SOLEMATES

Solestory is a new specialist sneaker boutique that has just opened up on Regeringsgatan. It stocks all the classic brands from Nike to New Balance. We caught up with founder and ‘sneakerologist’ Pontus Frivold to find out all about it.

Open up a shoe store for as long as you can remember. So what was it that initially attracted you to shoe and sneaker culture?

Well, I’ve been a basketball player and then coach since I was six years old, and sneakers have always been a big part of basketball culture. That’s how I got into sneakers, and I never got out [laughs]. I kind of like the process of what goes into creating a shoe, and how different shoes can be depending on brands and styles. Depending on whether a shoe is made for running, hiking, walking or basketball, they’re all made in a different way. T-shirts can generally be worn for anything, but here you have specific products for specific things.

In addition to the basic, ‘customer walks in, buys shoe, walks out’, what additional stuff do you have at this store for your customers?

I want to create more sneaker nerds. I myself am a sneaker nerd, which used to be regarded as a bad thing but now I think it’s a good thing. More and more people are into sneakers, and we want to give more information to the customers so they can know more about the shoe and what we think is important for them to know, not just what the brands want them to know. They can learn something about the product, about its history. Not every customer is going to be interested in that information but for those that are I think it’s good for them.

What do you think it is about sneakers that have made them such a popular fashion and cultural item for so long?

Because they’re the most important thing in the world! Well, I think it’s because the comfort level is so high. The fashionable aspect of them is that they were a trend, and now they’ve become standard, in a way. It’s not unusual anymore to see sneakers in a club, or at a really nice restaurant, when a couple of years ago you wouldn’t even have gotten in wearing sneakers. It’s also that people like to express their style and with sneakers you have so many different options, between colours and materials, that it’s a great way to do that. –AM