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Jason Coles

@madebyjase

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Exec Producer, #sneakers & #sports nut, cohost @soleful_podcast, author of ‘Peter Moore Sneaker Legend’ ‘From Soul to Sole’ & ‘Golden Kicks’
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March and September are the biggest months of the year for your friendly neighborhood SneakerProfiler. We celebrate my arrival and mourn my father’s 2025 departure during the month that marks the End of Nature’s Slumber and the start of Nature’s Awakening. September hits different. In the month of Nature’s Harvest, we celebrate the arrivals of the PrincessProfiler, Stic Stanko, and the Missus in one week. At the beginning of the following week (today), we celebrate my father’s arrival. I just learned that this month and day also further connect me to my HerzoFam. It’s a small world after all @just.in.puma I’m grateful to the person with the instinct to snap this shot of me in my father’s arms. It’s -perhaps- my favorite childhood image to Appreciate. See you soon (in the ether) ||| PEACE | LOVE | SNEAKERS ||| #sneakersopher #sneakersophy #herzofam #herzogang #herzolove
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adidas ‘ZX 8000 C’, made in France, 1989. Well well well… Finally the chance to own a pair (possibly first edition) came up and I couldn’t resist. Too important a heritage shoe not too. There was a horrible previous sole transplant done prior, so it took some time to locate a proper donor, get the work done and get them in rotation. Especially with this summer we’re having. Huge thanks to @thomas_bapodo78 for helping me get them, @secondsoles.de for the deal on the donors and @david_mills_customs for the restoration job which was a toughy! • • #adidaszx8000c #adidasmadeinfrance #adidasmadein #adidasvintage #adidaszx8000madeinfrance
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(2/2) The Puma Basket transitioned from leather hardwood performance to a 1980s street icon, mirroring the Puma Suede by anchoring hip-hop, b-boying, and graffiti. While the Suede offered soft, flexible, brushed texture, the Basket delivered a rigid, clean leather upper that defined concrete style. Born as a leather basketball staple in the early ‘70s, the Basket was built for lateral support, featuring a heavy-duty leather upper and sturdy rubber cupsole. As the ‘80s rolled in, dance crews in New York & Around the States embraced the silhouette. While its sibling the Suede ruled the spin-heavy dance floors, the crisp leather shell of the Basket became the choice for those who wanted a shoe that wiped clean easily and looked pristine. Writers and urban youth embraced the thick Formstrip lines and bold color pops. The “wipe ability” made them a clean, yet durable choice for a long day of bombing & exploring the urban landscape. I spoke with hiphop & graffiti legend @keo_xmen about his days in Puma Baskets in the 80s. Brooklyn native @rondeisel has shared with me his stories of copping and admiring baskets at store fronts such as VIM, Triangle & the Army/Navy Store. BBoy @destuno speaks often about his inspiration from Beat Street & the crews affinity to wear Baskets. What stories do you have about the Puma Basket? 📸 Early - Mid 80s Made in Yugoslavia Puma Basket #MyPumaArchive #PumaBasket #PumaSuede #PumaClyde #HerzoGang
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(1/2) For a long time, many of us in the Puma & Sneaker community have debated the links, timelines, and history of the Puma Crack, Clyde, Suede, and Basket. @sneakerprofiler and I have been researching and discussing these models almost daily for nearly 18 months. With the help of others, including @helmut_puma78 and @madebyjase , I believe we now have a clearer understanding of their true history, timeline, and connection than perhaps anyone else-including the brand itself. This #SuedeSunday , I want to focus on the model that often gets forgotten: the Puma Basket. Even Wikipedia repeats the story that Walt “Clyde” Frazier rejected the Basket because it was too clunky. Many histories leave it there. But the truth is that before the suede Clyde debuted in the NBA in 1973, the leather Basket was already on the court. Developed around 1969-70 and released in 1971, it offered a leather alternative to canvas classics like the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star and competed with leather Adidas models such as the Supergrip, Pro Model, and Superstar. Clyde himself wore and promoted the Basket while his signature shoe was being developed and continued wearing it later in his career. Both the high- and low-top Basket remained in NBA rotation well into the mid-1980s, with many players choosing it over its suede counterpart. The record is finally being set straight by four dedicated enthusiasts: the Clyde is a refined Basket—not the other way around. The long-repeated story that the Basket was simply a rejected Clyde can finally be put to rest. This post is about giving the Puma Basket its proper flowers-perhaps for the very first time in written sneaker history. 📸 Early 1980s Made in Yugoslavia Puma Basket #MyPumaArchive #PumaBasket #PumaSuede #HerzoGang
