Saturday, June 11, 2011

Kicks



DJ Sirvere is one of the most respected DJs in the country. He's been in the music industry for years, working in record stores, record companies, radio, print, all over. Music is his passion, but sneakers are another. Specifically Jordans. About 5 years ago he got the idea to do a show exhibiting his collection, and that idea has finally come to fruition.

His show, A Jordan Journey with DJ Sirvere, is on this weekend in Auckland at 57 Tyler st, Britomart, finishing 5pm Sunday.  There's about 260 sneakers on display, including some rarities. It's an amazing show. These sneakers tell a story about Sirvere's life.

photo: Frank Liew/Hypebeast

There's a pair from 1992 (above), when Sirvere was working in a record store on Queen St (HMV - I remember seeing the Headless Chickens play in there once). One of his co-workers, Mikey Havoc, came to work one day and called Sirvere over to show off his new sneakers, that he'd got sent from the US. They were a pair of Jordans that Sirvere had been after for a while, and he was a little bit gutted (to put it mildly) that someone he knew had them before he did. Havoc wore them to work every day.

click on photo to enlarge and read the tale of Sirvere's sneaker battle with Mikey Havoc


photo: Frank Liew/Hypebeast

Then there's the Jordan golf shoes (above). Sirvere told me that he copped these when Gentry Humphrey, International Jordan Brand Director, was in Australia. Sirvere was over there working on a Nike event and had met Humphrey, who had these Jordan golf shoes with him. He'd played a round of golf while in Australia, and didn't want the hassle of having to clean the mud off them to take them thru Customs, so he left them behind and Sirvere got them. He told me there are only 5 pairs in existence.

Sirvere has got videos of Jordan's games playing down there too, going right back to his college days. It's mighty impressive.  He's even got a pair that have green stains on the sole, from when he used to wear them to mow the lawns, at his family home in Papakura.

Read Frank Liew (from sneaker store Qubic) writing in more detail on the exhibition here.

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