words // Zack Schlemmer
For our third edition of the Blogger Spotlight, we are proud to feature Mis Zapas (miszapas.net), an awesome online “Sneakerpedia” from Spain. If you have ever done a Google image search for any obscure basketball shoe, chances are you saw its picture pop up with a white and black grid behind it. Well, that picture is from Mis Zapas. As far as 90’s basketball shoes go, Mis Zapas is one of the best and most comprehensive sites on the internet to find them. You’ll find shoes you forgot existed, or ones you never knew did.
This site is a great service to the sneaker community, and we are happy to give it some shine. Below is an interview with Al, the creator of Mis Zapas, as well as a few excellent examples of what you’ll find on the site. Be sure to check out the full site at miszapas.net, and stay tuned to Sole Collector for an in depth look at the newly released “Mis Zapas: The Book”, coming soon.
Sole Collector: First off, I just want to say that I love your site. I have used it as a reference point numerous times. Almost any time I am looking for a name of some obscure basketball shoe, Mis Zapas is there to help.
Please introduce yourself. Where are you from? What made you want to start the site?
Mis Zapas: My name is Al (Alberto) and I am from a small city (Irun) in the north of Spain. Here we had great basketball tradition in the 90's and, of course, in sneakers. Everybody wanted to have Barkley shoes, Shaq shoes, Air Jordans, etc. My passion for the basketball shoes started there.
A few years ago I was thinking about creating a basketball "sneakerpedia" because back in the day I was tired of searching and searching on the net for a lot of models with no idea about the year of the release date, player who wore the model, official name, etc. and I wanted to do this website to create an easy way to teach the new generations and give enjoyment to the old schools.
SC: How many people are on the Mis Zapas team, and what do you all do?
MZ: Just my brother (Carlos) and I. He created the website with my style and I do the rest (update the blog, enter new models, new players, etc).
SC: Do you own all of the shoes you have pictures of in the sneaker archives? If not, where do you find all of the pictures?
MZ: Of course not, there's almost a thousand models on the website and right now I only (own) over 180. I find all of the pictures via Google and forums (thanks to all the people who upload everyday pictures of their shoes, you do me a big favor) and from my personal collection.
SC: The blog section of the site is filled with awesome retro pictures and shoe ads. Do you scan any of that stuff yourself or is it all collected from various places on the internet?
MZ: A big part of the blog is stuff that I scan and nobody has posted on the net yet, and the rest are things that I found and liked from other places.
SC: My favorite feature on the site is “Jugadores” [Players], the comprehensive lists of signature shoes worn by some of the top 90’s NBA players like Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley and Penny Hardaway. You seem to be very accurate in covering EVERYTHING that the players wore on court, even the obscure shoes like Barkley in the Air Jordan XIV, and Penny’s Air Prevail. How do you manage to record all the shoes these players wore? Is it all based on your memory or do you research them?
MZ: It’s my favorite section as well! All of those players who appear in this section are my favorites and I remember perfectly what they wore in the past. But of course, my mind is not perfect and I had to confirm that the players wore those models.
SC: Now for the standard sneaker questions… What is your all time favorite shoe and what shoe do you want most that you don’t own?
MZ: My all time favorite shoe is with no doubt the Nike Air Max CW in the White/Black/True Red colorway. I have three DS Pairs of this model but all three are cracked in the midsole, so I want this colorway to return now in retro version with the CW logo in the back (almost inpossible).
The shoe that I wanted and don't own was the Converse Destroyer (TarMax) in White/Black colorway. I said WAS because recently I found a deadstock pair and now it’s mine, so right now I don't have any holy grail.
SC: Anything else you would like to add?
MZ: A lot of people asked about some updates in the sneakers and players sections at miszapas.net, don't worry I was very busy doing the book but now there will be new stuff.
And hurry, “Mis Zapas: The Book” is a limited 100 copies edition!
This is just a small sample of what you will find on Mis Zapas. Be sure to check out the full site HERE!
