We chat to Social Media Manager and Offspring Community member Colleen Kilroy.
Tell us who you are?
My name is Colleen, also known as Coco or @collkil. I'm 28 years old from Glasgow, Scotland and I'm the Social Media Manager for ShoeStack.
How long have you been into sneakers and how did you get into them?
I’ve been collecting sneakers for around 11 years now. I’m a massive hip-hop, rap and RnB fan. Seeing all my favourite artists wear Jordans in their videos and the fact I didn't really see many people in Scotland wearing them was really what started the obsession for me.
My first pair of Js were Flight 45 High’s, at the time I didn’t care what pair it was, I just knew I wanted to own some Jordans.
Do you have an early sneaker memory?
In 2012, I used to communicate with Sneakerheads across the world via Twitter. One of the collectors from Australia really wanted the Thunder 4s, but knew it would be really difficult to cop over there. Fortunately, a store in Glasgow were getting them and not a lot of people wore Jordans here at the time. I went to the store and managed to cop their size. As a thank you for the assist, I was sent a pair of Infrared Air max 90s. That was probably the first sense of community for me.
Do you have a sneaker regret and what is your sneaker grail?
Hmmmm. Probably not purchasing the Sean Wotherspoons for a decent price while I could. I'll always refer to that pair as ‘the one that got away’. None of the stores in Glasgow got a size below a UK6 and I took an L on every single raffle going. I couldn’t justify spending so much over retail for them at the time, but with the price they've increased to now, I kind of wish I had just pulled the trigger. My sneaker grail goes without saying the Sean Wotherspoon 97/1’s lol!
The OG grails would have to be the Doernbecher Jordan 4s. I've been hunting for them in my size since I started collecting.
You were onto the sneaker wall early. What’s the new sneaker wall?
I’ve been lucky enough to move into a house that now has room for my collection. I thought it was a shame having all these amazing pairs I love so much, but with only having two feet, they weren’t getting the appreciation they deserved.
I didn't like the idea of having my pairs out of their boxes exposed to dust etc, but I did want to display them, so I came across ShoeStack’s clear boxes. I love all the special edition shoe boxes that sometimes come with the limited drops, so I like to display them too. The room is slowly coming together, but I still have so much to do. It's my childhood dream coming true lol.
What sneakers are in your rotation currently?
My current go-tos and pairs I’ve worn a lot over the summer are the Military Black Jordan 4s and both the Monarch and Aqua Noise Patta Air Max 1's.
What else are you into other than sneakers?
I loveeee music. All different kinds. I love going down a rabbit hole and discovering new artists and genres. I really enjoy going to gigs and seeing live music. I also love photography/videography and the editing side of it, traveling and experiencing new things.
Whats next for you?
Nike are going to hunt me down and make me head designer at Jordan Brand. Manifesting the dream haha! But I think what’s next for me right now is to continue growing the ShoeStack brand, with the goal of making it everyone’s go-to for their sneaker storage. I’d love to continue building relationships and connections within the industry, gaining valuable knowledge, skills and experience as I go.
What does community mean to you?
Sharing an interest and/or passion with a group of people who you feel comfortable enough to discuss your thoughts and opinions with. Feeling accepted. When a community is given a platform to share knowledge and ideas, great things can happen.
Check out more from Coco on Instagram @collkil
