joão My uncle is a painter and so, from a very young age I liked art and photography, largely because of him. I wanted to be an architect, but when I discovered design, I didn’t want to be anything else. I graduated here in Porto, as a designer. Photography has always been a passion too. I remember playing with and messing with the old cameras that my father had. In college, I had a lot of contact with photography, so my passion started developing, maturing, and I began to get better. Fortunately, with Xtreme, I was able to combine the three areas that I love – photography, design and sneakers, which for me was perfect. I worked there for six years.

joão A few years ago, Nike decided that it didn’t make sense to have certain products in Portugal. And since they consider Portugal the Iberian Peninsula, everything goes to Spain. If you want to buy Nikes here in Portugal, you can only get them in big international stores, like Footlocker.

It’s a shame that Nike left Portugal because I believe that we had, despite being a small country, some expression to have at least one reference store with these types of products. As we once had, with Sneaker Delight.

Nike decided to sell directly to the consumer through the website and app, and they realized that it didn’t make much sense to keep the products in these stores. Which I totally disagree with because brands grow and gain more visibility when they exist locally, supporting the sneaker community. And in this sense, I think that in Portugal, Nike no longer has this community, because you can only find those products in resale stores, and it’s not the same thing.

For example, B.A.E has an incredible collection of New Balance. There is a consolidated community and we know where to buy these types of pairs that we are looking for from New Balance. So, we go there not only to buy, but also because we like to be there. I draw a parallel with record stores, which I also like very much. When I go to the record shop I’m not going there just to buy something, the purchase is almost a consequence. I go there to chill, to learn, to meet and to talk to other people.

A lot has been lost in sneaker stores because  we just stopped having top tier products. For example, I remember having the Yeezy releases here at Wrong Weather, it wasn’t camping, but it was almost, a lot of people showed up. Friendships were created, a real community, and I think this is what feeds this world of sneakers. If the community ceases to exist, there is no reason, as I always say “there is no juice left” – we squeeze and nothing comes out. It becomes very superficial.

joão Fortunately, I have had the opportunity to travel to many places and, obviously, when I travel, I always go to the iconic sneaker stores – whether it’s in New York, Tokyo, Barcelona, or Berlin, wherever it may be, I always like to visit sneaker shops. And I think these days, sneaker culture in Portugal has fallen a lot because of reselling. The OGs are no longer so present and the younger people came after the hype. As I said, it’s become a very superficial thing.

When compared to other European countries, the difference is more noticeable. Because, the hype is still there, but it’s more than that. The brands bet on different models, the consumers bet on different and emerging brands, but here we always end up going for the safe options, going for brands that they know the consumer will want and we don’t take many risks. And honestly, I think we have room to take risks.

In addition, I think that abroad, sneaker culture is more mature, you know? People don’t look at it in such a superficial way, it’s more about the content. When you go to a store abroad, any store, the people working at the store know what they’re talking about, they’re a part of the community and obviously this knowledge adds a lot of value. In Portugal, there are few stores that have people like that. I think that’s the difference.

joão When I was little, my grandmother used to buy my sneakers. I remember being super excited when she got me the Nike Shox R4, which was like a reward for me getting good grades – that’s how I got the cool sneakers back then (laughs). And I always liked to have different sneakers, I would see my friends all wearing similar sneakers and I always liked to have that different pair, and that’s how it’s been until today. In fact, the brand that I have the most shoes is Diadora, which is not a very common brand. Normally people have Nikes, adidas, Yeezys, Jordans and now a lot of New Balance, but Diadora is kind of an underdog.

I really like Diadora. First, because they still make their sneakers with a more artisanal, manual touch, with amazing craftsmanship, very high-quality materials. Nowadays it’s rare to see this because the brands want to mass produce, they want volume, and that’s something I really like about Diadora, that they go against all that.

In addition, most of the pairs I have are collaborations with European stores that tell stories, and I think that Diadora, even more than hype, is very good at telling stories and this is what really draws me to the brand. Unfortunately today, they are not launching great stories as they did a few years ago, but I think that’s where they differentiated themselves. And I think it’s amazing.

