Hey, folks! Sykes here. First forum post and I’m beyond excited to chop it up with y’all. Only two rules: Have fun and be kind.
So here we go — our first question to get things started! Let’s start off with something simple.
Introduce and tell us about the shoe that made you fall in love with the culture. It could be your first buy, the first shoe you looked at and were like “I NEED that” or whatever! It’s your story. If you don’t have one, that’s just fine. Just tell us what about the community interests you.
For me, it was the Aqua 8 drop in 2007. It was the FIRST shoe I bought with my own money. My entire math class was hyping me up lmao. I freaked them with a purple lace swap too.
Whats good son! The first shoe that ignited my sneakheadism is the Metallic Red Foams. I was hella young and broke at the time so I was rockin Shaqs and Chucks; but When I saw people at school rockin them... I knew my life was changed forever lol While they are not my ultimate favorite shoe ever, they defiantly kicked off my love for shoes!
Ha...I remember grabbing like the entire Starbury sneaker line for like $40. I had at least 3 pair. Played out of outdoor hoops back then, so I felt a lot better about thrashing those than my Lebron's. Interestingly enough someone stole my last pair of them off my porch. May be the only stolen pair of Starbury joints in the world.
So I wore these religiously around ’95 (link below). I wore them *everywhere*. I was happy that my feet grew enough that I could shop the men’s section. Was so obsessed that I even walked into a pool with them and was wondering why the hell I was sinking. Lmao thank god for my cousin who fetched me before I went down with my kicks. Who can ID them? Honestly don’t know or remember. 👀 https://www.dropbox.com/s/n0xsvenejr8gye4/FullSizeRender.jpeg?dl=0
I went to catholic school so we only had one day a week to flex. I was never crazy about Jordans, maybe because I was a Pippen and Hardaway fan so naturally was obsessed with the Uptempos and Foamposites that all my guy friends wore. But my true loves were the air max 95s and air max plus releases. They would stop me in my tracks as I passed a window display at foot action or finishline. Still my favorites til this day!
The first shoe I can really remember as a kid was the TMac 2. I got a pair of those for basketball in 3rd or 4th grade and actually followed the sneaker world after that.
In middle school I like *really* started paying attention, and I was a big D Wade fan and got into his line with Converse. I had the 1.3s, 2s, and 3s. They were more affordable than a lot of other signatures, and I liked that they looked super different and no one else had them (which meant I got clowned some, but I stuck with em).
When a friend showed up on the first day of 5th grade wearing the reebok question's with the red toe, that was the first time I realized there were cool sneakers out there that weren't whatever my mom would buy me at JCPenney. I remember saving up all of my chore money to buy a pair only to be told I couldn't spend it all on a pair of shoes. I pretty much had to wait until college to buy them By then I was infatuated with the entire jordan line and also bought some concords and any VI's I could find. I wore them all the time and was devastated when they were all stolen from my house 2 years later. My collection is small now but if I start back up, I'll buy the questions again. And I'll tell my mom about it too :D
I lived in a small town growing up and I made a friend that had come to stay with his grandparents for the summer from B-more. He had a pair of the Jordan 3 Cement. I had never seen anything like it! That shoe got me hooked. Where I lived, any fashion or trend didn’t make there until 6 months later it seemed. Later on, I saw someone else from out of town playing ball in the black 3s, it was all over!
Love this!! I’m old school. Converse did it for me. I had a pair of pink and white seasonal Chuck Taylor All Stars. You could’ve tell me NUTHIN!!! Then I purchased the purple pair and white pair. Forever a Converse girl!
For me was a few : British Knights lows the toe looked like lace and honey comb pattern of blk and white , Deion prime sanders with the gold mesh was everything! Had the matching Nike windbreaker with the gold swoosh thread ! Also the penny 2s & has other Nike the white and green Jurassic looking ones with the White and green slits on the side of course with the matching windbreaker lol I didn’t buy my first jordans until I was very much an adult but the 3s were always a fave growing up and still
Hi. My first pair of sneakers that I had to have were the original k-swiss white sneakers. It was 1985. (I'm old) From there I went to Stan Smiths. I wanted the original cortez, didn't get them. My first Jordan's? The grape 5's in 1990. Purple is my favorite color so I would get anything that color and I love Michael Jordan so that was the first Jordan I bought. I think that started me on the quest. I would visit friends in NYC, I live in SF, and bought sneakers I couldn't find here at Dr J's and VIM. I miss those days of buying something that no one had before the internet. And of course walking all over NYC looking for sneakers, finding something and feeling so so good. My mom put me on shoe probation and I had to hide them.
😂shoe probation is hilarious! I do love the convenience of the internet, but I'm with you — if I could stand in line for shoes again I would. Did you go for any of the Grape 5's that have dropped recently?
As a kid, it was Air Tech Challenge 2 Hot Lavas because I wanted that Agassi drop, but Military 4s in 2006 got me into the game because I never took care of my shoes before that pair.
Convinced my mom to buy me a pair of Jordan 12s in middle school (black and red). 100% beat the shit out of them and played terrible basketball in them.
Worked at a shoe store in high school, so probably the first pair that I saved up for myself was a pair of Air Maxes or something.
First pair that made me fall in love with "sneaker culture" was the Red Octobers - the shock drop, the design, just everything about them. Of course I never got a pair, but damn, still in love with them today.
I was one of those guys that brought the Eastbay and CCS catalog to school and hid it in my textbook. The Air Max C-Webb (now Sensation) was the first pair I remember saving up for and going to grab when they released. When I got to Finish Line they only had 12, I was a 10. I didn’t care. Then just about every other dollar went towards the next pair. Then it was trips to outlets, workin the phones, and ooooh when message boards came around. Now get off my lawn kids, I gotta take a nap.
