High tops, platforms and tennis shoes. Everyone has their favorite pair of shoes to slip on before a day of school or work. Some have more of a collection than others. According to Forbes, so-called “sneakerheads” are individuals who collect trades and/or admires sneakers as a form of hobby. So why are sneakers so important to sneakerheads?
Assistant Principal, Kelli Kurle has been interested in shoes since junior high and high school, and said it’s both a practical and fun thing to collect shoes.
“I think for me it’s a variety, because with my job I have to wear comfortable shoes,” Kurle said. ‘I do a lot of running and things after school, and athletic events. So they have to be comfortable so then I try to spice it up, so even though maybe I’m in a quarter zip and whatever my shoes are fun.”
Though Kurle has an extensive collection of shoes, she doesn’t buy shoes solely to have them, she wears all pairs she owns.
“No, I don’t [collect shoes just to have them],” Kurle said. “In fact, Doctor Cox and I argue about this all the time cause he has shoes he doesn’t wear and I do not. Every shoe I have is fair game, I don’t worry about creases or whatever. They’re supposed to be worn so I wear them.”
While Junior Finn VanderVegte enjoys shoes he doesn’t consider himself a “sneakerhead”. He also doesn’t collect shoes to solely display, he has fewer slightly more expensive shoes that he really enjoys.
“I don’t consider myself a sneakerhead,” VanderVegte said. “I just like getting shoes. I don’t collect as much to be considered a sneakerhead. I only have like 3 pairs of shoes. I like collecting maybe like three pairs of $200 shoes. But I won’t spend like 2 grand on a shoe, that’s overboard.”
Kurle owns one pair of shoes she considers to be the most sentimental in her collection.
“I still have, and I’m going to really date myself, when I was in high school for the first time there was a women’s basketball shoe that came out,” said Kurle. “So it was the first time I could play in womens basketball shoes, it was the Sheryl Swoopes shoe. I still have those, so those are probably my most sentimental shoe that I have.”
While VanderVegte doesn’t have his dream shoe in his collection yet, he’d love to get them one day.
“One pair of shoes that i’ve always wanted, UNC 4 [Jordans] and those are, I think they’re six hundred dollars or around there,” VanderVegte said. “But they’re like all Blue Jordan Fours, they’re really nice I just can’t afford them. I mean I can [afford them] but they’re too much money for me to just spend on one pair of shoes, for me to probably wear them once a week.”
While some doubt that there is any point in building a shoe collection, Kurle says otherwise.
“There is value in collecting shoes, and it often can be a point of connection with others,” Kurle said. “Is it like life or death or world changing? No, but for me it’s often a conversation starter, especially with students. It gives me a common topic to talk about with people. And also, again it’s just a little bit, I can be professional, but then have a little bit of expression in my shoes.”
In addition to connecting with other shoe collections can be a source of profit for those that collect VanderVegte said.
“Like I said you can sell them, I have a friend who actually sells shoes and he makes a lot of money from that. I would say there is value in collecting and having a shoe collection.”
Kurle had advice for anyone possibly interested in starting their own shoe collection.
“I would say to not pay attention to trends, [focus on what] you want to wear or like if they’re colors you like or, because I’m so old, that it’ll come back around,” Kurle said. “It’ll come back around. So even if you’re like I like that one, maybe it’s not [popular now], it’ll come back in eventually.”