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There is no runner in U.S. American Track & Field history who captures the soul/spirit of running in the manner Steven ‘Pre’ Prefontaine did… and continues to do in the legend of his short time on this planet. He was aged only 24 years at the time of his passing on 30 MAY 1975, but he left an imprint like no other… very few, at the least… on the sport of Running (especially at the Middle Distances, 2000–10000 meters)—my favorite distances to run. In fact, he held every national 2k–10k record, and he never lost a college/university race beyond the 1k mark. I fully understand the mentality of a runner at those distances. I fully appreciate his accomplishments. Pre was not only a 1970s runner competing at the most elite levels, though. He was a philosopher of sorts. He was/is quoted with statements such as “I’m going to work so that it’s a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win” and “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” His running philosophy may have cost him a podium at his one and only Olympic competition (1972), but it made for what is considered one of the most memorable foot races in Games history. Images of Pre come to mind each time I watch the ‘kicks’ portion of a Middle Distance running event. Most images you’ll find of him in action appear as though he will collapse… or leap off the page/screen… at any moment. Pre was a vocal advocate for amateur athlete compensation. He founded one of the oldest prison run clubs in his spare time, and there are several monuments dedicated to his memory including the Prefontaine Classic Track & Field event. That’s a story every sneaker history nerd who writes about running shoes — especially adidas and Nike — should want to tell. Bravo to Nike Running for the work put into keeping his memory alive. See you soon (in the ether) ||| PEACE | LOVE | SNEAKERS ||| #sneakersopher #sneakersophy #runningshoegeeks #steveprefontaine #pre
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My stories are mostly focused on true designers, tried engineers, and the actual performance tools they introduced to (or through) the brand/s. Equally important are the individual contributors who built and/or tested those sporting products before the general public was able to purchase them. One particular tester aka professional athlete story to which I felt/feel especially drawn is the 1983 New York City 2-hour, 8-minute, and 59-second epic of marathoner Rod Dixon of New Zealand. But it’s what led to Mr. Dixon running the road marathon race of his life that truly fixated my attention on this mustached guy from New Zealand I didn’t know until he told his story on the (shoutout) Soleful podcast by Jason Coles and KishKash. Rod Dixon ran the New York Marathon in a pair of Saucony prototypes, but he also ran and tested in ASICS/Onitsuka and adidas shoes prior to turning to Saucony (the U.S. running shoe brand partly founded by a Russian immigrant to the U.S.). Most famously, for me, Rod Dixon ran and tested different versions of the adidas Achill-SL72 prototype (PT) and the SL72. What I think makes the adidas models the most famously tested shoes of Dixon’s life is the fact he outran world-famous Geoff Smith, who also ran and tested adidas. Mr. Smith, wearing head-to-toe adidas, lost to the Saucony head-to-toe-wearing Mr. Dixon. In truth, he didn’t simply beat Smith. He put Smith on his back and eventually brought himself to his knees. The second half of that race is legendary and may have ended with The Three Stripes triumphant had Adi Dassler been ready to fully commit to long-distance road running. Saucony soon after rewarded Rod Dixon by releasing the shoe he co-developed as his own signature shoe called DXN Trainer. The 1983 DXN Trainer remains popular. That’s a story every sneaker history nerd should ensure is repeated to some degree via their chosen platform/s. The performance ’Love Triangle’ tale of adidas-Rod Dixon-Saucony is a sneaker story for the ages. No villainous plots here. All Heroes. All Love. All Respect. See you soon (in the ether) ||| PEACE | LOVE | SNEAKERS ||| #sneakersopher #sneakersophy #runningshoegeeks #roddixon #sauconydxntrainer
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Finally found some time to catch up on some light reading and here they are in one giant stack… hit me with any books I missed from the last few months or drop science in the comments below. 1. ETERNAL SOLE by @leomatics A sad and loving publishing tribute from well known Euro sneaker crew to their great friend French, who sadly passed around the time the content was completed. So proud to have contributed a foreword to this lovely self-published book. Totally dig the foil cover… 2. ULTIMATE SNEAKER BOOk T40 EDITION by @sneakerfreakermag Not sure how many people have seen this but it’s a scaled-down version of the Ultimate Sneaker Book released under Taschen’s T40 imprint. A few stories from the OG didn’t make the final cut but this mini-me is a great size for extended reading and for litteluns as the full-size book weighs close to 4kgs. 3. BOING BOING by @koolboblove Bobbito is back with another killer book for ballers… boing boing! 4. PETER MOORE:SNEAKER LEGEND by @madebyjase Peter Moore is the one interview I never got that will haunt me to the bitter end! Credit to Jason Coles for putting together a fitting tribute to arguably one of the top half dozen most influential characters in the sneaker game. Few have has such a profound impact at Nike – and Adidas as well. A brilliant book that I inexplicably have not managed to read just yet… but that will change. 5. AIR JORDAN Out now on @assouline Solid book chock full of the most amazing photos but surprisingly light on written context and storytelling. Air Jordan is a valuable resource that coulda been so much more informative… 6. COUNTER CULTURE by Jay Montessori and Brendan Wyatt An inspirational retrospective from two veteran English trainer and clothing specialists with loads of photos and insights into weird long-lost brands and UK fashion moments from the 80s and 90s. This book is FOOOOKING HUUUGE! Love the commitment and the DIY aesthetic – how bout them Kickers on the cover!
