Alvin Tan - N3avigate Co-Founder Interview

What was the moment you first got drawn to sneakers, and which pair of sneakers triggered your passion?

I have loved the game of basketball since I was 9 years old. Watching NBA players wear their cool kicks during games started my love for sneakers.

I started off with AJ1s and AJ6s, and now I collect New Balance sneakers that fit better with my outfit style.‍

What’s one moment or trend in the history of sneaker culture that resonates with you?

When I was in Japan walking in Harajuku 6 years ago, I was inspired by people with different outfits who matched their sneakers perfectly.

I heard you're the co-founder of N3avigate. Could you tell us more about it? How did you start this business?

I started N3avigate with two of my friends, Aron and Justin. It's simply our passion for street fashion that allows us to do what we love for this brand.

We hope to provide more confidence to people wearing our items as part of their outfits!

What's your vision and mission with N3avigate?

We hope to influence more people to dress up with thoughtful ideas and unique styles that fit their identity. We provide our brand with thoughtful design and pay attention to the quality of fabrics and functionality. We will learn and improve on our items day by day to provide better apparel in every one of our collections.

We look forward to having Singaporeans be proud of their local home brand one day.

What are some of the current pairs of sneakers in your rotation?

New Balance 992, New Balance 990V5, New Balance 990V3.

Please describe how it feels when you get and wear a new pair of kicks?

I do a lot of reading and watch Youtube videos on the kicks that I am looking to buy. This process makes me excited and looking forward to trying on the kicks.

Wearing those new kicks makes me feel confident and happy.

What is one sneaker collaboration that doesn’t exist, but you wish/think should exist?

New Balance X N3AVIGATE!

What are some of your favorite creators/designers or brands and why?

Shawn Yue and Edison Chen inspire me a lot! I have much respect for how they contribute to the fashion industry and now look to pass on the culture to the new generation.

I love brands that pay a lot of attention to detail, such as GOOPI (Taiwan), N.HOOLYWOOD (Japan), and of course, my own brand N3AVIGATE (Singapore).

What is your ultimate holy grail sneaker that you have not managed to acquire so far?

I would love to cop New Balance INVINCIBLE x N.HOOLYWOOD x 1906R 'Grey Swan.'

Other than kicks, what are some of your daily essentials or treasured items?

Recently, my brand released the "Daily Essential" collection, which I have been using to rotate my outfits.

Apart from my own brand, I also love my G-SHOCK watches, Boro tie from (Nardivals), and Native American feather (Taro Washimi) as my daily accessories.

Where can people find you on social media?

Instagram: @alvinntxy and @n3avigate

Website: https://n3avigate.com/