I am a sneakerhead episode 193 - @Stuffdylanlikes
First of all, could you please introduce yourself?
My name is Dylan, I’m in my mid-twenties and currently live with my girlfriend, Stephanie, in Northern NJ - right across the water from New York City.
My love of sneakers dates back to my childhood when I spent a lot of time playing basketball in the early 2000s. I was fortunate enough to have my parents buy me a bunch of different on-court sneakers including the Jordan Melo 5.5, Converse Wade 1, Reebok Question Mid, and Nike Shox VC 5 and MTX - all of which I remember so fondly.
Moving into high school in the 2010s, I picked up an interest in running and ditched my basketball dreams to run Cross Country and Track & Field for four years. Naturally, I had a fascination for running sneakers & technology - mainly Nikes and when they were pushing that whole Nike+ program of Free Runs, Lunar tech, etc.
High school was also a time to be fresh, and fun fact, I won best dressed in high school. No outfit was complete without shoes, and at the time I didn’t have the money to be spending hundreds of dollars on hyped sneakers - which at the time were Foamposites, Jordan Retros, and Gold/Blue Box Nike SB Dunks. My mentality back then was quantity over quality, so I was spending whatever money I had on GR Vans and anything decent from the Nike Outlet.
From college and then into my now-adult life, I’ve been fortunate to experience so much and travel across the globe to understand different styles and subcultures. All of this has led me to today, where I pride my sneaker love on variety.
There are a few glimpses of your sneaker wall on your Instagram account - how many pairs do you have in total?
I’m at exactly 263 pairs and counting. A lot for just one person, I know.
Like any sneakerhead, I go through the daily battles of wanting to downsize but never having the heart to actually do so. I’m hoping to employ the “one in, one out” this year, which I can report hasn’t been too successful thus far.
Are there any brands in particular that you enjoy, and why is that?
For me personally, Nike has been king over the years. As someone with a bunch of different tastes, their catalog from Sportswear/Retro & Jordan Brand to Nike Basketball to Running to SB - it really is a one stop shop.
I’ve also had a big affinity for New Balance (note: before the recent hype) just given the overall runner focus and quality products they put out. It’s great to see what work they’ve been doing over the last few years.
This year I’m making it a priority to look into different brands. I just recently picked up a few pairs of ASICS and Salomons which I’ve been loving.
I'd love to talk more about your YouTube channel, could you maybe briefly describe what it is about?
I think the reason why I’m so into sneakers is the storytelling aspect, and having my YouTube channel allows me to express all of that and take a literal meaning to “Stuff Dylan Likes.”
You’ll find a range of videos on the channel including in-depth sneaker review, tutorials & how-tos, and general sneaker-related pickups and vlogs. I put in a lot of effort into the videos, and find it a great resource to both consume and share knowledge. Growing the channel has been a slow-burn, but I’m closing in on 5000 subscribers at the time of me writing this, which I’m super excited about!
The channel dates back to the early 2010s when I was a just kid in high school just putting out low quality content for fun. I picked it back up in late-2018 when I graduated from college as a way to express my creativity and do something productive on the side when I wasn’t spending 40+ hours a week in an office at work. I keep trying to push out as much content as I can, but day-to-day life doesn’t allow as much time as I’d like.
Have you ever bought anything just to share it on social media?
Absolutely. I think as much as people claim they buy sneakers for themselves, in this era of social media it’s hard to not have that subconscious satisfaction of impressing strangers on the Internet - myself included. I always try to justify a sneaker purchase as a good excuse for video content, but really the only ROI is the self-satisfaction I get that I crossed another sneaker off of my never-ending list.
Do you have a favourite release in your collection?
My all-time favorite sneaker in my collection by far has to be the Quagmire Nike SB Dunks. Nike SB has always been the best at executing wild storytelling and concepts and incorporating it into their line of Dunks. This specific pair also just brings me back to a time in high school when I was never able to get a pair, but mentally noted in the future that I’d always go back and get it. I paid a hefty sum to get a DS pair on eBay, but it was 100% worth it.
What was your best pickup of 2021?
I’ve been fortunate enough to pick up so many great sneakers in 2021 so it’s hard to narrow it down to just one. Here are a few notable ones -
A Ma Maniere x Air Jordan 3 - I got them on release straight from AMM, but in a size 14M/15.5W. I had to go through a bunch of hoops for a size swap, but we got it done at a local resale shop.
Air Jordan 11 “Cool Grey” - this was a pair I wanted so badly in high school, so I knew this 2021 retro was a must-have. I ended up with 4 pairs of them, 1 of them coming from a raffle win at Kith Hawaii while we were on vacation out there.
What are you hoping for in 2022 in terms of releases?
A bunch of cool stuff looks to be on the way this year. I’m definitely looking forward to a more New Balance 550s - mainly so I can get Steph into a pair.
2022 also will mark the 35th anniversary of the Nike Air Max 1, and we’ve been hearing rumblings of a revival. I recently picked up all four colorways of the Patta AM1s and all three of the CLOT AM1s, and to me it seems those were just a build up of what is to come.
Lastly, of course, we’re due for a revival of the Jordan 2. The AJ2 for a long time has been known for being the ugly duckling in the Jordan 1-14 fleet. However given the recent hype by some big-name collaborators, I think the 2s will make a big splash.
If you could cop one pair for retail, which would it be?
My short-list of things I missed out on include the Fragment AJ3s, South Beach Lebron 8s, and the JFG 990V3s. I’ve been actively on the hunt for a good price on any of those - so if any readers have any leads - do hit me up.
Sneakers are extremely dangerous. Once you get into it, it’s a balance of trying to get your hands on new releases, while also backtracking and trying to get things from the past that you missed out on.
Feel free to include anything else!
I’m looking to expand into other mediums such as a blog/website, e-store, or perhaps even a podcast at some point in the future. If anyone reading this is interested in working together or collaborating in some sort of capacity - do reach out on Instagram or via email - stuffdylanlikes@gmail.com
In the short-term, I’m heading out to Berlin, Barcelona & London in a few weeks for work. It’ll be a busy time, but I’m hoping to check out some shops if I get a chance!
Make sure to follow Dylan on Instagram