From his well-documented penchant for Japanese brands like Visvim to releasing his own NIKEiD colorways, John Mayer's interest in sneakers and streetwear goes even deeper than one might expect.
On the latest episode of Complex's "Hot Ones," host Sean Evans gets nostalgic with the singer-songwriter over his love for the Air Jordan 5.
"It’s historic for me," Mayer said of Michael Jordan's fifth signature sneaker. "It was like a car. We’d wear it to school, and then I’d put it on the table and I’d take a bowl and I’d put water and dish soap in it, and I would take a toothbrush and I would just, [scrubbing motion]. I remember the sort of texture of that leather, these little tiny micro-dots. Just working on those micro-dots and trying to keep it clean, ‘cause that was like my car, I might as well have been washing a car."
Mayer says the "Grape" is his favorite of the numerous Air Jordan 5 colorways, but these days, he prefers to perform in something a bit more modern, namely the Air Presto. He says Errolson Hugh's Acronym collaboration on the model—which Mayer wears in the episode—is "maybe the best silhouette of a sneaker in a really, really long time."
"I feel like certain sneakers outlast their life cycle in terms of being hip and you just can always wear them," Mayer said.
Watch him talk kicks and much more in the video above.
