Sneaker Salaries

Sophia Chang is an illustrator and designer. Growing up in Flushing, Queens Sophia was pressured to become a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. Fortunately for us, she became an artist. Sophia has designed a critically acclaimed line for Puma and has collaborated with Nike, Adidas, Apple, HBO, and the NBA.

This conversation is all about breaking through outside pressures and thriving on your own path. Sophia di...

Brian Nadav is a Philadelphia native who has retail in his blood. He started working at his father's City Blue stores before wanting to create his own boutique sneaker and clothing store. In 2015 Brian launched Laptsone & Hammer, a cutting edge brick and mortar and online store. 

In this conversation Brian goes through the evolution of streetwear from the perspective of a retailer. He talks about how he serves ...

Derek Curry is one of the most respected sneaker store owners in the South. But before that he was a Sergeant in the US Army which included a tour in Iraq. He got his start working at Finish Line then opened up his first Sneaker Politics store in Lafayette, Louisiana in 2006. Now there are 6 Sneaker Politics stores, 2 in Lafayette, and one in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Austin and Dallas.

Derek discusses how he ...

You have probably bought distressed jeans, so why not distressed shoes? Phillip Leyesa is a custom shoe designer who has recently made a name for himself by aging sneakers. Phillip is based out of Brooklyn and has been a display artist for Urban Outfitters. He's also a carpenter who builds his own furniture. During the pandemic Phillip has gotten notoriety for aging classic shoes like the Jordan 1s. 

In just a few years out of college Evan Belforti has made quite a splash at Reebok. After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 2017, Evan started at Reebok as a temp. He is now a Footwear Designer for their Fashion and Collaborations team. His innovative designs have helped bring new attention to the legendary sneaker brand.

In this episode Evan talks about how he brings h...

For 15 years Gerard Smith has been in the sneaker game. In his hometown of Atlanta, Gerard started reselling shoes with the intent on opening a boutique. Instead he founded The Shoe Game in 2006 and has been a force in the industry ever since. 

This conversation is real, raw, and really thoughtful. Gerard goes through his career and how he has built real relationships, even with his competitors. He discusses h...

Tyler Mansour took his love for basketball and turned it into a love of shooting sneakers. After studying business administration at Charleston he was discovered by designer Ronnie Fieg and is now Senior Photographer at KITH. He also spends time working on his passion project Makeshift Studio.

In this episode Tyler talks about how he was discovered on Instagram which led him to move out of South Carolina and i...

Image-NY is a sneaker consignment store in Queens, New York. Founded by high school friends Perry Shum, Shu Cheng, and Greg Lam the company started in 2007 as an idea. In just a few years it evolved from a 240 square foot mall store to a highly respected brick and mortar Queens shop.

Perry, Shu, and Greg talk about how they started the company. They discuss what goes into owning a consignment shop and why they had to in...

How @oscar_castillo Put Chicago Sneaker Culture on the Map

Oscar Casillo wants his home town to get respect. After fleeing El Salvador as a kid, Oscar and his mother migrated to Chicago. There he developed a love for 2 things - the Bulls and sneakers. After studying journalism in college and honing his craft in photography he started to contribute to sneaker blogs. Then in 2010 he founded Modern Noto...

Jeff Cole is an artist, a digital media creator and the co-founder of the online retailer, Ikonick. He has a huge Instagram following and his art has been reposted by athletes and celebrities alike. Jeff's upbringing in the Chicagoland area in the 90's gave him a Michael Jordan/Bulls obsession which helped shape his art and his love of sneakers. 

Jeff goes through his early life and how he almost failed art class in co...

Cassy Athena is an LA-based artist and photographer who has had her work featured in Sports Illustrated, Slam Magazine, Nike, Jordan, and many more. She has shot the biggest names in the NBA and helped pioneer her lifestyle brand of photography. Cassy is also a brain tumor survivor and credits that with helping her chase her passion. 

Cassy talks about how shooting players during the 2011 lockout gave her a na...

Dan Gamache might be his name, but you are probably more familiar with his work as 'Mache'. Dan is a highly respected footwear artist who was a pioneer in creating custom sneakers back in 2004, when he had to use MySpace to spread the word. Now the top figures in the NBA, NFL, MLB, and WWE have commissioned his work. 

In this episode Dan talks about what led to him working with LeBron James and how ...

Gia Seo is an incredibly talented Stylist, Art director, and Founder of Department Of. Inc. She's a multifaceted creative that has collaborated with brands from Nike to Adidas, and artists from Pharrell to Allen Iverson. Growing up in small town Bethel, Alaska her parents pushed her to leave home for more opportunity and experience. She made her way to the Bay Area in California, then NY where she settled for college and e...

It's no secret that Portland is basically the Silicon Valley of Sneakers. Not only is it the home of Nike, but brands like Adidas and Under Armor have opened up shop there because it's a thriving hub for the athletic footwear industry, with a vibrant ecosystem of big brands, start-ups, contractors, headhunters and top talent.

Nestled in the middle of that scene is @IndexPortland, the city’s first sneaker consignment store l...

Dominic Ciambrone (@theshoesurgeon) is the creative director, founder, and CEO of The Shoe Surgeon brand and Surgeon Studios, an LA-based craft collective designing unique and boundary-pushing custom shoes. Dominic is an incredible creative, that specializes in sneaker customization, sneaker design, and shoemaking. His passion for shoes has led him to work with elite clientele and world-renowned brands, making him a pionee...

This week the guys caught up with Deon Point, Creative Director at Concepts. Deon has been the“face” of concepts, one of the most renowned shoe boutiques since 2007. Concepts’ unique formula for high-quality curation of products has made them one of the top retail spots for sneakers, fashion, and one of a kind collaboration projects with the likes of New Balance, ASICS and Nike SB just to name a few, and Deon has...

This week on Sneaker Salaries we're hanging out with Alan Galloway, a.k.a. @oldmanalan. Alan is the behind-the-scenes tastemaker and incognito arbiter of taste. We call him the digital curator, because his multiple IG pages are a collection of nostalgia, minimalsm and a style that beckons back to the late 90s era of California good vibes. Oldmanalan has been stealthily propelling streetwear for the past several years. His ...

On the inaugural episode of Sneaker Salaries, we're Joined by Jacques Slade, A.K.A. Kustoo, host, producer, writer, director, and editor whose Youtube channel has over 1.2 million subscribers and more than 160 million views. His content regularly covers the latest sneaker releases, live event coverage, and interviews with pro-athletes, musicians, designers, and creatives. 

Together with Jacques, John and...