By Grace Boll

According to Oxford Language, a sneakerhead is defined as “a sneaker enthusiast,” and we have a at least a few among us in our community. Brooke Mattingly (‘21) and Wake Forest freshman (and my brother) Trey Boll (‘20) both have an ever-expanding collection of shoes.

Adidas EQT Gazelles.

Mattingly has been passionate about shoes her whole life, claiming that her obsession started when she was in middle school and all her friends had an adoration for shoes. Mattingly states that the first pair of shoes she bought herself were Nike Air Forces, purchased when she was in 8th grade. She believes her shoes “reflect my style. I like all different types of shoes, and I’m very open-minded to trying different styles that are unique and that most would be unwilling to try. I think that my adventurous personality allows me to be this way.” When asked how many shoes she has collected through the years, Mattingly reports that she has “71.” (This was a very impressive number to me, as I tend to wear the same three pairs of shoes on repeat.) She says that her all-time favorite pair of sneakers are her Nike Air Vapor Max Plus, but her comfiest pair would have to be her Adidas EQT Gazelles.

Mattingly orders the majority of her shoes online. She also follows a bunch of Instagram accounts that you can follow that “tell you when shoes are going to drop.” The social media accounts that she follows, such as Sneaker News and How to Cop, tell her the date that the shoe will be released, give pricing details, and post reviews of the shoes. She said, “When new shoes drop, you just keep refreshing the page. It often crashes, and the shoes will be out before you can even order it.”

If Mattingly misses the “drop” and the shoes are sold out online, she is able and willing to purchase the shoes directly from individuals who were able to purchase the shoes and are reselling, but at a premium. With all these purchases, I asked her if her parents ever get frustrated with the growing bills. She replied, “My parents don’t care about the money because I use my own. For Christmas and my birthday, I always ask for shoes. They don’t get mad, they just think I am crazy.” She plans to ask for five more pairs this Christmas. Shoes are such a part of Mattingly that when she is picking out her outfit for the day, she dresses from the shoes up. That is truly dedication to the shoe game.

Nike Air Jordan Obsidians.

Not only do shoes have to do with style, but Mattingly claims that “When I first meet someone, the first thing I notice is their outfit and their shoes. I feel like that can tell you a lot about a person.” (I wonder what my flip flops tell the world.)

With all of her shoes, I wondered if she would be willing to sell or trade a few pairs via the internet. She said that, “I would never trade or sell my shoes, because nobody I know loves shoes the way I do. I don’t trust the internet.” To what lengths would she go to get a pair of exclusive sneakers? She responded, “I travelled three hours from Richmond to get Nike Dunk lows at a store located in D.C., but they were sold out.” When I asked if she receives compliments on her shoes and how people respond to her selections, she said, “Yes, people ask what they are and compliment them, most of the time saying they love them or they think they are cool. I always get comments from my mom saying, ‘I’ve never seen those before,’ and she often asks me sarcastically if I have enough shoes.”

Nike Air VaporMax Flyknit 3, one of Mattingly’s comfiest pairs.

The two most expensive pairs of shoes that she owns are Nike Air Jordan Obsidians, which she bought from a reseller for around $250 but are now being sold for over $500, and her Retro High Twists, which are also around $250. During our interview, she was browsing through several websites on the hunt for her next pair, and by the end of the interview, she was able to purchase two new pairs of sneakers without any remorse.

Fittingly, Mattingly worked at a Foot Locker shoe store until about two months ago. She is so enthusiastic about shoes that she was willing to happily spend the majority of her day working around them. “It was really fun. We got to see all the shoes, and put our names on shoes, so we had access to all the new drops. We got a 30% off deal. It was really fun and a nice job, because I love shoes, and it was really fun helping other people find a shoe that fits them.”

My brother Trey is a sneakerhead as well, although not to the same extent as Mattingly. Growing up, Boll was always drawn to more vibrant sneakers. When I was in Middle School, Boll encouraged me to get into the shoe game as well. Looking up to him and his athletic abilities, especially in football and baseball, I thought getting a similar pair of sneakers would help me reach his level of athletic success. Unfortunately, the shoes only transferred style, not his athletic ability.

Nike Retro High Twists.

Trey claims that he became obsessed with shoes because of his friend Michael Stewart (‘20), who has a great appreciation for sneakers. Boll said, “My original style of shoes was like athletic shoes, a lot of basketball shoes.” As of right now, Boll has over 50 pairs of shoes that he has collected throughout the years. He made the majority of those purchases online, specifically on the Nike website, or at his favorite store Round Two, a consignment shop located on Broad Street that sells used and vintage sneakers, clothing, and hats. 

Trey claims that, “I have always liked athletic shoes more than everyday sneakers. I recently just bought cleats for football that I customized online. They were white cleats with a chrome bottom and green detailing.” 

Boll reports that his most comfortable pair of shoes are All Birds. His favorite pair of shoes are his Vans, of which he has four pairs in total. His all-time three favorite pairs of sneakers are his purple Kobes, blue Free Runs, and his white Hyper Dunks. Trey says that his most expensive pair were Kobe 9’s, which were priced at around $260. When he was young, I remember him begging our mom to purchase a very expensive pair of sneakers that he would destroy within days due to his constant physical activity and his rapidly growing feet. But that did not stop Trey. Once he was through wearing the shoes, he gave them to a friend at no cost. 

All photos by Brooke Mattingly.