I can’t wear shoes. I go to weddings, I wear sneakers. Meetings, I wear sneakers. Since I am a designer and have always been very connected to the arts, I find the design of the sneaker itself, the object itself, very interesting. I analyze the materials choice, the silhouette and the different characteristics they might have. I find this super fascinating and that’s why sometimes I look at a sneaker and think “maybe I won’t use this”, but as a design piece they are super interesting, disruptive, so I buy them because I like them.

joão From Diadora, I have about 36 pairs. Maybe I am the biggest Diadora collector here in Portugal. All of the ones I have are collaborations. I have collaborations with a lot of brands, there’s one with Hanon, I have the one with A Few, I have the Keith one, I have one with Slam Jam, I have several with Packer, I have one with Bait, I have one with Colette too. There are some that I want that I haven’t gotten yet – like the collab with Ma Maniere, and I also want the other pair with A Few too. But it’s all collaboration. They’re all limited editions, few units. I have one that I bought on my birthday, a few years ago, which is a collaboration with Hanon, which has only 100 pairs in the world.

joão This sneaker is amazing, the suede is so soft, the leather is also amazing. And, well, taste is very subjective, but the color combination is also something that I love and it was inspired by the Castellers festival, a very traditional festival in Barcelona, where the participants (Castellers) climb on top of each other to form these enormous human towers. Here on the sneaker you can see the colors of the traditional clothes they wear at the festival, the materials, and the print of the handkerchief they wear tied around their wrist. In collaborations, Diadora does a lot of these details on the heel, normally it’s embroidery, and on this sneaker, it has two small Castellers embroidered here. It ‘s fascinating. The sneaker came with a lot of things, it came with extra laces, with a kind of keychain and also, some dust bags. But yes, this is my pair. Since I bought them I’ve used them only twice.

The story makes it more than “just a sneaker”. This pair is super limited too. This was the only pair I bought in resell, precisely because it’s my grail, my favorite shoe. I looked for this pair for three years. Two of my friends had them and when I saw it for the first time, I was fascinated. And then I started searching for them. My friend only managed to buy one because he was a customer of the store and was able to have access to the sneakers when they dropped, but if you were not a customer, or didn’t have a relationship with the owner of the store, you wouldn’t be able to buy one. And then this drop became almost like a myth around here, because of  how hard it was to have only access to the shoes. This and the other collab, the “Correfocs” are the two Diadora pairs that have the most resale value, precisely because of this, because of the whole story behind the pairs.

joão When I was working at Sneakers Delight, we did a collaboration with Fila, with a model called Mind Blower. It sold in several stores across Europe, but it was very limited. I designed it and I have a pair at home. It was inspired by the D. Luís I Bridge. The centennial bridge, which connects Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. I am extremely proud to be able to do this together with Fila. People don’t care much for Fila, but I have a lot of affection for it because I was the one who chose the materials, who chose the colors, the details, I was the one who chose the in-sole. It was amazing.

joão My advice is: be curious. I am super curious. When I looked at the sneakers, I liked to know more about them. What was the story behind them? What were the materials? Where did they come from? Who designed them? For example, the documentary series Abstract with Tinker Hatfield, is a good way to understand this universe.

The history itself interests me a lot. I think that if you are curious and like to know more, it will differentiate you. Look at the sneakers in a different way. And this knowledge and passion, I can reflect in photography, in campaigns, etc. How do I reconcile all this? By being curious not only in sneakers, but by being curious in everything. And enjoy learning about trends, learning techniques, learning more and not being afraid to make mistakes. Explore, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. I often say that I make a lot of mistakes. Often people only see what is right, what’s good. But before that, there were many things that did not turn out well, to get to the final result. And this is part of the process, it’s super important. Making mistakes makes us more mature.

My advice is: be curious. I am super curious. When I looked at the sneakers, I liked to know more about them. What was the story behind them? What were the materials? Where did they come from? Who designed them? For example, the documentary series Abstract with Tinker Hatfield, is a good way to understand this universe.

The history itself interests me a lot. I think that if you are curious and like to know more, it will differentiate you. Look at the sneakers in a different way. And this knowledge and passion, I can reflect in photography, in campaigns, etc. How do I reconcile all this? By being curious not only in sneakers, but by being curious in everything. And enjoy learning about trends, learning techniques, learning more and not being afraid to make mistakes. Explore, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. I often say that I make a lot of mistakes. Often people only see what is right, what’s good. But before that, there were many things that did not turn out well, to get to the final result. And this is part of the process, it’s super important. Making mistakes makes us more mature.

Diadora X LimitEdition N.9000 ‘Castellers’
Owner: João Guedes
Photos: Kickstory
Color Grade: Julio Nery
Year: 2023