Where do I start? lol! As a dual citizen (US and UK), my shoes always sort of represented the country I wasn't in at the time. The first story that comes to mind is that as a kid, I lobbied back and forth between my basketball coaches in the UK to not only convince them to have a team shoe, but also let me select it. I felt like I always had heat, while my teammates rocked more European styles. Whatever you like, right? But, I got the green light and selected the Questions with the red toe. I loved A.I. growing up. As an adult I became a fan of Steve Stoute's marketing around the releases after reading his book. Anyway, to seal my win, I collected my teammates' funds and brought an extra suitcase on a trip to the states, (a planned family trip, although it would've been more legendary if it were just for the shoes), and came back with everyone's shoes. I even taught them about Jadakiss to help them understand how his appearance in the commercials was important to the culture.
Another quick story, during college dunks were really poppin in the states, but not so much in England. During summer/winter breaks I'd go back home to England and walk right into JD Sports on any day of the week and easily grab exclusive joints on sale. Like £10-20 each. It was wild. I'd go back to college, (FAMU) with my new collection each semester and guys always went nuts. So many people tried to pay me to bring back shoes. Why didn't I start a business?! Everyday I'd hear, "Let me see your shoes today, London (nickname)". The SBs (too many favs to choose) have a special place in my heart for making me a little more social during college.
Lastly, as a kid in the 90s I rocked what my older brother did for the most part. Jordans, Junior Seaus, Ken Griffey Jrs, Pennys, Barkleys, Iversons (of course), and all of the other popular shoes. In like 98/99 I picked a shoe on my own for the first day of school, which was a pair of super metallic silver Sauconys. Like SUPER METALLIC. The reaction empowered me to trust my own style, even though I loved all of the other shoes as well. Seeing my brother on campus smiling, proud of the hype around his little sister's shoes was dope.
Andre from philly. Was always into shoes from as long as I remember. I knew i was true to this when i searched high and low for the black and chrome Jordan 8s back in 03-04. I was 11; i missed out and i was hurt 😭 Finally grabbed in 2017 and shed a tear. My first grail lol. Went through all my phases as well; basketball, runners, acg, canvas standards, i love it all. Recently got into designer and some Japanese stuff as well lol. Wear what you like. It’s all fun. If it’s accessible of course lol.
after years of flipping through eastbays, i finally convinced my dad in 6th grade to get me the sprewell cons. ngl, when he choked out his coach years later it made sneakers that much more punk/anti-establishment for me.
the first pair of sneakers I remember having was the Answer III, but the shoe that really made me a full blown sneakerhead was the IV - the zip up jawns that Iverson wore in his MVP/Finals year. I don't think in the 20 years since I've ever wanted a shoe that badly - and my mom never got me a pair. By the time I was old enough to buy my own in like 8th/9th grade, they were impossible to find.
Man, that was another joint for me too! My mom actually bought me those joints and I wore the hell out of them into the ground over the next few years.
First is the Answer 4 step overs....the summer of 01 was probably the first summer I started really paying attention to sports very closely. Iverson was the man, and watching him step over Ty Lue in those Answers was magical.
Second is the version of the Jordan 1 Chicago's that came out in the early 2000's with the patent leather. I was barely tuned into the game at this point but I remember one of my best friends getting them. Was the first time I believe that somebody I knew got in line at a store for sneakers. I thought he was crazy. When he wore them to school the next day I think my jealous face was perfectly visible in the patent leather.
Lastly is the Nike Air Zoom First Generation White Black's...aka Lebron's first sneaker. I'm from NE Ohio (about an hour from Cleveland) so Lebron's been my guy since he was 17. I remember going to the store just to get some kicks for school and seeing them. I was drawn to them. Kept picking them up, so finally my dad said lets get em....I actually lobbied against it due to how much they were. By the end of it, it was my dad who was persuading me to cop them...some masterful reverse psychology on my part. Easily the most expensive sneaker I had owned up until that point.
Yeah pretty crazy if I actually think about it....we didn't have cash flow like that...must've been sick or something to actually be the one pushing it on me. Had us reversing roles in Dick's like a Freaky Friday reboot or some shit. I'm over here talking about groceries, and car insurance and my dad was like "nah lets spend that one some kicks". I actually was scared to wear them for the longest. Then finally started doing so. Then beat them to hell hoopin. Def got the money's worth.
For me it was the UNC to Chi from this year's NBA All Star weekend. Saw em and thought I gotta have them. The rest is history, and now my family think I have a shoe problem.
When the AJ Concord XIs came out, and I vividly remember reading a newspaper story about how Chicago high school kids were wearing them to prom, because the patent leather went perfectly with formal wear. That detail blew my mind.
Heyo! My first pair of sneakers were the Green Bean 5's. I had been skateboarding with one of my friends and kept trying to drop in and eating it. He told me if I tried to drop in one more time, he'd buy me my first pair of Jordans. I dropped in, ate it, and had a bruise on my hip for 2 months. He ultimately didn't pay me back for the shoes, but that's what started it all.
it's @crawf33 here from the bird. I loved kicks since the early 90s when I first saw the Reebok Shaqnosis but my folks wouldn't buy me anything I was going to grow out of in seven months, much less big-brand sneakers.
my first real SNEAKER sneaker purchase were adidas Rod Lavers and Superstars in 2010 and a pair of Onitsuka Tigers the following year (from the Foot Locker in Times Square, no less). it snowballed from there, then stopped from 2013-17 when I didn't make any money, but then we're back in 2018 and onwards. the history is a real hook for me, there's so much in the details of these shoes and so much to learn.
Im shawn... shawnpmuth on socials... i realLy didnt start collecting collecting til 2014 but always loved shoes...my favorite is probably the black cement 3s. Timeless to me! I really enjoy all brands and i think thats what defines my collection
Kobe 5 ftb's. I was looking to buy them a few years back and was introduced to the whole ftb collection. I'd been a fan of Kobe's for a few years but looking all over the world to find them and inevitably buying them from GOAT gave me a real look at what sneakerheads go through.
