Sneaker Collector - Bling Bling Dave!

If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, then what does a sneaker a day do to your spirits? This ain't no joke, this is serious! Meet Bling Bling Dave - a humble lad with a lot of shine. His mission in life is to rock a new pair of kicks for each day of the year, and yes, he's well on the way! What makes Dave's sneaker collection impressive is not his pledge to cop 365 kicks - it's the fact that this down to earth dude doesn't give a toss about being too cool for school. Don't expect any limited edition, one-of-one blah-zi-blah in his crate, this is pure GR sneaker goodness at its finest. We let our correspondent Bijou Martinov find out more....

Hey Dave, how long have you been collecting for?

I have had an interest in sneakers and shoes from an early age but I guess I started to really build a collection about ten years ago. Since then the amount of re-issues of classic Nikes has been awesome and allowed me access to lots of great shoes I wouldn't have otherwise been able to reasonably afford. How did you become a freaky collector of sneakers?
I like sneakers. I like the way the look and they are a great accessory. So for $150-$250 for the average pair it's easy to get carried away and buy lots.

What extent have you gone to get your kicks?

I haven't gone as far as to camp-out or anything. I guess the way this question best applies to me is that every time I go on holidays, I leave Melbourne with one or two pairs of shoes and often come back home with between six and eight pairs. I have purchased great shoes in Singapore, Japan and New Zealand. I also trawl the Internet at times to track down great colorways that have not been released in Australia. But nowadays we do get lots of great colours out here too!

If money weren't an issue, which sneakers would you add to the collection?
Original Jordan 1s

What do you look for in a pair of kicks?

Good colourways and good style!

Any particular brand?
Nikes. My favorite shoe is the Air Max 90, then the Air Max 1. I also have loads of Jordans, Pegasus, Terminators, and Structures.

If you could design your own kicks, what would the result be?
They would be Nikes for sure and I'd probably go for some classic colours with some reds and blacks and plenty of white. A good sneaker has to have plenty of white.

Where do you see your collection going after you have a pair for each day of the year?
I'll probably just keep collecting shoes, I could probably do with shedding a few pairs. There's definitely some kicks I liked at the time I brought them but I'd never wear them now and they don't mean too much to me so I may get rid of some of them. But as far as storage, ultimately our next house would easily accommodate a room for the shoes and my ridiculous amount of t-shirts as well. I'm definitely more excited about making room in the house for the shoes than making space by getting rid of some!

Where are you at with vintage?
I have a few pairs, but at the end of the day some people will hate me for saying this but I'd rather have three pairs of great current model shoes than one pair of really classic shoes. I like kicks as an accessory rather than an obsession with having a pair of 20-30 year-old shoes. The ones I have now will be classics someday.

Which ones are you going to be buried with?
The Nike Air Max 90s OG colourway would be fine thanks!

What comes first – your kicks, lady or your Harley?

My beautiful wife of course, and both of our shoes! I often buy Tina shoes when I like the colourway but they don't have it in my size.

Thanks Dave!

Interview by Bijou Martinov