Creating any kind of period drama is a logistical nightmare for the people whose job it is to costume the cast, but one set in an era when clothes were ride-or-die? Hooo boy.
If you haven’t already clocked Baz Luhrmann’s musical extravaganza / Netflix‘s newest original series ‘The Get Down’ (you should stream eps 1 – 6 now tbh), it’s a vibrant bio of the birthing of hip hop and disco in the ’70s that dips its platform boots into sex, drugs, gang violence and – of course – fresh fashion.
As any sneakerhead worth their weight in laces knows, that was the decade of the modern sneaker; it might not have produced as many memorable kicks as the ’80s or ’90s, but there are still a bunch of silhouettes that stand up as footwear giants today.
Take the Puma Clyde, which is the shoe of choice for Shameik Moore‘s character Shaolin Fantastic (aka the disciple of Grandmaster Flash): a motherfreakin’ icon, it was designed and named after former NBA star Walt “Clyde” Frazier, and was the most in-demand sneaker of that time.
A variation of the OG Clyde still lives on the feet of sneaker devotees today, but that was no good for Catherine Martin, Baz’s badass wife and the show’s executive producer, who worked with costume designer Jeriana San Juan to bring the era to life: they *had* to have the real deal, or else risk being torn to shreds by eagle-eyed viewers who would spot the difference.
“It was so, so important to get the authenticity right when it came to the sneakers mainly because sneaker culture really stems from that period,” San Juan told PEDESTRIAN.TV on a tour of the series’ Queens set. “We couldn’t stand for fake because we would have got called out on it right away.”
Design dream team = San Juan (left) and Martin <3
That meant San Juan essentially had to take on the role of archaeologist, researching and digging up hugely rare sneakers that were taken off shelves and archived years ago.
Luckily a bunch of the biggest brands from that era were more than happy to help her with the daunting task at hand; Pro-Keds specially manufactured 10,000 pairs of period-correct sneakers, and Converse provided original designs and colours to ensure the characters look fresh to def with historical accuracy.
Puma even jumped on board to ensure Shaolin’s red suede Clydes circa ’77 were legit – but there was one pretty maj issue.
“Puma sent the original sneaker and there was only one of them in his size,” said San Juan. “But because Baz was so set on doing detailed closeup shots of each character, and we knew eagle-eyed sneaker fans would know the difference between a vintage Clyde and a modern Clyde, we put him in the authentic shoe with the gold “Clyde” lettering on the side that’s no longer available for close-ups and a more contemporary alternative for wide shots.”
Here’s what you see in the close-up shots:
Not only did the sneaks you see in the show have to be true originals, it was imperative they be as close to *mint* condition as possible to accurately reflect the fresh-out-the-box approach to fashion at the time – something hip hop legend Grandmaster Flash, associate producer for the show along with historic consultants Nas, Kurtis Blow, DJ Kool Herc and Rahiem of Furious Five, impressed on San Juan.
“Grandmaster Flash explained to me that he would carry a toothbrush in his back pocket, and if his sneakers would get dirty then he could give them a quick cleaning job,” she says. “Sometimes people would wear plastic bags over their sneakers to keep them perfectly fresh until they got to a party. That was how seriously people took fashion, and especially footwear, back then.”
All up, San Juan estimates 20,000 sneakers live in the costume department at any given time.
As for where the rest of the characters’ A+ wardrobes came from, it was a combination of sourcing vintage rentals and buying pieces direct from Topshop or Diane von Furstenberg and Gucci, which San Juan would then adapt herself.
“It took a whole lot of work and I also built a great deal of the clothes. Like all the clothes that the principal characters wear – from Jaden Smith, Giancarlo Esposito, Jimmy Smits, Justice Smith and Herizen Guardiola, who plays Mylene so beautifully – I made.”
Is it any wonder Baz reportedly blew US$120m, making the show Netflix’s most expenno to date?
Stream all 12 eps of Part One of ‘The Get Down’ on Netflix now; netflix.com.au. Part Two is coming in 2017.
Photo: Annie Leibovitz / Vogue.
