I am a sneakerhead episode 207 - @Meelos.a
First up, could you please introduce yourself?
Hi! My name’s Ameel, I’m 33 years old and live in London. I’m originally from West London but now living in South East, which my mates never let me forget! I work in Business Development within the food industry which I have been doing now for the last 5 or so years.
For how long have you been a sneakerhead?
I’ve always been into sneakers from a young age, however I’d say that I really started to get a feel for collecting when I picked up the AM90 Infrareds in 2010. I guess that was the turning point for me, however properly collecting for me really took off when I had the disposable income to do so. So I’d say 8/10 years ago.
How many pairs do you currently have in your collection?
The collection is a mix of different brands and silhouettes and I roughly have around 65/70 pairs currently, though I don’t really count. I’ve actually trimmed down the collection as I had a lot of pairs I hadn’t worn for some time and living in a flat in London means space is always a battle! I’m also a strong believer in quality over quantity too.
You seem to have a great variety of sneakers in your collection, do you have any favourite brands?
The main three brands I collect are Nike, New Balance and Asics, with NB’s probably being my favourite brand in terms of colour ways, quality and consistency. As we all know Nike have been known for some questionable QC over the years and this has seemed to continue with the high volume of releases of the AM1 in 2023. A lot of AM1 releases this year have been lazy in my opinion and the colour ways being released are not nearly as inventive as previous years. Despite that, I’d say my favourite shoe of all time is the AM1 (so I guess that is a tough question), however New Balance seem to be more consistent overall.
Living in the London area, do you usually buy sneakers in physical stores or online?
I usually do my purchasing online, whether it be for new releases or entering raffles. As mentioned in the question above, this year has seemed to be a let down for the AM1 so far… so I’ve actually been able to cross off pairs from recent years which have been on my wish list.
What is the sneaker community like in London?
Pretty good from what I’ve seen, I don’t get too involved with it though as I just don’t have the time, however I’ve met some great people through social media. I’d say there are definitely a good bunch of people I’ve met through collecting and it’s funny when you bump into London collectors in person who you may have had contact with online in the past.
Have you bought anything in 2023 so far?
I’ve actually bought quite a few pairs this year so far! I’ve crossed off a few wish list pairs in the AM1 Master, AM1 x Denham Blue Void and the AM1 Chinatown New York. In terms of releases this year I picked up both the remastered pairs from the Ronnie Fieg x Asics Gel Lyte III collaboration - they are both knockout pairs!
What is your favourite pair in your collection?
That’s an easy question, my favourite pair in the collection has to be the Atmos Animal 2.0’s, they are just so mad, wild and an absolute head turner! Dare I say it, I actually like these better than the OG 1.0’s as I prefer the black toe box… I know the old collectors won’t like me saying that but it’s all preference. If I were allowed a second option it would have to be the New Balance 1500 Sample Lab ‘Multi colour’ pair. The 1500 is my second favourite silhouette and this particular pair has been crafted with an exceptional mix of materials. The colour way is also pretty perfect too. I also like the fact that to my knowledge they are only 100 pairs in each colour way (3 colour ways released within the pack) which makes them feel a little more special.
If you could only wear one pair for the rest of 2023, which would it be and why?
That’s a tough question, although a pair I wear a lot and are ultimately my go-to for all occasions are my AM1 Pinnacle Ocean Fog’s, they’re classy in terms of build but also durable so that makes them an all-rounded pair. Great colour way too!
Many thanks to the Epsilon team for giving me the opportunity to be featured, its’ been an absolute pleasure talking all things sneakers!
Cheers,
Ameel
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