There’s no dictionary definition for “sneakerhead”. You could ask ten different people what they thought, and you’d very likely get ten different answers. There are lots of different types of folks with different levels of interest in shoes, so how do you determine who’s a “sneakerhead” and who isn’t? Here’s my two cents on the topic.
In my opinion, the main requirement is that you have to have a certain level of knowledge on the topic. Anyone can use their money to buy a bunch of sneakers, but what sets someone who’s a real head apart from someone who just owns a lot of shoes is what they know. It’s like the difference between a person who owns a nice camera and an actual photographer. There’s a level of knowledge that’s required. If you can speak intellegently on sneaker history, the sneaker culture currently, and where you think the culture is going in the future, that means you’re more invested in the culture as a whole as opposed to someone who just mindlessly consumes.
Not sure what I’m talking about? Watch these two videos, and tell me who you think the real sneakerhead is:
As you can see, both of these guys have lots of kicks. But who sounds more knowledgable? Who sounds like they really love the culture instead of someone who just buys lots of kicks to have a big closet full? That’s the difference between a true sneakerhead and someone who just buys a lot of shoes.
I’d also like to clarify that I don’t have any problems with someone who just buys lots and lots of shoes. We all love buying shoes. Just don’t call yourself a sneakerhead if you can’t speak on the culture.
-RDwyer
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