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This week’s edition of Community Spotlight shines bright on Los Angeles based sneakerhead, Darrell Camara. In addition to loving sneakers, and collecting them, Camara is working towards making them his career as he has recently became an intern for Los Angeles’ own Brandblack.
In the conversation below, we talk with Camara about what got him into sneakers, what he is currently hunting for and who he thinks has the best collection! After you give the interview a read, let us know who you think we should feature next week in the comments section below.
Name: Darrell Camara
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Social Media: Twitter and Instagram
Jeffrey Jason: When did you start collecting kicks?
Darrell Camara: I started collecting sneakers in middle school – so, I’d want to say around 2003-2004.
JJ: Who or what shoe started it all for you?
DC: To be honest, it was my mom. I wouldn’t consider her a sneakerhead per se – she just always had an excessive amount of shoes. From Air Max 97s, Air Penny 2s to Air More Uptempos, I was always surrounded by the Swoosh. I remember the Uptempos the most because, as a kid, I remember thinking the Uptempos were dumb as it said “AIR” largely on the lateral side of the shoe. Air Max 97s always caught my eye as of course, the 3M reflective material on the entire shoe.
But as for the shoes that started it for me, it was the “Steel Grey” Jordan 10s that released in 2005, and a pair of B-Grade Sheed AF1 Hi’s I picked up at a local Nike factory store.
JJ: What was your last pickup?
DC: My most recent pick up was a pair of the Cons CTS by Hiroshi Fujiwara in the navy colorway.
JJ: What is your grail or the shoe you’re still hunting for?
DC: I wouldn’t say I’m exactly hunting for these, but I’ve always wanted a pair of “Viotech” Air Trainer IIIs, “Ross” Pro Bs, “Courir” AF1s and “Sakura” AF1s.
JJ: What do you love most about sneaker culture?
DC: Definitely the people I’ve been able to meet through the same interest. If it wasn’t for the “sneaker culture,” I probably would have never made the special kind of relationships I currently have — and with some, I consider family.
JJ: What would you like to see change/more of in sneaker culture?
DC: Nothing really. The culture has obviously changed and progressed from the earlier years. Sure, it’s definitely not the same, or it may not be as fun, but those who know, know. If it wasn’t for the past, the sneaker culture wouldn’t be what it is now.
JJ: Someone else’s collection I really admire is _________
DC: Hard to say. I’ve seen a few personal collections and I admire each single one of them, as each collection tells a story about that person. But after seeing CroatianStyle‘s personal collection, that’s definitely one difficult to follow.
