A friend is moving and found that there are many things that cannot be taken, so my mom went to see what could be taken. She took some bowls, chopsticks, and a shoe rack. This shoe rack is made of solid wood and is red, so if placed in the living room, it matches well with the redwood furniture in my home. However, there wasn't much space in the living room, so I put it in my room as my personal shoe cabinet, which also allows me to organize my shoes well. After tidying up, I also want to share my shoes and my experiences in buying shoes.
First, I want to share a classic pair of Nike shoes. How classic is this shoe? This shoe was born in 1982, and even today, in 2023, it is still timeless and loved by many people. That is the Air Force One basketball shoes. I summarize it as this shoe being very versatile and one of the most durable among Nike shoes. Although the shoe technology is from that era and doesn't have the powerful sole technology of the new era, it is still good enough to wear, and the white color is classic. Even though many colorways of Air Force One have been released now, I still think white looks the best.
However, Air Force One is more suitable for casual walking, so it is very durable. But I have worn it for one or two years, and the sole has long been worn out, and the upper is black and cracked. Thinking back, I only spent four hundred yuan on it, and having worn it for so long, it was worth the price. Air Force One has been in the sneaker market for a long time, so the price is already very cheap. The extra benefit of the white color is that I can DIY the color myself. Some bloggers online customize colorways on Air Force One, making it a unique design.
One pair of shoes for casual outings is enough, but one pair of basketball shoes is not enough. I have many pairs of basketball shoes, some from Nike and some from Adidas, but there are more from Nike. The technological orientation of the two brands is different; Nike's sole technology is mainly based on air cushions, while Adidas focuses on foam. My basketball shoes are all signature shoes from Nike, including the Kyrie series and the Durant series. The benefit of this is that I can choose different shoes based on my basketball habits. Good brands provide good products for different needs.
The Kyrie series is the first choice for some point guards because of its low center of gravity and high flexibility. If you are playing as a forward, the Durant series is also a good choice, with a slightly higher center of gravity, more air cushions, and more comfort, but the anti-twist performance is not as good as the point guard shoes, so the risk of ankle sprains is higher. Besides the basketball shoe series, Nike's team basketball shoes also have a good reputation. One of my favorite colorways is the HD2019 breast cancer awareness shoe, where a little bit of pink can directly increase combat power. Unfortunately, the breast cancer awareness colorway shoes are not cheap, and finding a pair that is not flashy is not easy.
After talking about Nike, I also want to mention Adidas basketball shoes. I have bought both cheap and expensive ones. The cheap ones can be said to be the worst shoes from Adidas. Although they are high-tops, the cushioning is terrible. Adidas's second sole technology is really poor, as hard as a brick. I just use them as cement killers. Another pair that I really like has a very unique design, which is the Wiggins basketball shoes. Its upper is designed like a sock, which makes it very troublesome to put on and take off, but it fits well. The full Boost cushioning is also very good, but the downside is that the price is a bit high, and the sole is not rubber, so its wear resistance is very poor. Netizens jokingly say that every time you make a move, it costs five bucks.
Besides basketball shoes, I also have a trendy shoe: the Yeezy. The Yeezy is a collaboration shoe between American rapper Kanye West and Adidas. The upper is woven, and many people think it is a basketball shoe, but do not use it for basketball; I personally tested it and definitely sprained my ankle because the upper has no support at all. However, the sole is really comfortable, and the feeling of stepping on poop that netizens talk about is quite accurate. Although they all have Boost soles, this one is softer, and after wearing it for a long time, it feels a bit squishy.
The shoes mentioned above are all ones I wear regularly, but I also have a few pairs that I wear very rarely, only on specific occasions. One pair is my soccer shoes, which I bought a long time ago in Hong Kong. Soccer shoes are very expensive and rare, but Hong Kong is different; people in Hong Kong love to play soccer, but they play on flat ground, so many soccer friends buy cleats, while I bought a pair with larger studs, which are comparatively cheaper and more available. Another pair is my road bike shoes, which lock in place to firmly secure the foot and the pedal, minimizing energy loss.
Finally, I want to share my two pairs of AJ1, which is the first pair in Michael Jordan's shoe series. At that time, it was very sensational, given Jordan's influence. The shoes only started to become popular in recent years. I also followed the trend and bought three pairs, two low-tops and one mid-top. If I remember correctly, when they were released, there were only high-tops, but now that more people are buying them, they have released variations. In fact, many shoes are sought after after being hyped up.
When I was in school, I saw others wearing them and thought they looked very stylish. Although I thought they were not cheap, I really wanted to have them. Plus, with the constant hype online about collaborations, I remember one pair of AJ1 high-tops being sold for tens of thousands of yuan. The more you see, the more you fall into the consumer trap. Looking back now, I realize how foolish I was; with that money, I could have bought other things, but I chose to fall into the trap and be taken advantage of. Shoes are just consumables; if they are labeled as collectibles, they lose their original value.
Now, I only buy basketball shoes when I need them. I won't just buy a few pairs for casual outings, a few for basketball, and a few for running. I only buy when they are worn out, and I try to find basketball shoes with high cost-performance. I also like to buy domestic basketball shoes now; a pair of shoes for over a hundred yuan is enough for me to play through a summer, and I won't feel heartbroken when the sole wears out. Don't let others' opinions influence you; in fact, others don't care what shoes you wear. It's your vanity that plays tricks on you. I used to care a lot about others' opinions, which made me very tired.