I’m guessing I’m a little older than most of your readers but I’ll never forget the first time I saw a pair of Jordan 1’s. That said, it was the 3’s that set it off for me. Had to have every pair during my childhood and young adulthood.
Kansas City here. Always wanted Jordans growing up, never got em. But I still participated in some sneaker fads in elementary/middle/high school. LA Gear, Fila, Reebok Pump, Vans, Airwalks, and adidas Samba/Gazelle in elementary school; eS, Emerica, Axion, Lakai skate shoes in middle school; Saucony Jazz and various New Balances in high school. Then I just pretty much copped and wore into the ground anything that caught my fancy: Onitsuka Tiger Gantrai, adidas Rod Lavers, and Saucony lows in college; Nike Free Run, Saucony Jazz (again), and Sperry Topsiders (smh) in grad school.
Now I can afford Jordans, so I’ve got too many of them along with Yeezy, and some NB/Saucony/Asics collabs.
But the one shoe that sticks out for me when I realized I liked sneakers is the adidas Rod Lavers. Too hard to come across regularly, I’m planning to start stockpiling them.
My Mom got me a pair of Nike Air More Uptempo’s in 5th Grade in the OG black/white colorway. This was literally during the height of the Bulls dynasty (I’m old). Clothes were bummy but I felt like a million bucks with them joints on. The love only grew from there. Would page through Eastbay and SLAM daily, I would always write down all these shoes I wanted (but never could get). My big brother would go to school before me in the morning, so once he left I would raid his closet and wear his shoes to school, then put ‘em back in there before he got home 🤣 He had Playoff XII’s and this pair of white/patented leather navy Air Max 90’s that I would wear with his navy LT Chargers jersey LAWD. Anyways, I’ve had almost every brand over the years at some point (Adidas T-Mac’s and Pro Models, Questions and the Iverson IV’s, so many Vans, Puma Suedes, countless J’s and AF1’s, Dunks, Penny’s, Shox, Barkley’s, Griffey’s, GP Gloves, many different Air Max’s. FILA Grant Hill’s. Even the And 1 Marbury joints! The KG ones too! Not a flex just saying I’ve tried almost everything at some point. Never had Chuck’s though.) Sneakers are art. I love how there is a community for almost every brand or model, and you can go on Google and look up the history of these sneakers that you never knew before. Every shoe tells a story. I’ve recently got into New Balance and there’s so many joints I need to add to the collection, and I have a new pair of grails that I need - NB 999 Kennedy’s. Man I haven’t seen a shoe so beautiful in my life. Much love!
Loved shoes growing up, especially crisp all white ones. Never really could afford them so I always remember loving beginning of school year to go to Footlocker or Finishline for the 2 for $90 deal. Always started with fresh Adidas Superstars. Kept up with shoes as I got older but really just heavy got into them in last year. Shoe that made me fall in love is still the Stan Smiths. Still ride for Adidas (shout out Matt Welty) but Nike has captured most of my interest lately. Looking forward to those new National Park Joshua Tree ZX5000 though.
Air Jordan 11 Concord from October 2000 was my first pair that i bought for myself. For the first time ever i owned a pair that everyone wanted lol. It was fun times for me since i still have them
Hey everybody! Steve from the Twin Cities here. My first pair of nice sneakers was the TMac 2 I got for Christmas in 7th grade. I loved those, really hope they retro someday. Been pretty casual into sneakers until about 5 years ago when I got way more into it when I actually had some disposable income 😂 I’m a brewer as well so if anyone is into beer holler at me!
The first shoe I HAD to have and worked my tail off mowing Neighbor yards to buy (cause my parents damn sure weren’t buying them for me😂) were the OG Columbia 11s in 1996. I was in middle school. Couldn’t tell me NOTHING!
Nike Foamposite worn by Mike Bibby. It was the first shoe that made me say "wait what are THOSE!?" and I had to have them but the price point was also so crazy. Many years later I did get a pair and it was perfect.
For me, it's gotta be the Jordan IV Royalty, them black gold joints. I never acc had them myself, but my best friend did and always wore them to middle school. (Yeah, I'm pretty young) I always wanted them, but no cap, back then I didn't even know what number Jordan they were so I couldn't even ask my mother to find them. But one time I entered the Finish-Line at the mall and I saw em! I was real hype, but my Mother saw no point in paying that much off rip for a shoe. Cuz of that, I kept looking at shoes, tryna find shoes I liked, and eventually I became a sneaker head. I got my first pair of Js two Christmases ago. It was a just some basic Jordan 1's not even a retro. They're all black, and not really anything to be proud of, and I still love 'em! I've worn the hell outta them, and I recently got the "What the" Jordan IV. Still, the funniest thing I know about my sneaker taste is that I wore black forces before they were "black forces." I just thought they looked tuff.
The shoe that means the most to me tho is prolly my Kobe 11s. I've had them for God knows how long, yet they still fit me. I've worn them for all my basketball practices and games, and I even used them for track and field at a point in time. I only gottem cuz they were on sale for like 50% off at the time, but I was still so happy to get em. When Kobe died, I wore those shoes for a week straight, and only took em off to sleep or shower. Still feels unreal.
I loved sneakers growing up but I never really had money, resale scared me, but I was always interested in sneakers. One day I was at an outlet mall and saw some white Jordan 1s with a black swoosh in size 15. I was elated, finally bought a cool pair of shoes and I've been hooked ever since.
Drake from pg county, md. The first pair of shoes i really wanted and still dont have are the black and blue air flightposite 3s. One of the giys who was in charge of my after school program in temple hills wore them everyday and i couldnt stop staring at them. They didnt look like any other shoe id ever seen and to this day i cant find them anywhere. One day imma buy them to cap off the small collection but yea shoes are truly the only things that hit me like that to this day.
