Located in Aberdeen, Scotland, Hanon Shop carries some of the most innovative independent brands on the market, as well as selected product from some of the majors. Beyond that, the store also works to produce collaborative product that is equally innovative to that which stocks the store and website. Their latest has them working again with New Balance on “The Flying Club.”
Based on two of the most famed RAF aircraft, the Tornado and the Spitfire, “The Flying Club,” also brings a third party to the table, Ventile Fabric. A hearty all-weather cotton, Ventile pushes the theme, and keys on the history capture in the design. Just as their are two planes referenced, their are two shoes in the collection.
I had the opportunity to speak with Hanon’s Edward Toft about the sneakers. He shared background on both the design and his memories of New Balance. -- Nick Schonberger
"The Flying Club" obviously has a great deal of history based inspiration. Tell me a little about the creative impulse that drove the design and idea.
ET: In some respects the Flying Club idea is a continuation of the Northern Sole series we released a couple of years back. We really liked the concept and I guess still feel quite close to it. When we first visited New Balance here in the UK we pretty much knew we were going develop that idea. It just seemed to fit. The factory is based in Flimby, a small town situated in Cumbria, which lies on the coast in the North Of England. It's a pretty unique area. You can only really get there by car, and the wind and sea seem to batter the place all year round. It has a real industry feeling of yester year. The counter culture and that identity that exists in the North would also have been an influence, and with Ventile's history and as their roots and production lie in the UK, the idea seemed to connect quite quickly.
Picking the M670 as a base... desire for something different? Personal memory? Why this silhouette out of all in the NB archive?
ET: After working with New Balance over the years we have built up a bit of knowledge on the back catalogue. To reflect the Ventile concept the shoe had to be an archive model. When we were growing up, the styles I most associated with New Balance would have been the 577, 670 and 576. Those models stood out compared to other running shoes. They had the right amount of technology without being overcooked. They also had the big N! This project probably wouldn't have suited too many other models as the tweaks we wanted to introduce such as the mesh bound tongue, polyurethane collar lining and even the cotton laces wouldn't have had the same resonance. Ventile is pretty old school, so I guess the shoe had to mirror that.
The connection to flight and the Ventile fabric is pretty clear. As far as utilizing it on a shoe, it seems well suited. Did you think about the dual nature of it (as accurate to the idea and also functional) when choosing to go that route?
ET: The dual nature of the fabric as to the concept and whether it would function on the shoes was considered from the outset. We had some knowledge of Ventile being manufactured for submersion suits during the War and it's standing as a performance fabric today. The Flying Club concept really developed as we dug a little deeper and it seemed to align quite well to Ventile's association with fighter pilots throughout the years.
Each time we have worked with New Balance especially after the last project, the idea of outsourcing performance fabrics was something we were keen to revisit and develop. Since the Schoeller M990 and working with the factory guys we had an inclination Ventile would function well. New Balance can also turn around a sample pair of shoes in an afternoon so we can wear test each style before the final production model is released.
Thinking more about youth and styles that you recall. What role did New Balance play for you? What are some of the secondary connections between the brand and music/style culture?
ET: It must have been on the back of the first Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul albums. Lyrics in the songs referencing New Balance and snaps of the groups wearing them would have been an influence. NB was a brand we dipped into and the 577 in the navy colourway was the style. Until then it was mainly skate shoes, but even getting your hands on any decent footwear where we lived was quite tricky. Most of the time we relied on holidays or friends to pick something up for you whilst they were away.
Having collaborated with New Balance today, I like the understated approach they have and the fact they still make, as well as from the archive, top class running shoes. To me, that's where the connection lies and why people like the brand. It's not in your face, or endorsed by celebrity sports people. It's just good.
Could you tell me a little about how you approach collaborations in general?
ET: The idea of a 3rd party fabric has been the starting point for the last two projects and I feel this has been a good area of approach. It seemed like quite a natural progression from our initial collaborations of colouring up the shoes. As a concept, The Flying club came around and clicked in as soon as we had sourced Ventile for the upper. This differs slightly to the Northern Sole project as it was concept first, so I guess we don't really have a particular formula or strategy, it just starts with an idea and then we try to take it somewhere.
We have a good relationship with the New Balance factory guys and the advice they have offered on each project has had a bearing on the direction of each project. Some of the old school details we have been able to introduce to this project came about though regular contact with them.
New Balance are already well designed so you don't really want to mess with them too much. I guess the aim is to create something that has a point of difference, is produced well and functional, and also respectful of each brand.
Being located in Aberdeen, what are the main channels of influence driving style? Past and present, if there has been a change.
ET: Today, Aberdeen I would imagine is much like any other city. The internet has really changed things in terms of how quickly people can react and adapt to trends. I think the influences are much the same but the information is now instant and it moves really quickly. Pre web days, everything would reach us a bit later. Although on the other hand, menswear in general can shift quite slowly. From our perspective we still work with many of the same brands we did from the outset. Levi's Vintage and New Balance spring to mind as companies that continue to influence with iconic products that are pretty much timeless, and I think they will always be there or thereabouts.
"The Flying Club" set will release on Saturday, September 6. Aside from Hanon, they will be available from Someday in Australia, Sneakersnstuff Sweden and 24 Kilates Spain
