Why do you collect shoes and what makes shoe collectors different from other types of collectors?

[ruffin51]

Wattup NT. Your boy Ruf is in the clutch time. It's Thursday night and I have a 25 page term paper due for Modern Material Culture class on Monday. Yes,I know I messed up lol. Good thing is, it's about collecting shoes.

Part of the paper is doing some "research" with real living shoe collectors. Please take a second and answer these questions as thoughtfully as youcan. Thank you in advance.

-Why do you collect shoes?

-What makes shoe collectors different than other collectors?

 

[flyny]

-I collect so i can resell it 2x the retail price to dumb little kids who get money from their parents

-nothing at all

 

[shabooyah1124]

Nostalgic purposes. I've loved sneakers since birth and it brings me back whenever I see a retro sneaker that I remember.

Nothing anymore. Everyone and their moms is now a "Sneakerhead". I hate that term.

 

[kicktionair]

I do it so other men my age cab stare at me when I enter a room.

It gives me a sence of power and respect. There is no greater feeling than showing off some of the little heat I have to an over weight hypebeast who lookslike his whole life revolves around kicks.

Even tho I am not currently purchasing kicks like before. I do it for the fans

But on the real, It just makes me feel good to have something that is worth more in a way. Sure not everyone knows the "value" of the kicks but aslong as I know my joints is limited they gain even more value to me cause I bought them.

Chicks dont care as much as dudes but as long as they say "you have nice shoes" That gives me what I need to continue my endless search for the vag

 

[kobe4threebang]

i likes to look fresh lol

 

[sc415]

I collect cause I just enjoy having a new pair of kicks on my feet. I don't really do it to show off..maybe at times yeah..but not most of the time. N, itseems know every 1 is a collector.

 

[mjsaver]

started collecting by default.....

love of sneakers+buying multiple pairs+barely rocking= kinda collecting.

 

[mangudai954]

Ruffin, if you ever consider selling anything let me know. I believe we are the same size.

 

[essential1]

I collect shoes because it brings me back to memories and certain points in my life. Like the First time I fell in love with a sneaker looking at an Ad for OGConcords just a picture of the bottom and I was amazed. I was 4-6 I can't remember what age But I was too young to get them or the retros, but I am stilltrying to get them, need a new job first.

Then the Griffey Max 1 it brings me back to my childhood, Griffey is my favorite player and reminds me of when I was playing Little League.

Low top Columbia XI's reminds me when my bro was working at Foot Locker and I was just inheriting collecting from him (trying to be him), but was still tooyoung. But like the Concords it was just something that I fell in love with.

My first Number Jordan White/Black IX's my mom suprised me and said let's go to the mall. I said for what? She replied I am buying you a pair ofJordans.

I don't see loving sneakers and collecting them any different than music. It means something to you and brings back memories. People become friends oversneakers, tell good stories, share life experiences..

The thing that makes me different from different collectors is because it never started out because it was what was "in". It wasn't for status.It wasn't for reselling. It is because it is something that I like.. the different designs, colors, technology, the experience, the comradeship of realcollectors it breeds. The experience and stories that come from it are something that I will remember forever.

 

[soltheman]

1. I do it for fun. I don't know, though. I've always been a fan of sneakers, but just now am I actually getting the money to buy them. My motheralways refused to buy me nice shoes, so I'd have to rely on the one or two pairs my dad would get me during the summer. Now I'm just trying to make upfor the years of new balances and reeboks.

Plus, I've always wanted somethingbesides models to collect. And, shoes have a hell of a lot higher resale value than Model-Ts.

2. Nothing, really. We're a little more willing to camp out for a pair, but nothing on a gaming console level. And, we can wear our collections? Idon't know. I guess the biggest difference between shoe collecting and other types of collecting is having to be apart of it to fully appreciate it. Whensomeone sees a pair of Aqua 8's, they see some nice shoes that they probably haven't seen before. When a shoe collector sees a pair of Aqua 8's, intheir mind, they're giving that person props, and wondering how their pair is doing on their shelf.

That's just how it works in my mind, anyways.

 

[nicke1z]

1. Always liked sneakers when I was younger. In middle n highschool my parents were not so wealthy so I couldn't always get the new releases like otherkids so I kind of just envied them. Every new jordan release those other kids would get n rock the next day all I could do was stare

but when I had a job Istarted buyin my own. Not one pair in my collection I did not buy..


2. Its not any different. Its just a different collection that's how I see it.

 

[jeenewed]

-No idea. The love for them I guess.


-Nothing at all. Just a different thing.

 

[g to tha t]

Originally Posted by Ruffin51

-Why do you collect shoes?

