{"id":49558,"date":"2009-10-21T14:28:29","date_gmt":"2009-10-21T19:28:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nicekicks.com\/?p=49558"},"modified":"2022-09-15T12:01:43","modified_gmt":"2022-09-15T17:01:43","slug":"1-on-1-with-bobbito-garcia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/1-on-1-with-bobbito-garcia\/","title":{"rendered":"1 on 1 with Bobbito Garcia"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n Bobbito Garcia has been a staple in the shoe game and its community for quite some time. He has been the spearhead in collabs with major brands such as Nike, Reebok and Under Armour. Now, the legend that some of you know as DJ Cool Bob Love has now come together with Pro-Keds for his spin on the classic Royal Flash model. Everyone knows that that Bobbito usually has the Midas touch when it comes to collaborations as evident by these photos of the aforementioned Royal Flash.<\/p>\n While everyone can see the great result of the Bobbito Royal Flash, not too many people know the history and the thought process that went into making this classic. Snkrs Day sat down with Bobbito, the author of the Sneaker Bible “Where’d you Get Those”<\/em>, to get a better understanding of the history and culture that both him and the Royal Flash carries.<\/p>\n With that being said, click here to read the interview with the legendary Bobbito Garcia.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n <\/p>\n \nBobbito Royal Flash Snkrs Day: First off, tell us a little about the Bobbito Royal Flash. Bobbito: The Royal Flash, which was originally released in 1979, has never been reissued since. Pro Keds approached me to be a part of the first introduction of the shoe in 30 years, which I am very proud of. I felt like since the four colors are a fall launch, it goes with back to school\/autumn season. However, it is also a representative of basketball tournaments and the playgrounds in spanish Harlem. Also, the Royal Flash first came to my eyes in the barrio (Spanish Harlem)…I picked up a pair of dead stock Royal Flashes in 89 or 90 and they are the very first shoe that was used (I paid 15 dollars for them)? on 116 and Lex. They are the very shoes I lent to Pro Keds, so that they could recreate this beautiful Bobbito Royal Flash. They didn’t even have the original shoe. All they had were the shots and photos that I presented to them from my book, “Where’d You Get Those<\/em>? New York City’s Sneaker Culture:1960-1987″<\/em> (originally released in 2003). That’s the reason they approached me to do the collab in the first place. Seeing that I wrote so fondly of the shoe in my book, they felt like I was the right person to bring them back out.? The 4 colors are: one that I’m calling ox blood (some people might call it burgundy),? swiss loading (army jacket green),? rust (spanish tile) and nugget gold. To my knowledge, the ox blood will not be available for retail.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: So since this is the 1st time this shoe has released in 30 years, did Pro-Keds reach out to you or you reached out to them? How did this all come about? Bobbito: They reached out to me because of what I wrote in the book, and I had a relationship with Pro-Keds dating back to when I was doing research for my book. I was definitely on their mind for years because they loved the book. They felt that it was really helpful to them relaunching the brand in the earlier part of this decade. So there is a decade worth of relationship between me and Pro-Keds. By the way, Damon Dash had the license to the brand for a couple of years and then they parted ways amicably. I don’t know if you saw it but the collab they did with Patta was ridiculous. They got me on board to do this Royal Flash, so I think it’s a good time for them and for the sneaker heads. My old heads are bugging out because they come by my crib, pick up the promo pair and their? like, ” Yo, I never thought I would see these again!”<\/p>\n You know there are certain shoes from our era that we just never really anticipated? to be reissued and this is one of them. I think the fact that Pro-Keds decided to do it is phenomenal! I got guys like Elliot Peter Curtis, who ran the Sneakerology 101 course at Carnegie Melon (first higher learning accredited course on that levels history) and loving the shoe. He’s flipping over the burgundy. My boy Ted Nitro from Spanish Harlem, who coined the nickname “Add On” for the Royal Flash (which I put on the shoe as a little detail) is? buggin out over it. Hopefully, both old and new? will accept the shoe and really treasure wearing it.<\/p>\n To read page 2 of the interview click here.