There are plenty in the creative arena who scoff at the idea of sport, likening athletic competition as entertainment for uncivilized mongrels. However, when the chasm between brute force and artistic inspiration is bridged, some wonderful things can occur. The Lawn Series from Recess is a refreshing and original happening aiming to eliminate the gap between endlessly inventive artisans and the arena of athletics. For three glorious days during the sweltering NYC summer on Governor’s Island, playful pastimes will overtake the creatively inclined as they attempt to best one another in exhilarating events such as badminton, table tennis, and bocce. In addition to the flowing of the competitive juices, each event will be met with some pretty kick ass sponsors as the likes of Tretorn and Puma will be putting their stamp on the festivities while Biomega and Kronan will be on hand to offer bike test rides. Count us in and bring it on. The first day of competition is June 20th. We’ll see you there…unless you’re afraid of defeat.

It’s getting cold here in NYC and that means soon we’re going to have our inevitable first snow. And then it will get warm again, and then the snow will melt, and the streets will be covered in the cold black sludge from hell. I’m trying to get ahead of the curve with my winter boot situation this season and am loving the looks of the the Strala by Tretorn. A low cut and warm-fuzzy lined waterproof boot. Available in green or black for $60. Yes please, sold.

Hat tip to Coolhunting’s Water-Resistant Shoe Roundup

Sao Paulo’s in the blissful midst of a bona fide sneaker craze. Last week we brought news about Maze’s new kicks store in one of the world’s most populated cities, but located within the same tony Jardins area is Doc Dog’s freshly minted shoe-specific space; launched in celebration of their 10 years in business and stocking brands like Nike, Reebok, Royal Elastics, Tretorn and Bape on the shelves. International jetsetters with a lot of spending cash or big credit lines already hit up the flagship store a few blocks away to get their apparel fixes on Marc Jacobs and Harajuku Lovers.

I love the bold, loud design of the store. A large framed 3-D collage of sneakers covered in paint greets visitors at the bottom steps, and they’ve done the walls in black to bring out gold-colored accents and white shoe shelves inside. Colorful neon flourishes have been added to imitate the ’80s look to match the current trend in shoe design, which means the store’s style will keep changing with the times. A side area called the Limited Edition Room promises special releases from John Varvatos, Alexander McQueen and others; they also have a small line of Eastpak backpacks for sale, plus some streetwear. All of it comes together as the ultimate space for picking out new kicks.

The store’s located at Rua Bela Cintra, 2108 in Sao Paulo. Look for a doorway with stairs leading to the second floor of the building for the shop.

Swedish clothing company Tretorn recently joined forces with the NYC/LA Opening Ceremony stores to create a shoe made especially for crunching through fall leaves. The shoes blend a less rubber-heavy version of the T-56 with the plaid of Opening Ceremony’s autumn shirts, resulting in some very lumberjack/hipster-friendly casual footwear. Prior to catching this heads up on Hypebeast, I was unfamiliar with Tretorn, but after browsing their line I’d be wrong to ask you to hold out for the Opening Ceremony collab (dropping later this month), because even though the plaid shoes caught my interest, it was the company’s hightops, jackets, and ladies wellies that held it.