4 Years. 6 Samples. 60 Pairs.

About this episode

Mark Strong shares his journey of creating the SV1 "Radici" sneaker, detailing the challenges and experiences along the way.

Mark Strong didn't have a design background. He didn't have a factory connection. He had an idea, a Garrison contest entry, and the kind of stubbornness it takes to actually see something through. Four-plus years later, he's got a shoe. The SV1 "Radici" — 60 pairs, hairy suede uppers, Vibram soles, and laces sourced from the same Tennessee tannery that makes Rawlings baseball glove leather. We talk about the whole journey: Made in USA dreams that hit a $300/pair wall, a Portugal factory that went dark mid-sample, a pivot back to China, tariff chaos during pre-orders, and indigo-dyed hemp tongues that almost didn't make it into production. Mark also gets into the meaning behind the name — "Radici" means roots in Italian, a nod to his great-grandparents who immigrated from Italy to Brooklyn — and why he embossed Nashville's GPS coordinates right into the shoe. This is the kind of story that doesn't get told enough. It's not about a big brand drop. It's about one person swimming upstream to make something real, and what that process actually looks like from the inside. Check out the SV1 "Radici" at saint65.com and follow Mark at @saintsixtyfive on Instagram. Timestamps: 0:00 — Intro…

People in this episode

Guest: Mark Strong

Topics covered

• sneaker design
• entrepreneurship
• manufacturing challenges
• personal journey
• cultural heritage

Keywords

• sneaker culture
• design process
• Made in USA
• tariff chaos
• indigo-dyed hemp

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: saint65.com

Products: SV1 "Radici"

Places: Tennessee, Brooklyn, Nashville, Portugal, China

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