Shoes

            Everybody has a favorite pair of shoes. Whether they are practical or impractical, basic or unique, there is likely a pair that hold a special meaning for you or that you just love to wear. If you know me, you know that I have this pair of Jordans that are beat to the ground. The original pearl white has been weathered and faded into this bone or off-white color; the suede, navy Nike swoosh has been faded into a greyish blue; and the ends of the laces are all frayed and falling apart. Despite the appearance of my shoes, I still wear them almost every day.

            I bought my shoes in February 2023 during my junior year of high school. They were expensive for a highschooler, and I got them for a total of $220 off an online store. The full name of the shoes is called, “Union LA x Air Jordan 1 KO Low ‘Sail Muslin’,” which was a collaboration between the high fashion store Union LA and Jordan. At the time, I was what people called a sneakerhead, and I had many pairs of shoes that I thought looked cool. Some of my shoes that I had were very over the top and unique with multiple different colors, but this pair was simple yet unique. I liked how the shoe was very subtle and was not obvious that it was a collaboration shoe. Typically, shoes made through a collab have many different features that make the shoe very unique such as colors that usually are not found on footwear or over the top materials and textures. I started wearing my shoes right away, and I took them everywhere.

            My Jordans are not the most practical. Every time I wear them; I must undo and pull on the laces just to get my feet out. Slipping them on and off effortlessly is pretty much impossible. While this can be annoying at times, it also means the shoes fit securely. Some might think that kind of snug fit would be very uncomfortable, but to me, it feels like a gentle hug on my feet that is so light that it almost feels like I’m not wearing shoes at all.