boat shoes to wear to Tokyo Disneyland. I’m also a fan of Swedish clothing label Cheap Monday, so I was thrilled to discover that Bauhaus now carries it in Manila. My eyes swiftly focused on a pair of go-with-everything Kickers King Black boots, bulky-looking but were actually very light. There were also Cheap Monday slim chinos in petrol green twill fabric — great rolled up or not, and familiar but cleverly tweaked — that turned browsing and trying into a wildly productive activity.
“Most fashion consumers now are not afraid to explore different kinds of pieces. They are more adventurous in mixing and matching styles,” says Clarissa Reyes, Bauhaus brand manager. “We play with creative, unique, detailed yet functional pieces. This is what makes it perfect for Filipinos.” That’s what I love — the right merchandise at the right price in the right environment, not staggeringly expensive but covetable enough.
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Kickers is available at all Bauhaus outlets: TriNoma, Shangri-La, Alabang Town Center and Abreeza Davao.
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