Post-00 sneaker collector Steven Guo and his Air Force 1 “Mark Smith” | Sole Mates

​Sole Mates is a brand new column of HYPEBEAST about sneaker culture. In this series, we will take the question of “Why do you love sneakers?” to explore the deeper meaning beyond “Hype”. Sole Mates will unravel each Sneakerhead participant’s origin story about the sneaker and let them explain why a pair of sneakers is so important.

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When we established the “Sole Mates” column and hoped to explore the extraordinary stories of the sneaker world, those OGs who had experienced the initial stage of sneaker culture would always enter our radar for the first time. But in fact, the new generation of Sneakerhead represented by Gen Z is also writing their own sneaker stories in their own way. The sneaker artist Steven Guo (Oversize Guo), who was born in 2001, is one of them.

Steven’s relationship with sneakers started from Nike spikes, which he was a sports student in junior high school. After that, he became interested in rare sneakers through the research of a large number of sneaker materials, and since then he has embarked on a collection of Sample shoes. Influenced by his favorite Air Force 1 “Mark Smith”, he even saved money to buy laser machines and sewing machines just to transform his own sneaker works.

At the same time, under the influence of his father, who likes to collect ancient porcelain, Steven began to try to combine ceramics with sneakers in high school. In his opinion, a pair of shoes has a “life”, but ceramics can be preserved for thousands of years, so He thought of using this method to “seal” the current sneaker culture in order to better pass it on to those who like sneakers in the future.

Steven, who is still in college today, admits that he has also been “scorned” by the sneaker world because of his age, but with the help of many predecessors, his sneaker road can be said to be smooth sailing. The opportunity to collaborate with industry insiders like Nike designer Ben Slamin. In the future, he hopes that he can continue to innovate from inspiration and ideas, thereby adding more possibilities to sneaker culture.

In this issue of “Sole Mates”, we chatted with “Oversize Guo” about his unique understanding of sneakers after 00, the source of his idea of ​​using porcelain to make sneakers, and his most precious collection of sneakers such as Air Force 1.

HYPEBEAST: Let me introduce myself to you. How did the name Oversize Guo come from?

Steven Guo: Because I often wore loose clothes in junior high school and high school, the style of “Oversize” is very obvious now, so I think this is a mark of my childhood and I use it as a “code name”. You can also call me Steven Guo and Guo Longfei.

As a post-00, how did you like sneakers? Do you have your favorite star?

I was a sports student when I was in junior high school. I liked to wear running spikes such as Nike Air Zoom Victory when I was training. Later, I learned and accumulated more knowledge of sneakers by checking information on the Internet. I think sneakers are not just a product, but an attitude to life, and many brand stories inspire me, which is one of the biggest reasons I like sneakers.

My favorite player is Michael Jordan. For Gen Z, MJ’s games can only be seen through some footage, so it’s a shame we can’t experience MJ’s dominance in that era firsthand. But then I fell in love with him through some documentaries and the Jordan commercials he did with Spike Lee.

So do you remember what was the first pair of sneakers you owned? How did you get it back then?

At that time, I saw a pair of Air Jordan 1 in the Nike store. At that time, I was still in the first year of junior high school, and I didn’t know the difference between the Air Jordan 1 Retro and the Air Jordan 1 Mid. I remember begging my mother to buy me this pair of shoes, but my mother decided to choose the Air Jordan1 Mid for me, probably because it was relatively cheap (laughs)!

We see that you have a lot of collections, when did you start collecting? Does your family support you in buying these sneakers?

I probably started researching some of Nike’s rare Sample styles when I was in high school and slowly trying to collect some of my favorite sneakers. At that time, I would research those rare styles on some websites every day, and then spend a lot of time on domestic and foreign trade websites to find these Nike samples. In fact, my family didn’t support me buying these shoes at first, because the price of some rare styles was really high. Later, I started this sneaker collection slowly through my own efforts and income.

Why choose the Air Force 1 Low “Mark Smith” as your “Sole Mate”? These shoes should be only two years younger than you…

I remember that in the summer of 2019, I bought a pair of Air Force 1 “Sakura Ueno” sneakers I liked for a long time in Tokyo. After returning to Beijing, I began to study these shoes and was deeply impressed by the patterns on the uppers. absorb. Later, I checked some information to know that this is the effect of laser processing, and learned that Mark Smith started the laser path of Nike shoes, and he participated in the design of many shoes.

The most representative of them is this pair of Air Force 1 Low “Mark Smith”, he used a piece of leather and laser technology to present the most classic look of Air Force 1. In addition, the tag attached to this pair of shoes is also the size of the sneaker made by laser technology. In addition to the laser pattern on the upper, the “grimace” pattern on the heel is also very interesting. Because of this collection, I even bought a laser machine and tried a lot of patterns on the sneakers with my own ideas.

As one of the most classic designs in the history of sneakers, Air Force 1 has influenced many people. How many pairs of AF1 do you have in your collection? Which of your favorite colors can you share with us?

I counted about 30 pairs of Air Force 1s in my collection, which I have collected from all over the world. Like this pair of Air Force 1 “Pro Bowl 2008 F&F”, it is a special edition sneaker created by Nike for the NFL All-Star Game. It will only be given to players who participated in the game that year and some VIPs. Its biggest feature is the heel. Hawaiian Islands laser pattern.

