3rd/4th? Grade: Bo Jackson Cross Trainers. The first cool shoes I had were also the Bo Jackson’s, but I remember they were the kid size version, so they were simplified and not as cool (just in gray tones).
I feel real nostalgia towards that commercial.
4th Grade: Jordan 7’s in Bordeaux (I thought they were a letdown from the style of the 6’s and never got another pair of Jordan’s until recently for work). The Looney Tunes crossover at the time seemed out of nowhere, but in hindsight Space Jam was in motion for years before it came out.
5th Grade:Reebok Pump Preseason Paydirt Cross Trainers. I loved these. They had a kind of cleat “nubs” on the upper and even in the neoprene tongue. I had them in a grey/navy/maroon colorway.
5th Grade: Air Force 180 Barkley’s. I liked these a lot better than the Jordan 7’s.
6th Grade: Nike Air Carnivores - just an obscene shoe in forest green, black, grey, and purple. This was the first time old people referred to my shoes as “moonboots” and I loved them.
From then on the only shoes that stand out for a while are some Adidas “Feet You Wear” trail running shoes (XTA Consorcium).
Until…
Reebok DMX Run 10’s in high school. I felt like the DMX “tech” only worked for a few months, but I remember these being the most comfortable shoes ever. I bought a couple more pairs in high school. I look for these from time to time and wish they just sold them (in the original colorway) like a normal shoe - not some sneaker head shoe drop BS.
