Patrick Johnson 
Not even the cold conditions of rain could stop a line of eager fans from waiting a block around Tribeca’s Sounds of Brazil for today’s Packer Shoes x Ewing 33 High “Fame and War” release. It was hard to figure out what these people were more excited for – the shoesor a chance to meet the two NYC rappers that the Teaneck, New Jersey shop sought out to help rework the 33 Hi silhouette. It was a strange sight; SOBs has transformed itself into a go-to hip-hop venue in New York City, but today was home to an exclusive sneaker release on this less-than-ideal dreary Thursday afternoon. The whole event had the feeling of a DIY start-up. Packer’s own Mike Packer lingered through the crowd and personally handed out pairs of the limited release in-between juggling what looked like a million tasks at once, and his relationship with Fabolous has been based solely on the product found in his shops; with a keen eye for interesting collaborations, it isn’t hard to see why Fabolous is a repeat customer.
New York City still lingers in the shadow left by Ewing, a hero larger than life, one that the city never judged for not winning a championship but instead opted to pay their respects for his pure force of will to try to get them there. In honor of the towering Center, Packer and the revamped Ewing Athletics released the Ewing ‘Aloysius’ 33 High ‘Fame and War Project’ today. And even despite Patrick’s absence from the event (a coaching gig with the Charlotte Hornets means he’s constantly traveling) you could still see fans donning his retro Knicks jersey or even decked out in vintage windbreakers with his face screen printed on the back, celebrating one of the finest basketball players to ever call Madison Square Garden home. An avid fan of both Ewing as a player and the sneakers he wore, Fabolous was called in to celebrate Patrick Aloysius (which translates loosely to Fame and War) Ewing with this latest release. Continue onward for the full sit-down with Fabolous.
The Packer Shoes x Fabolous x Ewing 33 Hi “Aloysius” released exclusively at SOBs New York today for $150.
SN: Fabolous on his long-standing relationship with Packer Shoes:
FAB: It’s just a cool sneaker boutique. They always have dope shoes, they’ve always taken care of me. And because they’re a boutique they don’t have just the traditional sneaker releases, they have stuff that’s more selective and I like that the most.
SN: You’ve been in the rap game for over a decade and a half now, so can you speak on this collaborative Ewing 33 Hi’s theme of ‘Fame and War’ and how it relates to you?
FAB: You know there’s two sides to the shoe in Fame and War, and pertaining to me, there’s two sides to me as well. There’s war and the fight to get to where you want to be – and then there’s the fame that goes along with that. Every soldier has his fame. Every general has his fame. Whether you win or lose your war, you’ll get the fame either way. For me, this gave me the opportunity to reflect on the fight to get here and the fame that comes with that.
SN: You’ve always been a strong proponent of Ewing Athletics. Can you describe the nostalgia you have for retro models like the Ewing 33 Hi?
FAB: I always remember this shoe releasing and immediately being a staple in New York City because what a big sports figure Patrick Ewing was. I also remember it being a step up from him going from his deal with adidas to his own shoe with his name on it. That’s why I wanted to also salute it as well, because back then there were a lot of guys that might endorse a shoe but not really actually have their name on it besides Jordan.
SN: Your Ewing 33 Hi “War” brings a distinct luxury aesthetic to the model with full grain leather, gold tips, and a distinct Gucci-like red and green. Why’d you choose to go this route?
FAB: When this shoe retroed, it was much more of a lifestyle model. I’m not a basketball player so I like my lifestyle shoes, and I thought that that’s what made this colorway cool to me. It relates to me more. My collaboration fits right in with lifestyle shoes, and what looks fly and how you can pair it with your outfit. What looks dope, the way you lace it up and how you match it with jeans. Basketball shoes today, you can wear them with shorts and your athletic apparel but this model fits more with my style. I’m all for the lifestyle shoes.
SN: You used to proclaim yourself as the throwback king in the early aughts, but how does your sneaker collection rank in comparison to how many jerseys you had at the peak of throwback collecting?
FAB: It’s hard to say, man. I have a lot of shoes, but i really had a lot of jerseys. It’s close though, but I would probably say my sneaker collecting because it spans farther back then my jersey collection. So i think sneakers are a little more treasured to me because I’ve been collecting since I was a kid.
At this point, Fabolous pulls out his cellphone to look at an Instagram video of the line spanning blocks outside.
FAB: This is dope man. It shows that both [Packer and I] have created something that people want to be a part of. It’s the first of many. This has been a great opportunity for me and a great collaboration to be apart of.
