SF Staff Picks: When Did You First Fall in Love with a Sneaker?

Everyone remembers their first sneaker love. You might have discovered it for the first time when your classmate's pair caught your eye, when you saw a professional athlete perform amazing feats in them, or perhaps you miraculously stumbled upon them in a store. No matter the method of discovery, the feeling was the same – and, if you're like the SF staff, it kicked off a lifelong obsession. Here are the kicks that got us hooked.

Woody, Founder: Nike Air Force 1

'Back in the early 90s, I was in New York City wandering around the Canal Street area when I found the gulliest-looking sneaker spot. When I walked inside, it was a revelation. Something like 30 different Air Force 1s graced the wall. With limited funds and an even smaller backpack, choosing a single pair of Uptowns to haul around on my travels was a sweat-inducing nightmare.

Several hours later, I finally settled on black canvas with a maize Swoosh – still my all-time favourite combo. We did a lot of miles together, but sadly, they went to sneaker heaven many years ago. The toes had come through, the rubber had worn away in the heel, the midsoles had yellowed, the canvas was faded like an old bummy’s whiskers, and the original laces were now half their original length. They were still functional, though! I regret binning those busted bad boys, even if they were totally junked. In a spooky coincidence, my sister gave me her own pair of the exact same edition when she cleaned out her closet a few years back. They’re perfect, even if they’re three sizes small. The Air Force 1 will always be the first shoe I look for when I enter a sneaker store.'

Georgie, Senior Editor: Nike Air Max 1 'Vintage Sail / Neo Turquoise'

'In an extremely dramatic fashion, my first sneaker love was a bit of a Romeo and Juliet story. Growing up on Tumblr, I had a large collection of Chucks, but when I tried to graduate to my first pair of Air Max 1s, my parents felt the need to draw the line. I remember arguing with my mum in the middle of a sneaker store about them (it doesn’t matter now, but it was the 'Vintage Turquoise/Sail’ colourway) because she thought they were too chunky, and she told me she wished I would dress nicely "instead of wanting to wear these clodhoppers". Thankfully, my story ended a little better than the play, as I started working in the industry shortly after. I’ve still never owned a pair of Air Max 1s, but maybe they’re my 1s that got away.’

Joey, Content Producer: Nike Air Penny 2 ‘Atlantic Blue’

'Although I grew up in the Chicago area during the MJ era, I was a bit too young to remember the first three championships he brought to the city. As Mike was off playing baseball, I fell in love with basketball. NBA on NBC’s Roundball Rock blared through our CRT TV every weekend as I tried to watch as much basketball as I could. I was instantly drawn to Penny Hardaway’s game and of course his shoes, specifically the Nike Penny 2.

I still remember seeing them for the first time on the feet of my cousin’s friend, and I was instantly hypnotised. The wavy lines that extend up from the midsole, the 3M oval, and of course, the Penny logo. I was so obsessed with the sneaker I would sketch it as I daydreamed during school.

I begged, pleaded, bartered, and cried to my mom for a pair, promising I’d be a straight-A student and never make a mess again. After months of pleading, my mom finally gave in as we found a pair in my size at a Foot Locker outlet, with my younger brother joining in as well, getting the ‘All-Star’ colourway.

It’s a sneaker I will love forever, and I grabbed the most recent retro that dropped last year. We also need a retro of the ‘Away’ colourway, last time being in 2008. Fingers crossed for that.'

Anthony, Paid Social Media Strategist: New Balance 991

'I was wearing the wrong shoe size for most of my life. I have wide feet, so lengthwise I should be wearing a US 9 – but a traditional US 9 always felt like it was choking the life out of me. Every shoe in my collection was a US 10, perfectly comfortable around the soles of my feet but always a little too large at the toes.

One fateful day, I went to my coworker's apartment to buy a pair of 993s in US 9 2E (wide) that he was looking to get rid of. At first, I was sceptical. "I've tried all the 9s a million times – this won't fit," I proclaimed. He assured me that it would fit, as New Balance made shoes in a range of widths. I was in disbelief. How come no one has ever told me that you could buy sneakers in a wider size? He slowly took the pair out of the pristine box, and I can still remember the way the paper crinkled that day, extra crisp. He got on one knee, loosened the laces and slipped the shoe onto my foot. A perfect vacuum sealed around my ankles. It was blissful.

From that day on, no shoe has been as perfect, but I've become obsessed with recreating that moment.'

Simon, Digital Media Strategist: Extra Butter x Reebok Pump AXT ‘AHCHOO’

'A lot of sneakerheads hate a gimmick, as they want to experience a design that has organically evolved from sketches, to prototypes, to the finished product. Not me, I love a gimmick, especially one that involves designing a whole sneaker based on a throwaway gag from a 90s Mel Brooks comedy. To mark the 4th anniversary of Extra Butter, the Long Island boutique retailer put out a colab with Reebok, inspired by Robin Hood: Men in Tights. This is one of those sneakers that shouldn’t work, and yet the plush micro-suede and pigskin finished in purples, beige and browns... just works. The sneaker itself is inarguably dope. Showing once again,# that sneaker retailers really love what they sell and just ‘get it’. Look no further than Up There’s recent New Balance 2002R colab.

The 'AHCHOO' gimmick may have got my attention, but the design and the details got me over the line into someone who loves sneakers.'

