5 Minutes with Mayor
Posted by Greg Grovey | Jul 31, 2009
The name Mayor has been on the tongue of many Air Force Friday followers, and shoe lovers in general, especially those of us who love a crispy pair of Air Force Ones. Mayor has not only earned the right to share the title of “The Air Force One King” with his homie DJ Clark Kent, but he has also earned rights to be hailed by Clark and others as “Mr. Bespoke” and rightfully so since he is the proud owner, and creator of 16 original Bespoke Air Force Ones. Mayor’s AF1 collection is world renowned and everyone knows that, but did you know Nike presented him with his very own 1 of 1 Air Force commemorating his 1000th pair? Do you know what shoe is his favorite? Or the pair he wants but doesn’t have yet? We didn’t think so. That’s why we caught up with the the man himself for the latest installment of our 5 Minutes With series. For those of you who didnt know Mayor before, allow me to introduce you. Click here to find out answers to these and more, along with a SMALL sample of his HUGE collection. |
Name: MAYOR
Where you represent: BRONX
What motivated you to get into kicks: Always wanting to be FRESH… And to me getting your FRESH on starts with your footwear
Shoe that got you hooked: Are you serious? AIR FORCE 1’s
What’s on your feet: Year of the Dog Air force 1’s with the pony hair
How do you come up with the concepts for your bespokes: Its pretty weird when I do a bespoke I sit down, stair at all the materials on the wall.. Close my eyes for a few minutes and a shoe usually comes to me.
Last pair you purchased: Livestrong Busy P Air Force
What pair do you wish you have, but don’t own: Taiwan Air Force
Amount of pairs you own: Over 1400 pair… And out of that over 1100 are Air Force
Top 3 shoes all-time: Linen Air Force, OG Jordan 4’s and OG Jordan 9’s
Which upcoming release are you looking forward to? I’m sworn to secrecy on that one
One reason why shoes matter: Because I said so
One reason you love shoes: Its the safest addiction in the world
One thing that you dislike about the shoe game: Re sellers
One thing people might not know about you: I love my Jordans as much as my Air Forces!!!!
Anything else you want to tell our readers? Yes, first off, I wasn’t asked to do this interview not because I am a celebrity of any kind; I was asked because of my love and passion for the ’sneaker game’ which I am very proud of. Secondly, to all my sneaker brothers out there: If you camp out three to four days for some sneakers, and you wear them, remember this, Mayor is your biggest fan, but to all you re-sellers: If your online, or in line for 96 hours, pay $150 for a pair of kicks and then sell them for $500 you just worked for a mere $3.65 cents an hour! How stupid is that? Go get a job and leave the kicks to the real people that rep this thing we call the SNEAKER GAME!!!!

