Question 1: What’s in your current sneaker rotation? 

Jo: I survived the winter by relying heavily on the Mocha Wheat AF1 and the ACW* ERX 260. Thankfully it's warming up and now it's all about the Jordan 4 Starfish and the Violent Blend AM90 (Air Max month!). With the weather getting better, the Denham AM90, AF1 B (snake), and Instant Skate Dunks are all gonna start seeing rotation.

Question 2: What's the last pair you UNDS'd?

Jo: It's gotta be the black and yellow Bape Sk8 Stas. They went on foot the second I got em in! I know there are mixed feelings on bapestas among the newer crowd, but the older collectors remember that nobody was making AF1s with crazy materials at the time. I suppose I'm trying to relive the glory days of Bape, but nostalgia is alluring, it's hard to get away from.

Question 3: What is your fave sneaker you currently own?

Jo: For skating, the ACG Blazers never let me down. That Zoom pad and vulcanized sole has saved me more times than I can count. Buttery brown suede sure doesn't hurt either! The rest of the time, it's gotta be the Orewood Notre Dunks. I haven't even un-DSed em yet, but I take them out of the box every time I walk past em. It's a testament to their quality and craftsmanship. Honestly, hitting on that FCFS release, it was the first time in years I felt proud to be a midwest sneaker lover. It made me feel special, like I was part of a unique sneaker club.

Question 4: What is your must-have grail?

Jo: It's gotta be the UNC Off-white 1. Love him or hate him, nobody was deconstructing nikes like when Virgil came along, and the use of materials to mimic the interior of the shoe is awesome. For better or worse, it's influenced the entire Nike lineup. Plus that orange and blue hit is just phenomenal.

Question 5: What got you started in the sneaker game?

Jo: I started skating in the mid 2000s, during the first 21st-century "sneaker boom". I remember picking up some GR SB Dunks from the skate shop and thinking I was so cool (the Aqua Chalks!). After that, and a few months spent on ISS forums learning the ropes, I started buying limited AF1s, and before I knew it I owned a pair of Stash Blue pack AF1s. That shoe turned me into a life-long sneaker collector. Nothing about that sneaker was "normal", they had redone the midsole, the sockliner, the materials on the tongue, the works. It opened my eyes to the little differences that make or break a shoe, and in the freedom nike provides to its collaborators.

Question 6: What's something that most people don't know about you?

Jo: I constantly overshare, so there might not be much on this list! Something that doesn't come up much though is the fact that I speak Japanese. I originally learned to play RPGs and other video games we never got in the states, but it's widened my horizons, both in fashion and in life.

Question 7 (optional): What do you do for a living?

Jo: The short answer is, I'm an engineer for a software company. The nerdy version is I support and deploy enterprise DevOps Security orchestration platforms, both on-prem and SaaS (Software-as-a-Service). Fun fact: I've worked on security software protecting some of the big sneaker networks you use!

Question 8: where can people follow you on social media? YT, Snapchat, IG etc

Jo: My Twitter/IG/Snap are all @notseelen. Beyond that, send me a PM if you'd like to add me anywhere else!