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🏆 Honored to become the winner of Miami Vibes 3.0 with my project, “Breaking the Crown”. This project was created in response to the 250th anniversary of American Independence, not by repeating historical symbols, but by reinterpreting the meaning of freedom through a contemporary and future-oriented perspective. The core of this project is built around the powerful historical concept of “Join or Die”, a message that reminded people during the formation of America that without unity, neither freedom nor survival is possible. In “Breaking the Crown”, the heel represents the Crown and centralized systems of power, gradually collapsing and breaking apart. The fractures are inspired by the Liberty Bell, not merely as a historical reference, but as a symbol of breaking control and beginning independence. In contrast, the front structure of the shoe is formed through interconnected translucent strands, representing a future built not on individual dominance, but on connection, solidarity, and interdependence. For me, “Join or Die” was never just a historical slogan, it became the central language of this project: the idea that only together can people break outdated structures and create a new form of freedom. The step-activated lighting reinforces the idea that freedom is never fixed or guaranteed, it is something that must continuously be recreated through movement and human choice. This project was developed through a combination of conceptual thinking, hand sketching, and AI-assisted design processes, with the belief that AI should expand human imagination, not replace it. Special thanks to Luis Valenzuela and the Miami Shoe Museum for creating this opportunity and supporting independent and forward-thinking designers. I’m also deeply grateful to the jury members and everyone who supported me throughout this journey. #miamivibes3 #breakingthecrown #joinordie #saraarchitectural #saraarchitecturalai
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I thought it would be cool to put together another set of photos similar to what I did with the insta-Grail ZX8000 JC & MT pair. Shoutout (again) to the dynamic duo of sneaker memoirs #jacqueschassaing and #jasoncoles on the MUST HAVE & READ From Soul To Sole. The 2020 AZX Consortium collection #adidaszx8000lego is very much a standard model — albeit with LEGO-inspired bits. I mentioned the brainy color-blocking that reflects the original technical color-coding of the ZX series. I went for a (black) lace and (gray) deubré swap in lieu of the yellow-green factory lace and deubré option because that helps tie the white-black-gray-yellow upper to the ZX600 - I want to represent the entire ZX series in one fun pair. What do you think of this playful AZX collaboration? ||| PEACE | LOVE | SNEAKERS ||| #sneakersopher #sneakersophy #runningshoegeeks #herzogang #adidasoriginals #sneakerprofiler #sneaker_profiler #thesneakerprofiler #the_sneaker_profiler #sneakerprofiles #encyclopedia_sneakérica_blog #encyclopediasneakericablog #sneakerhistory #encyclopediasneakérica #encyclopediasneakerica #sneakerblog #sneakerencyclopedia #sneakerphotography #viral #communitymatters #historymatters #confirmyourcraft
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Meet the jury of MIAMI vibes 3.0: AI Footwear Design Challenge.�A global panel of leading voices in footwear design, technology, sport, fashion, and cultural innovation. From renowned designers to visionary digital creators, they will evaluate each submission across creativity, movement, sustainability, AI integration, functionality, and storytelling. Defining the future of footwear, one concept at a time. @superama__ @madebyjase @maevewang @jorgegaska @iamgrowney @ramona.messore @thewildflowerfields @luisvalenzuelausa
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Available Now Interview Series N°10 Sitting down with @madebyjase to talk about writing books, visiting the adidas Archive in Herzo, working with stars such as Stan Smith, and documenting the fantastic history of legendary creators Jacques Chassaing and Peter Moore It was one of the best conversations I have ever had. One I will never forget, and I am so happy to have been able to type it up and share it with all of you Jason has so much knowledge rattling around in that amazing mind of his. Some of the stories included, you will not read anywhere else, I promise you that Linked in bio, free to all Please check it out #TheDassler ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ #adidas👟 #adidasOriginals #アディダス #スニーカー #아디다스 #アディダスオリジナルス #阿迪达斯 #adidas #adidasnewsletter #SoultoSole #PeterMoore #adidasFrance #HorstDassler #adidashistory
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