In der vor einiger Zeit erschienenen 12. Ausgabe des sich mittlerweile bei Ausgabe 23 befindlichen Sneaker Freaker Magazins (die Nummer 23 ist natürlich niemand anderem gewidmet als M.Jordan, bzw seinen Schuhen) .
Hier ein kleiner Auszug aus dem Interview mit Lindy Darrell, einem Sammler der aller ersten Stunde!
Das restliche Interview gibts hier zu lesen bzw, in der 12. Ausgabe von Sneaker Freaker.
How do you define vintage in regards to sneakers?
Vintage to me is 1972 to early 1980. The answer is easy on this one. I only collect vintage Nike running shoes and track spikes made in Japan and the USA. Again, this is just my opinion of what I consider vintage.
When did you first come across Nike?
I hacked around in a pair of Onitsuka Corsair and even ran in Converse Track Star when I first started. I would have to say 1974/75 I purchased my first Nikes. They were the Waffle Trainer. Over the next few years, I ran in many different Nike shoes. LD1000, Sting, Eagle and LDV. In the early years, I became fond of the Elite. From 1979 to 1985 Nike produced some of the best running shoes ever made such as the Mariah, American Eagle and Air Edge to name a few. To this day, it is my opinion they haven’t even come close to making a shoe as good as the Terra TC. First generation Phylon and Permafoam were two fantastic Nike inventions. In 1985 some basketball player for the Chicago Bulls signed an endorsement with Nike and the running shoe had to go to the back of the bus! From 1985 to 1995 Nike running shoes were garbage in my opinion. Nike didn’t need to make good running shoes when ‘AIR MICHAEL’ was on board. They just lost their way and forgot about the runner. They have made some nice shoes as of late. The Jasari and Zoom Kennedy were amazing track spikes.
What makes Nike shoes from this era so amazing? Was it the colors?
There was really nothing like Nike when they first started. Racing flats were nothing more than house slippers. The running boom had started and only a few companies were making running shoes. Nike was cutting-edge. From 1972 to 1985 they really knew what they were doing. I believe it is because the people working for Nike at that time had a passion for what they were doing. Now, Nike is bigger than life itself. They can put a Swoosh on anything and make $$$$$$$$$$$. I guess I still have that old school in me and that’s why I collect the vintage ones. For me, the most amazing part of this era was watching how it evolved, because I grew up with it.
In the beginning, you could hardly tell the difference between Onitsuka and Nike. Same uppers. Same soles. Same colorways. The shoes even had the same names. Some of them being the Boston, Boston73, Marathon, Obori, Kenya – the colors were not flashy. From 1975 to the early eighties, Nike had arrived with the nylon, mesh, leather, suedes, waffles and a crazy brilliant rainbow of colorways. I really have a passion for the wild colorways of the SMU (special make up) Nike. These are rare and hard to find.
Who’s you favorite Nike shoe designer and why?
Jeff Johnson, Geoff Hollister, Nelson Farris and my friend Jeff Sink, who was on the Nike Team that created the Terra TC. He helped in the development of the Phylon midsole. Again, I can’t praise the Terra TC enough. Not from a collector standpoint, but from a runners’ standpoint. If this shoe were produced today, Nike wouldn’t be able to keep it on the shelves.
Have you worn any other brands for recreation or training?
In the seventies, I ran in the Converse World Class Trainer. Not many people ran in them, but they seemed to work for me. I also raced in the Tiger Jayhawk and Tiger Obori. In 1985 I picked up an endorsement with Team Etonic for a couple of years. Etonic racing flats were great, but their training flats just about crippled me. Other than a few different times, I have always been in Nike.
When did you start your awesome collection? What’s the rarest piece in the collection?
My collection started 10 to 20 years ago. It is really hard to say which ones are the rarest or have the most value. Although I purchase different models, my collection only consists of Nike running shoes and track spikes made in Japan and the USA. I have about 10 pairs of SMU Nikes that are pretty rare. I have a pair of first generation Astrograbber made in Japan that seem to be dinosaurs. At one point, my collection was at 100+ pairs, but there are two pairs that I would still love to get my hands on, the Obori and Boston73.
Top 5 collection Nikes
– Colorado
– New Boston
– Astrograbber
– Marathon Red/Blue
– Oregon Waffle Racer
(Quelle: SneakerFreaker)
