The Edit LDN interviews Sneakerheads, the largest Web3 sneakers community with over 5000 hand drawn Sneaker Heads created by Ali Dawood. Read below to see the conversation we had

Find them on twitter @sneakerheadsoff or their website here.

To you, what makes a good sneaker?

To us a good sneaker stems from a unique design and story. Being able to identify with the sneaker adds a lot of value to it. Our favourite sneakers are part of our identity and priceless for that reason. Maybe its relating to the colours or relating to the story but thats the key. 

What are your current top 5 sneakers and why?

• New Balance 550 Aime Leon Dore
• Jordan 1 x Fragment OG
• Nike Air Force 1 x Stussy Fossil
• Nike Air Force 1 x Off-White University Gold
• New Balance 2002R The Basement

All of these shoes serve special places in our teams hearts either because of the colour ways, the story behind the shoes or because of how we got them. But these top 5 are timeless classics that are more than just shoes to us, they are part of our identities. 

Are there any styles that have caught your eye so far in 2022 and do you have predictions for any trends that could possibly blow up for this new year?

Loving the New Balance wave of 2021 and look forward to that trend continuing. We predict that the digital wearable trend will book in 2022 though :)

As you’re aware, Nike in December last year acquired RTFKT while Adidas have been early adopters to the NFT landscape. What are your thoughts on global corporations entering the space?

We love it! They give so much credibility and opportunity to the space. The NFT market is still small but with the audiences, the global corporations are able to reach and on board it is exciting. The only concern is on their intentions. Nike and Adidas are doing great but the NFT landscape is about more than just products, it is about community, utility and culture so as long as they are advised by the right team and building the right eco system, it is great! 

On this subject, when it comes to reaching your goal as the biggest Web3 sneaker enthusiast community, do you see big brands as a threat or as an opportunity to strengthen your goal?

We come from a background in sneakers and business building so we respect big brands as an essential part of our vision and they certainly play a big part in strengthening our community. Our motto is authenticity and credibility so working with big brands will certainly help us reach our goals as we look to welcome people from all communities to ours. 

What is your favourite thing about being involved in the NFT space?

The community. For our project the community is so strong and motivational, it makes everyday so fun. We get to meet amazing people from all over the world who love our brand, it is very humbling and motivating! 

Communities and utility go hand in hand within the NFT space. Do you have any IRL sneaker utilities for your collection holders? 

We certainly do!

How did you get your conceptual art idea and what was the lightbulb moment that turned an idea into a NFT collection?

Ali was inspired by Kanye. Before starting, Ali worked for Kanye as an architect in one of his warehouses. Ali was impressed with how he looked at things and the vision that he had. One day he was listening to a Kanye song when he just started to draw Kanye’s face but wondered what if his face was a shoe and the concept was born. Why an NFT? As an artist a NFT collection is so much more exciting to create I know forever my art is safe on the blockchain. 

A hot topic at the moment is Avatar Apparel, do you think that people are ready to pay real money for their Web3 avatar to be kitted out in the most in demand sneakers?

Yeah certainly, people already have been doing this for like 4 years on Fortnite or more recently with the Gucci x 10ktf collaboration where people were paying like $3000 to dress their bored apes in digital Gucci clothing. Avatar apparel will be gigantic! 

Is there anything you have planned for the future that you wish to share with our readers?

We have loads of amazing plans that are both digital and in real life. We have built out a very exciting narrative for stocking your sneakerheads too. The thing we can openly share at the moment is how excited we are with our designs. Our artist Ali has designed 44 unique silhouettes. 44! Imagine launching a sneaker brand with 44 new silhouettes at the same time. It doesn’t happen. I don’t think most brands even have 44 different silhouettes? But yeah we cant wait to showcase them with you, all with their own stories and colourways.