Drake, what's good! The Flightposite was definitely a DMV staple back in the day yo. I remember seeing the green flightposite 2s and wanting them joints SO BAD. Never got em. I was too broke hahaha
I liked shoes (and socks!) for as long as I can remember. The shoe that made me fall in love is the And1 Tai Chi. This could be my bad memory, but I swear I bought a blue/white pair a few days before Vince wore them in the dunk contest. I do remember getting a lot of love from people after that. It is still the only shoe that I bought multiples of, and I am sorry to say that I completely wore through the soles on all of them. My last pair did not survive one of my moves.
I wasn't a big fan of the early Jordans as basketball shoes, and I have been anti-Nike after three straight pairs of Airmax Uptempos popped (and they would not replace them because I play outdoors so they were dirty??). I guess I should have cleaned them before paying to ship them to Nike.
It has probably worked out for the best. I can't imagine how much it would cost if I had to own Jordans/Nikes too.
Hey y'all! Jimmy from PDX here. Waaaay back in 1991 (pause for age estimation calculations) I got my first pair of Nike's with an air bubble, the Air Bound. Little kid me succumbed to peer pressure and popped the bubble with a push pin to see if there was actually air inside (facepalm). 90's Nike basketball was all time and it snowballed from there.
Congratulations of course! Our uncle Pic was a real baller! He had a pair of the Georgetown Air Force Ones, and that was right around the time Jordan dropped his first pair of shoes or shortly after. I could not figure out the Jordan's initially (the red and black threw me off) until my brother Chris got them. They were beyond fly and I fell in love immediately. I unfortunately have OCD and I was only able to like 3 pairs of Jordan's the 1s, the 2s and the 9s go figure. I don't own any Js currently, I only wear shoes if you don't like them or want them.
Man, the Lightning 4s. Never got them joints either. Never cared all that much about shoes before I saw a friend wear those to school. I remember retweeting damn near every KicksOnFire giveaway trying to get a pair of anything, couldn’t afford anything on my own and my parents wouldn’t spend that kind of cash on shoes they felt were unnecessary. First legit pair I bought after saving up were the July 4th KD 7s. Still have them almost as clean as the day I bought them. Worn them less than 10 times. Before them I bought some cheap side-brand Js I don’t remember the name of. Something like $90 from Tanger. Beat the absolute hell out of em, every day in gym class I laced em up until they got so bad they became my outside shoes.
The earliest shoes I can remember going crazy over were all from right around 99-01: the Jordan 17 (w/ briefcase), the Adidas Kobe 2' (i know, i know), and the Nike Jet Flight (still in my top 5 all time).
Honorable mention goes to the And1 Rises lol. Those were everywhere back in the day.
The first pair I bought with my own money were the Fila Grant Hill 1s. They had the aesthetics of the Jordan 9s without the price tag of the Jordan 9. And I liked Grant Hill’s game.
What it do family?! The name is Jum. I think I fell in love with the 18s back in 2000-2001, young guy like me was in the 1st grade and I had a kid in my class who had like two pairs or so alongside his dad. This when I started craving kicks, didn’t get into them until maybe a decade later.
But the first pair of Js I bought were the Varsity Red 6s which will always be a grail for me.
Jum what's good! Those 6's are absolute classics! One of my boys ran through his joints and was sick when the sole fell to pieces. They were that good tho.
Hi I’m Peter! I’m a 16 year old sneaker head. The first shoe I bought simply because I liked it was a maroon pair of High-top allbirds. The first shoe that made me think, “wow I could collect these” was the adidas grand court in black and white. Lastly, the shoe that I’ve HAD to have was the space hippie 02 and I paid 250 for it on resale 😭
About 4 years ago, I saw some guy wearing a pair of Jordan v low alternate 90s. I was like how did you keep those shoes so clean for so long? He tells me that Nike releases retros and thus the obsession begun.
Who knew all those shoes that I couldn't afford could now be had? Most expensive, random encounter I've ever had....but I love it!
AJ3 True Blues. The first shoe I managed to get out of a treasure hunt at a local shop (BK Wearhouse in Williamsburg). They crumbled after a few wears, but still worth it.
For me, it was the Aqua 8 drop in 2007. It was the FIRST shoe I bought with my own money. My entire math class was hyping me up lmao. I freaked them with a purple lace swap too.
That was the moment for me.
Whats good son! The first shoe that ignited my sneakheadism is the Metallic Red Foams. I was hella young and broke at the time so I was rockin Shaqs and Chucks; but When I saw people at school rockin them... I knew my life was changed forever lol While they are not my ultimate favorite shoe ever, they defiantly kicked off my love for shoes!
Them Metallic Red Foams definitely went up tho! Those and the Griffey's were the shit back in high school.
Boy I know they were flaming you for the Shaqs lmao
Lol It was a dark time in my life
Bro I had some Starburys and they were getting me OUT of here lmao. I still love them tho
Ha...I remember grabbing like the entire Starbury sneaker line for like $40. I had at least 3 pair. Played out of outdoor hoops back then, so I felt a lot better about thrashing those than my Lebron's. Interestingly enough someone stole my last pair of them off my porch. May be the only stolen pair of Starbury joints in the world.
I love this thread!
So I wore these religiously around ’95 (link below). I wore them *everywhere*. I was happy that my feet grew enough that I could shop the men’s section. Was so obsessed that I even walked into a pool with them and was wondering why the hell I was sinking. Lmao thank god for my cousin who fetched me before I went down with my kicks. Who can ID them? Honestly don’t know or remember. 👀 https://www.dropbox.com/s/n0xsvenejr8gye4/FullSizeRender.jpeg?dl=0
I went to catholic school so we only had one day a week to flex. I was never crazy about Jordans, maybe because I was a Pippen and Hardaway fan so naturally was obsessed with the Uptempos and Foamposites that all my guy friends wore. But my true loves were the air max 95s and air max plus releases. They would stop me in my tracks as I passed a window display at foot action or finishline. Still my favorites til this day!
