I am a sneakerhead episode 190 - @Thedaltonquilty
First of all, could you please introduce yourself?
I'm Dalton, a 26 year old creative designer/sneakerhead (27 by the time this goes out, my youth is slipping away). I'm originally from Waterford, located in the self appointed "Sunny South East" of Ireland, I now live in the even sunnier location that is Manchester, I clearly just can't get enough sun-light in my life. I'm currently working as a creative designer for international retailer size? while running my side project, Social Sole.
For how long have you been collecting sneakers?
Actively, nearly 2 years. I've always been into sneakers from a young age, I used to always nag my auntie to give me her old pairs of Air Max BW's when I was about 7. Needless to say she wasn't exactly excited when her nephew started asking for every pair he saw. But only really when the pandemic hit, did I start actively looking to increase my collection.
Do you have any favourite brands? Perhaps even a favourite model?
Nike have always been my go to brand from a young age. They were the first to really catch my eye. Air Max releases in particular, which is why the Air Max 90 is my favourite model. But in recent years, brands like ASICS and New Balance have me swaying over to their side, my ASICS Gel Lyte III and New Balance 327 collections in particular are growing and don't look like stopping!
I'd love to learn more about your Socialsole project, could you please describe it?
Social Sole is an instagram based sneaker platform I set up in 2020, the primary focus is to give info on ongoing sneaker sales, info on upcoming releases and a way of bringing other sneakerheads together.
Initially Social Sole was born from me browsing sneaker sites looking for bargains. After buying one too many pairs, I thought to myself, "maybe I should give other people this info.." especially in an age where it feels like the more expensive your shoes, the better. I wanted to go against the grain and encourage the bargain hunters of the community to take advantage of some sweet deals.
I've since grown Social Sole to be more of a community with "Social Sole Saturday" being a regular feature each Saturday, a way to bring sneakerheads together regardless of where they are in the world.
If you could purchase one pair for retail, which would it be and why?
Its a toss up between the Sean Wotherspoon 97/1's and the Mars Yards 2.0's. Both incredible pairs. Once saw a pair of Mars Yards in the wild and my partner just did not understand the shock in my eyes. Unfortunately I'd have to take out a mortgage to buy either pairs right now but a man can dream.
Make sure to follow Dalton on Instagram