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.
MARCO "MAQQEAU" KOLANUS
For the 12th episode of the Kickin' the Door Blog series, we caught up with creative swiss-army knife Marco "Maqqeau" Kolanus. Switching roles between Art Director and Graphic Designer from 9 to 5, he's also a proud full-time dad to his 2-year-old daughter. In his spare time, Maqqeau keeps it creative by picking up his digital or analog camera to capture everything lifestyle, streetwear, and sneaker related. You might even recognise some of his apparel and sneaker stacking shots from seeing them reposted by Hypebeast, Highsnobiety or Nicekicks.
We are curious - What are Maqqeau's Top 3 sneakers from his collection and more importantly, what are the stories behind them?
#3
NIKE REACT ELEMENT 87 "SAIL/LIGHT BONE"
(Released in 2018)
#2
NIKE AIR MAX 360 "VARSITY RED"
(Released in 2006)
#1
NIKE AIR MAX TL 2.5
(Released in 2006)
This one is pretty self explanatory, I think. What an insane silhouette. The upper features a legendary mash-up of the Air Max 97 with an Air Max 98 twist, which I also like a lot. Although this one might be one of the most underrated and forgotten Air Maxes out there, I feel very strongly about them deserving grail status. Personally, I believe that the 2005/2006 era saw some of the best sneaker releases in general, and this pair does live up to the statement. Nowadays, they are quite hard to find and since my pair is quite beat, I hope to find them in a better condition hopefully sooner rather than later.
HONORABLE MENTION
NIKE AIR MAX 1 "POWER WALL BRS"
(Released in 2005)
Another grail. When I talk about these shoes, it brings back memories from my schooltrip to Paris back in 2006. I didn't bring too much money with me because I wasn't planning on buying anything. But of course, life sometimes makes its own decisions... As we were walking around exploring Paris, we ended up at a random sneaker store I can't even remember the name of. You can imagine where this story is headed. My friends and I stood in front of a wall with the entire Power Wall Pack lined up. I immediately noticed the Air Max 1 BRS and Lemonade. Since I didn't bring enough money to buy both pairs, I had to call an emergency crisis meeting with my friends to make a decision. The Lemonades got the most votes, and so I brought a pair of the yellow-golden sneaker to the cashier. A couple of years later, I still couldn't let go of that moment. Did I make the right decision? I actually regretted not buying the BRS, and so the hunt was on. Luckily, I managed to get me a pair last year (and I can finally sleep peacefully again).
"My friends and I stood in front of a wall with the entire Power Wall Pack lined up. I immediately noticed the Air Max 1 BRS and Lemonade.
Since I didn't bring enough money to buy both pairs, I had to call an emergency crisis meeting with my friends to make a decision."
Wanna check out some of Maqqeau's infamous stacking shots? Head over to his Instagram!
CLICK HERE FOR THE PREVIOUS KICKIN THE DOOR WITH DIRECTOR AND FILM-MAKER ROCKY "SIR ROCCO" ROOS!