Name: LaMarcus Martin
Branch: U.S. Navy
Rank: Second Class Petty Officer
Hometown: Dallas
Currently stationed in: Veteran
Years in the service: 10 years
How long have you been collecting sneakers and how many do you have? I have around 100 pairs of kicks and have been collecting all my life, its just with limited space and constantly copping new kicks I stagnate around the 100 mark.
Top five sneakers of all-time: Concord 11s, Bred 11s, Carmine 6s, Royal Foams, and Olympic 6s.
What sneaker started you collecting shoes? L.A. Gear hiking boots (elementary swag).
What is the next shoe you plan to grab? “True Blue” Air Jordan 3
What is your favorite sneaker in your closet? Royal foams
If you had to pick one shoe to represent your military branch, what would it be and why? Lightning 4s because the navy colors are blue/gold and the lightning name is synonymous with the crazy flashing speed of the BLUE ANGEL JETS, and the quick strike swag for their SEAL TEAMS.
What is the worst part of trying to collect shoes and serve at the same time? Always on the go, limited space and maybe on deployment on scheduled days when heat drop at the store.
Do/did you ever try to work sneakers into your military-assigned attire?Definitely. I rocked black Nike boots a couple of times under the radar, w/o my bosses noticing when my combat boots were soaked from training in the rain.
What?s the best part of being in the Armed Forces? I know the typical answer is fighting for freedom, but a very close second is traveling the world!
Since you?ve been all around the world, what?s your favorite sneaker store? I would have to go with this Italian boutique in Milan called “Raffelle’s” they don’t carry athletic sneakers, but the hard to find European sneaks in the U.S. Are easy pickups.
If you could design a sneaker dedicated to you particular branch, what shoe would you use and how would you create it (colors, materials)? I would go all out and use a pair of Christian Louboutin’s made from red calf skin with brown stitching, and a game changing limited release blue bottoms. To pay homage to the Navy, only 1775 (the year the U.S. Navy was born) pairs would be available at select military retailers only for servicemen to purchase. I’m sure this would be a dope collectors item!
Do you have any memorable shoe-related stories? The very first shoe I ever camped out for was the Lebron 8 “South Beach” at my fav store in the U.S. hands down, NICE KICKS! Fast forward to present time and now I call this place my job..success story for any sneakerhead in my opinion.
