For these collectors, their kicks are made for more than just walking.
Certain men enjoy dabbling in the collection of footgear – sneakers, in particular, have become very popular to collect and certain people in the advertising industry have steadily grown their own collections. This is but a small sample size of the sneakerheads in the advertising industry, who animatedly shared stories of why certain brands, models, or colorways meant more to them than the rest. Even as they keep adding to their individual shoe vaults, you could see the common language they shared as they related war stories on how they were able to get a good deal on one pair, or went online to outbid someone for another. As the local sneaker culture grows and evolves further, there’s no shame in admitting that you’ve got a fever for kicks, just like these guys.
Jimmo Garcia (Deputy ECD, DDB) grew up with three brothers—and often inherited their footwear—so when he started earning his own money, rather than splurge on clothes, he bought shoes.
Argem Vinuya (creative director, Seven A.D.) noted that he’s been in love with the Nike Air Max 90 since his college days, professing to admire its nearly-flawless silhouette.
Tonypet Sarmiento (Managing Partner and Chief Collaborator, Havas Media Ortega) only collects Nike Air Max 90s and Air Max Ones. “I don’t collect everything, it’s just the black and reds (or Breds) that are iconic because of the Michael Jordan-affiliation,” Tonypet clarified.
Brandie Tan (ECD, Publicis JimenezBasic) bared a similar story of wanting but not having, when his uncle had a pair of Nike Air Max 90s he admired, but his plea for his own pair was shot down by pragmatic mom, who pointed out that the current pair he had then was still in good condition. “So when Nike re-released these, parang all the memories came back. ‘You’re the one I could never have!’ ” he related.
Mike Constantino (Managing Director, Brand New Media) said that he doesn’t go for specific models or brands, “lately I’ve been obsessed with just black and white, so lahat ng silhouette ng gusto ko, I just got the black version and the white version, or the black and white version.” He also added while giggling, “I have a baby now, so I don’t want to really spend so much on shoes anymore!”
The king of them all may be Marci Reyes (ECD, Tequila Manila), who has so many sneakers, he can go almost two years without repeating wearing a pair. Wrap your head around that for a moment. With his preference for mostly Jordan Xis and Jordan IIIs, Marci noted that his love for the Jordan XI Concords are because of “their significance, the story behind them, and I like the way they look also.” Yet his shoe vault doesn’t discriminate against kicks worn by LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, or other basketball heavyweights.
In main image are (L to R): Brandie Tan, Marci Reyes, Mike Constantino, Tonypet Sarmiento, Jimmo Garcia, and Argem Vinuya.
