Comedian and biographer sWooZie boasts added than 5.2M followers on his YouTube page, which afresh landed him the gig of hosting the YouTube Red alternation “Lace Up: The Ultimate Sneaker Challenge.”
The e-personality batten to Footwear News about why he spent $6,000 for one brace of shoes and how his affection for sneakers lent him his cast nickname.
Would you accede yourself a sneakerhead or aloof addition who cast shoes?
“Definitely sneakerhead. I haven’t been a huge fan of [the term] … I feel like it numbs it a little bit. I accept 70 additional shoes in my closet on both coasts — East and West. I’m abiding there’s over 100, but I’m aggravating to be bashful about it.”
Most Big-ticket Pair?
“The ‘Back to the Future’ [Nike Air Mags]. I spent $6,000, but now they are already up to like $24,000.”
Least Big-ticket Pair?
“I afresh bought flip-flops from President [Flip Flops]. Basically, every time Donald Trump contradicts himself, they accomplish flip-flops with his Twitter [comments]. Those were maybe $20.”
Where does your absorption in shoes appear from?
“In the 6th grade, kids would appearance up with the new Jordans and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I didn’t alike apperceive those were out,’ but they’re here, and I’m seeing them on feet, and it’s like, ‘I appetite that.’ So aback I go to my parents, like, ‘I appetite these Jordans,’ no is the aboriginal affair out of their mouth. That accomplished dichotomy of me absent them so bad and me never actuality able to get a pair, I anticipate fabricated me appetite to absolutely get into shoes alike more.”
How would you call your style?
“I like modern. I like cutting things I don’t see bodies wear. I do best of my arcade in London or the U.K.”
What affectionate of shoes do you abrasion on a approved basis?
“The being that’s accessible to grab I don’t approach towards. I anticipate I aloof accept big-ticket taste. If I airing by a window and see some shoes and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve never apparent those but I appetite them,’ it’ll apparently alpha about $1,000. That’s usually how it goes.
“Also, I don’t see the faculty in spending $1,000 on shoes that aren’t attention-grabbing. For example, a lot of my accompany buy the Gucci and Prada sneakers that are so basal but they accept the medusa arch on it, and [so they] absorb $1,500. You will never bolt me accomplishing that! If they accept a medusa arch on my shoes, amuse accept they are activity to be ailing … at atomic accept blush bedazzles on it.”
What is your admired brace of sneakers out appropriate now?
“Definitely the Air Mag ‘Back to the Future’ ones. I alike got the name ‘sWooZie’ in allotment because of those shoes. Aback I absolutely started falling in adulation with shoes, I would abrasion a lot of Nike. And my accompany started calling me Nike boy because of all the accoutrement I would abrasion and the shoes. And that affectionate of acquired into ‘Swoosh’ and again Swoosh acquired into ‘sWooZie,’ and that all started with the adulation for the Air Mag continued afore they were for sale. Aback I saw ‘Back to the Future’ as a 10-year-old, I said, ‘I don’t affliction what has to happen, I don’t affliction the amount tag. Aback those shoes drop, I will acquisition a way.’”
Are you appetent any shoes appropriate now?
“Nike aloof appear these new Jordans that are atramentous and pink, so I had a confab with my accompany like, ‘Guys, I affectionate of appetite these shoes, are they hot or not?’ and it was unanimous. All of my accompany were like, ‘Do not do it! These are ugly!’ I was appetent those a little bit, but now it’s affectionate of like eh.
“Now it’s the Air Uptempos, a specific colorway — white and North Carolina blue. I accept all the Nike apps and notifications on, so whenever they advertise a brace I’m aloof waiting.”
Who inspires your style?
“Not a lot of celebrities, usually aloof bodies on the street. Aback I go to London, the being that they do with their shoes is crazy! I never would accept anticipation to applique my Air Force 1s backwards. Instead of lacing them beyond the tongue, they applique them beyond the back.”
Where are your admired places to shop?
“River Island. The Sting is mandatory. Westfield Mall has so abounding things over there that we don’t accept here. As far as North America, Flight Club — I feel alike basal adage that. Holy Grail in city L.A.”
How do you dress for a date?
“I’ll glance at the girl’s Instagram and see if she’s announcement any guys that she’s into, like, ‘Oh my God, David Beckham.’ OK, David Beckham usually cleans up absolutely nice and is absolutely aciculate — I got you! Whenever I appetite to apple-pie up, I go with the Chelsea boots [from places like] OSO, Topman [and] The Sting in London.”
Is there article in your closet that you’ll never get rid of?
“I’m big on not acceptable too materialistic, so in adjustment to do that, I accept to be able to let go of annihilation at any time, abnormally with shoes. [So] as far as being I can’t let go, I would say alone one pair. Aback I aboriginal [got] into brawl in 2005, I wore Timberlands to a antagonism on DirecTV, and they saw and beatific me this [‘Boroughs Project’] shoe. They got an artisan from anniversary apple in New York to architecture a pair. They are rapid-print, black, white and red arrested Timberlands. Whenever I put them on, I stop traffic.”
Dream shoe collaboration?
“I would adulation to assignment with Adidas at some point, but I would alone do that as a fallback if Nike was never accommodating to comedy brawl alone because of the abysmal roots that the cast has with my brand. I get Nike.”
How has it been to host the YouTube Red series, “Lace Up: The Ultimate Sneaker Challenge”?
“I would say out of annihilation in activity that has anytime afflicted my appearance or style, the appearance absolutely has. I was amidst by architecture kids all day for two and bisected months, so to apprehend them allocution about the centermost side, the crabbed side, the lacing arrangement and again get a brace of shoes and instantly rip out the laces and put a brace of new laces in — I never anticipation to instantly do that. They will go and acrylic things by duke and cut things up with their scissors. After blind out with these guys, my accomplished blush blocking aback it comes to apparel absolutely changed.”
Watch the aboriginal adventure of “Lace Up: The Ultimate Sneaker Challenge,” below:
