I remember pretty well; it all started in May 2016. I was talking to a friend from Munich, whom I knew from some football groups. He was already a sneakerhead and told me about his sneaker campouts in Munich. He camped for some pretty hot releases at the point such as the Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 Turtledove or Yeezy Boost 350 Moonrock which both of them were his favorites. We talked the whole afternoon about sneakers, the community, and everything that is connected with it. This day or better to say, this conversation completely changed my life. It was the day I found my hobby and passion.
The first two pairs I really bought were the Adidas Ultra Boost Triple White 2.0 and the Adidas NMD R1 Black. I was so happy with these, and you couldn’t believe that.
In the last few years, you could clearly see how much this community has changed. Collecting sneakers was more like a hobby and a passion back in the day. Today it’s more and more a business; due to the rising interest in this whole thing with the help of social media, TV, radio, etc.
A lot of people are joining this community because they want money instead of passion of love. People thesedays has a SNKRS app on their phone and join all the raffle and giveaway. It's very easy to do all of those even though you don't know much about it. You don’t have to spend a lot of time neither you do not have to invest a lot of money. The only thing you need is luck.
BUT, not everything is terrible about this community. There are still many generous people left. You wouldn't believe how many people I have talked to in the last five or six years and how many people I’ve met. And how many people can I call my friends now? That is the perfect transition to my personal story. I could tell you so many great things I’ve experienced in the last couple of years, but I will tell you about my favorite story!
March 2017 was my second campout for the Nike Air Max 1 x Atmos Elephant. Right after we knew about the release date, two friends and I decided to camp out for this beautiful pair of shoes. So, a friend of mine came from Berlin to Jena and we picked up another mate in Kassel and then drove another two hours to the Asphaltgold Store in Darmstadt. We arrived at 5:30 in the morning and took our camping seats right in front of the Store.
We started a new full campout list and waited two days to have our personal pair in hand finally. It was the best campout I’ve ever had. The store & the workers were pretty cool, we had so much fun with all the other people there, and the weather was nice too. I still own this pair until today and would never let it go, because of all the memories I connect with this one.
Nike Air Force 1 Mid x Comme des Garçons, Nike Air Jordan 1 High OG Sail, Nike Air Jordan 4 x Off White, Nike Air Jordan 3 x Fragment, New Balance 2002R Protection Pack Raincloud… but it nearly changes every week!
You can’t really describe the feeling at all; you have to make your own experiences. For me, it’s one of the best feelings in the world when you buy a new pair of sneakers. You wait multiple days for the shoes to arrive and think about the shoe so many times throughout the day.
When you finally have the shoes in your hand and start unboxing, you are so happy! It’s always great to add another one to my collection.
Really tough question… I think it would be dope to see a collaboration between Nike and JJJJound or Hidden. It would also be hyped to see a collaboration between my favorite brand, Nike and Cole Buxton or Askyurself.
My favorite clothing brands are Askyurself & Cole Buxton regarding clothing - I love both of them a lot! The designs, the quality, and the whole image of these brands made them become my favourite.
If we‘re talking about sneaker brands, my favorite brand is Nike, without a doubt. Just look at all the models, collabs & partners. Nike is the most flexible and imaginative brand.
Personally, I don’t have a pair I would name my ultimate holy grail. But if I had to choose my favorite pair, it would definitely be the Air Force 1 x Off White “Complex Con”. I really hope that I’ll own these one day.
I guess I don’t have any special essentials or treasured items at all. Besides sneakers, I also have a fable for clothing, but I wouldn‘t name these special or treasured items. If we‘re talking about everyday kinds of stuff, I’ll never go out of my home without my wallet, key, and phone.
My Instagram handle is @julianhld. I would love to meet you soon!