Concrete Jungle

Sydney Road’s Concrete Jungle slots right into the Brunswick lifestyle with its relaxed and approachable style.

Far from the thumping sneaker megastores, Adam McManus’s shop keeps it small, focusing on classic silhouettes from lifestyle brands such as Saucony, Diadora, Le Coq Sportif, Superga, Converse and Vans.

The store stocks men’s and women’s styles, catering to the everyday sneaker buyer. But it also dabbles in hard-to-find styles and short-run collaborations, such as the Saucony x ShoeGallery “Locals Only” Grid 9000. Just 29 pairs made it to Australia – Concrete Jungle snapped up nine.

The clothing is at the back end of the shop: one rack of vintage US sportswear (sweatshirts, T-shirts, team jerseys) restocked once a month, and another rack of cult streetwear labels for the boys: Stussy, Billionaire Boys Club, Mitchell & Ness, and Cross Colours, the legendary hip-hop sportswear brand.

Local representation comes in the form of a rotating rack of Melbourne-designed short-run T-shirts.