Man, these have me stumped! I recognize them (at least I think I do?) but I can't call the name. Can anybody help us out here?
That looks a lot like the Air Trainer Mix II Low in this Eastbay picture
https://zackschlemmer-files-wordpress-com.cdn.ampproject.org/i/s/zackschlemmer.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/sm96-extreme-13.jpg
The first shoe I can really remember as a kid was the TMac 2. I got a pair of those for basketball in 3rd or 4th grade and actually followed the sneaker world after that.
In middle school I like *really* started paying attention, and I was a big D Wade fan and got into his line with Converse. I had the 1.3s, 2s, and 3s. They were more affordable than a lot of other signatures, and I liked that they looked super different and no one else had them (which meant I got clowned some, but I stuck with em).
Yo when T Mac wore the red and blue Mac 2's in the All-Star game? I just about lost it, fam.
definitely had a pair of these for freshman hoops! wore the hell out of them.
When a friend showed up on the first day of 5th grade wearing the reebok question's with the red toe, that was the first time I realized there were cool sneakers out there that weren't whatever my mom would buy me at JCPenney. I remember saving up all of my chore money to buy a pair only to be told I couldn't spend it all on a pair of shoes. I pretty much had to wait until college to buy them By then I was infatuated with the entire jordan line and also bought some concords and any VI's I could find. I wore them all the time and was devastated when they were all stolen from my house 2 years later. My collection is small now but if I start back up, I'll buy the questions again. And I'll tell my mom about it too :D
Fam, that really sucks. The ugly part of the culture. Smh. I hope you start your collection up again!
I lived in a small town growing up and I made a friend that had come to stay with his grandparents for the summer from B-more. He had a pair of the Jordan 3 Cement. I had never seen anything like it! That shoe got me hooked. Where I lived, any fashion or trend didn’t make there until 6 months later it seemed. Later on, I saw someone else from out of town playing ball in the black 3s, it was all over!
The cements are so iconic man
Yes! That shoe will get anybody hooked.
Love this!! I’m old school. Converse did it for me. I had a pair of pink and white seasonal Chuck Taylor All Stars. You could’ve tell me NUTHIN!!! Then I purchased the purple pair and white pair. Forever a Converse girl!
“Couldn’t” 😊
Lmao Chucks are forever classics for a reason! It's the only shoe that has adapted to every era.
For me was a few : British Knights lows the toe looked like lace and honey comb pattern of blk and white , Deion prime sanders with the gold mesh was everything! Had the matching Nike windbreaker with the gold swoosh thread ! Also the penny 2s & has other Nike the white and green Jurassic looking ones with the White and green slits on the side of course with the matching windbreaker lol I didn’t buy my first jordans until I was very much an adult but the 3s were always a fave growing up and still
Is now!
God I know exactly which Penny 2's you're talking about. I would LOVE to get my hands on that colorway
Hi. My first pair of sneakers that I had to have were the original k-swiss white sneakers. It was 1985. (I'm old) From there I went to Stan Smiths. I wanted the original cortez, didn't get them. My first Jordan's? The grape 5's in 1990. Purple is my favorite color so I would get anything that color and I love Michael Jordan so that was the first Jordan I bought. I think that started me on the quest. I would visit friends in NYC, I live in SF, and bought sneakers I couldn't find here at Dr J's and VIM. I miss those days of buying something that no one had before the internet. And of course walking all over NYC looking for sneakers, finding something and feeling so so good. My mom put me on shoe probation and I had to hide them.
😂shoe probation is hilarious! I do love the convenience of the internet, but I'm with you — if I could stand in line for shoes again I would. Did you go for any of the Grape 5's that have dropped recently?
As a kid, it was Air Tech Challenge 2 Hot Lavas because I wanted that Agassi drop, but Military 4s in 2006 got me into the game because I never took care of my shoes before that pair.
kanye used the souls from the tech challenge 2's on the yeezy 2's! i love that shoe
Convinced my mom to buy me a pair of Jordan 12s in middle school (black and red). 100% beat the shit out of them and played terrible basketball in them.
Worked at a shoe store in high school, so probably the first pair that I saved up for myself was a pair of Air Maxes or something.
First pair that made me fall in love with "sneaker culture" was the Red Octobers - the shock drop, the design, just everything about them. Of course I never got a pair, but damn, still in love with them today.
I was one of those guys that brought the Eastbay and CCS catalog to school and hid it in my textbook. The Air Max C-Webb (now Sensation) was the first pair I remember saving up for and going to grab when they released. When I got to Finish Line they only had 12, I was a 10. I didn’t care. Then just about every other dollar went towards the next pair. Then it was trips to outlets, workin the phones, and ooooh when message boards came around. Now get off my lawn kids, I gotta take a nap.
Where do I start? lol! As a dual citizen (US and UK), my shoes always sort of represented the country I wasn't in at the time. The first story that comes to mind is that as a kid, I lobbied back and forth between my basketball coaches in the UK to not only convince them to have a team shoe, but also let me select it. I felt like I always had heat, while my teammates rocked more European styles. Whatever you like, right? But, I got the green light and selected the Questions with the red toe. I loved A.I. growing up. As an adult I became a fan of Steve Stoute's marketing around the releases after reading his book. Anyway, to seal my win, I collected my teammates' funds and brought an extra suitcase on a trip to the states, (a planned family trip, although it would've been more legendary if it were just for the shoes), and came back with everyone's shoes. I even taught them about Jadakiss to help them understand how his appearance in the commercials was important to the culture.
