Interviews & Articles

The Wall Street Journal (USA)

Feb-2007: Following a lengthy telephone interview, Aaron Rutkoff of the Wall Street Journal wrote a well-rounded article that really captured the spirit of Ian's Shoelace Site.

Sneaker Freaker (Australia)

Jul-2006: Ten-page feature in Sneaker Freaker magazine – and my most detailed article to date. Images from this article have been copied all over the Internet without credit.

The Washington Post (USA)

Aug-2005: A simple interview mainly asking for details about the website, resulting in a nice little article that was even picked up by a couple of other newspapers.

Politiken (Denmark)

Mar-2005: After being asked about the declining quality of shoelaces, my reply triggered an experiment in which Danish readers were requested to compare their shoelace knots to my Ian Knot.

Run The Planet (USA)

Apr-2006: Lengthy article highlighting the importance of shoelaces to runners, walkers and hikers. It's also where the pseudonym “Professor Shoelace” first appeared.

ABC Radio (Australia)

Nov-2006: Lengthy on-air interview, during which the host, Annie Warburton, browsed my website and discussed my “Ian Knot”, the “Granny Knot”, lacing methods, aglets and other info that she encountered.

GQ (USA)

Sep-2007: Detailed interview on the history of my “Ian Knot”, the creation of the website, the addition of various lacing methods and knots, right up to the production of my book, “Laces”.

Yahoo! Picks Profiles

Oct-2007: My website was originally honored as a “Yahoo! Pick” back in Apr-2004. Three and a half years later, I was interviewed on how my website and the web had evolved since then.

RealStyle (USA)

Oct-2007: A lengthy interview focussed on the clarity of the diagrams in my book and website as well as the complexity (and resulting accuracy) of the shoelace length formulas.

Journal Inquirer (USA)

Sep-2007: Broad interview covering the shoe lacing methods and shoelace knots as well as the inspiration and perspiration of getting them onto the website and into a book.

Esquire (USA)

Apr-2007: In this telephone interview, I was asked some deliberately provocative questions, giving the published interview an “edgy” style.

WIRED (USA)

Oct-2007: An interview about shoe lacing methods, from which four popular methods were chosen and featured in a small “How to:” article.

Peace Magazine (Canada)

Nov-2007: Interview mainly about the different lacing methods, delving into areas such as fashion versus function plus cultural influences such as the wearer's nationality and age.

Life & Style (USA)

Aug-2007: This interview focussed on sneaker style trends – about which I'm no expert – but I was able to offer suggestions on ways that shoelaces could be used to make sneakers look trendier.

CBC Radio (Canada)

Jan-2004: A short, tongue-in-cheek debate in which I defend the practice of teaching the skill of shoelace tying in an era of more efficient alternatives like Velcro or zippers.