James Barrett and the UP THERE x ASICS GEL-LYTE III “Kookaburra” for Hypebeast’s Sole Mates

With more than ten years in the game, UP THERE has put Australia’s sneaker culture on the global map in a big way. In the last two years alone, founders James Barrett, Brendan Mitchell and Jason Paparoulias have dropped a duo of blockbuster 2002R collabs with New Balance, teamed up with Padmore & Barnes and opened the doors to a swanky new flagship store in Melbourne. No matter how much they grow, though, their mission remains the same: James Barrett notes that UP THERE is looking to give back to its community, use its global reach to spotlight unique aspects of Australian culture, and continue to communicate its founders’ lifelong love of sneakers.

And before 2023 lets out, UP THERE teamed with ASICS to sneak in one more collaboration: a GEL-LYTE III “Kookaburra.” Given the model’s celebrated position among collectors, they knew it was not only an opportunity to seize the spotlight that comes with a major sneaker collab, but also a chance to do the famed model’s “rich collaborative history justice,” in Barrett’s own words.

A chance encounter with a kookaburra is one to never take for granted, and the same can be said for UP THERE’s GEL-Lyte III. The kookaburra is paid the respect it deserves as a true symbol of Australia’s vibrant flora and fauna on UP THERE’s collab, its plumage carefully brought to life with the shoe’s color scheme, which also holds a few hidden gems for dedicated fans. There’s a lot to unpack, both in the shoe’s design and in the founders’ journey, so James Barrett sat down with Hypebeast for an installment of Sole Mates, and discussed what keeps the UP THERE founders striving for more, how they landed on the kookaburra for collaborative inspiration and teaming up with Australian comedian Sam Cotton.

Who or what got you into sneakers?

Music and sport have always been the main source of inspiration for me, but there were a couple of moments in the early 2000s that sparked my interest and introduced me to the subculture of sneaker obsessors and collectors.

What’s a core sneaker memory that comes to mind when you look back at that time?

The day my mate Liam wore a pair of Reese Forbes‘ SB Dunk Low “Hunter” to school. That bright orange Swoosh caught my eye and I immediately thought, “Damn … what are those … I NEED them.” That was my first real “moment,” but in my last few years of school I really immersed myself in [the whole of sneaker culture]. Getting on all the different forums, posting WDYWT photos, chasing down releases from around the globe, lining up with Brendan [Mitchell] and Jason [Paparoulias] for days to cop the Staple x New Balance 575, Brendan and I getting glass cabinets for our house to display our favorite pairs in, and so much more. I caught the bug, and have never looked back.

A lot’s changed since then — now, instead of camping out you guys are opening new stores and cranking out big collabs. What’s been the best part of the journey?

That we’re 13 years in and lucky enough to say that we still love what we do. Materialistically, of course, we love shoes, clothes and jewelry, definitely a little too much. But what keeps us striving for more is the community and culture that surrounds those things. We appreciate everyone that has made this journey possible, and things like the new store and the collaborations we do are a way for us to give back. We want our customer’s experience with us to be about more than the product itself. There has to be a sense of fun, intrigue and exploration attached to any purchase or visit to our store.

Your latest collaboration with ASICS features the GEL-LYTE III. What was most exciting about being able to collaborate on the silhouette?

The GEL-LYTE III is one of the most celebrated silhouettes among die-hard sneaker collectors, so when we were given a chance to create our own we couldn’t say no. Anyone who has collected sneakers in the last two decades has had a GEL-LYTE III on their hit list at least once.

The UP THERE x ASICS GT-II you did in 2022 also carried an “Australiana” theme. And UP THERE’s recent New Balance collaborations also had ties to Aussie culture. Why is this important for UP THERE to portray these themes?

It’s an opportunity to share some of the things we love about Australia with the rest of the world. When we drop these sneakers we have this moment where a huge part of the industry is paying attention and we love seizing that attention to spotlight this incredible country. Each time we get a project it’s important to tell a story that relates to us and what got us here – Australia’s an integral part of that journey so we always want to acknowledge that not just for ourselves but for all the locals who’ve supported us.

Australia has so much beautiful and iconic flora and fauna. How did you guys land on the Kookaburra?

You’re right, there’s so much to choose from! We looked at a bunch of different options but we kept coming back to the Kookaburra – there’s something intrinsically tied to the Aussie experience with those scruffy larrikins. No matter where you’re living, the sound of their raucous laughter is enough to transport any Australian back home. From a design perspective, they have a pretty good color combination going on, beige and brown with hints of iridescent blue in their wings. It’s very Australian and it translates quite well to a sneaker.

As a longtime sneaker fan and collector, you’re a well-known proponent of special details. Why are those so important, and how do they take a sneaker from good to great?

It’s a way to incorporate nods to the sneaker community and remind people that we know a thing or two — this time around we dug into the ASICS archives to do so. The most obvious detail is the reflective piping across the toebox, which was inspired by ASICS racing shoes of the ‘90s, in particular the GEL-Lyte Speed. The inner stripes have a pattern from the ‘90s as well, although it’s usually black and white. We realized it was almost exactly the same as a kookaburra’s tail feathers so we tweaked the colors and Bob’s yer uncle! Even that splatter pattern which blends the beige and brown panels came from an archival ASICS trail shoe we stumbled across on eBay.

What do you hope UP THERE’s collaborations contribute to the world of sneakers?

We always love pushing the boundaries and having fun with our collaborations. Generally, our hope is that people appreciate what we’ve created and enjoy the storytelling around each project. For this collaboration, we chose to work with [Aussie comedian/artist] Sam Cotton to create a bloody hilarious video for the release. Conceptually it was a punt which has paid off knowing that we got a few giggles out of it. Again, it’s about more than just the product.

How did you guys lock it down with Sam Cotton? Was he super keen from the get go?

From the very beginning we knew that we wanted to capture that larrikin spirit with the campaign. When we got to thinking, Sam came to mind — everyone in the office was familiar with his comic videos with birds, so it seemed like a natural fit. Once we reached out and had a conversation it became pretty clear this was going to work out. It just so happens the Kookaburra is Sam’s favourite bird but he’s never made a video using one—it was kismet! From there it was straight-forward, we discussed how we’d like to capture the character and Sam ran with it. When we got the first draft back and saw that scruffy fella with his cap and tote it was clear we were onto a winner!

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Why are sneakers important to you?

Sneakers got us to where we are today. What started out as a hobby is now our livelihood. It’s been such an incredible journey and will continue to be, so long as we’re drowning in sneakers!

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