This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Brittany Antoinette Wilson. It has been edited for length and clarity.
Since I was a little girl, my dad has been a collector. He started off with comics, meticulously storing them so they wouldn’t suffer wear and tear. More than 30 years later, the comics he has look as good as new.
When I was 4, my dad started collecting baseball caps. He’d line them up perfectly, row after row, on the wall.
In 2005, he started collecting sneakers. My dad loved and continues to love fashion — he’s obsessed with clothing and appearance. It’s really important to him. He’d especially always had a thing for sneakers.
I remember him attempting to pass on his love of sneakers to me when I was a little girl. All I wanted at the time were pink, Barbie-doll shoes that lit up, but dad made sure I wore Jordans and Nikes.
He has around 500 pairs of sneakers now
His collection of sneakers originated from his love of them. He’d buy pairs he liked and just keep buying them, displaying them to make sure they didn’t fall apart. He has and always will wear the sneakers he collects.
The number of sneakers grew, filling up every wall in a bedroom when he lived in the Bronx, and now filling the majority of his basement at his house in Connecticut. The bigger the space he had, the more shoes he could buy and display.
Now, he has around 500 pairs of sneakers. His collection is estimated to be worth $85,000 to $125,000.
Over the years, he’s built a business from his sneaker collection. People know if they want a certain sneaker, Nathaniel is the one to go to.
He acquires sneakers in different ways
This came in handy for me growing up. Whenever my friends wanted a particular type of sneaker, I could tell them my dad could sort it out. It always made me feel special — that I had a dad with this niche skill that my friends wanted access to.
If there is a drop of new releases, my dad has so many connections that he can get the sneakers before anyone else. He knows what is coming out, always ahead of the curve.
He’s waited in lines for days to be at a shoe shop (sometimes just a middle-of-nowhere store, sometimes a well-known one) when they open their doors to sell a new release. I remember on several occasions, he’s traveled to different states just for a pair of sneakers. He’s used my travels to get sneakers, too. Once I was in Paris, he called. I thought he was checking up on me, but no, he wanted me to get my hands on a pair of shoes he had found.
He’ll scour the internet and enter lotteries to find a pair of sneakers he wants. There are pairs that can’t be found elsewhere, and yet he has managed to get them.
He also just collects shoes he likes. Being fashion-conscious (something he is well-known for), Dad knows what looks good before anyone else does. He is what I like to call a taste maker — he makes you realize what looks good before you know it looks good. He’ll often put shoes on (ones you think are disgusting), and you suddenly realize you want them. His fashion sense is unique, and he’s known for it in the New York City streetwear community.
He taught me to take care of my things
Growing up the oldest daughter of an avid collector, I’ve learned lessons I might not have otherwise.
Dad taught me to take care of my things and to make them last. Every single thing he collects is kept as a memento in what feels like a museum. He preserves things meticulously so they don’t break, deteriorate, or lose their value.
He also just appreciates beautiful things, in particular, fashion. I know that my love of fashion is from him, connecting me to him even though we aren’t as close anymore. His sneaker collection and taste in music, food, and fashion are a reminder that my dad and I are father and daughter — that we are more alike than we realize. I’m a tastemaker because of him; I’ve learned the art of curation from him.
Now, I just need him to source me a pair of Nike Air Rifts that I’ve been requesting for the past two years.
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