Another pair of Air Force 1 “Celux” is a limited ID version of Celux, a high-end club under LVMH Group, and it is also a rare cooperation between luxury goods and sneakers in the early years. There is also a pair of Air Force 1 customized by myself. I bought a sewing machine to make these shoes, and used a lot of leather materials of different materials for sewing and splicing.

Besides AF1, what special favorites do you want to share with HYPEBEAST readers?

I also have a very special pair of Sample sneakers that I want to share with you, the Nike All Court Premium QK Sample. This is a pair of shoes created by Nike designer Kiki McGehee for the Hispanic Heritage Month. It is modeled on All Court, and has a pattern inspired by the traditional Spanish Piteado embroidery on the upper. In addition, the sole Also woven from straw, one of the most interesting Samples of all my collections.

“The lifespan of sneakers is limited, but the porcelain itself can be preserved for thousands of years, so I want to combine the two to give sneakers a new life, so that future humans can also see what the current trend and sneaker culture are like. ”

I remember that at the 2019 “Neighborhood Gathering” event, you already brought your own ceramic works of sneakers, so what was the coincidence that made you think of doing this?

My father started to collect all kinds of ancient porcelain when I was young, so I have been deeply influenced by porcelain culture since I was a child. Because the “life” of sneakers is limited, but the porcelain itself can be preserved for thousands of years, so I want to combine the two to give sneakers new life, so that future humans can also see the current trend and sneaker culture. How was it.

For a 00 later, it seems that your road to sneakers has been going smoothly, and the brand is looking for you to cooperate, so what does these two years mean to you? What collaboration experience or work surprised you the most?

I think I have indeed encountered a lot of good opportunities, and I am very grateful to Nike for giving me the opportunity to make a little contribution to what I love. In the future, I also want to learn more new knowledge and creative ideas, and Integrate with the culture I love. One of my most unforgettable experiences recently was my collaboration with Nike Headquarters designer Ben Slamin on a new piece: the Air Max 1 Balloon. Inspired by Air Max 1, I created a “balloon” shape sneaker, and I used porcelain as a carrier to materialize it. I am glad that this work has been loved by Ben Slamin himself.

“Each era has its prevailing culture, so people of different generations will have different understandings of the same thing, and for us after 00, I hope to be able to innovate more from inspiration and ideas, for this Culture adds more possibilities.”

Compared with those OGs who have experienced the early development of sneakers, what do you think are different things that you have brought to the development of sneaker culture as the post-00s? Have you ever received some “contempt” because of your age?

I think every era has its prevailing culture, so people of different generations will have different understandings of the same thing, and for us after 00, I hope to be able to innovate more from inspiration and ideas, for the purpose of This culture adds more possibilities. The so-called “contempt” definitely exists, but so far most seniors have made me feel more inclusive, and they are very willing to help me when I encounter some problems, so I am really grateful to them.

As far as I know, you are currently studying visual communication in college, and besides sneaker ceramics, you have also tried some other sneaker artworks. In your opinion, what is the connection between sneakers and art?

I think sneakers can lead us into the palace of art, we can see some artistic aesthetics on sneakers, I think the two are common, because sneakers are a product of the new era, and art has thousands of years of experience in human civilization History, art can breed the life of sneakers, and sneakers can also nourish the history of art. Many well-known artists draw inspiration from the sneaker’s complex cultural connotations and create wildly popular artworks.

I also talked before that you will continue to study in the art direction, so what is your future art plan or direction?

After that, I should still do some sneaker-related artwork, but there needs to be more innovation. In the future, I also want to try to be a designer, because my idol is Tinker Hatfield. In short, I hope that in the future, I can achieve a unique self in my own way.

Steven Guo’s 5 “Best Sneakers”

01/The most worn pair of shoes every day

I usually wear this pair of AF1 CPMF, which looks like Nike Air More Uptempo, giving me a very retro feel, and the edge of the font on the upper is 3M reflective with rich details.

02/Purchase a pair of shoes with the highest price

This pair of AF1 “Year of the Dog” Sample was obtained through bidding on a foreign sneaker website. At the time, I didn’t expect it to be sold and let me get this precious pair of sneakers. It restores the details of the 2006 AF1 “Year of the Dog”, including the shoe body laser pattern, totem, artificial animal hair details, and the “mastiff” logo on the heel, so it deeply attracted me, and the shoes have The shoe label is also 99999.

03/The earliest pair of shoes in the collection

This pair of AF1 “Mark Smith” was released in 2003. I replaced this pair of shoes with my beloved AF1 “Ueno Sakura”. The backing paper of his sneakers is also made of suede, and it is precisely because of these shoes, Opened my understanding of laser technology.

04/The most memorable shoe shopping experience

The most memorable one should be when I came to Tokyo alone in 2019, and then went to Kichijoji Skit and Worm Tokyo. At that time, I bought some used sneakers, including the AF1 “Ueno Sakura” and the above pair of Hajime Tachibana x AF1 High 1WORLD. Aside from finding a favorite sneaker, it was also the first time I chatted with a local about what I thought about sneakers.

05/The latest pair of shoes

My latest pair of shoes is the Air Max 1 iD that Nike gave me. Inspired by the “Elephant Print” color scheme designed by Kojima Fumi, I created this unique pair of black and white “Yin Yang” color matching.