We’ve all had that conversation; talking to a non-sneakerhead, seeing the confused look on their face as you talk about sneakers with terrific abandon. people collect baseball cards, stamps, happy meal Toys, but why can’t people get their head around sneaker collecting? What’s so odd about a passion for something you wear on your feet every single day? There are so many facets to enjoy; comfort, style, history, colourways, collaborations, sentimentality, nostalgia… the list goes on. Ok, maybe the odd bit is the fact we own ones that sit on top of the wardrobe at home, collecting dust for years on end before we finally pluck up the courage to put them on feet, that is, if we end up wearing them ollenkaan.
When it comes to collectors, there are two ends of the spectrum; some collectors have just 5 to 10 pairs, and carefully curate their sneaker rotation, but there are also collectors who just have to have everything. Miami Heat’s P. J. Tucker, generally accepted as the NBA’s biggest sneakerhead, has accumulated over 5,000 pairs of sneakers. Bear in mind, he is now in his 15th NBA season, so he can afford it.
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The love of Sneakers
We recently took to Twitter to ask our followers “Why do you collect sneakers?”, and the answer was clear with almost 80% responding with “I just love sneakers”. we all have our reasons for loving sneakers, but collecting them is a different kettle of fish.
I’ve been into sneakers since a very young age, and being the youngest in a family of nine (all of whom played basketball) there were plenty of hand-me-downs. I grew up seeing my sisters play in LA Gear, Cons Aero Jets, and the Air Jordan 7 “Olympics” in the ’80s and ’90s, and then my brothers in their Reebok Pump Omni 2’s and Air Jordan 5 in the early ’90s. Needless to say I was surrounded by pals and teammates showing off their latest pick-ups on court too. To show how deep the passion runs, I can still vividly see the kid at high school who had the Air Jordan 12 “Taxis”. I remember exactly where we were in school, and that I stared straight at his feet from the end of one period, until he walked off to his next class. I thought they were incredible. I still remember that, and that was 1996.
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Nostalgia
So, although I’ve always had a love for sneakers, I feel it has gotten stronger over the years as retro models are released and they bring with them fond memories and flashbacks to the glory days. These glory days for me aren’t just feelings of sentimentality, seeing sneakers released year after year that my older siblings rocked decades ago; for me it also goes back to ’90s NBA, heralded as one of the best eras in basketball – not just the game itself, but the sneakers worn on-court.
From the Shaqnosis to the Air Uptempos, there was serious heat in every game. And, seeing new releases of pairs like the Reebok Pump Omni Lite 2 takes me right back to 1991, Dee brown pausing to pump his tongues just before his alley-oop double-pump reverse in the dunk Contest. and the re-release of the Kamikazes; I can close my eyes and see Shawn Kemp flying high in the 1996 NBA All-Star Game. and of course, any Air Jordan from 1 to 14, I can picture countless games with MJ reaching new heights, breaking records, and taking apart opponents in whichever incredible model was released that year.
For some of us, we like to be able to own what we couldn’t when we were younger, whether that be financial reasons, or in the case of my 2018 Air Jordan 3 “Black Cement” purchase, pairs that were released when we were too young to buy them at the time (original release was 1988… when I was seven years old).
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Flex Appeal
Some collect simply for the street cred, or to flex with the ultimate fit on Instagram. and that means having the latest and greatest, most hyped, most elusive pairs of Jordans or Yeezys. Although you can be in to Jordans and Yeezys without doing it because they’re hyped, there are also a lot of sneakerheads who simply want the most expensive, most limited pairs to simply to show them off. and some just like the feeling they get lacing rare sneakers up, knowing there’s something extra special about their pair.
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One to Rock, One to Stock
This then brings us to the “One to rock, one to stock” dynamic of the sneaker game. When a sneaker is released, some sneakerheads try to pick up multiple pairs, so they have one to wear, and one to keep “on ice” or “DS” (deadstock). There can be many reasons for this too; some plan to wear the second pair once the first are worn out, but for some, the second pair may genuinely never leave the box – usually for sentimental reasons. Others plan on reselling the second pair to make up for, if not completely cover, the cost of the first pair. With the price of sneakers ever on the rise, it’s hard to blame them.
Image via iceage26
The full Set
Another reason for collecting is the satisfactionKoko sarjan keräämisestä. Tietysti lenkkarien alkuperäinen rakkaus on aluksi oltava, mutta joillekin lenkkareille se voi alkaa yhdellä parilla ja sitten lumipalloa etsimään tietyn lenkkarin linjan jokaista väriä tai mallia.
Australialainen keräilijä teki juuri niin, kun hän aloitti Jordanin kokoelmansa 1 ja 2: lla, vain siitä, että se kasvaa 27 parin kokoelmaksi. Hänellä on nyt 1–23 (joillakin kaksinkertaisilla pakkauksilla). Hän sanoi, että heti kun hänellä oli 1 ja 2, hän katsoi vain pitkää etsiä, tutkia ja kerätä ja piti näkemästään. Hän on pitänyt kokoelmansa huolellisen laskentataulukon, valokuvien kanssa jokaisesta parista ja kaikilla parilla, jotka käyttävät alkuperäisissä laatikoissaan. Hän sanoi myös, että ainoa kerta, kun hän ajatteli jälleenmyynnistä Koko sarja.
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Myyjät
Jotkut yksinkertaisesti keräävät jälleenmyynnin ja jälleenmyynnin vuoksi, on tärkeä kuljettaja lenkkarille, joka kerää näinä päivinä, pidämmekö siitä vai ei, edes toiseksi korkeimmaksi vastaukseksi lenkkarikyselyssamme. Lenkkarien jälleenmyyntimarkkinat olivat uskomattoman 4,2 miljardin punnan arvoisia vuodesta 2019, ja se kasvaa. Se on tuottoisat markkinat, joista monet ihmiset ansaitsevat enemmän kuin kunnollista elää. Jopa jotkut lenkkarit, jotka ostavat parhaan aikomuksensa, päättävät joskus muuttaneen mieltään, ja heidän on ladattava useita paria kokoelmaansa, ja jälleenmyynti on tie ulos.
Jopa Jordan Geller, amerikkalainen lenkkarin keräilijä, joka loi Shoezeumin esitelläkseen uskomattoman kokoelmansa, jossa hän oli kerännyt yli 2500 paria Nikes- ja Jordansia, aloitti lopulta myymisen. Hän sanoi, että siitä tuli epäterveellinen pakkomielle ja hän päätti jakaa tapoja joidenkin rakastetuimpien esineidensä kanssa; Tunnetuimmin parilla allekirjoitetuilla, pelissä käytetyillä Jordan 1: llä, jonka Sotheby arvioi myydä 150 000 dollarilla, mutta lopulta myytiin 560 000 dollarilla maailmankuulun huutokauppatalon kautta.
Riippumatta siitä, miksi keräys on, se alkaa aina intohimolla lenkkariin. Mikä alkuperäinen muoto on ja miten se kehittyy vuosien varrella, on yksilön alainen. Upea asia on, että se pitää lenkkarit ympärillä. Vaikka monet ihmiset katsovat jälleenmyyjämarkkinoille, se tarkoittaa, että saatat yhtäkkiä pystyä kopioimaan parin, jonka unohdat vuosia sitten. Ja mitä se varmasti tekee, on pitää sinut metsästyksessä, joskus tietylle lenkkarille, joskus jotain, jota et koskaan tiennyt tarvitsemasi, mutta voit olla varma, että seuraava pari on aina.
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