Under The Influence: Inside the Mind of Randy Galang

Whether you're an old school sneakerhead or you've only been collecting for a few weeks, you've probably heard of Randy Galang. Not only is he one of the biggest sneakerheads in Manila, his sheer influence has taken over the globe - and that's not an exaggeration.

Regarded by many as the Sample King, Galang is renowned for his vast collection of early Off-White x Nike and Yeezy pairs, and for our first ever segment of "Under the Influence", we'll be delving into how he got started in the industry, his favourite brands and silhouettes, and much more!

I believe I have 100 pairs of sneakers, more or less. I had way more but more recently I started focusing on quality rather than quantity.

What got me hooked to the sneaker game was the allure of owning unique sample pairs and early pairs and the challenge of obtaining them - this topic alone can be the subject of another article! Not to mention the fun that goes on in between shooting and posting the shot on Instagram, reading the comments, and getting featured on big sneaker Instagram accounts, too. I'm also humbled by the fact that a lot of sneaker influencers on IG have been influenced by what I do. It's something to be a sneaker influencer, moreso one who influences fellow sneaker influencers.

Collaborating with some of the best creative photographers in Singapore, Manila, Chicago, London, and Germany was loads of fun, too. Learned a lot and made some good friends along the way.

Joining sneaker events either as an attendee or having my own booth, meeting fellow sneaker lovers, sneaker collectors, meeting my sneaker idols like Jaysse Lopez of Urban Necessities, exchanging ideas, and trading pairs. Special mention also to Private Label NYC for inviting me to fly to Long Beach for ComplexCon 2017 to display my sample pairs and rare pairs in their space with their superb sneaker duffle bags and backpacks. That was quite an experience!

Meeting DJ Bigboy Cheng also opened doors for me. Aside from allowing me to source rare and early pairs for him, he gave me the opportunity to curate his Supreme collection, including sneakers, twice and this was even featured on Sotheby’s in 2019.

The first sneaker memory that comes to mind is an adidas Samba "Black Gum" pair I copped in the early 2000s. It was my favourite pair that time and I remember getting a lot of compliments whenever I wore it. It was a classic pair.

Comfort-wise, the first significant memory was trying adidas Boost technology for the first time via the NMD "Friends & Family", which I still have to this day. Suffice to say I was blown away by the comfort. It was a game-changer at the time.

I'm hoping to complete all colorways of the upcoming sacai x Nike VaporWaffle. I really dig the design and feel it fits my style. I have the "Black" colorway already!

One of my favourites is the adidas 3D Runner. It still turns heads when I rock it, and I love how it represents a piece of history with adidas using a 3D printed midsole and heel cup before partnering with Carbon and shifting to 4D. At one point, I had four pairs of the 3D Runner. Today, I still have a pair.

My second equally favourite pair is the unreleased blue Off-White x Nike Zoom Fly sample. It's very rare and the colourway is a head turner, but it became so much rarer and memorable when, on a vacation in Chicago in May 2019, I randomly bumped into Virgil Abloh himself and had him sign it for me. He gamely posed for a photo and we had a little chat, too.

To me, the pairs that really matter more are those with a story behind them much like provenance in the art scene. Sneakers are starting to catch the attention of serious collectors and esteemed auction houses alike.

I’ve also had a few custom pairs made for me by extremely talented artists and sneaker customisers who do this as a hobby or professionally, namely St Nimbus, Govrn, Chef Huy Le, Philllllthy, RG Conopio, and Steven Zaptio. I truly admire their talent in customisation and/or restoration, and their custom pairs are some of my favourites. Do check them out!

I’d go with the Yeezy 700 and the Nike Air Force 1. Great style, versatile, minimal, and low maintenance.

Tough call. A few years ago, it would have been adidas hands down. However, today, honestly, I'd say 50% adidas & 50% Nike.

There are a lot, but from the top of my head they'd be adidas Originals Neighborhood, Commonwealth, Titan, Sole Academy, The Nines, Akimbo (all in Manila), atmos in Tokyo, English Sole for very rare PEs and samples and the Nike Lab Re-Creation Center c/o Virgil Abloh in Chicago. Let me also mention that in Manila, my go-to reseller stores are RIF Manila, Shoe Game Manila, Cop Garden, and KXStart!

It's a photo of my Off-White x Nike Air Force 1 "MCA" pair with a No Peet face shield, Takashi Murakami face mask, and a 3D printed ear saver with my IG handle. With this photo, I simply wanted to depict the new normal.

I'm really grateful for your support through the years and looking forward to meeting you in future sneaker events! Please don't hesitate to say hi. Keep safe & healthy!

Make sure you follow Randy on Instagram at @randygalang, and be sure to keep it locked at The Sole Supplier for hottest sneaker news and releases!