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 & why these stories matter
• 2:51 — Mark introduces himself and how he got into sneakers
• 5:19 — Getting laid off, entering the Garrison contest, and the first design sketches
• 8:53 — Sampling process: Made in USA dreams and a $300/pair reality check
• 10:21 — Portugal factory goes dark mid-sample
• 12:14 — Pivoting to China, pre-orders, and tariff chaos
• 14:29 — What samples actually cost, and why minimums change everything
• 16:03 — Aaron Cooper, the Cars and Kicks Show, and rethinking China's manufacturing reputation
• 19:28 — Transparency, ethics, and trying to get factory photos over WhatsApp
• 21:43 — Why Portugal worked better for a small brand
• 23:50 — The Tennessee tannery, Rawlings baseball glove laces, and why that detail matters
• 27:35 — The sneaker community's fragmentation problem
• 31:23 — The Saint65 name: I-65, New Orleans Saints, and "Remember Your Roots"
• 33:07 — Apparel, embroidery, and the full brand picture
• 35:19 — Opening the box: hairy suede, baseball laces, and the wow factor
• 38:09 — Indigo-dyed hemp tongues and the materials that traveled the world
• 40:04 — The SV1 "Radici" colorway name and the Italian heritage connection
• 41:28 — Vibram soles, the last, and design decisions
• 44:40 — Why 18 months for a shoe actually makes sense
• 47:44 — The gray colorway and what's next for Saint65
• 50:22 — What Mark would do differently
• 54:00 — Why independent brands can't get the same factory access as the big guys
• 57:45 — Wrapping up: where to find Saint65

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