Air Max In The Midlands - An Interview With Sneaker Collector @nitrousoxide19

When we think of sneakers in the UK, it’s easy to get carried away with the Air Max heads of London and the die-hard terrace fans in Manchester. However, here at The Sole Supplier we think it’s important to remember that every region has cultivated its own meaning around the objects that we put on our feet. Spaces like Crepe City highlight these wonderful differences and after attending the Crepe City Birmingham event, it was obvious that the Midlands was serious about Air Max.

Middle England’s connection to shoes is a storied one, with cities like Northampton once considered the hub of footwear manufacturing in Britain. However, between the London-centric storytelling from big brands and the vested interest in terrace culture from the North, the Midlands seems to be getting ignored. So we at The Sole Supplier sat down with @nitrousoxide19, a passionate sneakerhead from Wolverhampton, whose journey into the world of trainers began during the lockdowns.

From his early days admiring his cousins' Air Max 95s to amassing a collection of over 80 pairs, @nitrousoxide19 offers a fresh perspective on the sneaker scene in the Midlands. In this interview, we explore where his love for Nike Air Max started, particularly the iconic Air Max 95 and discuss everything from rare finds to what makes a great sneakerhead community. Whether you're a seasoned collector or new to the game, Kev's insights into the passion, community, and future of the footwear industry are well worth checking out.

Before we had the lockdowns I was dead into my football boots, but, during the pandemic I decided to sell them all and buy my first ever pair of really expensive trainers. I got into Air Max the past three years and got really into Air Max 95s more than anything. I've always been a fan since I was a little kid. I used to see the lads around my local area in the “Neon” AM95s, older cousins wearing the “Aluminium” AM95s and the “Silver Bullet” Air Max 97, so I've always been around trainers.

The original Mercurials, Total 90s. I've always been a Nike boy since I was a little kid.

The market is sky high at the minute but it's one of those, if I hadn't sold them I wouldn't have my current collection.

I've downscaled to about 80 but I used to have 120.

Aside from AM95s? Air Max 180s, Air Max 97s, Air Max BWs. I've got a super rare pair of Air Max BWs that are even more limited than the Modular. This “Holland” Air Max BW Gen-II edition was a 2010 release for the World Cup collection. I've got another gem which I don't wear, the Nike Air Stab “Carnaby Street” from the size? ‘Clerks’ pack. These are really old, I think these are from 2006. You can see the cloudy Air unit, that's the trouble with older pairs.

My favourite is currently on-foot. I picked up a lot of big pairs this year, but this is my current favourite, the Air Max 95 “Mandarin” from 2010. It’s my second favourite colourway apart from the “Neon”.

I know a hell of a lot of people in the 95 community who’s “Mandarins” are broken, I mean even my mandarins are snapping. That colourway really could do with a retro. It would be nice to have JD do a lot more new pairs. We're getting pairs now, but I mean the old style of releases such as the “Dark Shadow”, everybody loves these. The “Sunset” colourway was re-released recently, but the originals are really good.The OG stuff is always better cause the materials were much, much better back in the day. I don't know if it's because they need to be more robust now, but a lot of them are made from plastic which a lot of people don’t like.

I understand there's a demand for them, but the current price point is quite high. If you collect, it's fine to an extent but if the run-of-the-mill person is after a pair and sees £175, that’s becoming quite a lot. I do think it will turn it into a £200 trainer, that's where it's going. That's when a lot of people will start picking more carefully, not just buying normal pairs but actually having to pick out what they really want. Especially next year because it's a big year with it being the 30th anniversary.

I did pick up the “Baltic Blue” 95s but they went back straight away cause the quality control was horrendous, loads of glue marks on them. The only other recent one is the “Reverse Neon”, I like them but I’ve still got them stored away because everyone has overworn them. It’s understandable, I blame TikTok and that. I very rarely wear them so when I do wear them people will be like, ‘oh I remember when those came out’. As you guys saw at Crepe City, I like to wear stuff that nobody has or is at least very rare.

I've heard the rumours of potential releases through the Air Max 95 Enthusiasts Facebook page. It reminds me of the JD-exclusive pack from 2007. My ultimate grail is the Nike Air Max 95 “0121” but you cannot find it anywhere. I think there was also an “0161” Manchester edition, I've searched for four years and they very rarely come up. The Birmingham 0121 was stitched into the toe box and then the sock liner says the phone number for that city. They are like gold dust on the resale market, you can be talking £300 upwards even for a used pair. It's an amazing pack.

The Midlands really has embraced Air Max. I would have been about fourteen when my cousin got his first pair of “Neons” and I was like ‘these are cool’. A lot of his mates who are older than me all had Max 95s. It's just always been one of these younger person trainers but ironically those guys are now mid-40s and they're still on it. I personally know a few 40 year old lads who have got 95s.

This is the biggest thing that everyone keeps shouting about. Anybody who speaks to me about Air Max always says that the worst thing going on is that there's nothing really centralised for Birmingham or the surrounding areas considering how many Air Max heads there are. We just don't get anything. It’s sometimes Liverpool, but we do get a bit miffed in the Midlands because everything seems to be for down South. It's like, what about up North? What about the Midlands?

I think something stupidly colourful like the “Mandarin” would work because it's a bright and vibrant city. I mean, we're all going through this at the minute with what's going on and what's happening in the world, but if you look at the Black Country and the Midlands in general, it's such a multicultural and vibrant place. So it needs a bright colourway if it's going to be a city pack that's got Birmingham involved.

There's a few pages like The Sole Supplier and the one that I'm an admin for @sneaker_spott. We're coming up, but we're the same as you guys, just trying to help people out. If someone's got a question or needs an SKU for a shoe, we'll chase it up. It's the same with the 95 Enthusiasts page. I think that's what makes a good community. I hate the communities where someone asks a question and it doesn't get answered until like two days, by that time you might not need the answer.

The Sole Supplier is good at it too, you just have to treat others how you want to be treated yourself, that's how I see it.

Big thanks again to @nitrousoxide19 for sitting down to talk sneakers with us! Let us know who you'd like us to interview next over on The Sole Supplier Instagram (@thesolesupplier, if you're not following already) and keep locked in for more sneaker and streetwear content.