Up until a few years ago, there was one fervent obsession we just didn't quite get: the sneaker.
Hear us out! We mean, sure, we could comprehend the basic mechanics of sneaker mania, but, like, as far as dropping $90,000 on a pair of Air Yeezys or lining up overnight for the latest drop? Yeah, it wasn't quite our scene.
But then our shoe closet steadily filled with
Stan Smiths and
New Balances. The Nike I-D website worked its way up to the most visited websites in our browser history. We started contemplating dropping the equivalent of a new
Saint Laurent on limited-edition sneaks. And so when we rolled up to our shoot with
Jon Buscemi, the L.A.-based sneaker kingpin, who, and saw that he had already pulled out his hugely outsized personal collection of caps, jackets and (of course) sneakers upon sneakers upon sneakers; we kind of lost it.
The three-story office was really more of a home, complete with a living room (featuring a massive print of a recent advertising campaign) kitchen, bar (duh) and huge communal table for family dinners (at which we soon found ourselves dining on delicious order-in sandwiches). And the celebratory mood continued—it was his 40th birthday, after all, you guys! While we sorted through his extensive collection of athletic-inspired footwear (seriously—you’ve never seen this many),
Buscemi took our photog Jake for a spin in his bright red 83' 911SC Porsche Targa. Besides the extravagant hardware and leather that is the Buscemi shoe signature, we were kind of getting why the designer is the cobbler of choice for the likes of Diddy, Jourdan Dunn and Swizz Beatz. And we think that Buscemi himself would probably agree: he’d saved a gift from his friend and logo designer Shana Frase to open with us, which he unwrapped to uncover a custom artwork inscribed with the phrase, 'You’ve Been Coveted.' Okay, so maybe the verbiage was slightly off, but we’re just happy you’re happy to see us, Buscemi. The feeling is most definitely mutual.