For the love of it. I've had an obsession since high school when I got my first pair of AF1's. Since then, I got an opportunity to ownshoes of different models and eras. Another thing that makes me collect shoes is the colorways that are associated with it. Older colorways of shoes, like theAir Force One, looked better in the '80's and '90's than now. Same goes for Jordans, Air Maxes, et al.

Originally Posted by Ruffin51

-What makes shoe collectors different than other collectors?

Other than collecting shoes, compared to say baseball cards or cameras, there's not that much of a difference. There's still a level ofobsession which are present in all collectors.

 

[ruffin51]

Everybody,

Thank you for the thoughtful replies, very good stuff so far! Let's keep this going, I'd like to hear from some more folks.

 

[11wordisbond]

I don't look at myself as a collector. I'm just a person that enjoys wearing fresh clothes, and sneakers happened to be the focal point.

 

[jfmartimcdandruff]

-I collect shoes to help myself. It helps for my self-esteem and I've always had a thing for shoes. Shoes to me is also like art. I appreciate the designand history behind it. Adds more to the shoe.

-Shoe collectors aren't much different, but it's more of a community...since we buy and trade a lot. And the age range spans from lil kiddy boppin kidsto old @*@ wrinkly people.

 

[bboyrealm]

I don't know if I consider myself a collector since I don't collect every sneaker retroed in any line. I pretty much cop what I like. Growing up whenthe originals dropped, there was no way I would have been able to cop what I wanted then, being so young. With four boys in the family and my parents workingfull time, we weren't dirt poor nor were we filthy rich. Just your average family trying to make it each day in a small town. The only J's I actuallyhad on my feet while growing up was the original Grapes. They were marked on clearance for like $69.99 in a size 6, months after they were discontinued. I hadpeople from Footlocker and school asking me where I got them since they were no longer available. My younger brothers ended up getting the black/metallicV's.

Fast forward to 2000 and beyond, I found out JB was retroing their line when the 2000 black/metallic V's was released. It was pretty much a second chanceat what I somewhat grew up with. Then the Flight '89's retroed, another sneaker I never had. Since then, been picking up stuff I always enjoyed butnever got to rock. XI's, VI's, IV's, III's, XVI's, and other Nike retros.

Although the quality sucks and will never live up to the originals, they are what they are.

I think with shoe collectors, it's pretty wild. I mean, you have people camping out for sneakers depending on the availability and the shoe dropping.Nobody camps out for a limited edition car, they just get their name on a waiting list at the dealership. Nobody camps out for action figures/comic books, theyjust pre-order from a gazillion retailers online. But with sneakers, you have people camping out at shopping malls, shoe stores, on their phones, and evenbehind their keyboards.

 

[nawth21]

I don't. And it's the same as other hobbies.

Nobody camps out for action figures/comic books, they just pre-order from a gazillion retailers online. But with sneakers, you have people camping out at shopping malls, shoe stores, on their phones, and even behind their keyboards.
Those sony fanboys had tents, in november, when the PS3 dropped

campin aint soley a sneaker thing I can tell you that much. Hell people camp out for the opening of H&M stores or when they have a designercollection collab.

 

[ruffin51]

^Good point, and I'm glad you brought that up because I've certainly considered the lengths collectors and resellers go to in order to obtain shoes asa polarizing factor when considering shoe collectors as compared to other types of collectors and I suppose it is not entirely true.

 

[random 79]

Differences between other collectors? Most other collectors that I can think of do not actually use the collected itemas most(i think some sneaker heads are just collectors) sneaker collectors plan on wearing them and it is a big part of the"culture". I guess Loheads and Northface collectors wear their "collections" , but I think that this is the biggest difference between sneakers and traditionalcollectors. Like if someone collects watches and wears them, they are referred to most often as enthusiast not as collectors who just displays the items.

 

[donpoppa]

I dont call myself a collector i just buy a lot of shoes and wear them all

 

[josebronx]

-they are comfortable, the variety of different models, colors, style is attracting. Its almost an art I guess, and the fact that I could cop when I wasyounger makes me want to buy the stuff I missed out on. The uniqueness, wear something the rest around doesnt have.

-Hype

 

[10 piece nuggets]

1. Im not going to BS, im not going to say it brings me memories of when I was young, nostalgia, to honor Jordan, whatever any of that crap. Simply cause Ilike how they look and goes well with the clothes I am into. Plain and simple, I like how they look, no matter how rare, limited, whatever. If it looks good,then im on it. Shoes is the extent of ones personality as well, if you wear nice shoes, keep them clean and whatnot, you are generable a clean person who likesto present themselves wear. And no, I do not collect shoes to impress members of the opposite sex (as most youngsters do).

2. Nothing, aside from the fact maybe collectors or other stuff, stamps, coins, whatever just keep them in a box or safe somewhere. I wear all my shoes.