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.

Runner's World (USA)

Jan-2009: A telephone interview with Dan Koeppel from Runner's World magazine (and a runner himself) resulted in a five-page article mainly about tying running shoes securely.

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)

Jul-2008: After several listeners phoned in about “aglets” (the tips of shoelaces), the station contacted me to participate – but we ended up discussing knots instead of aglets!

ABC Radio (Australia)

Nov-2006: Lengthy on-air interview during which the host 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.

A Current Affair (Australia)

Mar-2008: Light-hearted segment on the Australian TV program “A Current Affair”, discussing lacing methods, shoelace knots and my recently released book, “Laces”.

RealStyle (USA)

Oct-2007: A lengthy interview focused 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.

2GB Radio (Australia)

Mar-2008: As part of a series on “Ordinary people with extraordinary jobs”, this on-air interview asked the burning question: Why would anyone create a website and book about shoelaces?

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 (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.

Leader News (Australia)

Nov-2007: Originally a human-interest story in our local newspaper about my “Ian Knot”, website and book, the story was later picked up by one of Melbourne's major newspapers.

Think Again (Czechia)

Apr-2008: Interview that delved into whether the type of shoelace and/or the way the shoes are laced may reveal something about the wearer.

Yweekend (China)

May-2008: Interview about the many different shoe lacing methods and their uses, the history and motivation behind the website and the types of questions that I get asked.

LoveToKnow (USA)

Jan-2008: Interview covering shoe lacing methods, shoelace knots and my recently released book, “Laces”.

Cleveland.com (USA)

Jul-2008: Fairly brief interview, mostly acting as an introduction to the subject matter contained on the website.

Round Table (India)

Nov-2008: Round Table (India), an organization focused on education for underprivileged children, requested an article about lacing techniques for their “Table Talk” magazine.

Life & Style (USA)

Aug-2007: This interview focused 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.

Rack Magazine (China)

Apr-2008: Short interview focused mainly on different lacing methods and how I'd unknowningly been mirroring B-Boy / Hip Hop lacing trends.