MY SNEAKER INFLUENCES - MIDDLE SCHOOL & HIGH SCHOOL

left: Air Jordan 1 ‘Banned’ (2016 retro) | right: Air Jordan 1 ‘Black Toe’ (2016 retro)

Last month I was featured in my friend’s podcast, The No Chance Podcast. It’s a podcast about streetwear and other related topics. While being introduced in the episode, my friend Ryan asked me to talk about my first experience with streetwear, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since he asked me since it’s not something I share every day. Let’s talk about my sneaker influences first.

I was influenced and exposed to streetwear in high school, but was exposed to sneakers throughout my childhood. Back in high school, my style was influenced mainly by sports and my friends. All my friends were on the basketball team, and grew up wearing Jordans because of their older siblings and cousins. I was in high school in the late 2000s, when sneaker culture was at its prime, you could say. My friends were obsessed with Jordan 1s and Jordan 11s, and they would line up on Saturday mornings back when the Foot Locker at Serramonte in Daly City still did raffles. I didn’t have older siblings, so I was never exposed to the sneaker culture through hand-me-downs or seeing anyone in my family wear them. I basically exposed myself to Jordans and Nikes and peaked my interest in them by window shopping as a kid.

top: Air Jordan XIV “White/Siren Red/ Neptune Blue” | middle: Air Jordan XXI Low “White/University Blue” | bottom: Women’s Nike Dunk Low “Blue Camo”

The very first Jordan I fell in love with were a pair of blue and white GS 14s, and I begged my parents to buy me them every time we went to the mall. Back then, kids Jordans were still over $100 a pair, and my parents thought I was crazy asking them for shoes that expensive. The first pair of Jordans my parents bought me were a pair of white and university blue Air Jordan 21s during winter break when I was in the 7th grade. I felt so cool when I went back to school after winter break wearing my new shoes. My mom hated how much I liked sneakers growing up and always got mad at me for liking all the boys shoes. I have my dad to blame for that cause I always wanted to match shoes with him when I was a kid. In middle school I either wore Hollister and PacSun, or basketball shorts and dunks - there was no in between.

My favorite shoe I ever owned growing up were these Women’s Dunk Lows that were white and blue camo. Literally no one knows which pair I’m talking about when I bring it up in a conversation. My mom only agreed to buy them for me in middle school because the Nike logo on the heel was pink. I wore those Dunks to the ground in middle school, and beat them up so bad from wearing them in PE class I had to throw them away. Biggest regret ever. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to find a pair in DS or VNDS condition to add to my collection.

In 2011, I bought my first pair of Jordans, and they were the Mineral Blue Air Jordan 7s. I bought them from the Foot Locker in Hillsdale mall in San Mateo. Growing up I would save all the money I got from birthdays and Christmas, and spent it on things my parents didn’t want to buy for me. I always liked the silhouette of the 7s, and my all time favorite pairs are the Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors colorways from the 2009 Defining Moments Pack. I remember walking into the Kids Foot Locker at Tanforan Mall and seeing them just sitting on the shelves. It’s crazy to me to see how much the sneaker culture changed when it comes to GS releases. Nowadays, it’s pretty rare when you see GS retros sitting on shelves after release day. Little did I know that buying those Mineral Blue 7s would spark something in me to start copping more Jordans. I started working during the summer in my junior and senior year of high school, and I started earning my own money. I started buying more things for myself because my parents couldn’t stop me. I’ve been a mess ever since. Jk I have no regrets, I wear all the shoes I own.