H33LK-8016 2013 SAiNT ALFRED ASiCS GEL LYTE iii OLiVE BiRCH

brand new unworn DEADSTOCK

St. Alfred Chicago Lake Michigan

earthy blue suede, a sandy tan midsole, and a brown gum sole representative of the beautiful beach on the shore of Lake Michigan

SAiNTS RiSE ABOVE. PLEASE BELiEVE.

Saint Alfred is one of, if not the finest selections of street fashion, ever assembled (it’s the coolest clothing store i’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting). located in Chicago it not only specializes in, but actively shaped, the tippity-top of the streetwear boom, from the late 1990’s, into the steady growth of the golden years we had passing through the turn of the 21st century, and all the way to the beginning of the descent, at the edge of the 2010’s. ironically enough, it was the death of the patron saint of RSVP Gallery, Virgil Abloh, Saint Alfred’s sister store in Wicker Park, in 2021 that truly marked the beginning of the end for streetwear as fashion hegemon. we live now in a more multi-polar fashion landscape, but, Saints is an institution, and it goes on strong.

King Alfred the great of Wessex, is not a canonized saint to either the Anglican or Catholic churches, but rather venerated by small sects of those religious populations. an apt parallel to the type of cult following that has developed in and around Saint Alfred in Chicago.

this Gel Lyte 3 is designed and constructed with PRECiSiON, MiNDFULNESS, ATTENTiON to MiNUTE DETAiL and most of all HEART. heart, as in love, love for one of the most special and uplifting of alllll the universally human feelings we know and share, the love we feel for one’s HOME.

with tactful timing, this sneaker was released in June of 2013, the absolute HEiGHT of summer euphoria in the midwest, in iLLiNOiS, in CHiCAGO. you see, the weather in this part of the world can be VERY unpredictable, very volatile, Chicago is known as the windy city after all. but the swings between seasons in the Midwest United States, are brutal. summer, and the feelings associated, are quite literally hot commodities, and there is nothing like a summer day on the shores of Lake Michigan.

EVERYTHiNG is accounted for.

the midsole, the driest, rockiest sand, found at the top of the beach, where the water meets the land at its peak, when it is ever so briefly at its highest tide. this is also the majority of the sand on the beach, and so this color is the majority composition of the sole. the outsole is a slightly darker, a more tan sand color, this is where the sand is more frequently hydrated by the waves crashing against the beach. at the heel, you find a small portion of a translucent gum sole, this is the end of the beach, where you can stick your feet in the sand and find it a permanently hydrated semi-solid consistency, the spot where you can bask in the lovely feeling of the gentle waves lapping away at your ankles.

likewise, the depth and texture of the buttery, genuine suede, in a range of STUNNiNG blue green hues, is akin to the mercurial refractions and reflections of light, seen when starring into the siren like beauty of the watery abyss.

there are a range of lace options, that help illustrate the variance in weather at the beach. some days, the lake is calm, lots of gentle blue, some days the lake is low, lots of sand spitting around, and some days the lake is choppy. actually most days in Chicago, the lake is choppy, when the wind harshly hustles the waves along into stiff, frothy white peaks. additionally there is even the minutia of some difference in the color of the aglets at the different lace tips.

the lining of the sneaker is a BEAUTiFUL natural white leather, unbleached, laden with minerality. as the split tongue of the sneaker’s silhouette peaks, and fluidly follows the anatomical ergonomics of your Ankle, all the way back to your Achilles’ Heel, the white liner peaks through, surrounding you, just as the froth of the lake surrounds your foot.

this sneaker, its design, its colorway, its intentionality is nothing short of perfect. for god’s sake, the size stamp, is physically sewn into the leather of the inside tongue, as opposed to printed, or glued, just to hammer it all home.

ASiCS is an acronym for the latin phrase: “Anima Sana in Corpore Sano” “A Sound Mind in a Sound Body”

quite literally everything surrounding the delivery of this sneaker to the world, is something of an incarnation of the fruits of living a life with presence, a life with unity of spirit and person, a life with sound mind and sound body.

God is perfect. God is within us all. these sneakers, are the work of Saints.