ICYMI: 8/14-8/18
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ICYMI: 8/14-8/18
Sneaker stories of the century of the week 8/14-8/18
Monday, 14th August 2023:
Really I'm still kind of in awe (and doubt) with the economics behind this shoe...
A semi-mass-produced article of clothing made from coated canvas, a bit of leather, rubber, some random fabrics, and some glue...pulling in...obscene amounts of money.
When they first dropped on Sotheby's, I think I saw an average of around $125k/pair...which...I dunno...it's just a buttload of money. They sold 200 pairs and they brought in $25.3m.
Yeah, I know. Watches and cars and art and cards and handbags and...NFTs...I get it. Collectors are just a rare breed.
I guess...I wonder a lot about the buyers. Like...what was their ultimate goal? To wear? To show to guests at their homes? To resell later on down the line? I know everyone has different reasons for their purchases, but I'm just *really* curious about the people who purchased these and their reasons.
Is this an iconic shoe?
Yeah, I mean, it kind of has to be. Even if I think it's anathema to everything most of us late 90's/early 00's sneakerheads hold dearly, it's certainly something to take note of - it's undeniable.
Anyway...I see these pop up on my WeChat timeline every once in a while and I always kinda think.. 'what if?'
Top Comment: airemperor_82bc You could get an artist to create, from scratch a handmade AF1’ with the most premium materials and it still likely wouldn’t cost more than $2,000.
Tuesday, 15th August 2023:
I think @petersonstoop first caught my attention with those hard-bottom AF1s a few years back and I've enjoyed seeing most of the bold experiments they've undertaken, even if a lot of them are just a miss (for me personally). I've considered buying the 'scrap' mule, but I personally can't justify the price, even though I know they're probably fairly priced.
Air Max 98's and Air Max Plus' being two of my top 5 Air Maxes...seeing these two uppers in the context of this experiment was jarring, to me at least.
It's bold. Two of the louder Air Max styles sitting atop hard bottom soles? Bold. A miss for me, but at least they're constantly trying new shit. Better to have swung and missed than never swung at all, right?
(Ps the word of the day is BOLD)
Top Comment: tunedbutler 98s are cool but the tns don’t work at all, the mudguards look cooked and dont line up with the uppers at all. I’ve done heaps of soleswap hybrids and love them usually but these are terrible, the loudness and shape of the uppers just don’t suit the flat birkenstock type soles at all
Wednesday 16th August 2023:
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Thursday, 17th August 2023:
Carrying on from what I started yesterday...regarding my interpretation of the book 'Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things'...the second theme I encountered:
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Central Idea 2: Emotional and Psychological Aspects of Hoarding
- Hoarders often experienced a lack of warmth, acceptance, and support during their early family life, potentially contributing to strong emotional attachments to possessions. (makes me think of those 'depression era' folks who became hoarders later in life - I once had to empty a relative’s home and prep it for sale. The emotional toll this took on this person was certainly palpable, even at my young-ish age)
- Hoarders' minds seem flooded with details about possessions, indicating complex ways of thinking and processing information. (sound familiar?)
- Possessions for hoarders can hold deep emotional significance, acting as a connection to their past and the pasts of others. (I am 100000% guilty of this. I notice that I USE physical possessions to recall memories of people or experiences. Sometimes, when people I know die, I feel gravely indebted to hold onto anything I know that has passed through their hands)
- The act of hoarding may involve instinctual behaviors triggered by brain circuit malfunctions or genetic factors, as suggested by observations in animal hoarding. (squirrels hoard nuts without even thinking)
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To me, this book kinda challenged my thinking in ways that made it ok to think about and ok to define. Sometimes, you get a nagging feeling about something but can't put your finger on it and this book CERTAINLY helped me put my finger on quite a few of my behaviors and was able to put them into a greater context.
Thing about this book...it came out in 2011, so there are a lot of things that aren't really relevant or do seem outdated. I can DEFINITELY point to the emotional effects that COVID had on me as a driving force in my spending habits over the past couple of years...
Again, what about you? Where do you stand?
Top Comment: chillwillscloset Again, tough to hear, but important to talk about.
Friday, 18th August 2023:
My kids been badgering me day and night to play every @alfredyankovic song under the sun…looking through his catalog I spotted a gem on one of his album covers…one of my top 2 most underrated runners of all time…the Tailwind 4! No clue what that colorway is tho…
Top Comment: sneakerfreakermag That pixelated blue stripe around the side cage tells us its the 'White Lightning, Light Cyan / Dark Charcoal' colourway from 1999 – same year the album was released 🔍 @airmaxstash has a pair on their feed 👀
And finally...the last little bit that resonated with me from reading that book about hoarding (sneakers)...
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Central Idea 3: Materialism and the Pursuit of Happiness
- Materialism, characterized by a 'having' orientation towards the world, can lead to reduced life satisfaction and happiness (always trying to fill that void)
- Experiences and events tend to bring more happiness than material possessions, emphasizing the importance of 'being' rather than 'having.' (this is IMPORTANT)
- "Affluenza", described as a contagious social affliction where possessions overwhelm our lives, may lead to a sense of emptiness and dissatisfaction. (I often wonder if there's any amount of 'stuff' that would make me feel satisfied)
- Anthropomorphizing, ascribing feelings to inanimate objects, is a phenomenon not uncommon among hoarders, suggesting a strong emotional connection to possessions.
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I think the *lasting* point that I really caught...was this idea that most people tend to lean towards one of two dispositions: either 'having' or 'being' 'Having' is the process of making it your life's work to 'have' as many material possessions as you can gather. 'Being' is really just the act of that: 'being'. Possessions vs. experiences. It seems so simple when you think of it like that...and maybe that's why COVID messed a lot of us up there for a while because 'being' was just so damn hard. I like to consider myself a 'being' person, but know that when I'm not actually 'being', I use the 'having' disposition to try to fill in the gap.
Anyway...if you're concerned about your own reasons behind buying all of these goddam shoes, and want to take a peak as to why...I'd suggest you pick, up the book 'Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things.'
Top Comment: instyleshoes1999 Cheat Code : Less is More. You’ll be way happier. Trust.
Enjoy the rest of your week!