{"podcast":{"title":"Sneaker History Podcast - Sneakers, Sneaker Culture and the Business of Footwear","slug":"sneaker-history-podcast-sneakers-sneaker-culture-and-the-business-of-footwear-1032816","podcast_index_feed_id":1032816,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/sneaker-history-podcast/","website_url":"http://sneakerhistory.com/podcasts/","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/75f6e66f-157a-4255-bf13-326590272f46/x7aPOo9X-Ig09mWXsZmxAt8r.jpg","author":"Sneaker History - Retrospect Podcasts","episode_count":300,"summary":"Nearly 600,000 downloads and still here! A show about sneakers for sneakerheads, by sneakerheads. We're not here to bring people down or play gatekeeper, we are here to show the positive side of sneakers and connect with like-minded sneaker enthusiasts. We talk about sneakers and the footwear industry, interview footwear industry professionals, designers, and creatives who share our passion for sneakers. To advertise to our audience: podcast@sneakerhistory.com A part of the Retrospect Podcast Network. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/","last_synced_at":"2026-06-24T06:20:10.142070+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/sneaker-history-podcast-sneakers-sneaker-culture-and-the-business-of-footwear-1032816"},"episode":{"title":"4 Years. 6 Samples. 60 Pairs.","slug":"4-years-6-samples-60-pairs","published_at":"2026-03-30T16:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/sneaker-history-podcast-sneakers-sneaker-culture-and-the-business-of-footwear-1032816/4-years-6-samples-60-pairs","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/sneaker-history-podcast-sneakers-sneaker-culture-and-the-business-of-footwear-1032816","url":"https://sneakerhistory.com/podcasts/baseball-laces-hairy-suede-and-4-years-to-launch-the-saint65-story","audio_url":"https://pdst.fm/e/episodes.captivate.fm/episode/4e3a43a6-c688-496e-9d94-90f9539ed6f9.mp3","summary":"Mark Strong didn't have a design background. He didn't have a factory connection. He had an idea, a Garrison contest entry, and the kind of stubbornness it takes to actually see something through. Four-plus years later, he's got a shoe. The SV1 \"Radici\" — 60 pairs, hairy suede uppers, Vibram soles, and laces sourced from the same Tennessee tannery that makes Rawlings baseball glove leather. We talk about the whole journey: Made in USA dreams that hit a $300/pair wall, a Portugal factory that went dark mid-sample, a pivot back to China, tariff chaos during pre-orders, and indigo-dyed hemp tongues that almost didn't make it into production. Mark also gets into the meaning behind the name — \"Radici\" means roots in Italian, a nod to his great-grandparents who immigrated from Italy to Brooklyn — and why he embossed Nashville's GPS coordinates right into the shoe. This is the kind of story that doesn't get told enough. It's not about a big brand drop. It's about one person swimming upstream to make something real, and what that process actually looks like from the inside. Check out the SV1 \"Radici\" at saint65.com and follow Mark at @saintsixtyfive on Instagram. Timestamps: 0:00 — Intro & why these stories matter 2:51 — Mark introduces himself and how he got into sneakers 5:19 — Getting laid off, entering the Garrison contest, and the first design sketches 8:53 — Sampling process: Made in USA dreams and a $300/pair reality check 10:21 — Portugal factory goes dark mid-sample 12:14 — Pivoting to China, pre-orders, and tariff chaos 14:29 — What samples actually cost, and why minimums change everything 16:03 — Aaron Cooper, the Cars and Kicks Show, and rethinking China's manufacturing reputation 19:28 — Transparency, ethics, and trying to get factory photos over WhatsApp 21:4…","meta_description":"Mark Strong didn't have a design background. He didn't have a factory connection. He had an idea, a Garrison contest entry, and the kind of stubbornness i…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3863,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/sneaker-history-podcast-sneakers-sneaker-culture-and-the-business-of-footwear-1032816/episodes/4-years-6-samples-60-pairs/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/sneaker-history-podcast-sneakers-sneaker-culture-and-the-business-of-footwear-1032816/4-years-6-samples-60-pairs.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}