POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Pair of 'Wasabi' shoes by Royal Elastics

Object No. 2001/105/1

Funky leisure footwear brand Royal Elastics was the brainchild of two young Australians, Tull Price and Rodney Adler. Prior to setting up Royal Elastics, Price had organised parties and club nights in Sydney alongside launching a successful streetwear label. Inspired by the skateboarders trend of tucking in their laces he began to research ideas for a slip on trainer. Serious sports shoes by Nike, Adidas and Reebok had already left the sportsfield by the 1990's and were avidly taken up as fashionable streetwear. Price wanted to take this concept further and teamed up with his old schoolfriend Rodney Adler. Adler's family had a long history in the Australian shoe trade which provided them with useful contacts. Price and Adler spent several months travelling and researching the sports footwear market to ensure their idea would be unique. They aimed to produce modern leisure footwear inspired by sport and leisure shoes but with an emphasis on fashion not sporting performance. They also wanted to make lace-less footwear with an emphasis on innovative hold and fastening systems. They carefully selected London for the launch of their brand in 1997. They felt the creative dynamic atmosphere of what was then termed 'Cool Brittania' was a suitable launchpad for their label. They linked up with major names in London's underground music and fashion scene and their label was soon seen as part of the innovative, lively and experimental 'Cool Britannia' scene. This was an influential network and within three years Royal Elastics were on the hip streetwear list and being stocked in major stores in Australia, the USA, Europe and Japan. Despite the proliferation of Royal Elastic copies on the market (which they have attempted to discourage through a copyright marketing campaign in Ragtrader magazine) they have managed to keep ahead of the market and maintain their profile by introducing innovative new designs each year.