I must confess, I have a problem. Some may even call it an addiction. Mind you, once I married and had children, I went to rehab, but I have found myself falling back into my old habits. I, my friends, am a sneaker connoisseur.
I have been called an addict, a junkie, a fiend. All those terms are probably justified but lack distinction. Sneaker connoisseur implies a certain style and class. I will not buy just any shoe that hits the shelves. No, I look for those rare gems that people slept on. I buy sneakers that match my personality and style. Sometimes those shoes have the classic look; other times they are so outlandish that the shoes will not match anything in my closet. I want shoes that no one has, and I’ll keep them on ice and break them out when people are least expecting it.
I thought I was the only one of my kind until I picked up a copy of Bobbito Garcia’s book, Where’d You Get Those? New York’s Sneaker Culture: 1960-1987. As I read Bob’s book, I quickly realized that I was born in the wrong place! Growing up in rural West Virginia did not help my sneaker obsession. It only made me look crazy. I needed to be in New York, the Mecca of shoe style.
Unless you’re one of the “cool” kids to grow up in New York, then you likely tried to play things off like you got your clothes or sneakers from New York. If I had a dollar for every time I heard this exchange:
“Yo, where’d you get those?”
“New York.”
You have probably done it. I know I have…several times. I had cousins and family who grew up in Baltimore and Philadelphia; even they did it! It wasn’t enough to snag something from a city; it had to be THE city. Bobbito’s book did nothing short of reinforce what many already believe. New York City is the sneaker style capital of the United States and likely set the foundation for today’s generation of sneaker heads.
The people quoted and mentioned in the book, along with Bobbito’s own commentary, broke the sneaker game down to a science. It was the same motto and creed I operated by for my sneaker collection. Needless to say, I found that I had kindred spirits throughout the country. The passion for sneakers that had dwindled since getting married was now coming to the forefront again. I found myself saying, “Amen,” after reading some of the stories in the book. I immediately began looking for some classics that I used to have back in the day. I was hooked once again, much to my wife’s dismay.
With my curiosity peaked and knowing that I wasn’t alone in my sneaker obsession, I decided to reach out to Bobbito and get the inside scoop on why he decided to write the book and his thoughts on today’s sneaker culture, among other things.
