There are everyday beaters, rare samples, and plenty in between, accumulated over more than a decade of collecting. That’s a lot of shoes by any reasonable measure. Around 400 at my last count.
A few of my favorites took some work to get. I entered a stupid number of raffles for the JJJJound x New Balance 990v3, lined up overnight for the Sacai x Nike VaporWaffle, and caved and paid resale for the Gucci x Adidas Gazelle. With that many pairs, you start thinking about what actually earns its space.
A shoe can be interesting to collect and difficult to wear. Another can seem almost too obvious to buy, then turn out to be the thing that works with most of your clothes. If I could wipe the slate clean, I’d pay much more attention to that second category.
I’d still want some fun stuff, obviously. I’m rebuilding a sneaker collection, not writing a packing list. With these 21 pairs from Foot Locker’s selection.
There are basketball shoes I’d want for their shape and history, runners I’d buy for everyday wear, and a few low-profile pairs to switch things up. Some are famous enough that they barely need an introduction. But knowing a shoe’s name and knowing why you’d want it in your collection are different things.
Here’s why these would make it back into mine. Basketball classics Yes, four of my first five picks are Nike or Jordan – and that’s deliberate. If I were rebuilding my collection, they’d still get a big chunk of my budget.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
