It’s hard to maintain a clean Instagram feed whilst still showing that you’re a sneakerhead. Thankfully, Team KLEKT member @carlkho_ knows just how to get the balance right. As a self-confessed sneaker collector, Carl has arguably one of the best collections in Team KLEKT. His love of classic pairs, hype sneakers and all-time grails mean that there are not many who can come close to him in a sneaker battle. Thankfully, he’s on our side.
Today, we’ll be showing you a little bit about the man behind the lens. Born and raised in the UK, Carl’s experience of the British sneaker culture gives us an insight into his own love of footwear. We’ll be discussing the state of the UK sneaker scene, what got him interested in sneakers in the first place and, of course, his top five pairs. For Carl’s followers, there will also be a special promo this weekend so make sure you check him out on IG: @carlkho_.
Hi Carl, great to have you here! Please can you introduce yourself?
Hey KLEKT fam, my name’s Carl and I’m a sneakerhead from the UK. I’m an IT technician by day with a crazy passion for shoes, streetwear and photography.
How did your passion for sneakers start?
My obsession for sneakers started around the early to late 2000s all because of my passion for basketball and my friends from school. I grew up watching and idolising players like Kobe, T-Mac and LeBron and, at the same time, I was introduced to “trainers“ in school, such as Air Max and adidas low tops.
Although I wasn’t old enough to see the Michael Jordan play, I was always aware of him and knew of his sneakers. The first pair in my collection that kickstarted my sneaker journey was the Air Jordan 3 “White Cement”.
Do you have a Holy Grail?
Yes! The fragment design x Air Jordan 1 is the one pair I NEED to have in my collection.
Can you describe the British sneaker culture in some words?
I would say British sneaker culture has definitely evolved over the years. In recent times, sneaker culture has become a lot more popular and diverse too which is good. I grew up in Warrington, North England, and in school, it was all about Nike runners like Air Max 95s (which we called 110s), and adidas low tops, influenced by sporty looks and football.
So Carl, can you please tell us your top five favourite sneakers?
Wow, that’s a hard choice, but for me I’m going with the classics:
- Nike Air Jordan 1 “Chicago”
- Air Jordan 3 “White Cement”
- Air Jordan 4 “White Cement”
- Nike Air Max 90 “Infrared”
- Air Jordan 1 “Bred”
Make sure you follow Carl on his channel: Instagram
