(1/5) The (de)evolution of a sneakerhead...dropping in full on my substack next week
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The other day, as I was swimming through my closet trying to figure out what to do with yet *another* shipment of shoes, I was struck by a thought: ‘isn’t this supposed to be fun?’
Having watched this whole 'sneaker culture' evolve over the past 20 or so years, I'm at a point where I'm questioning why I should continue. As you may remember, I’m 42 years old and I spend more time in house slippers than I do sneakers. I have more sneakers in my closet than I could possibly wear for the rest of my life. And I am continually complaining about this fact. Yet…here I am. Still doing it.
I wonder…how did I get here?
No matter how much I hate owning up to this, the evolution of my identity as a sneaker collector has certainly shifted. If I recall correctly, I believe it went something like this::
Initial goal (2000-2004): “Re-live my childhood by purchasing the shoes I owned as a kid.“ (Grails: Jordan VI Infrared, Air Raid, Penny II, Reebok Answers)
Second goal (2004-2006): “One-up my childhood by copping all the shoes I *wanted* but was never able to afford as a kid.” (Grails: Jordan XII Playoffs, Black/White AF1, Jordan IV ‘Bred’, Jordan III ‘Black/Cement’, Reebok Answer IV)
Third goal (2006-2010): “Make sure I fit in at all these sneaker events I’m going to in NYC - let these people know that I’m *into* this” (Grails: Dunks, Dunk SBs, Air Maxes)
Fourth goal (2010-2015): “Oh, I no longer live in NYC, but I’m back in California and my best shot at copping anything I want will be online” (Grails: Foamposites, ACGs, other brands like Asics, New Balance, Saucony)
Fifth goal (2015-2018): “Eh, maybe I should start honing in on Samples and PEs” (Grails: Anything and everything that can point back to a specific player)
Sixth goal (2018-2020): “Yo! What the hell are those? Those are so weird! I NEED ‘em!” (Grails: Anything and everything that no one knows about that’s in MY size)
And finally…my seventh goal (2020-present) is….what…exactly? (Grails: ?)