Sneakerplaats interview with @sneakerrob
1. Who (are you?), What (do you for a living?), Where (do you live?)
I’m Robert from Germany and I’m living in the beautiful city of Berlin for over 20 years now.
For a living I’m a case worker in a big german company. It’s a classic office job but in a quite good surrounding.
2. When did your love for sneakers start and why do you love sneakers so much?
I guess my love or sneakers was there from the beginning and just grew bigger over the years. As it’s 37 years now you can guess that my sneaker love reached a certain size right now.
The first active moment of getting into sneakers was in 1995 when I saw a schoolmate wear a pair of Air Max 95 OG Neon that I found very fascinating. But as my sister and me were raised by a single mom there was no way of getting such expensive kicks at that time.
Why do I love sneakers that much… I guess it’s because I’ve been kind of a shy guy for a long time and wanted to find a way to be seen. Furthermore I found most shoes just too boring und sneakers were often so futuristic and extravagant that I’ve been fascinated by them.
3. Do you remember your first pair of sneakers? Which pair was it?
My mom once got me a pair of white Air Max in sale and I remember that even after one bubble popped I wore them till they fell apart. Unfortunately I don’t remember which exact Air Max it was… I would have gotten me one, if I did.
It’s been white leather with some black details und a red bubble if I remember it right. I’ve been around 11 or 12 at the time. Maybe someone has a good hint?
4. What’s your favorite brand and model?
That’s a very difficult question to be honest. I’ve had times with New Balance, Asics, Adidas and Nike as favorite brand. At the moment it’s Nike and my favorite model would be the Air Max 90 Infrared.
It’s just a perfectly balanced and comfortable pair that can be combined with almost anything.
5. How many sneakers do you have in your collection?
Another hard to answer question… last time I counted it’s been about 280 pairs. Since I got me some new ones since then it’s definitely more than 300 pairs now.
I guess most collectors have an issue with knowing how many pairs they have. At least I hope that I’m not the only one.
6. What’s your favorite pair from your collection?
The obvious answer would be the Air Max 90 Infrared. But there is a pair that I wanted to own since I saw it when I started serious collecting in 2013. It’s the Sneaker Freaker x New Balance 998 Tassie Devil.
I managed to pick it up years after the release and since them rank it as a favorite… at least for the moment.
7. Which pair(s) are still on your wish list?
Haha, there are so many of them. I’m still on the hunt for some Air Max 1 that I wanted to have since day 1 I saw them. It’s the Parra and the Elephant.
Both are grails for many sneakerheads and therefore hard to get. I still hope to be able to trade them when it’s possible to go on conventions again.
8. Do you have a favorite sneakerstore or -shop?
As I’m a Berlin resident it has to be Overkill Shop. Marc and his crew are doing a lot for the community and are always good for a killer collab. I’m happy enough to own some of their masterpieces and am hoping for more to come.
So if any of you is visiting Berlin at a point, you should visit them at Schlesi and get a souvenir pair from them.
9. Which brand and / or model would you never wear in your life? And why is that?
I would never exclude a complete brand. There can always be a pair that catches my interest. I love crazy pairs like the Gel Lyte III Colette. But I can tell you that you will never find me wearing a Yeezy 350 of any generation.
I know they are probably comfortable and in the rotation of many folks but they are just not my style. I wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing them and that’s a huge point for me.
10. Which sneaker in your collection was the hardest to find/get?
In todays sneaker culture it’s somehow hard to tell how you define hard to get. Is it how long you are searching online or how far you travel to pick up a pair. Or is it how unlikely it is to win a raffle.
Back in 2013 it has still been possible for me to queue for a limited pair and that’s how I got some of my Asics. But I never queued longer than a night as I had a job that I had to care for. So let’s break it down to the case of how unlikely it is to win a raffle.
So last year I kind of won the lottery when I got a call from a Dior ambassador. He told me that I was allowed to buy a pair of Air Dior Low in their store in Düsseldorf. I mean there have been 5 million entries for them and I was one of the chosen ones.
That’s been almost as crazy as the way to pick them up. I went there 5.5 hours by train, spent 2 hours to pick them up in the store and then drove back another 5.5 hours. That’s definitely the biggest effort I ever took to get a pair of very expensive sneakers.
11. What advice would you like to give to new sneakerheads?
Don’t let the hype drag you in. It’s better to just buy what you really like to have in your collection.
I had that moment when I fell for something and bought every collab that I could. I ended up with many unworn pairs that have not been worn after that and cost me money that I could have spent on pairs that I would have worn.
12. What has been your biggest steal ever?
I recently found two pairs for a decent price.
First of them was the Air Max 1 KRSS that a found at a friend’s place. He didn’t wear them because they were slightly too small. He then sold them to me for a very fair price I’d say.
The second one came in a package and I found it online.
Somebody sold a DS pair of Air Max 90 Anniversary Red Velvet. As I always liked it I had to get it. I took a pair of 2015 Air Max 90 Infrared with it for under retail. I consider that a steal.
13. How much time a day / a week do you spend on “sneakers”?
Oh boy… another hard to answer question. If I count together the time that I search for pairs, enter raffles, sell some pairs, make photos, edit them and spend time to manage my Instagram and chat with other sneakerheads it’s several hours a day.
I can’t give you an exact time as it varies from day to day.
14. How do your loved ones feel about your sneaker lifestyle?
Many of my loved ones didn’t even realize how much I’m into sneakers for a long time. When they did they considered me a bit crazy, but somehow understood why I do it.
That doesn’t mean that they like all my sneakers though.
In fact they consider some pairs as ugly and don’t like them at all. But that doesn’t bother me. I still love them… my loved ones and my sneakers of course.
15. Where can people follow you on your socials?
People can follow my profile @sneakerrob on Instagram.
That’s where I express my love for sneakers and love to see how others celebrate their passion.
Thanks a lot for having me. It’s been fun to answer your questions.
If there are any more, feel free to contact me on my Insta.