Another quick story, during college dunks were really poppin in the states, but not so much in England. During summer/winter breaks I'd go back home to England and walk right into JD Sports on any day of the week and easily grab exclusive joints on sale. Like £10-20 each. It was wild. I'd go back to college, (FAMU) with my new collection each semester and guys always went nuts. So many people tried to pay me to bring back shoes. Why didn't I start a business?! Everyday I'd hear, "Let me see your shoes today, London (nickname)". The SBs (too many favs to choose) have a special place in my heart for making me a little more social during college.
Lastly, as a kid in the 90s I rocked what my older brother did for the most part. Jordans, Junior Seaus, Ken Griffey Jrs, Pennys, Barkleys, Iversons (of course), and all of the other popular shoes. In like 98/99 I picked a shoe on my own for the first day of school, which was a pair of super metallic silver Sauconys. Like SUPER METALLIC. The reaction empowered me to trust my own style, even though I loved all of the other shoes as well. Seeing my brother on campus smiling, proud of the hype around his little sister's shoes was dope.
This was so long. : /
Andre from philly. Was always into shoes from as long as I remember. I knew i was true to this when i searched high and low for the black and chrome Jordan 8s back in 03-04. I was 11; i missed out and i was hurt 😭 Finally grabbed in 2017 and shed a tear. My first grail lol. Went through all my phases as well; basketball, runners, acg, canvas standards, i love it all. Recently got into designer and some Japanese stuff as well lol. Wear what you like. It’s all fun. If it’s accessible of course lol.
after years of flipping through eastbays, i finally convinced my dad in 6th grade to get me the sprewell cons. ngl, when he choked out his coach years later it made sneakers that much more punk/anti-establishment for me.
Aw dude those joints are CLASSICS. I don't even know if you can find those anymore.
I window shopped TF outta eastbay's catalog. Swore I was getting a pair of the DaDa's with the spinner.
the first pair of sneakers I remember having was the Answer III, but the shoe that really made me a full blown sneakerhead was the IV - the zip up jawns that Iverson wore in his MVP/Finals year. I don't think in the 20 years since I've ever wanted a shoe that badly - and my mom never got me a pair. By the time I was old enough to buy my own in like 8th/9th grade, they were impossible to find.
Man, that was another joint for me too! My mom actually bought me those joints and I wore the hell out of them into the ground over the next few years.
Its 3 Fold for me:
First is the Answer 4 step overs....the summer of 01 was probably the first summer I started really paying attention to sports very closely. Iverson was the man, and watching him step over Ty Lue in those Answers was magical.
Second is the version of the Jordan 1 Chicago's that came out in the early 2000's with the patent leather. I was barely tuned into the game at this point but I remember one of my best friends getting them. Was the first time I believe that somebody I knew got in line at a store for sneakers. I thought he was crazy. When he wore them to school the next day I think my jealous face was perfectly visible in the patent leather.
Lastly is the Nike Air Zoom First Generation White Black's...aka Lebron's first sneaker. I'm from NE Ohio (about an hour from Cleveland) so Lebron's been my guy since he was 17. I remember going to the store just to get some kicks for school and seeing them. I was drawn to them. Kept picking them up, so finally my dad said lets get em....I actually lobbied against it due to how much they were. By the end of it, it was my dad who was persuading me to cop them...some masterful reverse psychology on my part. Easily the most expensive sneaker I had owned up until that point.
Shouts to pops for looking out! That was a gem. They dropped some real nice joints when they retroed a few years ago.
Yeah pretty crazy if I actually think about it....we didn't have cash flow like that...must've been sick or something to actually be the one pushing it on me. Had us reversing roles in Dick's like a Freaky Friday reboot or some shit. I'm over here talking about groceries, and car insurance and my dad was like "nah lets spend that one some kicks". I actually was scared to wear them for the longest. Then finally started doing so. Then beat them to hell hoopin. Def got the money's worth.
what's good y'all? I'm @greerengonga. First shoe I ever bought with my own money was the Jordan 17 Varsity Red joints. Still hoping these retro soon.
That's the Wizards Jordan shoe. I love to see it 😂
For me it was the UNC to Chi from this year's NBA All Star weekend. Saw em and thought I gotta have them. The rest is history, and now my family think I have a shoe problem.
Hahahaha don't we all! This is also incredibly jarring to me because it shows how old I am LOLOL
When the AJ Concord XIs came out, and I vividly remember reading a newspaper story about how Chicago high school kids were wearing them to prom, because the patent leather went perfectly with formal wear. That detail blew my mind.
MAN that's a fly ass prom out fit lol. Gotta love the concords haha.
Heyo! My first pair of sneakers were the Green Bean 5's. I had been skateboarding with one of my friends and kept trying to drop in and eating it. He told me if I tried to drop in one more time, he'd buy me my first pair of Jordans. I dropped in, ate it, and had a bruise on my hip for 2 months. He ultimately didn't pay me back for the shoes, but that's what started it all.
LOL what an intro to the game. My goodness.
Those are fire kicks! I don’t blame for you falling in love!
Right!?!? Joints are fire.
They're absolutely destroyed now (I was not kind to shoes back then as much as I tried to be), but I still have them. Can't get rid of them.
man! love this.
it's @crawf33 here from the bird. I loved kicks since the early 90s when I first saw the Reebok Shaqnosis but my folks wouldn't buy me anything I was going to grow out of in seven months, much less big-brand sneakers.
my first real SNEAKER sneaker purchase were adidas Rod Lavers and Superstars in 2010 and a pair of Onitsuka Tigers the following year (from the Foot Locker in Times Square, no less). it snowballed from there, then stopped from 2013-17 when I didn't make any money, but then we're back in 2018 and onwards. the history is a real hook for me, there's so much in the details of these shoes and so much to learn.
Man, the history is how you find the actual gems. Like, reading up on some of Reebok's stuff specifically will have you treasure hunting for WEEKS.