Mayor Bespoke

Mayor Bespoke

Mayor Bespoke

Mayor Bespoke

Mayor Bespoke

Mayor Bespoke

Mayor Bespoke

Mayor Bespoke

Mayor Bespoke

Mayor Bespoke

Mayor Bespoke

Mayor Bespoke

Mayor Bespoke

Beijing Olympic 1/30


Playstation

Kaws

Entourage with custom laser Mayor


CLOT

1 World Collection

Air Forces

A Small Sample


Aug 5, 2009 at 3:06 pm
SCHOOLY D YOU KNOW NOTHING BEAT IT JAYS AND AF!’S FOR LIFE YOUR RIGHT ABOUT DUNKS THEY WHACK AS HELL KINDA LIKE YOU
Aug 5, 2009 at 1:30 am
I have a love for AF1’s but that dudes collection leave me in awe!!!! Keep doing your thing as I will keep rockin’ FORCES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aug 5, 2009 at 12:24 am
Met him in person cool dude he came to the store I work in to cop the jones beach af1s , I think he liked the fact that I was wearing a pair of yezzys and not letting them sit!!!
Aug 4, 2009 at 12:13 pm
AF1’s are the best shoe ever…..
Jordan’s & SB’s suck suck suck!!
Anyone who wears Jordan’s & SB’s are NOT sneakerheads, they are hypebeasts….all of ya’ll!
Get it right lames….Jordan’s & SB’s are worn by every dork/nerd, who thinks their kicks are fly….
Plus Jordan’s & SB’s look ridiclous….LMFAO!!
I Would NEVER EVER buy a pair of either, and if you do, NikeSB & JB have you gassed…I won’t even accept free pairs from my hook-ups…absolute trash…every pair……
You all are clowns!!!!
Aug 4, 2009 at 3:14 am
Come on people get with it you think this kid is still paying $820 a pair after 16 pairs they giving him a DEAL!!! Plus its good for 21 mercer its like advertising.
Aug 3, 2009 at 8:57 pm
A Yo I got the slab of ribs ready for mayor I`ll have him pick from the batch 1st !! JUST like those store heads let him DO!!!!!!!!!!!! not to mention some of his db-as boyz also get a crack while there`s a line outside with true sneaker heads or re-sellers, These 5 mins! What A Joke!!! The Kix R Fly but he`s the do-do,,,,
Aug 3, 2009 at 11:12 am
he needs another pair of AF1’s like he needs another slab of ribs from Famous Dave’s…gluttony
Aug 3, 2009 at 5:49 am
^^^ Learn how to spell and type before you post. Anyways yo mayor! Whats up with a blog. get it together homie!
Aug 3, 2009 at 12:18 am
JORDANS ARE DA GREATEST SHOES EVER..^^^SAYIN DEY LACK CREATIVITY IS LIKE SAYIN MICHAEL JORDAN LACKED SOME SKILLS…AF1′S ARE OBVOUSLY SECOND GREATEST SHOE…CUS C’MON ALL DEY DO IS MAKE DIFFERENT COLORWAYS WIT DA SAME DAMN SHOE…JORDANNNNNNNNS
Aug 3, 2009 at 12:03 am
air force 1’s a are the truly the greatest shoe ever. they revolutionized shoes. Theyre better than jays af-1’s
will never get old. Jordans are great but they lack creativity. All they can do is release retro’s.
Aug 2, 2009 at 8:40 pm
he only has AF1s thats weak
Aug 2, 2009 at 7:28 pm
JUST WANTED TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR ALL THE COMMENTS BOTH GOOD AND BAD… THANK YOU GREG FOR THE 5 MINUTES…. AND TO MY HOMIE MATT… YOUR SITE IS SO OFFICIAL…. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!!!!
Aug 2, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Mayor may be the ugliest fiend out there but his collection is undoubtly handsome.
With love from Sydney,
Miles
Aug 2, 2009 at 6:05 pm
dats a nice collection
Aug 2, 2009 at 2:46 pm
I rather collect Dunks.
More comfort and I love how they look.
But anyway.. Props for dudes big collection and whatnot, but cmon your dropping 800 on a pair of Bespokes and thats what you come up with.. I know dude can think of something else.. Or maybe not. He owns all the other colors. But them crocs are freakin aweful. Have to be the worst shoe I ever seen
Aug 2, 2009 at 2:24 pm
this guy has a fresh line big ups to mayor
Aug 2, 2009 at 7:03 am
those of you that bring your girl, kids, grandma to cop extra kicks to resell…go to hell. F*ck you and f*ck your whole family you make me sick. Leave the sneakers to the real heads, go flip stocks or something.
Aug 2, 2009 at 1:55 am
oh yeah, not to mention Jordan even thought the need to expand with the AF1 version of his own shoes
Aug 2, 2009 at 1:50 am
Naaaah ^^^^ Jedi Knight AF1 are not the most overrated sneaker, but the most popular sneaker for their classic look and the fact that they can be dressed up or down makes them the most versatile sneaker. the colorways from the 80’s til now are ridiculous and the fact that they have been copied by numerous knock offs including BAPES makes them the most desirable sneaker. do not try to put up the Chucks cause they are just cheap throw aways; unlike the AF1’s… they got a song named after them for cryin out loud.
Aug 2, 2009 at 1:44 am
i wonder what he does for a living. anybody know? did he beat Fat Joe in kicks I wonder
Aug 1, 2009 at 10:55 pm
Air force 1’s are the most overrated shoes ever!
