What's your name and how can people find you on instagram?
My name is Gilberto Camarena and my Instagram is @gilsneaks.
My name is Gilberto Camarena and my Instagram is @gilsneaks.
I got into sneakers when I was in Middle School. I remember watching Back to the Future for the first time and as soon as I saw the Air Mags I instantly fell in love with them. I then started researching them as well as Jordans, Nikes, and Adidas. I also started watching YouTube reviews and as I saw how many different variations of shoes there were out there, that’s when I wanted to start a collection.
The first pair I remember having was the Jordan 1 Mid Hare retro from 2015 I believe. What I really loved from that pair was the Hare colorway. My favorite shoe of all time is the Hare 7s so this shoe was a definite no brainer since I couldn’t get those 7s the last time they came out. (Btw I was still young back then and didn’t understand and no the importance of the Jordan 1 Highs vs. Mids lol)
One of the things that make my sneaker collection unique is how I don’t usually go for the hyped sneakers and my collection comes all the way from when I was a young kid to where I am today, where I have my own hard earned money to spend. From general releases, quick strikes, hyped limited releases. But the most important thing for me is definitely quality over quantity. Always.
If I would have to choose between hype or history I would much rather prefer the history aspect of sneaker collecting because I love the backstories behind the designs and the inspiration the sneaker designers have to create these shoes. I am also the type of person that believes they were born in the wrong generation, so being able to wear some of the stuff from back in the day makes me feel a little closer to what my brothers had to grow up with. From Air Maxes to OG Jordans with the Nike Air I love the vintage feel and look of these sneakers.
My all time grail sneaker would have to be the Nike Air Mags with the auto-lacing system. This was the shoe that started it all for me and made me fall in love with the sneakers and the sneaker culture. It also made me realize I wanted to build my s sneaker collection to the point where it would be as eye catching as the Air Mags. Which I know will take a while but I’m working on it :)
The best release of last year was for sure the Undefeated Air Max 97s in my opinion. Nike and Undefeated did a great thing bringing these back as a “retro” if you would call it that. From it being a ComplexCon Exclusive a few years ago being resold for over $1,000 to now being a very affordable shoe, this was definitely for the culture and was very much appreciated by a lot of Air Max heads that wanted this shoe but didn’t want to drop a bag on it.
My latest pickup is the Yeezy Foam Runners in the Sand colorway. I always loved the way the shoe looked and I always wanted to pickup a pair to try something different and these definitely meet that category of uniqueness. I’m not a real big 350 guy so this was my first pair of Yeezys and I would say it was a great first pickup. I feel like this is a shoe that should be in everyone’s collection and it’s great for either lounging around the house or something easy to put on your feet to make a quick run to the store.
The release I’m most looking forward to would definitely be the Raging Bull 5s. When I first got into sneakers that was one of the shoes that was such a big deal back then and was one of the top Jordans to own. I am really interested to see if Jordan brand can do a good job on making this shoe as close to the original as possible. From the shape, materials, and even the shade of red on the uppers, it is something that Jordan brand does not want to ruin. I’m also a huge 49ers fan and I’ve been wanting more red sneakers to release and this one would be one of the best ones I would have to match some Niner gear.
A collab I would like to see this year would be another Nike and Atmos collab. Sadly Air Max day just passed but I think another Nike x Atmos collab on an Air Max would be a huge hit. What would be cool for them to do would be the Air Max 1 they did but make it opposite tones. So for example, make the elephant print a cement print, make the teal or Tiffany blue swoosh a maroon or red color. In my opinion that would be a dope concept to do because they aren’t making the same shoe again, they are changing up the materials and colorway on the whole sneaker which I think would make for an excellent story for them.