Nice Kicks: Can you expand on the inspiration behind the shoe? How did you come up with the concept?
Omar Quiambao: Inspiration always comes from different things. This particular design simply started with the model being the Gel Lyte V, focusing on the “five” as the starting point, and then going on different tangents. The month of May is the fifth month and the beginning of the “Gemini” season on the astrological calendar. Gemini is Latin for twins. And when I think about ‘twins,’ I think about how they look alike at first glance, and even though come from the same two parents and show similarities, they are actually very different. Using motifs like stars and/or glow in the dark, I think is too obvious and cliche and overdone in the market place right now. Ours was a cerebral point of view, which is how we do things at Commonwealth.
Nice Kicks: Commonwealth has been around for quite some time now. How do you see this design fitting in with the overall legacy of the store/brand and its goals?
Omar Quiambao: We just started celebrating our 10-year anniversary this month. We don’t think about it too deeply as far as our ‘legacy’ is concerned. We do what we feel is natural to us. As for our design point of view, we align it with Commonwealth’s core brand values concentrating on craft, quality and style. We believe in style over fashion, substance over surface, practice over theory, and experience over information. We try to provide progressive design with exceptional standards of durability and comfort while being authentic to our counter culture.
Nice Kicks: How can people get their hands on a pair?
Omar Quiambao: The Commonwealth x ASICS “Gemini” Gel Lyte V will be available at the Commonwealth stores in VA & DC and online at www.Commonwealth-FTGG.com on Saturday, September 27, 2014.
