News

This week, we’re excited to highlight Greg, known to The Kingsland Shoe Project family as @air.macs. Based in Scotland, Greg is a creator whose page feels like a true reflection of sneaker culture at ground level. On feet, lived in, and personal. With a wide ranging collection, his content celebrates sneakers as they’re meant to be worn and experienced.

What sets Greg apart is the authenticity behind his lens. His on feet shots are effortless and honest, often woven into moments with friends, his dogs, and everyday life. There’s a genuine love for Nike SBs, photography, and community that runs through his feed, making each post feel more like a snapshot of real sneaker life than a staged shoot.

We’re proud to feature Greg as part of The Kingsland Shoe Project Family and look forward to watching him continue to document sneaker culture through his collection, his relationships, and his unmistakably personal point of view.

If you care about how your shoes look, feel, and how long they last, shoe trees are one of the most powerful shoe care tools you can add to your routine.

A shoe tree is an internal foot-shaped support structure you place inside your shoes when you’re not wearing them. Its job is simple: help shoes keep their shape, dry properly, limit odors, and avoid deep creasing. That might sound small, but from a materials and footwear-science point of view, it’s a big deal.

Inside a recently worn shoe, the microclimate is warm and very humid. Studies measuring in-shoe environments during wear show temperatures commonly in the high 70s to mid-90s °F (around 27–37 °C) with relative humidity high enough to encourage bacterial growth. Add the fact that each foot has roughly 250,000 sweat glands and can produce up to around a half-pint of moisture a day, and you’ve got a very damp little ecosystem inside your footwear. Left unmanaged, that heat and moisture deform materials, speed up creasing, and create a perfect home for odor-causing microbes.

Historically, people solved this with wooden shoe trees, especially cedar. Today, many also reach for cheap spring-loaded plastic trees. But modern footwear and modern lifestyles need something better: a shoe tree that supports the full front of the shoe, allows airflow during the 8-10 hour drying process, travels well, and is simple enough to use every day.

In this guide, we’ll walk through the benefits of shoe trees for each type of shoe and explain why modern shoe trees are a smart, contemporary answer to the question: “Do I really need shoe trees?”

We’ll also look at the pros and cons of cedar shoe trees and cheap spring-loaded plastic trees, and why a lightweight, open, single-mold design is often the best daily solution to keep shoes feeling fresh and looking new at home or on the go.

This week, we’re excited to highlight Steven, known to The Kingsland Shoe Project family as @cultivatingcool Based in the U.S., Steven is a creator whose love for sneakers, culture, and visual storytelling is clear in every post. His content blends footwear with lifestyle, capturing sneakers not just as products, but as part of everyday moments, movement, and self-expression.

What makes Steven’s page stand out is his ability to tell stories through his lens. From carefully composed on-feet shots and moody visuals to lifestyle-driven sneaker photography, each post feels intentional, authentic, and creatively grounded. His feed doesn’t just show sneakers, it highlights the feeling, mindset, and culture behind them.

We’re proud to feature Steven as part of The Kingsland Shoe Project family and look forward to watching how he continues to cultivate cool through his unique perspective.

Name: Steven Antoine

Socials: @cultivatingcool (IG)

2025 was a wild year for footwear. 3D-printed Air Max experiments, tweed golf shoes for The Open, BMX storytelling Jordans, loafers with performance sockliners…and a lot of debate in our group chats about what actually deserves a spot in our rotations.

This list isn’t meant to be the definitive ranking for everyone. It’s a love letter to the 25 pairs we kept coming back to at The Kingsland Shoe Project this year – the ones with real craft, personality, and staying power. The stuff you want to protect, break in slowly, and keep looking fresh for years.

You’ll see everything from dress oxfords and heritage boots to techy runners and collabs that broke the internet. Different vibes, same core standards: materials, build, comfort, story, and that magic “I need these” feeling.

25 Pairs We Loved in 2025

We’re honored to officially welcome Technq Design and its Creative Director Joshua Guerra to our Friends in the Flow series. This highlight holds special meaning - not only was Technq Design our very first brand partnership, but Joshua was also of the very first people to believe in what we were creating when we met at Sneakercon LA two years ago. His support and vision have stayed with us ever since. Today, every custom Technq Design shoe includes a pair of Technq Design Fresh Flow Shoe Trees. Known for blending luxury craftsmanship with streetwear edge, Technq Design delivers limited-edition pieces that are truly works of art. We’re thrilled to be collaborating with a brand - and a creator - who’s constantly redefining what’s possible.

We’re proud to introduce someone whose creativity and character we admire deeply: Jordan Canter, aka @JtheCordwainer. Jordan is a one-of-a-kind talent who handcrafts 1-of-1 custom shoes using premium materials and repurposed textiles, blending innovation, storytelling, and craftsmanship into every pair he makes. But what makes us even bigger fans than his incredible artistry is the person behind the shoes. Jordan is truly a class act and incredibly funny! He's also been a constant supporter of The Kingsland Shoe Project since day one - and we’re endlessly grateful for the love he shows our products and mission.

We’re honored that he includes a pair of our Fresh Flow Shoe Trees in every pair he creates, and that he continues to shout us out in his content. His work reflects not only his eye for detail but his heart for community and connection. Get to know more about Jordan’s creative journey, his inspirations, and the kicks he can’t live without below. We couldn’t be more excited to have him as part of The Kingsland Shoe Project family.

This week, we’re excited to introduce Paul Norman, the creative force behind @paulssneakers. Paul’s sneaker photography is simple, clean, and elegant, with stunning studio setups and lighting that make every shot feel like a work of art. Paul’s love for Jordans, Nikes, New Balance, and Adidas is evident in his collection, and we admire how he blends retro and modern aesthetics in both his photography and personal style.

Beyond his visuals, we’re also big fans of the prints and digital wallpapers Paul sells on paulssneakers.com, bringing his passion for sneakers to life in a whole new way. His perspective on sneakers as both art and personal expression resonates deeply with us, and we’re honored to have him as part of The Kingsland Shoe Project community. We can’t wait to see more of your incredible work.