I am a sneakerhead episode 220 - @gentleman_sole
Hi everyone, I'm Kenneth Willingham aka Gentlemansole. I'm from Chicago, IL and the proud father of two young sneakerheads in the making. I've been loving sneakers since I was around 7 or 8. It's always been three shoes that caught my attention when I was younger. It was the Adidas Top Ten, the Nike Air Force 1 and the Nike Air Max 1. The Nike Air Max 1 in the Og red was the first shoe I picked out that my parents bought me and it's the sneaker that made me fall in love with sneakers. I have always worn multiple brands, in high school I would question the days I wore a New Balance, Vans, Asics or anything that wasn't Nike, Adidas, or Reebok. I mostly wear New Balance now, I always focus on the shoes looking fresh but now I need them to be comfortable while looking fresh. I think New Balance in my opinion and no pun intended have found that balance. Every model I've worn has been comfortable and the materials they use have been amazing.
I currently have a little over 150 shoes in my collection at this time. This is my third collection as I've tried to "retire" from sneakers twice. The sneaker game has changed so much that most of my purchases are done online. I have been able to grab pairs in person while building connections. The sneaker community in Chicago is beautiful IMO, we have a lot of great boutique stores along with corporate branded stores that allow you to come in purchase and build connections with. I prefer to buy everything in person to build relationships within the community. My favorite pair currently in my collection is the Jordan 3 Black Cement and that's because it's the first pair my sons and I all had together. My next few purchases will be the next JoeFreshgoods New Balance 990v4 releases and the Saucony Jaetips What's the Occasion?? in both colorways. I have paid for resell a few times but I try not to, no matter how much I like the shoes. I did pay resell for both of the A Ma Maniére Jordan V's and the Kith New Balance 990 v6 Madison Square Garden Pack.
I'm also working on a clothing line that I'm focussing on different prices ranges for everyone to get fresh while providing quality at all price points.
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