I think that's my next move since I can't buy Dunks anymore lmao.
Im shawn... shawnpmuth on socials... i realLy didnt start collecting collecting til 2014 but always loved shoes...my favorite is probably the black cement 3s. Timeless to me! I really enjoy all brands and i think thats what defines my collection
That might be the best shoe of all-time bruh. I can easily see how this happened lmao.
Kobe 5 ftb's. I was looking to buy them a few years back and was introduced to the whole ftb collection. I'd been a fan of Kobe's for a few years but looking all over the world to find them and inevitably buying them from GOAT gave me a real look at what sneakerheads go through.
I’m guessing I’m a little older than most of your readers but I’ll never forget the first time I saw a pair of Jordan 1’s. That said, it was the 3’s that set it off for me. Had to have every pair during my childhood and young adulthood.
Kansas City here. Always wanted Jordans growing up, never got em. But I still participated in some sneaker fads in elementary/middle/high school. LA Gear, Fila, Reebok Pump, Vans, Airwalks, and adidas Samba/Gazelle in elementary school; eS, Emerica, Axion, Lakai skate shoes in middle school; Saucony Jazz and various New Balances in high school. Then I just pretty much copped and wore into the ground anything that caught my fancy: Onitsuka Tiger Gantrai, adidas Rod Lavers, and Saucony lows in college; Nike Free Run, Saucony Jazz (again), and Sperry Topsiders (smh) in grad school.
Now I can afford Jordans, so I’ve got too many of them along with Yeezy, and some NB/Saucony/Asics collabs.
But the one shoe that sticks out for me when I realized I liked sneakers is the adidas Rod Lavers. Too hard to come across regularly, I’m planning to start stockpiling them.
My Mom got me a pair of Nike Air More Uptempo’s in 5th Grade in the OG black/white colorway. This was literally during the height of the Bulls dynasty (I’m old). Clothes were bummy but I felt like a million bucks with them joints on. The love only grew from there. Would page through Eastbay and SLAM daily, I would always write down all these shoes I wanted (but never could get). My big brother would go to school before me in the morning, so once he left I would raid his closet and wear his shoes to school, then put ‘em back in there before he got home 🤣 He had Playoff XII’s and this pair of white/patented leather navy Air Max 90’s that I would wear with his navy LT Chargers jersey LAWD. Anyways, I’ve had almost every brand over the years at some point (Adidas T-Mac’s and Pro Models, Questions and the Iverson IV’s, so many Vans, Puma Suedes, countless J’s and AF1’s, Dunks, Penny’s, Shox, Barkley’s, Griffey’s, GP Gloves, many different Air Max’s. FILA Grant Hill’s. Even the And 1 Marbury joints! The KG ones too! Not a flex just saying I’ve tried almost everything at some point. Never had Chuck’s though.) Sneakers are art. I love how there is a community for almost every brand or model, and you can go on Google and look up the history of these sneakers that you never knew before. Every shoe tells a story. I’ve recently got into New Balance and there’s so many joints I need to add to the collection, and I have a new pair of grails that I need - NB 999 Kennedy’s. Man I haven’t seen a shoe so beautiful in my life. Much love!
Loved shoes growing up, especially crisp all white ones. Never really could afford them so I always remember loving beginning of school year to go to Footlocker or Finishline for the 2 for $90 deal. Always started with fresh Adidas Superstars. Kept up with shoes as I got older but really just heavy got into them in last year. Shoe that made me fall in love is still the Stan Smiths. Still ride for Adidas (shout out Matt Welty) but Nike has captured most of my interest lately. Looking forward to those new National Park Joshua Tree ZX5000 though.
Air Jordan 11 Concord from October 2000 was my first pair that i bought for myself. For the first time ever i owned a pair that everyone wanted lol. It was fun times for me since i still have them
Hey everybody! Steve from the Twin Cities here. My first pair of nice sneakers was the TMac 2 I got for Christmas in 7th grade. I loved those, really hope they retro someday. Been pretty casual into sneakers until about 5 years ago when I got way more into it when I actually had some disposable income 😂 I’m a brewer as well so if anyone is into beer holler at me!
The first shoe I HAD to have and worked my tail off mowing Neighbor yards to buy (cause my parents damn sure weren’t buying them for me😂) were the OG Columbia 11s in 1996. I was in middle school. Couldn’t tell me NOTHING!
Nike Foamposite worn by Mike Bibby. It was the first shoe that made me say "wait what are THOSE!?" and I had to have them but the price point was also so crazy. Many years later I did get a pair and it was perfect.
For me, it's gotta be the Jordan IV Royalty, them black gold joints. I never acc had them myself, but my best friend did and always wore them to middle school. (Yeah, I'm pretty young) I always wanted them, but no cap, back then I didn't even know what number Jordan they were so I couldn't even ask my mother to find them. But one time I entered the Finish-Line at the mall and I saw em! I was real hype, but my Mother saw no point in paying that much off rip for a shoe. Cuz of that, I kept looking at shoes, tryna find shoes I liked, and eventually I became a sneaker head. I got my first pair of Js two Christmases ago. It was a just some basic Jordan 1's not even a retro. They're all black, and not really anything to be proud of, and I still love 'em! I've worn the hell outta them, and I recently got the "What the" Jordan IV. Still, the funniest thing I know about my sneaker taste is that I wore black forces before they were "black forces." I just thought they looked tuff.
The shoe that means the most to me tho is prolly my Kobe 11s. I've had them for God knows how long, yet they still fit me. I've worn them for all my basketball practices and games, and I even used them for track and field at a point in time. I only gottem cuz they were on sale for like 50% off at the time, but I was still so happy to get em. When Kobe died, I wore those shoes for a week straight, and only took em off to sleep or shower. Still feels unreal.
I loved sneakers growing up but I never really had money, resale scared me, but I was always interested in sneakers. One day I was at an outlet mall and saw some white Jordan 1s with a black swoosh in size 15. I was elated, finally bought a cool pair of shoes and I've been hooked ever since.
Drake from pg county, md. The first pair of shoes i really wanted and still dont have are the black and blue air flightposite 3s. One of the giys who was in charge of my after school program in temple hills wore them everyday and i couldnt stop staring at them. They didnt look like any other shoe id ever seen and to this day i cant find them anywhere. One day imma buy them to cap off the small collection but yea shoes are truly the only things that hit me like that to this day.
Drake, what's good! The Flightposite was definitely a DMV staple back in the day yo. I remember seeing the green flightposite 2s and wanting them joints SO BAD. Never got em. I was too broke hahaha
Im saying lol. Man everybody at crossland hs had them and as a 6 year child i couldnt convince my parents those shoes were worth that.
That's always the struggle yo! lol. "You're just gonna grow right out of them." SO WHAT 😂
I liked shoes (and socks!) for as long as I can remember. The shoe that made me fall in love is the And1 Tai Chi. This could be my bad memory, but I swear I bought a blue/white pair a few days before Vince wore them in the dunk contest. I do remember getting a lot of love from people after that. It is still the only shoe that I bought multiples of, and I am sorry to say that I completely wore through the soles on all of them. My last pair did not survive one of my moves.
I wasn't a big fan of the early Jordans as basketball shoes, and I have been anti-Nike after three straight pairs of Airmax Uptempos popped (and they would not replace them because I play outdoors so they were dirty??). I guess I should have cleaned them before paying to ship them to Nike.
It has probably worked out for the best. I can't imagine how much it would cost if I had to own Jordans/Nikes too.
Vince had EVERY kid in my school trying to get their parents to come up on some Tai Chis. Mom was not having it for me tho LOL.
That's such a shame with the Uptempos, though. That shoe has always been mad uncomfortable for me, even though I think it has a great look.
Hey y'all! Jimmy from PDX here. Waaaay back in 1991 (pause for age estimation calculations) I got my first pair of Nike's with an air bubble, the Air Bound. Little kid me succumbed to peer pressure and popped the bubble with a push pin to see if there was actually air inside (facepalm). 90's Nike basketball was all time and it snowballed from there.
Congratulations of course! Our uncle Pic was a real baller! He had a pair of the Georgetown Air Force Ones, and that was right around the time Jordan dropped his first pair of shoes or shortly after. I could not figure out the Jordan's initially (the red and black threw me off) until my brother Chris got them. They were beyond fly and I fell in love immediately. I unfortunately have OCD and I was only able to like 3 pairs of Jordan's the 1s, the 2s and the 9s go figure. I don't own any Js currently, I only wear shoes if you don't like them or want them.
Man, the Lightning 4s. Never got them joints either. Never cared all that much about shoes before I saw a friend wear those to school. I remember retweeting damn near every KicksOnFire giveaway trying to get a pair of anything, couldn’t afford anything on my own and my parents wouldn’t spend that kind of cash on shoes they felt were unnecessary. First legit pair I bought after saving up were the July 4th KD 7s. Still have them almost as clean as the day I bought them. Worn them less than 10 times. Before them I bought some cheap side-brand Js I don’t remember the name of. Something like $90 from Tanger. Beat the absolute hell out of em, every day in gym class I laced em up until they got so bad they became my outside shoes.
The earliest shoes I can remember going crazy over were all from right around 99-01: the Jordan 17 (w/ briefcase), the Adidas Kobe 2' (i know, i know), and the Nike Jet Flight (still in my top 5 all time).
Honorable mention goes to the And1 Rises lol. Those were everywhere back in the day.
also intro: Quinten -- i do creative and strategic work for brands, some in the sneaker world, some not.
I respect the fact that you just publicly admitted your love for the Kobe 2 on here. Lmao
man they were hideous, but so much so I couldn't help but love em
Always liked Jordans as a kid but what got me into the culture later in life were the Jordan IV Retro Cavs, since then its become a bad (great) habit
The first pair I bought with my own money were the Fila Grant Hill 1s. They had the aesthetics of the Jordan 9s without the price tag of the Jordan 9. And I liked Grant Hill’s game.
What it do family?! The name is Jum. I think I fell in love with the 18s back in 2000-2001, young guy like me was in the 1st grade and I had a kid in my class who had like two pairs or so alongside his dad. This when I started craving kicks, didn’t get into them until maybe a decade later.
But the first pair of Js I bought were the Varsity Red 6s which will always be a grail for me.
Jum what's good! Those 6's are absolute classics! One of my boys ran through his joints and was sick when the sole fell to pieces. They were that good tho.
Hi I’m Peter! I’m a 16 year old sneaker head. The first shoe I bought simply because I liked it was a maroon pair of High-top allbirds. The first shoe that made me think, “wow I could collect these” was the adidas grand court in black and white. Lastly, the shoe that I’ve HAD to have was the space hippie 02 and I paid 250 for it on resale 😭
Peter! What up fam! That Space Hippie price tag hurts LOL but it'll be worth it! Mine are on the way.
About 4 years ago, I saw some guy wearing a pair of Jordan v low alternate 90s. I was like how did you keep those shoes so clean for so long? He tells me that Nike releases retros and thus the obsession begun.
Who knew all those shoes that I couldn't afford could now be had? Most expensive, random encounter I've ever had....but I love it!
THE COME UP IS TOO REAL! You love to see it!
AJ3 True Blues. The first shoe I managed to get out of a treasure hunt at a local shop (BK Wearhouse in Williamsburg). They crumbled after a few wears, but still worth it.
Local spots >>>> I remember buying my first pair of Dunks from a local skate shop. Hooked ever since to the silhouette lol
Oh, and intro: Sumeet Shah, investing in brands and totally not obsessed with the business of sneaker culture and streetwear.