Meet No.One, the Independent Brand That Made Shoes for Markelle Fultz
Sneakers made of premium materials and limited in number. Meet No.One, an independent footwear brand based in Venice, California.
Mark Gainor is the founder of No.One, and he explained why his company is different from the rest. Context is everything to him, especially when the No.One sneakers can look similar to other iconic shoes. "Without context, without knowing they're hand-made, without knowing the intention we go through to make them really special from the inside out, it's hard to tell. We're interested in context and storytelling," Gainor told B/R. For Gainor, it always has been and is still about connecting with the people.
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So why the name No.One? In a world where last names rule the luxury footwear landscape, the name No.One stands for anonymity. "The idea of letting the product speak for itself," Gainor says. "No one person is more important than the other."
No.One made headlines earlier this year when Markelle Fultz was drafted No. 1 by the Philadelphia 76ers in shoes made of the leather from a basketball. "Why don't I put a basketball on a shoe since that's what I love to do?," Fultz said on draft night.
On Wednesday, No.One introduced the Charlie, a bespoke re-imagining of one of the world's most iconic shoes. The Charlie, inspired by cap toe basketball shoes, is familiar yet distinctive, and reconsiders and re-engineers every detail.
With a first edition offering of only 24 pairs, the Charlie will be available October 11 at www.No-One.LA in two colors, Black and Natural.
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