Features fellow #NT'ers Sir Miko (miko0412) and Toots (Swooshie5). Check out the article after the jump.
(Lifted from bworldonline.com)
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THE COLLECTORS
In spite of the impression given by Imelda Marcos and Carrie Bradshaw that women are the only ones who are really, really into shoes, many men have gotten into the act, accumulating hundreds of pairs and often spending thousands of pesos for that special pair. Here are some of them.
Architect cum sneaker fan
Milkos Abueg, an architect by day, calls himself a sneaker enthusiast.
"It (his interest in sneakers) started with basketball, everything about basketball. You wanted to get the shoes of the players you liked, whatever they were wearing. Ganun ako nag-start (that’s how I started)," Mr. Abueg told BusinessWorld, noting that his interest started back in college.
Mr. Abueg now owns around 200 pairs of sneakers which include mainstream brands like Nike, Adidas, Puma, Reeboks, and high-end luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, among others.
Aside from sneakers, he also has a number of leather shoes.
"I try to buy whatever I had before when I was younger, like the (Nike) Jordan I, II, III, IV, VI, VII and XII. For me, [if] I like the shoes, that’s it. I don’t buy [shoes] because of the hype. I buy whatever piques my interest," he said.
"I consider myself as an enthusiast -- some collectors they buy to keep [the shoes]. I wear them, maybe not now, but eventually, I wear them."
Of the 200 or so pairs he owns, Mr. Abueg has at least 30 shoes in rotation at a given time. "I clean them after every other use. [It’s] gotta be ‘fresh’! After that, when it gets beaten up, I buy new ones," he said.
In the last month alone, Mr. Abueg bought eight pairs of sneakers though he preferred not to say how much he spent.
One pair he is proud of is his Nike Air Jordan XXIII Finale which he bought for $1,500. "It’s the last numbered Jordan that came out. It’s also limited at 529 pairs all over the world. I got them overseas," he said.
"It would be great if I can acquire sneakers manufactured in the ’80s but it’s so hard to find pairs that are ‘dead stock’ (brand new or never used)."
He also owns a number of customized sneakers. "We have a local (shoe) customizer here -- Noel Garcia of MDVL. He charges about P7,000 to P10,000 depending on what he changes. Another shoe customizer I like is Mark [Ong], the brain [behind] SBTG."
Mr. Abueg occasionally trades one pair for another pair. To determine a sneaker’s value, "some would base that on current market value. We rarely base it on how much you bought it for. If you’re going to trade, sometime’s you have to add cash," he said.
"Sometimes, I sell at the price I got them for. I’m not a reseller per se, I’m not in it to make profit, I just want to buy new ones."
Sneaker collecting may be a lucrative investment he says. "One time, I won a pair of Nike shoes via raffle -- [they] cost about P8,000 -- if you look at eBay, it’s now [worth] at least $1,500. I have some friends who won and got their pairs, and in a week, were able to sell it at P45,000 to P60,000... that’s at least [a] three fold [increase]."
When asked why sneaker prices can reach such levels, he said "the number one reason is it’s limited. Everybody wants it."
Spending P1 million on shoes
Versatility is what attracted Jave Perez, proprietor of the store CRATE Sneakers + Lifestyle, to sneakers -- and he has spent approximately P1 million on shoes.
"You can wear [sneakers] with whatever you are wearing, but, however ubiquitous they are, you can still express your individuality through them," he told BusinessWorld.
Mr. Perez started his collection 10 years ago. His favorite brands are Nike, New Balance and Visvim. Presently, he has around 150 pairs.
"For me it’s more [of] an obsession. I’ve learned to be more discriminating lately -- only because storage space is a major concern for me.
"I usually store them in several closets in my home. When my family moved to a bigger condo, I requested [that] the interior designer make sure I had enough space for all my shoes," he said.
Budgeting each single purchase is of prime importance for Mr. Perez, "I never purchase anything worth more than $1,200. I’ve bought a couple of pairs that are roughly in that price range -- a dead stock Nike SB Supreme Dunk, a Visvim Mastermind Collaboration American Deck Mid, some Louis Vuitton Kanye West Dons, and some Hermes Quickers and Tie Break."
His most expensive purchase to date is a set of Nike SB Dunks -- four pairs bought at $10,000.
"I don’t really see my collection as an investment. At best it’s a short-term investment. When I first started, value was the farthest from my mind," he added.
He does not see himself selling his collection in the immediate future.
"I’m still trying to get my hands on another black-red (Nike) Supreme Dunk Lows, and Nike Supreme Blazers, and maybe a (Nike) Jordan I Black-Blue Japanese Release."
Childhood memories
Ricart Armand "Toots" Severino, Business Analyst for Citibank and Citigroup Shared Services, started collecting in 2007, his interest stemming out from nostalgic childhood sentiments.
"Ever since mahilig na ako sa (I really liked) shoes, although when I was a kid, I didn’t buy much -- whenever there was a need, that’s the only time I’d buy. Actually, it’s more basketball shoes, the old ones that I never had the chance to buy. So parang, when Nike suddenly remade [that shoe], it started my urge to buy and collect," Mr. Severino told BusinessWorld.
"Now, whatever catches my eye, I buy."
Mr. Severino remembers his old attitude towards basketball sneakers in his childhood -- "I remembered thinking, ‘okay, basketball shoes, I’ll use this to death after that, tapon (throw it away).’ Being able to acquire it again, regardless [whether] it’s the new one or old one that is unused, it’s very nostalgic."
While the majority of his collection consist of Nikes he also has sneakers from Adidas, Puma, K-Swiss, and New Balance, among others -- "basically 140-ish pairs."
"(From Nike) Mostly, I have the Jordans, Lebrons, little bit of the Kobe’s, some of the Dunks, some of the Skateboard shoes, a couple of running shoes... and some lifestyle shoes for casual everyday use," he said.
He added that the most expensive shoe he has cost P40,000. "It’s like a shoe never released but that somehow made it out of the factory -- the Freddy Krueger (Nike) dunks -- I have two [pairs]. I haven’t worn it yet."
While he used to wear the shoes right after he bought them, "all of the sudden, after a few years, I was just buying and buying and did not have the time to wear them."
"There are months I don’t buy anything at all -- especially when I do not like what comes out -- but there was this one month in 2009 when I bought around 20 pairs," he noted.
Mr. Severino is very meticulous when buying sneakers. "If I like it and want to buy it, I check it over and over again. For example, I tell the attendant to bring out [all] the stocks they have in my size -- they might have five -- I’ll pick the best one from the five pairs.
He looks at the details -- if the glue comes out of the edges, unevenness of the leather, out of line colors. "Some people don’t bother [with details], some people do. In my case, I choose."
When asked about what is left to buy on his "sneaker list," he answered "I think I have shoe goals however, they’re always super expensive due to the, let’s say history of the shoes. I think I wont be able to buy it ever, so, [its] off the list instead."
Although, he added "last year, I was able to acquire the number one shoe I’d been eyeing for a long time -- the commemorative Air Force One Philippines (from Nike). It retails for $100 but I bought it at P15,000."
Lifted from http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?title=The%20collectors&id=27367
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