Matt Varga Steven Julien, head of and signee to Apron Records, is a man of many talents. On top of his dual role in music, he’s led the electronic-centric stable into a variety of different mediums over the years, but his latest might be the biggest swing yet, with Julien stepping into footwear via the Apron Records x Nike Air Max 180.
Arguably the first thing to jump out is the mixed mediums: shaggy fabric for the underlays and laces, reflective synthetics for the heel counter, scaly leather on the heel tab, and animal print leather on the Swoosh. Despite the eccentric choice of mediums, the palette is a bit more cohesive. Dominant pine green is accented well by a jet black sole unit and an opposing pearlescent lateral Swoosh.
Attempting to trace back the narrative, record label founder partially formed his love for music by working in his aunt’s salon, an early passion that prompted him to get a razor blade tattoo in his hand. Clearly that “genesis” moment partially lights the shoe featured here, displaying a straight razor on the front of the lace unit. Julien additionally posted a guide comb in these initial teaser shots.
Though fashion likely isn’t a top 3 resume item on the Apron Records resume, their previous experience in creating their own designs no doubt informs this do-up. Perhaps the most tangible was the Apron Records x Patta collection that released in 2022, the most recent step in a relationship that saw Apron Records soundtrack the Patta Air Max 90 collection in 2021 (possibly a bridge to this new relationship?)
No concrete release information accompanied this first look, but expect the Apron Records Nike Air Max 180 sometime shortly. Catch the full shots included below.
