Sneaker Feature
Author: Sarah Orrico
with Tony G
Our Farm Fresh Drops are slowly but surely climbing up towards Sneaker-head Drop culture and we couldn't be more thrilled about it. Our friend, and Goorin ambassador BIG T, is a huge fan of both. We got a chance to host him as a guest on our July episode of Inside the Crown and we hope you got a chance to watch it live - if you missed this one, we'll be posting the recorded episode on our YouTube account soon! Tony was also kind enough to answer some interview questions all about drop culture below, along with some of his favorite sneaker/trucker pairings:
Q: Introduce yourself! // A: I am Tony Giuliano Goorin Bros. Ambassador, AKA Big T, I am from Niskayuna, NY. I am a competitive runner/athlete, sneaker and trucker hat collector. I enjoy traveling to warm places, spending time with my family, friends, and my Dachshund puppies.
Q: From our previous interview for #HatWallWednesday, I know you’ve been collecting Goorin Farm Truckers since around 2016, how long have you been collecting sneakers? // A: I have to been into sneakers since I was a little kid. I got my first pair of Jordans when I was in 5th grade. My mom bought me Jordan 4 Military Blues for my birthday. I still remember every detail about going to buy them at one of our local malls, it was a special moment in my childhood.
Q: What do you love about collecting sneakers? // A: As far as the sneakers themselves I love the style, the nostalgia, the exclusiveness of some of the styles. But I also love it because my friends are also into collecting sneakers so it's another thing that we have in common together.
Q: For us Sneaker newbies, how do you secure the drop? // A: There are two main apps for buying sneakers online. For Nike it’s SNKRS app, for Adidas it’s Confirmed. They are both run pretty similarly but SNKRS runs three different ways for purchasing: first come first serve, draw/raffles, and let everyone order where they let everyone place an order and then they randomly select the orders that are able to actually purchase. Adidas Confirmed runs mostly on raffles that are open for a few days for people to enter and then they do a selection of winners on a specific date/time. I would say I actually hit or cop about 20% of the sneakers I try for, it is very hard. Over past few years in the pandemic when people were sitting home and not able to do much, buying sneakers really blew up. I would say at one point during the pandemic I probably had like 200+ pairs of sneakers in my house that were brand new because I had nowhere to wear them during the pandemic. Lately with the economy the sneaker market has really cooled off and right now it is a great time for people to buy and find stuff at their local sneaker stores.
Q: What major similarities and differences do you see with the Farm Community and Sneakerheads? // A: I think a lot of people want to accessorize their style with trucker hats/sneakers. Lately a lot of people have been messaging me when a Friday Fresh Farm Drop happens to ask me what sneakers I would pair up with the trucker hat. I think both communities want to make bold statements with their fashion and want to be noticed. One difference with sneakers is that I think there is more of a collector community where people collect and never wear their sneakers, where as with the Goorin Trucker Hats I feel like most collectors wear their hats.
Q: Stylistically, what do you love about sneakers vs truckers? // A: For Sneakers - It’s about the history, the retro sneakers that are released, collaborations with different stylists, music artists, and my own personal nostalgia when it comes to certain sneaker styles that I had as a kid. For Truckers - The statement that these hats make is what pulled me in from the start and still is to this day. I always liked the style of the classic trucker hat even going back to the early 2000’s in the Von Dutch era. Goorin has stepped it up to another level with the colors, materials, and the attitude that these hats project and that totally fits my style.
Q: When did you start pairing sneakers with Farm caps? What’s your best advice on how to style them together? // A: My first pairing was probably back in 2018 when I really started getting more into collecting sneakers again. I usually style mine together by the colors/materials or if there is a pair of sneakers that shares a similar name to a trucker hat ex.) Jordan 3 Fire Red/Fire Ant 🔥 🐜
Q: What is one of your favorite combinations you’ve paired so far? // A: One of my favorites has to be the Jordan 1 J. Balvin’s and Karma. Both share that multicolored tie dye look so its a perfect match and both are fairly exclusive so it really makes for a 🔥 fit.
Q: Do you find strangers commenting more on your truckers or your sneakers? // A: That’s tough, I’d say it is a combination of both, for sneakers when someone comes up to me it is usually something like “nice kicks man”. When someone approaches me about the hats it’s “what is that hat, those are dope, where can I get one”.
Q: Any tips for those who are trying to start a collection of any kind? // A: It’s not about how big your collection is. Buy what you like, what you want to rock, and wear it with confidence. Make it fit your own style. And I respond to every message on IG so if anyone ever wants to contact me for tips or pairing advice I am glad to help!
Watch our archive of INSIDE THE CROWN episodes on our YouTube playlist here.
