Meet The Collector: HJ KIM

We're back with another Meet The Collector's feature, and for this month, we're keeping the theme Air Max specific! Meet HJ Kim, a collector for 10+ years and a Philadelphia resident who has a crazy love for Air!

WHAT STARTED YOUR LOVE FOR AIR MAXES?                                              

My love for Air Maxes started with the Air Max 90, I thought the silhouette and the color blocking combinations were a lot of fun at a very young age, I believe I was about 13 or 14 years old.

WHAT DOES THE AIR MAX MEAN TO YOU?

For me, the Air Max is a staple in the sneaker community. It has so many silhouettes, colorways, and collaborations that any can fit it into their style.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST PAIR OF AIRMAX'S? TELL US THE STORY BEHIND HOW YOU COPPED.

The first air max purchase that really started my interest in the Air Max has to be the Air Max 1 Milan. When Buy/Sell on FB was huge, and I found them for a steal at the time. In my opinion, it's one of the cleanest colorways of the Air Max 1 of all time, and the materials also are immaculate.

WHAT PAIRS ARE CURRENTLY IN YOUR ROTATION? 

My current rotation of Air Maxes are all 1s. The Royals, University Red, Milans, Red Jewels (copped at the former Ubiq: Philly), and the Atmos 1s. Naturally, as a collector, I love hyped shoes, but I also like simple and minimalistic colorways. I think my rotation has a good balance of history, classics, and hype.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE AIR MAX SILHOUETTE?

If you couldn't already tell, I love the Air Max 1 because you can do a lot with the color blocking, and it's the shoe silhouette that started it all. It's also an easy shoe to build your outfit around, no matter what your style is. 

WHAT AIR MAX'S ARE YOU CURRENTLY IN NEED OF TO COMPLETE YOUR COLLECTION?

I'm also a huge fan of the Air Max 180, and the craziest color-way to me is the Opium Air Max 180, mostly because it looks like the Kanye West Air Max 180 collab.

IF YOU COULD CREATE YOUR OWN AIR MAX - WHAT MODEL WOULD IT BE, AND WHAT COLORS WOULD YOU USE?

If I were to create my own Air Max, it would either be an Air Max 180. The color blocking would be similar to the Nike Air Yeezy 2 Platinum, with the sock lining being bright red, the upper being platinum premium leather, and using a green glow on the outsole.

WHAT AIR MAX STYLES ON OUR SITE ARE YOU CURRENTLY FEELING?

Air Max 1 Premium - The Air Max 1 Premium Sage is the most appealing to me. The materials used look very high quality, and currently, I am into muted tones, so the sage is really clean for me.

Air Max 1 'Strawberry Lemonade' - I think this Air Max 1 is another fun twist with pink and the materials look high quality. I also love strawberries.

Air Max 90 - The AM90 is a go to silhouette and the color blocking on this one is simple but fun.

Air Max 2 - I think this silhouette is cool because it give me a nostalgic vibe and the colors also really compliment each other.