First up, could you please introduce yourself?
Hello. My name is Hikmet Sugör and I am from Berlin,Germany. Some know me as the founder of Solebox, Solemart and my own sneaker brand SONRA.

Do you remember what your first pair of sneakers that you really cared about was?
I think it was my very first shelltoes the Adidas Pro Shell.

How many pairs do you currently have in your collection?
I just sold a lot on eBay (over 800 pairs). I now have around 400 pairs of which over 100 are made by me (collabs with other brands or my own brand).

What pair of shoes are you wearing on a normal Wednesday afternoon grocery shopping?
My favourite daily beater right now besides my own brand ones is the Mizuno Wave Rider 10 Highsnobiety

What made you decide you wanted to work in the sneaker industry?
I am a kid of the working class. Back then we do not have so many trainers. And we did not get them from Mom and Dad. I needed to work to buy myself cool shoes when I was in school. Trainers were my way to express myself.

You are known for countless well-executed collaborations throughout the years, do you have a favourite pair?
Thank you. Good to hear. One of my all-time favourites is my very first collaboration project. The NB 1500 GGB. It is like Scrooge MCDucks Lucky Dime.

What’s your favourite ‘non-Hikmet’ pair in your collection?
I love my Mars Yard 2.0. Comfy, wide and solid color-/material combination.

You recently collaborated with Mizuno on two occasions, have you experienced a difference working with smaller brands in the Industry like Mizuno compared to New Balance or ASICS?
When I worked with brands, I never really got the momentum from the brand. The first time I worked with New Balance was in 2005. Back then it wasn´t as popular as it is today for example.
in 2008, Asics was still in the early stage of its Lifestyle program, cause Asics was the performance division, and Onitsuka Tiger the lifestyle division.
But to answer the question: I do like to work with brands, where my work is visible and hopefully the reason for the success. A Dunk or Jordan collab is 80% already a winner due to the hyped silhouette, not the partner.

As the founder of Sonra in 2016, what was it like starting your own brand in a market with such well-established players?
I was pretty afraid to fail to be true. But on the other side, I just did what I love. I put all my passion in and gladly, it worked out. SONRA is a small niche product. Main ingredients: Quality, Passion, Sustainability and Community.

Would you ever consider collaborating with brands such as Highsnobiety on a Sonra release?
Sure. Love to work with great partners.

What can we expect of Sonra in 2023, any exciting projects in the pipeline?
Yes. I have several new silhouettes in the pipeline. Some 90s vibes, some future vibes and more.
And I am starting with apparel.

A lot of things have changed since you started working in the industry, what’s your opinion on the current state?
Standstill is not good, therefore I prefer changes. Sadly, collecting trainers has changed compared to the beginning. Far more reselling and people are buying the same hyped stuff. I was more the guy hunting/travelling for shoes. I do not like to pay resell for a pair. But this is and was always part of the sneaker thing. But the good aspect is somehow since it got so popular, everybody wears trainers. I grew up in a time when it wasn´t so common in Germany

Some people have a mixed opinion on resellers and how hyped releases are selling out in a matter of seconds, do you consider this movement to be negative only?
I do not like the whole resell thing. I think this hurts the love for trainers a lot.
I know many people who started to sell their whole collections, cause they do not like to be part of it anymore.
For myself: There are many shoes I would like to buy, but I do not try to get the hyped stuff, cause mostly it is connected to raffles or other stupid ways of getting a pair.
The good thing: I mostly like non-hyped stuff. I do buy what I like. You can get great trainers for a good price, cause non-hyped stuff sits on the shelves. This is a paradox, cause everybody wants something special, but in the end, they all buy the same. If you see on social media or on Sneaker conventions the „collections“ you will see all the same stuff. Boring…

What advice would you give to people who are eager to enter the sneaker community, both in a business and personal sense?
Don´t believe the hype. Buy what you like and do not care what others do.

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