SOLE COLLECTOR: Sneakers

words_Nick DePaula

It was a normal “business” day for the Sole Collector team, a Tuesday perhaps, late last December. We were back in Beaverton to work on the Jordan XX3 Issue, and I was in my standard Jordan I’s, while Steve kept at it in his trusty black ‘99 IV’s. Our daily suspects, if you will. After a brisk 50 yard walk from the parking lot on the west end of the Nike Campus to the Mia Hamm building’s cafe for our routine early morning smoothies, Steve and I were headed off to the Nolan Ryan building for our first meeting of the day.

“Oh — DAMN,” shouted Steve.

“Yooooo — those are DONE,” I laughed after looking down.

Sure enough, twenty steps from Mia’s back entrance, Steve’s ‘99 Jordan IV’s had had their last few steps, as the heel was entirely obliterated. Powder everywhere. The heel Air Sole unit actually visible in its entirety. It was my first time witnessing a live death right before me. A shoe Steve had loved so dearly, for its looks, history and versatility, was declared dead on the scene. He wore them everywhere, creating memories at photoshoots, sparking up conversations in airports; he even lasered the mag’s logo along the lateral heels of both shoes. And just like that — they were gone.

Thankfully, this past weekend, one of the greatest Air Jordan models returned via the Countdown Pack series to the delight of everyone. Sure, the mesh isn’t remotely parallel to the rubberized “wing,” and the Jumpman is odd as hell along the heel — two sure fire clues to spotting out fake IV’s just a few months ago, but the nubuck upper and red and grey along the outsole still evoke memories of MJ’s demoralizing shot against the Cleveland Cavs and the epic battles with the Pistons of the late 1980’s. They might not be perfect, but let’s face it, the ‘99 IV’s at this point are unwearable unless they’ve been exactly preserved. After wanting no part of the included XIX’s, it’s safe to say that the IV’s I was able to luckily get ahold of will be worn as often as possible. Maybe I’ll even be able to create my own memories in them as the magazine continues to grow, and maybe a decade from now I’ll be able to look back on all the travels and experiences that they’ve enjoyed, just as Steve’s now retired IV’s have lived through their own journey.