Dr. Frank Richardson
gotten to a more visual stage lately, with
Instagram and other social media platforms,
but if you look at my IG, what you see is
what I’m wearing that day. That’s always
been my approach.
Why is wearing your sneakers so impor-
tant to you?
I came up in an era where we bought shoes
for practical purposes. I remember so many
shops that were dedicated to running or
that were strictly for tennis. I remember the
first pair of New Balance I bought in 1985,
the “Blue Steel.” The employees in this
running shop almost lost their minds when
they asked me what running team I was a
part of, and I said, “None. I’m just going to
wear them.” Now this was before “Lifestyle”
shoes, so they just started laughing at me and
bringing people out of the back to see the
guy spending over $100 on a pair of running
shoes to just walk around in. The concept
hadn’t taken hold yet. Now there are some
companies known strictly for lifestyle shoes.
How did you become interested in some
of the more specialized brands and styles
of the time?
Growing up, I didn’t have social media or the internet, so I would buy Runner’s World magazine
and try to find those shoes. Today, you know exactly what’s out, and where to get them. There’s
probably an app for that, but there was a time when you literally had to go out and look.
I used to watch ABC’s Wide World of Sports. Back then, it was a smorgasbord. You might get
downhill skiing or tennis, but you were always locked in on Saturdays. I used to watch tennis
matches and be like, “What is this guy decked out in?” First it was Bjorn Borg in FILA, and then
McEnroe came with the Sergio Tacchini, and then Arthur Ashe and Yannick Noah with the Le
Coq Sportif. That was the stuff that made me say “Wow!” When those tennis players came onto
the court in their warm-ups, I was like, “Those are tight!” That’s what I went out to look for.
Do you buy any of the reissues of those classic models?
Many of these brands that come back today are led by license holders who aren’t really aware of
the heritage of the brand or their shoes. Now it’s easier to just make a collaboration to build the
hype and then find a few influencers online to say the shoe is fantastic, and there you go.
Volume 2 | classickicks.com | Classic Kicks | 9