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 du tout.

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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Nostalgie

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.

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The full Set

Another reason for collecting is the satisfactionde collecter un ensemble complet. Bien sûr, il doit y avoir l’amour initial des baskets pour commencer, mais pour certains sneakerheads, il peut commencer par une paire, puis une boule de neige dans une recherche de chaque coloriage ou modèle d’une certaine ligne de baskets.

Un collectionneur australien a fait exactement cela alors qu’il commençait sa collection Jordan avec les 1 et 2, seulement pour que cela devienne une collection de 27 paires. Il en a maintenant 1 à 23 (avec quelques packs doubles). Il a dit que dès qu’il avait les 1 et 2, il a juste regardé une longue route de recherche, de recherche et de collecte, et a aimé ce qu’il a vu. Il a gardé une feuille de calcul méticuleuse de sa collection, ainsi que des photos pour chaque paire, et avec toutes les paires non portées dans leurs boîtes d’origine. Il a également dit que la seule fois où il pensait à la revente serait d’échanger une taille 7,5 contre un 8. Une fois qu’il aura terminé, il se sentira complet, puis réfléchira s’il gardera les baskets pour toujours, ou les vendra comme un ensemble complet.

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Reteinte

Certains se collectent simplement pour revendre et la revente est un moteur majeur pour la collecte de baskets ces jours-ci, que cela nous plaise ou non, même en tant que deuxième réponse la plus élevée de notre sondage de baskets. Le marché de la revente des baskets valait un incroyable 4,2 milliards de livres sterling en 2019, et il augmente. C’est un marché lucratif dont beaucoup de gens gagnent une vie plus que décente. Même certains sneakerheads qui achètent avec le meilleur de l’intention décident parfois qu’ils ont changé d’avis et ont besoin de décharger plusieurs paires de leur collection, et la revente est la sortie.

Même Jordan Geller, un collectionneur de baskets américain qui a créé son chaussure pour présenter son incroyable collection, où il avait amassé plus de 2500 paires de Nikes et Jordans, a finalement commencé à les vendre. Il a dit que c’était devenu une obsession malsaine et il a décidé de se séparer de certains de ses articles les plus aimés; Le plus célèbre avec une paire de Jordan 1 par le match signé, qui ont été estimées par Sotheby’s pour vendre 150 000 $, mais finalement vendu pour 560 000 $ dans la célèbre maison de vente aux enchères.

Quelle que soit la raison de la collecte, cela commence toujours par une passion pour les baskets. La forme initiale qui prend et comment cela évolue au fil des ans, est à l’individu. La chose formidable est qu’elle garde les baskets autour. Bien que beaucoup de gens méprisent le marché de la revente, cela signifie que vous pourriez soudainement faire face à cette paire que vous avez manquée il y a des années. Et, ce qu’il fait certainement, c’est vous garder à la chasse, parfois pour une sneaker spécifique, parfois pour quelque chose dont vous ne saviez pas que vous aviez besoin, mais rassurez-vous, il y aura toujours une paire suivante.

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