Meet Soludos founder Nick Brown- a guy you’ll love to get to know.
We recently partnered up with NYC Espadrille brand Soludos and produced our first DIY Ipanema Espadrilles kit – our favourite Summer season essential! We wanted to find out a little more behind the scenes from the founder himself, Nick Brown.
Firstly, we would love to know all about the story behind Soludos! What drew you to espadrilles in the first place, what inspired the look and feel of the brand and what’s behind the name?
I started Soludos in the Summer of 2010 out of my apartment in NYC – I grew up in London and as a kid would spend summers on the Spanish coast wearing the classic rope soled espadrilles that have sold on the beaches and markets for centuries. Espadrilles have this effortlessly chic quality that is so synonymous with lazy Mediterranean summers days.
Combining the Spanish for clink of a glass ‘salud’ and the heat of the sun ‘sol’, Soludos was born in Spring 2010.
Our collab is inspired by the glamorous style on one of the world’s most famous beaches: Ipanema. So, we’d like to know, what is your ultimate beach playlist (5 songs?)?
Girl from Ipanema – Antônio Carlos Jobim
Kokomo – The Beach Boys
Lover’s Carvings – Bibio
Thinking of You – Lord Echo
Catamaran – Allah-Las
At the moment you don’t have your own Soludos stores, would you like to have them in the future and what would they look like?
We would love to have a store one day – though I picture it being more a beach shack with a Mediterranean spin – sort of Montauk by way of Formentera.
Soludos is all about travel. What’s your favourite city in the world and your top recommendations there for food, drink and culture?
Favorite city in the world is definitely Tokyo – inspiration, confusion and surprises to be found at every turn. So many incredible restaurants but you have to visit Birdland - arguably the best Yakatori in Tokyo tucked away in Ginza Station opposite it’s famous neighbor Jiro. Drinks head to the late night hidden gem basement Bar Casba – all but hidden down a small stairwell in Shibuya. Loved wandering through the Akihabara electric district of Tokyo full of Anime, Arcades and blinding layers of Neon lights – you’ll bump into plenty of anime costume clad folks dancing on the street in between rows of gamers dancing their hearts out in the arcades.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given and who gave it to you?
A Lewis Carrol quote has always stuck with me “If you limit your actions in life to things that nobody can possibly find fault with, you will not do much.”