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SoleSavy COLLECTions – Cameron Gifford

author
Dean Hilario

Cam is a 35-year husband and father. An O&G Accountant by trade who truly believes if sneakers are his biggest problem, then he’s doing quite alright. 


How long have you been collecting sneakers?

I have been collecting without thinking much about it for most of my life. I always played every sport I could. It wasn’t long until performance tech started to pique my interest, and that quickly merged with wanting to look good. I was the king of buying 3-5 pairs a year and keeping them looking new for way too long. Now, I can see that I was collecting organically without noticing. Sneaker culture wasn’t exactly a thing in Southern Oklahoma in the early 2000s. Fast forward to 2008 at the University of Oklahoma, and it was all about Sperry’s and Bape Stas. What a time. In 2010-2012, I was starting my career, and I was still really interested in performance tech. It was all about Kobe 4-6 and KD 4s for me. It wasn’t until 2018 that I would say that I really started collecting. This was a sweet spot after our wedding where it felt like I could finally give this sneaker thing some attention. 

How many pairs do you currently have in your closet?

200+.

How long have you been a member?

I just wrapped up my 2nd year with SoleSavy. Joined in late 2020

What is the oldest sneaker in your collection?

CONCEPTS x Nike Dunk Low SB “Red Lobster” from 2008. This has to be my most prized shoe in the collection.

What’s the sneaker that got you hooked?

Kobe V – NikeiD. I was such a big Kobe fan, so when something this light, minimalistic, yet aggressive dropped, it was a game changer

What’s your best steal or retail cop?

My best cop has to be the A Ma Maniere x Air Jordan 3. I have won some great shoes like the Air Jordan 1 “Mocha,” fragment Design x Air Jordan 3, and Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low on SNKRS, but nothing compares to a first come, first serve hit. The AMM 3 being my 2021 sneaker of the year was just the kicker. That is also one of my favorite SoleSavy stories. I had a member assisting me, and he hit on my size. I was a bit slow and copped a 10.5. The pair grew on my buddy who assisted me, but he wore an 11. I ended up finding a third person that had an 11 who didn’t mind going down 1/2 size. A three-person trade later, we all had our pairs. 

What’s “the one that got away” for you?

Not going to lie, if it had a legit first come, first serve drop then I would probably have it, thanks SoleSavy! Unfortunately, it’s the Travis Scott and Nike SB drops that evade me the most. What is interesting is those drops keep me from becoming overly invested, and in turn, I don’t typically want them as much. The shoe that keeps coming to mind is the JJJJound x Asics Gel Kayano 14. This shoe was a slow burn for me, and I did not even try for it. Now, I regret it. 

What are five sneakers every person should have?

Air Jordan 1 “Shadow”
Air Jordan 4 “White Cement” all day.
Asics Gel Lyte V – Pick a Kith colorway you are set
Air Max 1 – Can’t go wrong with the OG Red or Blue
New Balance – I truly can’t pick between the 991, 993, or 990v3. Once again, see Kith or ALD to set you straight

What’s a sneaker in your collection that always gets looks/compliments when you wear them?

I almost always have people ask me about the OG colorway of the Parra X Dunk Low SBs. I still don’t know what to say when a stranger asks where they can find them.  

What is the most you’ve done for a pair of shoes?

This is definitely recent. I knew I had to have the CONCEPTS x Nike Dunk SB “Orange Lobster.” In preparation, I bought 3 of the CONCEPTS NFTs, entered into every online raffle (including paid raffles), entered into a local toy drive raffle, and I had a SoleSavy friend drive over an hour to his local shopand enter their raffle for me. I ended up giving him $200 to spend on clothing for extra tickets. Luckily it paid off. 

Is there a pair in your collection that always gets slept on?

Dunk Low SB – Pink Pig. No one talks about this shoe at all, and it was by far my favorite SB Low of 2021

Best sneaker trade?

I am a tinkerer, so I am always up for a good trade. I’ve had some steals, like Air Jordan 12 “Royalty,” and Jordan 11 “Cool Grey” for Off-White x Nike Dunk “UNLV,” but my most fun trade was Fragment x Air Jordan 3 and Air Max 1 “Treeline” for Nike Dunk SB “Street Hawkers.” I then traded the Street Hawkers for Off-White x Jordan 5 “Sail,” which I then traded for the Union x Jordan 4 “Off-Noir.” 

What pairs do you have for sale or trade on COLLECT right now?

I currently have Brazil Dunks, Air Jordan 1 Mid “Blue the Great,” and JFG 2002Rs, to name a few. I have some great ASICS Gel Lyte IIIs up for a steal as well. 

What pairs are you currently watching / what will be your next pick-up?

I currently have all the CONCEPTS x Nike Dunk Lobsters EXCEPT the green pair. That is the biggest shoe on my hit list. I also had a deal fall through for the Dunk Low SB “Homer.” I feel like I’m rambling, but the dude went to ship them, and they were covered in mold. I would love to get those in the collection. I am interested in the Jordan 5 Gore-tex too.

How do you think the sneaker game has changed since you started collecting?

It has all come in waves, that’s for sure. We’ve seen sneakers be accessible pre-pandemic to untouchable in the last two years, and now we get to make some choices again. I miss the chase, but I’m here for the discounts! 

What is your biggest frustration with sneakers as a whole right now?

I am happy overall with the state of sneakers. My only real gripe is with how collaborations are becoming the norm. It is starting to feel like collabs and OG colorways are the only pairs worth grabbing.

Brand rapid fire: What is your favorite Nike, adidas, Jordan, and New Balance model?

Nike: Air Max 1

Adidas: Ultraboost 1.0

Jordan: Jordan 1 Low

New Balance: 993


Come for the sneakers, stay for the community.

Join SoleSavy to enjoy full membership benefits. Buy sneakers for retail with our tools and tech, shop the COLLECT marketplace app with zero fees, and join an exclusive community of sneakerheads.

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quotes

Sole Savy is unreal! With a busy schedule it’s hard to keep up on shoes, and the group keeps me up to date on releases, tips on how to manually cop, and a marketplace with killer deals from fellow like minded collectors. It’s changed the sneaker game for me!

@SoleSavy is the truth. They've helped me cop kicks I never would've imagined getting at retail. Members always willing to assist on drops too. And most of all, a REAL community of REAL sneakerheads. These guys should be the gold standard for sneaker communities! #LifetimeMember

My membership paid for itself three fold by being solely responsible for my union 4’s, mesh sacai waffles, sacai blazers, court purple aj1s, glow in the dark yeezy 350s, travis scott lows (which I traded to get desert ore ow’s), air max 1 londons, bc3’s for way under retail etc.

Can't say enough about SS. The stellar help with copping shoes is a given but it's the community that makes it extra special. Hands down one of the best decisions I made as a wannabe sneakerhead.

The community of sneakerheads and resources available to help manually cop are great and really will help you get more Ws. The Zoom calls for hyped drops like Union Jordan 4 only adds to the camaraderie while providing real time instruction

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