Adidas and Nike and Converse, Oh My

Everyone loves a fresh pair. Whether they be old school Converses, high top Nikes or um.. ok well, honestly I don't know that much about sneakers. I'm more of a boot guy. But let's face it, the shoe game has been ridiculous for some time now, from bright and bold to dingy and dirty.

For some history on the shoe craze Ugh's Erin B talks to a self proclaimed shoe-xpert, Richie Roxas (of Hail Social) and gets to the bottom of it all.

[DISCLAIMER... Yes, the language is going to shoe-tinue like this. So shoe-deal with it.]

Erin B: When did your shoe-bsession begin?

Richie: I started collecting and buying around '94, but I didn't realize I was obsessed until about '95 or '96. At the time, sneaker collecting wasn't really a "thing," at least in America. Japanese kids and Euro kids were already collecting Jordans and Adidas around this time, but in America only a few kids were collecting, and it was just out of love and fascination, not really 'cause it was a cool thing to do. For me, it kinda started out from skateboarding. Shoes would get so trashed from skating, so I'd get like a new pair every month. Then it became this thing where it wasn't even about a pair to skate in anymore, it was just like, get a new pair to look fresh in and walk around in. It started out like, I wore skate shoes to skate in, then when I was just hangin' at the mall following girls around (but being too scared to talk to them), I'd still be wearing the same beat up skate shoes. And then it became this thing of like, I need shoes to skate in and then separate shoes to just chill in. So I started buying classic Adidas and Pumas and stuff, 'cause those were more for chilling and not really for skating. Me and my friends used to steal other kid's sneakers from the locker rooms during gym class, 'cause we became so obsessed with running shoes. But we could never wear them in school the next day, 'cause the kids would see us wearing 'em and want 'em back... so we'd steal shoes and then take 'em home and only wear 'em hangin' at the mall or in the city outside of school.


EB: Do you remember the first time you justified shelling out big bucks for a new pair of kicks? What's the most you've ever spent on a pair of trainers?

R: Yes, it was '96, my junior year of high school... I am, and always was, obsessed with New Balance. I paid $180 for a pair of New Balance 1600, they are real classic, grey and blue, and one of the few New Balances where the "N" is actually stitched out on the side of the shoe, not the typical "N" that is stitched on, if that makes any sense. At the time, they were the most expensive pair of running shoes on the market, and they remain one of my fav. running shoes of all time. I still have them, but they are beat the fuck up. Now I have a 2nd pair that are on their way to getting beat up as well and they just re-released 'em in Japan in some cool colors.

Oh yeah, to answer the 2nd question, the most I've spent on a pair is $350. If I was rich and had more money to burn, I think id easily spend $1000 on one pair, but more than that is a little silly to me. I guess $1000 sounds silly to most people anyhow, so maybe I'm totally craytarded...


EB: How many pairs of tennies do you own?

R: Over 200, but under 250, not sure exactly how many. I don't own a single pair of Nikes, 'cause I think they're the worst. I've actually only bought maybe 5 pairs this year, 'cause everything that comes out these days totally bums me out. "Tennies"....that's super west coast, yo!

EB: What do you think is the perfect pair of loafers? Is there a recipe for a good pair of pumps?

R: This is a tough question, my fav. shoe of all time is the Adidas Superstar (shelltoe). It's just timeless and classic and you can never own too many. If I ever get a cat again, I'd like to name to name him/her "shelltoe." Or should I just name my baby that? My 2nd fav. shoe of all time is the New Balance 1300, which is probably not in anyone else's top 10 even, it's just a personal favorite, insanely underrated.

Man, I'm just realizing what a nerd I am by answering these questions...haha! As far as pumps go, Im not really knowledgeable on females' pumps/ heels, but I could tell you a good recipe for Reebok Pumps ! ha!

EB: Who do you think has the greatest sneaker style?

R: Fuck, I don't know… I don't really look up to anyone as far as who has great sneaker style, especially 'cause my taste is so different from the usual sneaker fan. I guess any early to mid 90's graffiti writer or skateboarder… that's the era I grew up with, so that's who I identify with. My friend Bryan has pretty good sneaker style. Also, Euros and Japanese kids have way better sneaker style than Americans.

EB: Is it proper street fashion to keep your toe snugglers on while making love?

R: Hell no! Once you have 'em in bed… take 'em off! You've already won! Show 'em your wang instead of your footwear! But you're asking the wrong person 'cause girls hate me and I have the worst luck with girls, anyway!

EB: What's the one pair of bottom dogs people need to get for the fall?

R: fuck, this is a good question. I'm a super traditional guy, so my tastes might be different than most. I still believe in wearing the bright, kooky stuff for summer, using the earthtones for fall, and the klunky, chunky stuff for winter. Maybe I'm behind the times and it's ok to wear rainbow, day glo stuff all year round, but that's not for me. It kinda turns me off actually. Also, Vans totally slayed it, hands down, they put out the best shoes this year. Even though I try to rock vintage ones only, I can't deny that I've been tempted to buy a pair or two of some new joints. Part of me says ditch the Vans and leave them behind in the spring/summer, but part me is loving some of the prints they've been doing lately, which would be totally appropriate for fall. There is a particular pair of Vans that I'm hunting down now, but I don't wanna reveal which ones, 'cause I don't want anyone else to have 'em! Am I an asshole? I'm also loving Reebok Classics and Filas right now, but that's the '94 white trash side of my brain talking...

[Oooohhh, Richie I know you hate Nikes but Conrad likey...]

Co-Written by Erin B