I am a sneakerhead episode 227 - @Amsxliv_sneakercollection
First up, could you please introduce yourself?
Hi, I’m Neil. I’m from Liverpool, England originally but live in Amsterdam, Netherlands. I’ve always been into trainers from as far back as I can remember. From a young age, I always had a pair or two that I wore to bits but I probably started collecting about 10-15 years ago. I’ve always been a massive football fan and also loved 90’s NBA basketball so there was definitely some overlap from that too. Being from Liverpool, having a pair that no-one had or someone asking you where you got a pair you had on feet was always a big deal.
Do you remember what your first pair of sneakers that you really cared about was?
In the 90’s, the North West of England was always a massive adidas territory so I think that ingrained in me from an early age. I remember seeing a classic pair of suede Sambas with a gum sole when I was really young shopping with my Nan and thinking they were the coolest thing ever. My local football team, Liverpool FC, were sponsored by adidas in the 90’s and the jerseys and training wear from then was insane and are still my grails to this day. I remember going into sports shops every week to look at Copa Mundial and Predator football boots and being absolutely captivated by them.
You seem to have a great variety of sneakers in your collection, do you have any favourite brands?
Adidas has always been my favourite brand. Up until 4-5 years ago, I literally didn’t buy any other brand of sneaker and considered it almost a tribal thing like supporting a team. I guess I’ve mellowed with age and now have some other brands but I’d say adidas still account for 90% of my collection. I always liked New Balance but was resistant to get any pairs as I knew if I liked them I could never just be happy with one pair. Sure enough, I caved 2-3 years ago and got a pair of 2002R which quickly became my go-to pair. I’ve now got around 10-12 pairs of New Balance in my collection.
How many pairs do you currently have?
A couple of years back, I reached 100 pairs and decided to draw a line in the sand at that as my limit (as well as constant nagging from my girlfriend for stealing her space in our wardrobe). If I want a new pair, I always try to make sure I sell one before (though that doesn’t always happen). I have half of my collection in Amsterdam where I live and the other half in my parents in Liverpool. It can make it tricky to keep track of them all but at the same time, it’s always nice to go back and rotate a few pairs.
I never really got into Nike or Jordan. I only have 2 pairs of Nike in my collection – Air Max 95 Neon OG ‘110s’ (a Liverpool staple) and a classic pair of Blazers (my favourite Nike silhouette). I remember I bought a pair of Oreo Jordan 4’s about 8-9 years ago but couldn’t get the fit right. Some of the collabs with A Ma Maniere etc are really cool I guess Jordan just isn’t my vibe.
When I’m not buying pairs for myself, I’m living vicariously through my girlfriend and one year old son and buying pairs for them. I’ve got a matching pair of Sean Wotherspoon ZX for him that will fit him soon so looking forward to pairing them up with mine.
Do you usually buy sneakers in physical stores or online?
I’d say I buy the majority of my sneakers online. Living in the EU I’m lucky to have access to cool stores such as Patta, Overkill, Foot District and BSTN which offer decent delivery. When I’m back in the UK, I love going into Offspring and size?, I still don’t think you can beat going into a store, trying on a pair and taking them home.
Have you bought anything in 2024 so far?
I always start each year with the idea that I’ll take it easy but for some reason, I always find that January and February have loads of cool drops and that goes out the window very quickly. This year I got my first pair of Salomon in January – the GTX XT-6 which are perfect for the Amsterdam weather. Adidas Football and Basketball are going crazy at the moment – the Predator Freestyle were my first purchase this year and they’re a Predator / Samba hybrid so they’re already a regular in my rotation. I regret hesitating on the AE1’s – I couldn’t decide which colourway I wanted to hold out for and in the end, each one has sold out in an instant. I also got the red pair of the adidas x size? Amsterdam drop which seemed an obvious fit.
Otherwise, last year I loved so many of the Sambas from the adidas Consortium Cup but decided to hold out as I’d already got a couple of the Wales Bonner Sambas earlier in the year. The Offspring ZX8000 was the standout pair from the whole competition for me so I didn’t want to miss out on those and got them online from Offspring a few weeks back.
Do you already know what your next purchase will be?
I’m honestly trying to only go for pairs that I really love. There’s probably not anything specific on my radar right now but I’m really looking forward to the 10th anniversary adidas Spezial drop in April. I’ve been a bit back and forth on the SPZL range over the years but the 10th anniversary should hopefully mean something special.
At the moment I quite like looking on eBay and Vinted for old retro adidas Predator indoor shoes. One of my favourite pick-ups from last year was a bright blue Predator Absolute sneaker with a bounce sole from around 2006 which I love. I always have a handful saved searches for drops I’ve missed over the years (adidas Hoverturf Gardening Pack & adidas ZX Flaming Moes amongst others) so I’m always on the lookout!
Aside from that, one of my favourite pieces of storytelling behind a campaign from last year was the adidas x Unheardof ‘Grandma’s Couch’ drop. I think it was a US-only drop and with delivery/import costs I didn’t go for them but my Nan passed away earlier this year and we were incredibly close so the themes and touches on the pair are even more poignant for me so that’s probably top of my list for now.
What is your favourite pair in your collection?
My favourite pair is probably the adidas x size? Liverpool Anniversary City Series 1/2020. There are only 2020 pairs made and I missed the initial drop when my wifi crashed while I was on holiday on the payment page so they are only one of two pairs I’ve ever paid resale.
The other pair was the Yeezy Wave Runners and I don’t think I’ve wanted or chased a pair more. I’ve always loved Kanye (College Dropout is probably my favourite ever album) and even though I’ve sold my other 3-4 pairs of Yeezys in the last year, I’ll never part with the Wave Runners.
In terms of wearability, you can’t go wrong with the grey New Balance 990V6. It’s probably the shoe I’ve worn the most over the last year and if I go on away or on holiday, I always take it with me as they’re insanely comfortable and go with everything.
For day to day wear, I also love less-hyped classic silhouettes from the adidas archive that were originally made for specific sports such as the Handball Top, the Indoor Super, and the Edberg Comp. They’re always very comfy and typically have a gum sole which is always a win for me plus you’re guaranteed not to see a lot of people with them on.
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