If you have a passion for collecting rare or exclusive footwear, you're probably all too familiar with catching yourself developing some strong emotional ties for certain pairs from your collection.
In the monthly Kickin' the Door Blog series, we welcome fellow Rotterdam-based sneaker aficionados and footwear connoisseurs to share the Top 3 sneakers from their collection and let us in on the stories that make them so special.
ESTHER VAN ADRICHEM @ESTHERVANADRICHEM
For the 23rd edition of the Kickin’ the Door series, we are joined by Esther van Adrichem, who works as a online marketing manager for DFNS after working in media for magazines like ELLE and Cosmopolitan for 11 years.
We are curious - What are Esther's Top 3 sneakers from her collection and more importantly, what are the stories behind them?
#3
Nike Dunk Low "Winter Solstice"
(Released in 2021)
Quality, colors, design, details: all checked. I've always loved the combination of pink and orange. Aside from that, the story behind the shoe is super nice. It's all about Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year and the astronomical start of the Winter. Winter may be cold and dark, but it also means the return of more sunlight. It only gets brighter from here! So it's a good reminder to always look at the bright side of life. This dunk really represents this moment. It's represented in the design with the sunrise on the back of the sneaker, many rays of sunshine all over the shoe, the date of Winter Solstice on the insole, and the sunny colorway.
#2
Nike WMNS Air Max 1 Liberty London QS "Blue Recall"
(Released in 2014)
I really love what Nike did with Liberty London,which is a very famous and traditional luxury department store in London. I visited London and the store for the first time when I was 19 or 20 and obviously fell for their prints. They have their own line of fabrics with - mostly - flower print, very romantic and cute, and very expensive of course. When they worked together with Nike and sneakers with the famous fabrics of Liberty London came out, I was over the moon, they released several collections. The first pair I got was a Nike Blazer in 2009 and this is, I think, the second pair I got: the Nike Air Max 1 'Blue Recall'. It has 4 different types of blue flowers and paisley prints, combined with some kind of jute, and a few bright orange details: an amazing combination.
#1
Nike Air Max 90 "Infrared"
(Released in 2015)
I've already spotted this pair on the streets when I was very young, but I started collecting sneakers in my early twenties. So when these came out again in 2015, I was over the moon and bought two pairs of them: one to wear and one to keep clean. This is obviously the clean pair, as the other pair is só worn that the infrared color on the midsole is coming off a bit and the white toebox is more grey now than white. But that's fine because I still love both pairs. The AM90 is personally my favorite silhouette. I love the bigger window, the shape of the toe box, and the fitting. They are way comfier than the AM1. And of course the Infrared: an OG colorway that really pops, especially when it's combined with more easy colors like white, grey, and black. I have a weak spot for Infrared on AM90, but this one, the OG one, is my all-time favorite.
HONORABLE MENTION
Offspring x Saucony Shadow 6000 "Running Since '96"
(Released in 2014)
This is the only sneaker that I waited in line for at Woei. A few months before, on a Friday afternoon, I noticed that this pair would finally arrive at Woei the next day. I went to the store that same evening to ask about the sizes when they told me there was only 1 pair in my size. So I knew I had to be on time on Saturday. One tiny problem: I was also going to a party that Friday night, so I already knew that it would be a long night. So on that Saturday morning, without any sleep, around 6.30 am, I cycled home. After a quick shower and a sandwich, I hopped back on my bike and arrived at around 7.30 am at the Woei store. There were are only 2 people in front of me in line: two men of a much bigger size than me. So after queuing for a few hours, the shop opened around 11 am and I was able to score my pair. Happy and sleepy I cycled back home, to finally go back to bed.
"Winter may be cold and dark, but it also means the return of more sunlight. It only gets brighter from here!"
CLICK HERE FOR THE PREVIOUS KICKIN THE DOOR WITH SNEAKER-CLEANING FREAK PIM ROGGEVEEN!