Aug 1, 2009 at 9:59 pm
i just want to know where kinda clear case/box he using.. the set up is cleannn!
Aug 1, 2009 at 8:52 pm
word
Aug 1, 2009 at 7:55 pm
All his air forces are RAW he got his swagg on everything
Aug 1, 2009 at 6:28 pm
You are the man
Aug 1, 2009 at 6:28 pm
You are the man
Aug 1, 2009 at 3:13 pm
who cares? put those on your feet dude.
Aug 1, 2009 at 2:39 pm
I admire his passion for kicks and his amazing collection, but air force 1’s still suck! Plus, I partially agree with his hatred for resellers. I don’t care if someone resells in order to buy their size, or to resell to cop the next come up, but I do hate it when those who arent even sneakerheads go out and buy the latest heat, then jack up the prices for their own benefit. Hasn’t the ish on Wall Street taught us a lesson or not…………..
Aug 1, 2009 at 12:35 pm
I’ve been rockin forces since I was 6 so for all u haters that r talkin down on em understand where j’s came from! I love some j’s but don’t disrespect the original! Big ups MAYOR!
Aug 1, 2009 at 11:17 am
listen to this ya’ll WANNA BE!!!!
If you camp out three to four days for some sneakers, and you wear them, remember this, Mayor is your biggest fan, but to all you re-sellers: If your online, or in line for 96 hours, pay $150 for a pair of kicks and then sell them for $500 you just worked for a mere $3.65 cents an hour! How stupid is that? Go get a job and leave the kicks to the real people that rep this thing we call the SNEAKER GAME!!!!
DATS WATS UP!!!
Aug 1, 2009 at 11:05 am
Ok people might be resellers but i bet hes a drug reseller! No one said anything bout this cats job and spending 100,000 on shoes!
Aug 1, 2009 at 10:59 am
for everybody hatin on forces… look at what jordan has been releasing for the past couple years. thats why people are rocking forces. because fusions and packs are wack. give me jordan retros and i’ll stop rockin forces
Aug 1, 2009 at 10:06 am
He needs to come out with a Bespoke SB edition
that would be hot
Aug 1, 2009 at 9:52 am
eww af1
Aug 1, 2009 at 9:33 am
sick sick collection.
and to those that say forces are “old”
no no no…..they are classic, timeless, and to many the G O A T
and this is coming from a guy who only owns one pair
but with that said, i grew up with forces, they have been a main stay since their creation
so to say they are “old” “played out”
thats damn near blasphemy
Aug 1, 2009 at 8:48 am
I’m not a big fan of air forces but I salute he’s collection I always thought mayor was cocky but I met him at dunkxchange new York and he’s kool and humble and I love what he said bout the resellers give us space your just in the way and mayor got a Lot of haters haha
Aug 1, 2009 at 8:40 am
Yo Mayor Keep doing your thing Fam
Aug 1, 2009 at 5:05 am
MAYOR IS TRULY THE “AIR TO THE THRONE”!!!
Aug 1, 2009 at 4:18 am
i would like to see Mayor do a blog as well and the color blind comment was BS, dude has a gang of AF1s and you are just not on the level if you can respect the collection. Dude is serious and Bespoke is no joke. Hes got 13, think about it that… $820 each
Aug 1, 2009 at 1:37 am
some of you guys need to read before posting a comment.
i am not a fan of af1s but the dude is doing him. hes buying, collecting what he likes, not what the rest of you thinks is hot.
Aug 1, 2009 at 1:35 am
is it true mayor lost his ipod touch and works in KFC????
Aug 1, 2009 at 12:48 am
@ 80 year old Jferman and his nikes: settle down there tiger LOL… Props to mayor.. BX!
Jul 31, 2009 at 11:55 pm
who is this guy, n who besides fat joe rocks forces anymore
Jul 31, 2009 at 11:21 pm
i agree he be on his sneaker game, but he doesnt have to worry about resellers cuz he’s never on a line! lol real? i seen him come out to hoh while kids were camped out for cartoons, to stunt with his OWN pair on and a matching livestrong hoodie on. in the summer. in the heat. real people dont need to stunt for campers like that. not to mention i know for fact he has sold pairs for reseller rates before so is this a case of self loathing? what makes a reseller? someone who has done it a couple of times? does it all the time? does it to get the money to buy his size?
he’s done a lot for the sneaker game and i give him credit for that. but it doesnt go much further than that…
Jul 31, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Collection aside, Mayor is one of the realest dudes in the game right now. I mean the man spoke the truth from why he loved shoes to addressing these lame a*@ resellers. His collection is sick and I hope that Nice Kicks does more stuff him.
