When did you fall in Love with Sneakers?

By Sarah Silvas

When I think of this question, my mind immediately goes to a line from the 2002 movie, “Brown Sugar,” when the movie asked, “When did you fall in love with Hip-hop?” Well instead of hip-hop, the question for me has always been, “When did you fall in love with the shoe game?”  It all started with the main man in Sneaker history, the one many sneaker lovers refer to as one of the best, Michael Jordan.  Not only was his basketball game heat, he would rock some of the coolest kicks in the league.

My obsession began young, it started when my sister, Erika, was playing basketball and my parents bought her the Jordan IVs. I remember being young, only 9 and thinking they were the coolest shoes, even more so thinking how much I wanted a pair. Unfortunately I was too young to get some. I think this was the first pair of $100 shoes that my parents had bought and needless to say it wouldn’t be their last. Over the next few years I went between Adidas shoes and Nike Forces, and then finally into my first pair of J’s. They were the 1993 Jordan VII Bordeaux. The story of how I fell into these is kind of crazy. I was in the 3^rd grade and my parents had just signed me up to play basketball in my first organized league.  We were at the mall signing up, doing a little shopping and catching some dinner on a Friday night. The memory of this night is still so vivid in my mind.  We began our shopping at Dillard’s where my parents bought me a new pair of Girbaud jeans and a Polo shirt, so I was already on cloud nine. Then to top off it we were eating at one of my favorite places ever, Chik-fil-A, which you only ate at when you were at the mall because they did not have outside location (I think I just seriously dated myself, ha ha). Anyways as we exited the Chik-fil-A after eating, we walked pass the Footlocker (located right next to the Chik-fil-A) and there they were, the Jordan VII Bordeaux displayed ever so elegantly in the window, my heart instantly jumped. I was suddenly enticed by the allure of these shoes, so much that I rushed into the store and immediately asked for a size 5. When the sales guy brought it out and I tried it on I was hooked! We bought them right then and there and I have been a sneaker lover since. I walked out of that Footlocker feeling so hype, like I had so much swag; it’d be a shame not to share, ha ha. I felt like I was invincible and I played that way every time I stepped on the court in some fly sneakers. Ever since, shoes have become an absolute obsession. From having the latest basketball sneakers to getting my first pair of Air Maxes, it fueled my passion to play, which in turn fueled my passion for shoes. “Basketball was life…and I was good at it.” (Cheesy Sandlot reference, amended of course, ha ha.)

I played basketball for a very long time so I always bought basketball sneaks, but since I’ve gotten older, I think I can honestly say I love running shoes. They are 100% my shiz these days.  I think they fit my style a little better, which consists of a more preppy look.  Don’t get me wrong, I still like basketball shoes, just like running shoes more. Over the years though, I have tried and enjoyed several types of running shoes from brands like Nike, New Balance, and Asics. I have yet to try Under Armour, but it is on my list to try and review. If you’re like me, you have two categories regarding your shoe collection. You have your "kick back shoes" and your "work out shoes.” I use to have a huge collection of both, but due to some parental liquidation, ha ha, most of my previous collection was given away to Goodwill when Mom got bit by the spring cleaning bug and my closet was cleaned out. I know my collection is not as big as some sneaker lovers out there, but I am currently in the process of reestablishing mine. I’m trying to acquire the shoes I loved the most and once had, as well as adding new ones everyday. Slowly but surely, with the help of my parents, sister and friends who still buy me shoes (wink, wink), I will be able to do this fairly easy.

Although I’ve loved shoes for a while, I will be the first to say I still have a lot to learn about them, but I look forward to learning and even more so from all of you, my fellow sneaker lovers. My mom often asks me why I need another pair of sneaks or says they all look the same, which I quickly reply “For me, it’s the nostalgia factor, my shoes take me back to the good old days, when I was younger and life was much simpler.”

So now I’ll ask you, “When did you fall in love with sneakers?”

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