I am a sneakerhead episode 212 - @snkrgazer
First up, could you please introduce yourself?
My name is Vicente, I’m 45 years old, married and with two kids. I live in Porto Alegre, a city in the south of Brazil. I work as a supply manager in a factory and besides the sneaker obsession, I love practising sports and spending time with my family.
How many pairs do you currently have? Are you planning on keeping that number steady or growing/decreasing it?
(Un)fortunately I don’t have an accurate count as of today but I’d say 150+. I’m currently organizing my collection so I might finally end up with a real number once I’m done. And, yeah, I’m in the same boat as many other sneakerheads: I wish I would decrease it but brands are very effective in making me grow it.
Do you remember what your first pair of sneakers that you really cared about was?
As a kid, I remember having what would have been a Nike Tailwind (or a Made in Brazil Nike counterpart). That’s my first memory of relating to a major brand. Then I got a white leather Reebok Pump as a teenager, which was also important to perceive shoes as something out of the ordinary. The thing is that such items weren't available locally, so we had to import them, it was something of an event when we did. Things started to get better during the 00’s and kept growing from 2010 on. But I can say that even today, with the whole internet and resources, sneakers are still a special item to purchase over here.
You are known for your stunning New Balance collection, what makes New Balance special?
Well, you might have noticed on my IG profile that it wasn’t always like that. I had my attention on Nike and Adidas, mainly. Then a buddy insisted that I gave a Made in US model a chance, which I did when purchased the Bodega 990v3 ones. A Pandora’s Box opened and I ended up selling most of my then collection to buy more New Balances. The quality of materials, the heritage, the sense of something special in your hands, I had never experienced that with other brands. Even with general releases, it’s next level. And the recent affiliation with Teddy Santis for the MiUS line changed the GR game, giving this once-underrated category a canvas for creativity and amazing designs. It’s a brand that one can easily fall in love with due to its authenticity and how organically it hooks one up. Also, it aesthetically makes more sense to people at 40+.
Do you have any favourite New Balance model? Perhaps a favourite release?
Yeah, that would be the 992. While it retains New Balance’s heritage and its unmistakable retro runner looks, it has design decisions that put it very close to a luxury and mature shoe. For a favourite release, it’s probably the tan 992 (M992TN). I love that even being a GR it’s an immaculate representation of the silhouette. As a fan of earth and cream colors, it feels like NB designers were reading my mind while creating it. In terms of collaborations, I still think the Bodega v3s are the most creative approach a NB model ever get. It’s flawless and will never lose its strength.
Have you ever needed to pay a resell premium for a pair of sneakers?
Well, I guess premium is a very personal concept but I’d say I’m not very fond of reselling as the source of buying sneakers. I don’t recall doing something crazy, I tend to rely on resell platforms when the deal is worth it. That said, there are several items I’d like to own and won’t because their prices won’t fit this principle.
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Have you bought anything in 2023 so far?
ROFL, I surely did. I took advantage of local currency being favourable and copped some older items I had on my list. This year was also generous in terms of copping pairs for retail or having raffle entries selected. So one thing led to another.
Do you already know what your next purchase will be?
Oh man, brands are dropping new stuff every week without early notice, so you never know what can be around the corner. As of now, I hope I can get that exclusive Size? 990v3 which looked solid in that leaked picture. The cream v4s and v6s from Santis' 3rd. season are also on my list.
If you could only wear one pair for the rest of 2023, which would it be and why?
Tough one but probably Fieg & FLW for 998. It’s a perfect example of how far a New Balance collaboration can go in terms of nailing on a theme while taking a classic model to a level of sophistication and modernity.
Make sure to follow Vicente on Instagram: