JOURNAL TEST MAG TO FPS
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By Stadium Goods |JOURNAL TEST MAG TO FPS
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Imagine finding true love on your first date. Janine Abrenilla, the Chicagoan known on social media as @Styleisaweapon, likens her experience purchasing her first two pairs of Air Jordans, the Jordan 1 Low OG “Shadow” and Jordan 1 High OG “Chicago,” to the kind of life-altering event that seems to come around when you least expect it to.
Sneakers, as we learned during a recent interview with Abrenilla in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, weren’t always a readily available commodity during her childhood in the Philippines. “Imagine watching Michael Jordan on television and wanting to literally ‘Be Like Mike’ without actually being able to go to the store to purchase his Air Jordan shoes,” she says. “That’s what it was like growing up in the Philippines in the ‘90s. Jordan Brand just opened its first store in Manila last November. It’s crazy.”
Since copping the Jordan 1 Low “Shadow” and Jordan 1 High “Chicago” in 2017, Abrenilla has amassed a collection of more than 250 pairs of shoes, many of which are, yes, Air Jordan 1s. For you math folks out there, that's an average of more than 60 sneaker purchases per year. Despite boasting one of the most impressive collections on social media, Abrenilla says she has no plans on slowing down her sneaker-buying habit any time soon. “Sneakers are an extension of my style, my personality. So, no, I don’t have any plans on kicking this habit any time soon.”
Check out our full interview with @Styleisaweapon below, and be sure to give her a follow on Instagram to view her incredible sneaker collection.
Please introduce yourself to any of the readers who may not be familiar with you and your insane sneaker collection, and in your own words, describe what you do.
Hi! My name is Janine. Most people know me by my Instagram page, @styleisaweapon, where I enjoy posting pictures of my sneaker collection. I’m a happy mother of two years. My day-to-day consists of building and selling homes. As far as my “Instagram fame,” that’s like an inevitable love story. I don't even know where or how to start explaining how my Instagram started gaining traction, because I never really intended or expected to grow my social media presence. I started posting my sneaker collection as a way to relieve stress and channel my creative side that was being stifled from working long hours at two jobs. Sneakers have always allowed me to express myself. That goes back to when there was no sneaker Internet hype, no social media, or anything like that. So I feel like growing a dope sneaker collection was meant to happen in one way or another because it's always been something that I’ve been passionate about. Is that obvious in my answer? (laughs)
Here’s the million dollar question(s): When did you get into collecting sneakers? What was the shoe that kick started this whole thing for you? Whatever shoe it was, it must’ve really made an impression. Your sneaker closet looks like a mini version of our Stadium Goods New York and Chicago retail stores.
(laughs) Thank you! I touched on it in my last response but I didn’t deliberately collect sneakers back in the day. I was aware of what my favorite athletes, like Michael Jordan, were wearing. I remember saving up my allowance money to buy myself a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars. I know this is going to sound dramatic, but I also remember crying when my grandmother would buy my older brother a fresh pair of sneakers that I absolutely wanted to wear. Of course I got stuck wearing some super girly shoes that didn’t at all jive with my style! This is what really fueled my passion for sneakers. Once I made myself a little money, I was determined to buy everything I always wanted, including the Air Jordan 1. That was the shoe that kickstarted my sneaker obsession. The model’s classic silhouette just resonated with my style. I knew that much was obvious when I copped my first Jordan 1, which was the Jordan 1 Low “Shadow.” I paid a whole $50 for a deadstock pair, which is crazy. Next came the Air Jordan 1 High “Chicago” release from 2015. I also got those for a relative steal because they were in GS sizing.
What’s your method when it comes to collecting? Do you subscribe to the whole “one to stock, one to rock” mantra?
People think I have a lot of doubles because I collect years of the same colorways. So for instance, I have Air Jordan 1 “Chicago” releases from 1985, 1994, 2013, 2015, etc. I also collect the low-top versions, too, so that probably gives the illusion that I have way more sneakers than I actually do. I’m glad I started collecting by year, because it’s utterly impossible to find older pairs of Air Jordan 1s that are in 1) good condition and 2) reasonably priced. So as far as “one to stock, one to rock,” I guess you could say I just buy whatever I like.
What’s up with the color coded sneaker closet? I have a sneaking suspicion that you take as much pride in organizing and displaying your sneakers by their colorway as you do chasing down pairs as part of the “hunt.”
(laughs) You bet! For real, I’m really into organization. Putting things in order speaks to my soul. Even my own house, which I designed myself to include as part of my portfolio, reflects my obsession with organization. Symmetry, balance, and coordination. Even when I had less space when I was living in an apartment, my sneaker collection was always neatly organized. It drives me crazy when things are not organized.
You have one of the most comprehensive Air Jordan 1 collections on social media. Why that shoe in particular?
Wow. Well, there’s really a lot of things in play when you fall in love with something or someone. Same thing applies with my Air Jordan 1 love story. Like I said earlier, I grew up in the Philippines during the Michael Jordan era. During the golden age of hip-hop era. Air Jordans were what were popular in the culture of sports and entertainment. Even still, we didn’t have much access to cool sneakers in the Philippines. Like, the first Jordan store in the Philippines opened in Manila, what, last November? So imagine what it was like in the ‘90s being a kid who wanted to be down, wanted to be “cool.” As far as the Air Jordan 1, it just speaks to me. It’s versatile. It’s clean. I can wear the Jordan 1 as an expression of my style, and it doesn’t feel like I’m trying too hard to impress anyone other than myself. Even without social media, I’d still be hunting down all of the old school, original Air Jordan 1 colorways. You will absolutely catch me in the Jordan 1 when I’m a grandma, trust!
What has your experience been like as a Filipino-American woman in the sneaker space?
When I went public with my Instagram four years ago, there were very few Filipino-American women sneakerheads. I eventually came to meet a few amazing women through Instagram, but that space was definitely underrepresented. Overall, my experience has been overwhelmingly positive. Like, who I would’ve never thought in my wildest dreams that Jordan Brand would provide a platform for me to tell my sneaker story. That was a huge gesture. Through that experience, I was able to find out that many Filipinos shared my story. Coming from the Philippines, we don’t have the “fancy stuff” most young people have access to who grow up in more affluent countries. But what we have is heart, grit, determination, authenticity, and passion. And that doesn’t go unnoticed—you can’t miss this fire in every Filipino that you meet. (Laughs)
You mostly post artful pictures of sneakers and streetwear on social media, but at the end of 2020, you dropped a heartfelt post on Instagram about growing up in the Philippines without access to many of the things we all take for granted in 2021 as part of an interview with Jordan Brand. How did your upbringing shape who you are today?
I’m very proud of my roots, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity Jordan Brand gave me. I am not a celebrity nor an athlete, so it feels surreal to be regarded as a force in the sneaker community, coming from where I come from. My brother and I were raised by our grandparents, so education was super important to my family. I was always regarded as the creative one in my family, and I think that explains why I enjoy curating my social media in the way that I do. But, yeah, we didn’t grew up poor, but we didn’t grew up spoiled, either. My grandfather instilled in me the idea of not accepting handouts. My brother and I learned compassion and humility through life experiences. So it’s like, looking back I think the amalgamation of all my life experiences ultimately define what my outlook on life is.
Women, let alone Filipino-American women, have been somewhat underrepresented in the sneaker community. How do you use or plan to use your platform to speak to people in ways that are impactful?
This is very true! I’m very aware of the fact that I have an opportunity to use my platform to serve as a voice for the few Asians, particularly Filipinos, in the sneaker game. Being underrepresented fuels my fire to represent and be proud of my roots. Like, it’s definitely my dream to collaborate with Jordan Brand on an Air Jordan 1. It’s a heck of a dream, but I know that something of that magnitude would mean a lot to Filipinos!
You’ve spent a majority of your life in Chicago, so we feel confident that we can trust your opinion on this one: Did Yeezy really jump over the Jumpman?
No offense to Yeezy fans, but Yeezy will never jump over the Jumpman! (laughs)