So we’re on break between Shoecast seasons right now—but we’ve been offering more and more bonus episodes to our subscribers (also our private Discord is lit) to keep the Shoecast juice flowing.
I’ve really been enjoying making the bonus episodes, and we’re trying to take a slightly different approach with them. Our core episodes strive to be the definitive picture of a maker or brand or person. In the bonus episodes, there’s a lot more freedom to get specific and tactical and sometimes just weird—and I love the ability to do that with new guests but also bring back some old favorites.
Jason Pecarich of Division Road, and Motiv/Arch Support Project co-founder Samuel Wei came on to discuss ASP’s legitimately unique approach to footwear, how Motiv broke through Division Road’s no-China policy, and how Chinese customers are finding themselves more drawn towards high-quality heritage products.
Also: the ways tariffs are affecting Chinese brands from an export and domestic standpoint, and why certain special Chinese products might reasonably cost as much as things made elsewhere.
More than any episode we’ve published, this one offers an uncommon look inside the Chinese economy, mindset, and evolving relationship with quality.
I also really loved this quote from Samuel:
“Right now the heritage market is half western- and half Japanese-influenced. For a Chinese player to enter that world, I think I need a new angle. So what can I do to have a share in that market? I have to do something really original.”
For Motiv and Arch Support, heritage is more of a method—certain standard of doing things. I think we can always re-arrange the forms to create something that meets the quality of the heritage world—but something very new, something people haven’t seen before. Our products look a little bit different, but somehow they still share some languages with the heritage world.
I really want to push the boundaries of defining heritage. For us, it’s the principles of the craft, but not necessarily in nostalgic form.”
Check out the whole episode below, for free:
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Check out the Shoecast archives right here
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