Stickers.

Coming next week. Price TBC. Limited so if you want to secure a set drop us an email at northern-aficionado@hotmail.co.uk and we'll ensure you get a set. Designs below.

Josh Parkyart Pins

A quick nod in the direction of some nice pin badges going on sale pretty soon. Illustrator/artist behind these Josh Parkin will be featured in our next issue. To purchase head over to his online store which can be found here. 

MKI knitwear

You may remember in of our first issues we ran a feature on MKI (Miyuki-Zoku) which is an independent store based in the City of Leeds. They stock some excellent clothing and accessories  One of us recently purchased one of their crew-neck lambswool sweaters and it's safe to say the quality and fit is excellent. It has  discrete, subtle branding which is all that is required of a sweater of it's quality. Retailing at just £50, it seems like a bit of a bargain really.

To purchase head over to the MKI webstore where you can view their full range of excellent products. http://www.mkistore.co.uk/product_list.php 

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Note: Issue four is still work in progress but don't forget to keep checking the blog or our twitter feed for updates.

The Nike Air Force 1: One of Nike's Best Designs

There’s something about the Nike Air Force 1. It’s one of them trainers that looks good on anyone, even on pensioners (and I have seen this, trust me.) For me it has to be the low top in a white colourway or an all black number out of the numerous varieties to choose from. Even better, stick a gum sole on the bottom of that white colourway and you have trainer perfection, pretty hard to beat.

Pensioners aside, the Air Force 1 has been worn by various icons since its birth in 1982. It is especially loved in the hip-hop community. When Jay-Z and Kanye aren’t wearing Jordans they are both partial to a pair of Air Force 1’s. In Britain the grime artist Dizzee Rascal has a line about them; “It’s an Air Force 1, trainers by the truckload, trainers by the tonne.” So not only are the AF1 a great trainer, they are also part of one of the best British hip-hop albums. Not too bad really.

Like most Nike trainers the Air Force 1 has evolved into a collectors item and collaborations with certain brands are often highly sought after. The collab with Supreme goes for upwards of 300 quid on ebay. The AF1 were also one of many trainers to get the Vac-Tech treatment last year, could a trainer look any cleaner? Well, yeah, it could, add a lunar sole and you have an unreal trainer that wouldn’t look out of place on a catwalk. Over the years the Air Force 1 has been part of many collabs and colourways and you can only hope it continues.

For me though the Nike Air Force 1 isn’t a classic because all these hip-hop artists and celebrities wear it or because the collaborations are good. No, I like the Air Force one because it is one of those trainers that anyone can wear. Like, I said, it looks good on anybody. What was the first basketball trainer to feature Nike’s infamous ‘Air’ sole is now considered one of the greatest trainers of all time. With the recent trend on the highstreet for Nike trainers it also looks like a new generation could be getting into the Air Force 1 and this can only be a good thing. Quite simply, the Nike Air Force 1 is a trainer that everybody should have in their collection.

To vote for this trainer as your all time favourite click here
http://www.jdsports.co.uk/page/heroes_nike-af1/?cm_mmc=Campaign-_-Heroes-_-jd_Steak-_-AF1

To buy this trainer click here
http://www.jdsports.co.uk/product/nike-air-force-1-lo/87007/?cm_mmc=Campaign-_-Heroes-_-jd_Steak-_-AF1

A little project...

Here's a look at a project we're working on. Expect to see this on a badge and sticker sometime in the not too distant future as well as a couple of other designs we've got lined up thanks to our friends at Closerthanmost.

Issue 4. Coming soon.

Majority of the content now in, sorting design etc out now. We'll keep posting updates about progress and more details over the next couple of weeks. Expect interviews with illustrators and people who make clothes and the like. We're excited about this one, in fact we're excited to tell you who and what we're featuring in the next issue so keep checking back.

Tyrannosaur: Sheffield Showroom.

With the tenth anniversary of Warp Films upon us Sheffield Showroom are currently showing all manner of films including, This Is England, Submarine and Dead Mans Shoes.

Luckily one half of Northern Aficionado now lives in Sheffield, so we decided to go and watch Tyrannosaur and take part in the Q&A afterwards with one of the films' producers.

Despite having seen the film before it was still as, if not more, powerful than ever. With a great cast including Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman it was always going to be a good watch but it's Eddie Marsan who easily puts in the best performance as an abusive husband.

If anything, Tyrannosaur proves that Paddy Considine is as good at directing/writing as he is acting. All in all it is a great film and well worth a watch if you haven't seen it before.

Sheffield Showroom is the ideal setting to watch a film such as Tyrannosaur and with our tickets only costing 4 quid you can't complain. Plus, you can have a pint while you watch a film, which is pretty ace if you ask us.