CLASSIC KICKS MAGAZINE VOLUME 2 | Page 91

Julian X probably ten models that I rarely go out of my way for , when you consider adidas have thousands to pick from , my chances are small , but I ’ m ok with that . I can ’ t control that .
When did you get into collecting sneakers ?
There ’ s a famous tennis model called the adidas Forest Hills . It ’ s white leather with gold stripes and a yellow sole . I think the shoe originated around 1977 , and the sole was designed in collaboration with NASA somehow . It was an iconic tennis shoe at the time and named after the famous tennis center in New York . The shoe was originally made in kangaroo leather , and they reissued the shoe in the early 2000s , and that ’ s what kind of started it off for me again . There was a store in California , called Harputs . I was online one day , on the old AOL dial-up , and for some reason I found this store in California with a pair of Forest
Hills and I was like , “ My God ! I haven ’ t seen those for twenty five years ,” so I bought a pair .
Then I realized they had a pair of Grand Slam , which was a similar shoe , white with silver stripes , and the peg system in the sole . That ’ s another iconic shoe from the era I grew up in . Now I ’ m thinking , I have the Forest Hills and Grand Slam , so there must be others out there . And then it starts , you know ? But I primarily focused on the reissues , because the vintage light bulb didn ’ t even go off yet .
What vintage pieces do you currently keep an eye out for ?
The Stan Smith model is one I focus on because I recognize its place in the history of tennis shoes . I ’ ve got the Haliet model . He was the guy that originally endorsed the shoe before Stan Smith . It was pre-trefoil and he wore them in the mid to late 1960s . Then he
Volume 2 | classickicks . com | Classic Kicks | 91