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Snkrs Day: The shoe has quite a bit of history. There were some pretty important people that wore the shoe that people might not even think or associate with Pro-Keds. Were there any NBA players you remember wearing the shoes? Bobbito: As far as the Royal Flash, I can’t really remember any NBA player playing in them. I just saw it on the streets which is the beauty of it for me. Anytime I would go play ball at 120th (between 2nd and 3rd), I saw cats wearing the Royal Flash. It wasn’t a shoe that we relied on for pro endorsements to accept it. We kind of took it and endorsed it ourselves. Now, Pro-Keds as a brand, definitely has a long list of amazing NBA Players. If your from that era it was the players that we always wanted to emulate like Pistol Pete Maravich, Tiny Archibald and Kareem Abdul-Jabaar who wore Pro Keds. On the Hip Hop side, just read my book. I asked Africa Bambatta about Pro-Keds 69ers, and he just started flippin. That was the shoe he was wearing to DJ when he was creating this very culture. Crazy Legs is on record saying the 69ers and the Super Pro Keds were his favorite sneakers to break in. It’s a lot of history with the brand in terms of heritage and the 7os. It’s cool that a 19-year-old has no idea of that unless their heavy into reading my book like a Jeremy Ripley or yourself. I think their is a lot of potential for the Royal Flash, and we have already designed a low cut that will come out in 2010 if this Hi-top is successful, so I’m happy about it! I designed seven shoes for the 25th anniversary of the Air Force 1 that blew out. I designed a shoe for the 35th anniversary of the Adidas Superstar that blew out. Those are the two most iconic shoe designs in the history of our culture besides the Chuck Taylor. The Royal Flash’s whole generation of people is not even familiar with Pro Keds, so it’s a real challenge. With the help of Snkrs Day and other sneaker blogs, people will hopefully? accept it, and realize that this is a fly shoe. It’s comfortable and it looks fresh on the feet. If it sells, that’s a victory for me. It will be the first time I have really put my touch to a shoe and made it happen because of me.<\/p>\n \n \nSneakerology 101 class at Carnegie Melon Snkrs Day: What importance do you think sneakers have in the role of passing down history to the next generations? Bobbito: I think some times it has no role at all and sometimes it has a huge role. I don’t anticipate that a large percentage of the people that go and buy the Bobbito Royal Flash even care about the history and the heritage. They are just going to be like, yo, these joints are hot and the price is right. I’m not going to see like 50 billion people with the same sneaker. I can feel unique. If you’re a connoisseur, you would be intrigued by the history and want to buy my book or pick up the Just For Kicks DVD. If you read Snkrs Day everyday, you know.<\/p>\n To read page 3 of the interview click here.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: In your opinion, what defines success for a sneaker that you created? Bobbito: I think as long as? my peers are honest with me and tell me like, “Yo Bob, you did your thing”, then I’m good. It really goes as far as that. I really respect their eye and how they rock stuff. In the last two days, Scotch, who is a Graffiti writer from the 70s and 80s, came to the crib and literally wore the sneakers out the crib. He digested the shoe in my crib and wanted to wear it out. To me, there is no greater stamp. That’s my stamp of approval.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: In your book you wrapped up around 1987. Can you think of five current or recent shoes that caught your eye? Bobbito: I saw the LeBron VII in white and green on this dude Darrin who plays for the NYC Furry. Seeing the LeBron’s a month early, I was like wow. I’m definitely going to try to get me a pair of those. I picked up a the Reebok Omni Hexride last year,? two pairs actually. I been keeping them on ice,? kind of wearing them at certain games. I actually wore them at The Garden at the game for the Typhoon Victims. There still available on Eastbay, and I’m thinking about picking up another pair to keep on ice because they are a mad comfortable shoe to play ball in. I haven’t seen anyone in New York rock them. That’s where my head is at. I usually like sneakers no one else is thinking to wear. I saw a pair of Mizouno running sneakers about two months ago, and I’m still trying to find them. My dude Magic had them on at a basketball game. He is a little local legend from the lower east side of Manhattan, and I don’t know the model name but them sh**ts is CRRAAZZYYYY!!!!!? That’s a good three right there.\n<\/p>\n \nThe Air Max LeBron VII and Reebok Omni Hexride Snkrs Day: Thanks for taking the time out to talk with us. Bobbito: No problem, I always appreciate the shine you guys give me on Snkrs Day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bobbito Garcia has been a staple in the shoe game and its community for quite some time. He has been…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":149,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1225537,199],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n |