Today is my favorite day of the week and it should be yours as well. Hope you guys are having a great week, if not well today’s your chance to unwind a bit. Its Wear Your Kicks Wednesday people! The home stretch before the weekend is here, your chance to have a little fun and break out some kicks. I know I looked forward to today considering it makes now 19 weeks and all but who’s counting?
Yesterday we released our recap and if missed that here’s a refresher, Kickin’ It With Def Pen: #WYKW (7/16/14). Also as promised check @WearYourKicks_ avi on twitter because you guys have the control of making the avi what it is. Anyway lets get into Kickin’ It With Def Pen: Wear Your Kicks Pt. 19 because today features a very frequent participant of the #WYKW movement.
I present to you, Ant Sheppard ladies and gents aka @ant_sheppard via twitter.
Since I can remember Ant has been a heavy supporter of the weekly showcase and it was only right to give this man his time to shine as he sheds some light on his passion for not just sneakers in general but one specific pair which to many is consider one of if not the G.O.A.T Air Jordan’s. Instead of hearing it from me I’ll let him explain…
If there’s one thing I can say I obsess over at the moment, it’s sneakers. I’m looking at every blog post from every corner of the net and every shoe company with the utmost awe and admiration. I’ve always been into sneakers and clothes, but I am NOT a “sneakerhead”. I don’t like that term. I’m just a guy who likes sneakers. I don’t just like sneakers for their look. I have recently gotten into function, form, engineering, materials, technology, etc. of the sneakers I own. The evolution is amazing.
That being said, I have always been partial to retro styles. I welcome all the new tech and design like Flyknit, Flywire, Boost, Lunarlon, Flightplate, Engineered Mesh (the list goes on), but one could never go wrong with a Nike Dunk, Chuck Taylor, Stan Smith or my personal favorite shoe of all time, the Jordan 3. My money and my interest never aligned perfectly for me to be able to own a pair of black Cement 3s when they retro’d in 2001 or 2011. Since then, it’s been a roller coaster ride trying to find the elusive shoe for me at a decent price. I’d looked at CDP 3s over and over again on different consignment sites and Ebay. The irony in this is that I bought a pair for my son in 2011, which he subsequently dogged out in a couple months (totally expected). I tried to fill the void of these shoes with Stealth 3s, which are very cool shoes that I still wear often, and then Fire Red 3s, which I wear less often but still enjoy… not the same in either case. Void unfilled…
And then, the deterioration of moving plans and a work bonus check aligned for me perfectly… I could afford to blow some well earned money… to my dismay, the consignment shops I’d been scouring for years had upped the price on both CDP and 2011 retros… OFF TO EBAY!
Now, eBay as most know in the sneaker community, is a bit of a crap shoot. You have to really do your research and dig through bios, feedback, and pictures to make sure you’re getting exactly what you want. I’m not one to buy used things, but in this case, I was game. I’m glad I was because I happened upon a pair of Black Cement 3s in my size that were used but in very fair condition and at a steal of a price compared to anything else I’d seen. At long last, this journey to find and own a pair of my favorite shoes was over. All went well with the purchase, I disinfected the hell out of the shoes and proudly wear them pretty often. It’s only fitting that they are actually the first shoes I wore to be featured on #WYKW. I’m honored to participate in both these columns and appreciate the love and consideration. I’m hoping that everyone listens to me when i say “Wear all of your kicks, because that’s what they were made for. Give em some character of your own wearing experience
Peace and love -Ant
