NAME? Nuno Oliveira
OCCUPATION IN BMX? Sales/Etc... @ Odyssey BMX.
SO WHATS YOUR AFFILIATION WITH THE SHOE INDUSTRY? None really besides knowing Povah @ Etnies, Rich @ Lotek and Brian @ Beloe. A friend of mine owns a sneaker shop, and I like sneakers...that's about it.
WHAT SHOES ARE YOU GONNA WEAR TODAY? I wore some Vans slip-ons, and Vans Era's at night.
WHY THEM? Simple, comfy, one color. The slip-ons are easy to install.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT NIKE IN BMX? As I stated in my post on Defgrip(since lost to Harrison's bad day), I don’t think that Nike coming into BMX is the worst thing we’ve ever seen, or will see. The pros and cons can be debated for eternity on this subject, but like I also said, something like Tony Hawk bikes is way more offensive and worthy of a revolt. Also, although not as big as Nike, skate brands like Osiris, DVS and Adio have tried/are selling into BMX with very little complaints or uprising, and some of them already dropped their BMX side of things. I think Nike could be awesome, and could also have a positive trickle down effect onto other brands in BMX. Nike is supporting and promoting some great riders too. I just picked up a non BMX magazine (cant remember the name) the other night, and it had a 2 page Nigel spread which made me say "wow", as I didn't expect it. To me, this exposes BMX to the "outside" world, while also making us look good with a clean ad. Again, people might hate on that, but I think it's cool. It's also good that they are advertising in BMX print mags too. As far as the 6.0 line, I think their business model for BMX should differ from their other markets, as I understand it's difficult/impossible for some BMX shops to get the line at all. I think that SUCKS. Hopefully I'm wrong and things are changing. Also, the idea that Nike is just here to "rape" our culture is pretty funny to me, as there isn't that much money in BMX. I'm sure BMX is small potato's at Nike, so it could just be that someone over there is just plain stoked on BMX. Who knows?
HOW DO YOU FEEL ETHICALLY ABOUT NIKE? To be honest, I don't know much about that side of things apart from what has been thrown at them over the years. Could there have been some shitty situations? Sure. Could the brand have addressed them? Most likely. I think the ethics issue is bigger than you and I, and one that most people probably don't consider at all while buying shoes. That doesn't make anything right, but I feel that's probably true.
DO YOU BELIEVE THERE IS A PLACE FOR MULTI NATIONAL BILLION DOLLAR COMPANIES IN BMX? Sure, why not? Just because a company has a lot of money doesn't make them bad. I think they need to tread carefully though, thats for sure.
WHAT COULD NIKE AND COMPANIES DO TO MAKE YOU BUY THEM? I've bought plenty of Nike's (Air max 1's, Jordans etc...) over the years, but not any 6.0 stuff. I'm sure it's all up to par, but I would put my money into Lotek, Etnies, Vans or Beloe for my BMX needs.
ANY LAST WORDS YOU WANT PEOPLE TO HEAR ON THE SUBJECT? This is a tough subject.
