Interrupting someone while they're putting their blood, sweat and tears into design is never a proper way to start up a conversation. Sure enough though, that's how we managed to get a couple of words in with Fallen footwear designer, Nick Pappas. While having him on the phone, we talked about Fallen's new brand direction and more about this leaked photo from his instagram, the Porter.

After speaking about all things footwear related, including the background story of Jamie's new shoe, Nick walked us through how much of a relief it was to get away from their "rail chomper" imagery. Many can't argue with their efforts considering the addition of Jack Curtin, Fallen's new marketing objectives and more. What most consumers don't know is that none of this would've been possible without the recent addition of Kelly Williams. He was the Art Manager for eS but after the downsizing over at Sole Tech, Kelly was brought over to Fallen to help out & revamp. Now that we had a better idea of what was going on with Fallen, we asked Nick what he plans on accomplishing with the Porter. Here's what he had to say.

"I've seen some other brands really put their all into their ads by making some of their riders what they aren't; weightlifters, marathon runners and so on. That's not the case with Fallen.

My biggest thing when making the Porter was...(pause)...that I'm not going to lie. When I'm in a skate shoe, I'm looking to skate but when I want a running shoes, I'm not buying it from DC or Supra. I'm going to go to Brooks, Axis, and those brands with departments of designers who really know everything about running.We're not trying to make a running shoe that's going to compete with the Nike Free or even DC's Unlite stuff. We just wanted something that was more classic looking & a lower profile. It isn't as skateable as I wanted it to be but I am wearing it right now & it doesn't have that huge midsole like most runners do. It's just a shoe you could comfortably kick around in and relax in. It just is what it is.

It's cool to say that we've made this great runner, but we're not going to kid ourselves and think someones going to run a marathon in these. I'm really just taking it back to the days when I would skate with Richard Mulder and my friends at Chaffey. Everyone would have their runner or comfortable shoes on the side while we just skated the spot. Once we were done, it was time to throw those comfortable shoes back on and just kick it. All and all, we're just trying to show people we aren't just black & white skate shoes. So long as that comes across, we're happy with it."             

The solid idea that came across from all of this is that Fallen refuses to stay complacent. Most companies that have one plan of action tend to die out and it's because they refuse to adapt. Personally, we can't wait for the Porter to come out. It'll be just as refreshing to wear those after a nice long skate session.

Thanks to Nick & everyone at Fallen for speaking with us. Have a good weekend.