Jul 31, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Come on people AF1’s are old now there like 2000 Its all about them J’s and them SB’s/Dunks but AF’s? EW…Step that game up!…Plus they all look the same but with diffrent colors.
Jul 31, 2009 at 7:43 pm
im on his ass i got over 800 pairs of exclusive AF1s some regular ones in there too no jordans for me i only let certain pairs slide!
Jul 31, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Incredible collection!
Jul 31, 2009 at 7:16 pm
real talk
Jul 31, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Great collection Mayor!
This is so true:
“If your online, or in line for 96 hours, pay $150 for a pair of kicks and then sell them for $500 you just worked for a mere $3.65 cents an hour!”
All resellers should go to hell!
Jul 31, 2009 at 7:08 pm
WHO CARES??? 1000 pairs of uncomfortable kicks in different colors ….wow! First of all there 80 bucks a pair ,jordans cost 2.5xs that and have over 30 different styles if u count spizikes and dubs. AF1s are junk!!!!!
Jul 31, 2009 at 6:59 pm
I’m with the my fellow NiceKicks reader who said “DO A BLOG”!..sharing the stories behind the sneakers created.
Your Royale Flyness,
~ Queen.
Jul 31, 2009 at 6:07 pm
much props to the man MAYOR i saw the video he did with DAVE JEFF CHI TOWNS very own
mad love for the true sneaker heads out there not those re-sellers takin up space in lines on release days
Jul 31, 2009 at 5:42 pm
This man’s af1 collection is insane!! Gotta give credit where its due!!
Jul 31, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Brooklyn, when you make the comment, “you think he’s color blind” at first I thought the same. But then I thought for a second. Mayor LOVES sneakers, and LOVES FORCES. Now consider this, he DEFINITELY has every single colorway and combination you can think of. When he makes his own pairs, he comes up with something that HAS AND WILL never be released just so he will have a DIFFERENT pair than anything he already has.
“o all you re-sellers: If your online, or in line for 96 hours, pay $150 for a pair of kicks and then sell them for $500 you just worked for a mere $3.65 cents an hour! How stupid is that? Go get a job and leave the kicks to the real people that rep this thing we call the SNEAKER GAME!!!!
Jul 31, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Very Tuff Collection. Much respect to MAYOR. But who does he know at Nike that he can get all these limited kicks? I never seen him in a line for days. Introduce me bro. Last but not least, I can’t figure out how you can choose what to wear on a day to day basis. I can’t choose and I only have 300 pairs of kicks. 1400+ god bless, How much did you spend so far on all these kicks?
Jul 31, 2009 at 5:27 pm
I have to admit at first I didn’t like this guy because of his attitude but then after reading what he said I can respect him. He is a new yorker just like me who can appreciate admiration behind a sneaker. The problem with the sneaker community is hype and reselling. I remember 10 years ago i never heard about reselling. And today people who want to make a buck waist there time trying to resell. For that Mayor I can respect.
Jul 31, 2009 at 5:13 pm
props!! Ima be a sneaka nigga for life believe tht!!!!!!!! Gnna be tht cat 80 yrs old wit my nikes on!!!!
Jul 31, 2009 at 5:12 pm
#deathwishto re-sellers, i like how he pointed that out, i have a lot of respect for him
Jul 31, 2009 at 5:10 pm
And let me just add this: I totally feel what he is saying about re-sellers. I can’t stand when people do that. It’s is very upsetting and takes away from the integrity of the sneaker game. Keep doing what you do Mayor. We’ll all follow.
Jul 31, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Let hate breify….. Ok. I respect someone who goes so hard for the af1 and has so much love for the game. I think he should do a blog about some of the stories it took for him to cop. I know he has to have some with a collection 1400 and counting..
Jul 31, 2009 at 5:07 pm
I love that he’s a sneakerhead but all af1s .. Ne jordans or some SBs ..and sometimes I think he’s color blind lol
Jul 31, 2009 at 5:06 pm
I want my Jordan collection to be like that someday. But I have seen many videos of The Mayor displaying his Sir Force collection and I have to give it to him. He is most definitely the King of Air Forces. I know he shares the title with DJ Clark Kent who deserves some kudos too. But The Mayor has taken his collection to another level. Congratulations Mayor on your 1,000th pair and may that collection continue to grow.
Jul 31, 2009 at 5:06 pm
mayor has a sick collection
Jul 31, 2009 at 5:04 pm
what dose he do?
Jul 31, 2009 at 4:57 pm
5 minutes is about all the Mayor I can handle..
Jul 31, 2009 at 4:57 pm
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