"A 'sneakerhead' is someone who is into the culture and subculture in and around sneakers...the history, the designer, the people and campaign behind them. You don't have to have 5000 pairs of sneakers. You don't have to have the most expensive pairs; but you know what's going on."
When it comes to knowing what's going on, Melburnian Derrick Narciso already knows the make and design before a pair of the latest kicks hits the shelves.
Derrick and his sneaker collection Source: Derrick Narciso
The first step
Derrick's entry into the community of show lovers began in 1987, with a similar backstory to many Filipino collectors.
"We Filipinos love basketball and we want to be close to our heroes. That means wearing their jerseys and sneakers," he shares.
"As a kid, when I played wearing the basketball sneakers of my idols, I felt like I was more powerful on the court. I jumped higher and I was better at shooting."
He shares that the first pair that caught his attention was the Nike Air Max, adding: "It had a hole on the heel. It was like seeing an alien - wow! As a kid, I would draw the shoe on my notebook. I forgot about my Transformers and G.I. Joes."
With his action figurines put to the side, Derrick focused on collecting kicks after he was surprised by his grandmother with a pair of imported Air Jordan 4s.
Derrick (most left) began collecting shoes at an early age. Source: Derrick Narciso
"I became a bit 'instant-famous' in school because of it," he laughs.
From becoming instant-famous in school to finding his footing in the Australian 'sneakerhead' community, Derrick says that there was a natural camaraderie that developed amongst early collectors.
"Back then, there weren't a lot of us. When camping out for a release of a new shoe, we looked out for each other. If a guy needed a toilet break or needed to buy food, we looked after their things. We would rotate," he says.
"The longest I camped out was 24 hours." Source: Derrick Narciso
"The longest I camped out was 24 hours. It was for the Lebron Southbeach 6. I only did it a few times because my wife would get mad at me."
The culture and community
While he jokes about his wife's fury at his sneaker obsession, Derrick says she is actually supportive of his need to connect with the community.
"Part of the reason why I opened a few sneaker groups, including Solemates Australia, was that my friends and relatives got fed up with my sneaker posts on Facebook.
Derrick with some of the original members of Solemates Australia. Source: Derrick Narciso
"I made the groups to connect with like-minded people. We can discuss the sneaker culture with each other, which people outside the community wouldn't necessarily understand."
While some might not understand Derrick's passion for collecting, he found a kindred spirit in Jay Mijares, who is the founder of The Kickz Stand, a website Derrick regularly contributes to.
"The site has 16,000 members, would you believe," he shares, adding, "in a span of six years, they've done a lot for other people. They do swap meets, meetups for fellow 'sneakerheads'. They've started a fund drive for fireys in NSW. Others think it's just about collecting shoes. We're more than that. We are about our strength as a community so that we can reach out to communities outside our own."
Derrick with Jay Mijares (centre) and Dale Hasegawa of The Kickz Stand Source: Derrick Narciso
The energy evolves
Derrick and his Solemates Australia family have also done their part in reaching out to other communities.
"We pulled together funds to send to the Philippines by selling our old sneakers," he shares.
"I had a friend who was a parish priest who would buy slippers and give them to kids who lived in far-flung areas. They have never experienced shoes, let alone slippers."
While the slipper initiative was halted due to terrorism activities in the areas where goods were sent, Derrick is determined to revive the endeavour in the near future.
"We pulled together funds to send to the Philippines by selling our old sneakers." Source: Derrick Narciso
"It was one of the proudest things we've done as a community.
"'Sneakerheads' aren't all about wanting to have the greatest and latest. We're not about chasing clout and being popular on social media. We're about finding a community of our own, about translating our passion and energy for sneakers into something positive."
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