Sneakerhead Spotlight: Jonathan AKA @j_mobile

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

Jonathan: Each day, I honestly just randomly pick a pair amongst my stacks of shoes. Planning out a rotation would make things way easier, but I never do. Generally though, I end up rocking a bunch of Dunk SBs with some Jordan’s mixed in. So this past week I rocked my What the Paul Dunk SB Lows, SBTG Dunk SB Lows, Black Toe Union 1s, Stingwater Dunk SB Lows, Gamma 11s, Thrashin’ Dunk SB Highs, & Space Tiger Dunk SB Lows. 

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

Jonathan: For me, pairs usually sit for a while, as I superstitiously have to re-lace each pair before I rock, and I don’t always have the time for that. But I re-laced and UNDS’d the FroSkate Dunk SB Highs like 2 days after getting. They’ve been my most anticipated pair since first being rumored, and they don’t disappoint one bit. 

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

Jonathan: That’s a hard one, but if I have to pick, I’d say my Villanova Dunk SB Highs, from the 2005 Be True To Your School x Dunk SB pack. Navy/white has always been my favorite color combo on shoes, so you take that color combo, combine that with my favorite shoe in the Dunk SB, and cover it in suede, and you have a perfect shoe in my opinion. 

Question 4: What is your must-have grail?

Jonathan: I’m always confused by the meaning of “grail.” Some would define it as the most coveted pair I have, while some would say it’s a pair I want. To me, it’s a pair I have, and I’d probably say one of my grails are my Buck Dunk SB Lows. Them being an homage to Phil Knight and his alma mater Oregon is awesome as it is, but me being a Seattleite and life long SuperSonics fan, anything green and yellow goes to the top of my list.

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

Jonathan: Sneakers have always been a part of my life, and are something you grow up around in my neighborhood. So I’ve always been into shoes. However, I’d that say me wanting to own and have lots of shoes to wear didn’t fully click until ‘97, when to start 6th grade I picked out a pair of Fila Rainmakers. They were the signature sneaker of SuperSonics player Hersey Hawkins, they had these big blue rain drops on the side, and I loved those things. After that, and me then realizing that since I don’t walk all of my shoes stayed basically perfect forever, the rest was history. 

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

Jonathan: I’m pretty open and transparent about being in a wheelchair on the ‘net, so that’s no secret. I’d probably say what people outside of my friends and family don’t know about me is that before shoes, my passion was and is video games. Except for the PS5, which I’ll grab eventually, I own every console since the original NES. Admittedly I don’t have the time to play them as much as I used to, but I’ll never stop gaming.

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

Jonathan: I work in Digital Equity and Internet Equality here in Seattle, and in that world I wear many hats. Put more simply, I teach tech, and I also work to build and improve internet and digital access. So I’m doing everything from teaching kids/teens robotics and how to build drones, teaching seniors various tech skills and how to use technology, and currently teaching a Network Engineering certification class for people that were previously incarcerated, while also giving free technology and building free internet installations in the city for all of those that are underserved in my community. 

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

Jonathan: People can find me on both Twitter and IG at the same place: @j_mobile