Seb, Content Producer: Y-3 Qasa High

'I got into sneakers at the age of 13 and around that time, the Yohji Yamamoto and adidas’ Y-3 line was at its peak! I discovered the sub-brand through some of my fashion-savvy family members. While over at their house, I clocked two shoe boxes sitting on the floor next to their couch. Already a junior sneakerhead at that point, with a small collection of Air Maxes, I was intrigued. Pulling out these tech-ninja shoes sent adrenaline coursing through my body, it was like nothing I had ever seen before! I instantly fired up the ol’ iPod Touch and jumped on Google, transfixed by these blacked-out futuristic shoes. I soon learnt about who Yohji Yamamoto was and showed all my friends these new discoveries. I also later found out about other high-fashion sneaker collaborators like Rick Owens and Raf Simons. The only problem was their high retail price point, which was way too much for a 13-year-old to afford. I tried to save up all my pay cheques from my cafe job, washing dishes, but I still couldn’t manage to cop at full RRP. My saving grace was the annual Australian Boxing Day sales!

Discovering the Qasa got me hooked on a whole different genre of sneakers, the idea of this "high-fashion sneaker" that in 2024 is now the norm. It definitely helped shape my taste in footwear and taught me to appreciate designers and innovators who think outside the box.'

Cesca, Branded Content Manager: Nike Dunk High Women's Liberty Pack

'Back in 2008, I wasn’t yet fully dialled into the world of sneakers, but I knew I liked them. It wasn’t something any of my friends were into, so I would peruse our local stores by myself and spend a large portion of my meagre weekly pay on pairs that piqued my interest. And at that time it was loud high tops, Dunk Highs particularly. This Liberty print pair had me at hello - what can I say, I was a sucker for an all-over floral print. Even though Provider only had one pair left, two sizes above my own, I had to have them. Despite the outrageous roominess of the larger size, I LOVED them, and to this day refuse to let my mother throw them out from my old bedroom. Maybe it’s time to bust them out again?'

Gabe, Features Editor: adidas KB8

'For a country kid with hoop dreams, Kobe’s adidas KB8 (later renamed Crazy 8) were like a portal to the big wide world. Those soft, expressionistic EVA midsoles kept me dreaming all night long – who knew those avant-garde angles were possible on a sneaker! I even made sure to tack the accompanying Kobe poster above my bed with a phrase that never left me: ‘If you don’t believe in yourself. Nobody else will.’ Rest assured, I never quite achieved the soaring heights of Kobe in that bedroom poster, but I did manage to break a few ankles on the hardwood (just don’t tell anyone they were my own). I'm obviously 100 per cent chasing the All-Star colourway this weekend!'

Jess, Copy Editor: Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star

'The first sneaker I remember being obsessed with was the classic Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star Low in red. I’m one of four siblings, and my mum came home one day with a different colour for each of us when I was around 10. I wore them on every single trip, holiday, and school camp I ever went on, and I squeezed my foot in there for years to come even though my feet grew a size every year. I kept them as a keepsake after that, but finally threw them out a few years ago. They were one well-travelled pair of Chucks by then!'

Lucas, Social Media Manager: Emerica Ellington

'Nostalgia time! Let me take you back to December 2003. It was summer school holidays and I’d decided to get into skateboarding. In addition to my first setup, I also scooped some amp-up material to ignite my new found hobby: a DVD copy of Emerica’s This is Skateboarding that had just released. This exciting new skate flick incorporated a green filter, much like my favourite film, The Matrix (perhaps the reason I gravitated towards the cover so eagerly). Roughly 19 minutes in enters Erik Ellington, a tall, long haired guy whose part is filled with big stair tricks, fierce frontside flips and the shoes that got me hooked: the Emerica Ellington. Relative to the era, the Ellington was a beefed-out skate shoe jammed full of tech. As an unemployed 13-year-old who was quickly tearing up his shoes learning to kick flip, I started becoming fixated on the features that helped prolong the life of a skate shoe.

But it wasn’t just the stacked tech sheet I was after, colour has always been my fix, and the Ellington featured a design built for toe box colour blocking. The red toe box with grey heel that Ellington wears during a line in the film had me hooked. I didn’t even like red, but I was obsessed with the way they stood out on foot. I begged my friends who were going to America to hunt down a pair of the red-toed Ellingtons in the States. And to my surprise, they’d done it. They got me a pair of Emerica Ellingtons, not in the grey and red suede colourway, but in a leather version with a white heel and a radiating red toe box. A colourway that I later learned – via Ripped Laces' Then & Now documentary with Ellington – was inspired by Allen Iverson’s red-toed Reebok Answer 4s from 2000. It was only a matter of time before the greatest skate shoes of all time (in my opinion) made their way onto my board and began to wear away (at a much slower pace due to the tech), inevitably reaching their expiry date roughly a year later.

In retrospect, I've learnt how much of an impact seeing that red-toed Ellington in a skate movie had on me. It was the beginning of me making shoe contact before eye contact, dressing from the feet up, and perhaps my infatuation with toe box colour blocking, as one of my all-time favourite shoes is the solebox x New Balance 1500 ‘Purple Devil’. Thank you Emerica Ellingtons.'

Pauline, News Editor: Nike Air Max 90

'Growing up, I barely paid attention to the shoes I used to wear. As long as they were comfortable, I was satisfied. However, it wasn’t until I was 15 years old that I desperately asked my parents to get me this Air Max 90. One, because I loved pink at the time, and two, because I wanted to impress my high school crush who was a sneakerhead. It was 2012 and Instagram Story was not a thing, so I posted them on my feed in hopes of my crush liking/commenting on them (he did). Despite the motivation behind wanting this pair, I wore them for a solid two years before I got sick of pink. These were probably the only colourful pair I’ve had in my collection. Nowadays, you’ll only ever see me wearing neutrals.'