A Sneaker Life
When the above pair of sneakers arrived at my door back in June, it felt like Christmas. The anticipation of waiting for the delivery of a reissue of a shoe originally was released in 1990, a style I waited 32 years to have, made opening the box and seeing the long-awaited shoes worth it.
During the summer of 1990, Nike released a Bo Knows ad campaign featuring the signature shoe of Bo Jackson, a two sport pro athlete who played in the NFL with the (at the time) LA Raiders, and in MLB with the Kansas City Royals. His first signature trainer was released the prior year (had a pair in 6th grade), with was an evolution of the original Nike Air Trainer. However, the SC Trainer released in 1990, continued the evolution. Using styling cues from prior trainers, adding new design elements, and colors that pop (based off Jackson’s alma mater). I saw these shoes during the summer between 6th and 7th grades, and knew I wanted a pair.
I never did get a pair. I don’t remember why. My hazy memory recalls price (as my mom would’ve had to pay for them) and availability being an issue. When my order arrived back in June, I felt like that 12-year-old again.
I’ve always been a fan of retro sneakers, especially designs from Nike and Reebok from the late 80s and early 90s. Part of my interest is steeped in both nostalgia, as well as the level of artistry many of those designs had.
I followed various reissue releases over the years, would look at pictures online, and while appreciating the look and different colorways of them, never purchased. Part of it was due to financial constraints. Part of it was due to think that I’m too old, too responsible to be spending money on things such as sneakers, when I couldn’t even bother to purchase a good suit.
Then one day a discussion with a coworker opened the floodgates. One of the first things I noticed was his sneakers. He was wearing Air Jordan 4s. We immediately bonded over our mutual interest and appreciation of sneakers. He’d wear other cool footwear to work, and we’d discuss the shoes. We learned about our sneaker past (He was mainly a Nike guy, and unfamiliar with Reebok). As I was leaving that job to move onto another one, I was telling him about a pair of Air Max 90s I saw and wanted to buy, and he told me I should go for it. I did. A decision I did not regret.
While my footwear purchasing is nowhere near that of others, I do wonder if I’ve been spending more money than I should on shoes. After the Air Max 90s I purchased a pair of Timberland boots (need something for the fall and spring). Then it was a pair of Reebok Pump Omni Zone II (a style originally released in 1991) in a Detroit Piston color scheme. Then came the purchase of the aforementioned SC Trainer, and the latest arrived today. A pair of Air Jordan 5s in mostly white, with black and concord purple accents. My first pair of Jordans.
I do think of the money spend on the shoes that could’ve gone towards a new guitar, or bike, and then I think of the middle-school aged self, who loved these shoes, but often had to admire them from afar. Either on the feet of schoolmates or in catalog pictures. He may be disappointed with how certain things turned out for him in life over the years, but he’d be very happy knowing he finally got the shoes he long admired.
