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Whether you have five pairs of sneakers in your collection or 5,000, storing your sneakers is one of the biggest challenges for any serious sneaker collector. You can only wear one pair at a time (unless you're lame and wear mis-matched kicks), which means that more of your sneakers will be sitting in a box, on a shelf, or in a pile at the bottom of your closet, than you'll ever be wearing at once. There are a lot of myths and rumors on How to Store Your Sneaker Collection, so we decided to talk to a few serious collectors with completely different and diverse collections to see what they had to say about storing a sneaker collection. From Air Force 1s to Air Jordans, Yeezys and Air Max, @afrokix, @kingpoetic01, @deadstocknyc and @kicks0l0gy each have a unique collection and their own way of storing sneakers.
Always keep your boxes, or not.
There are reasons why sneaker companies use cardboard boxes for sneakers. They are inexpensive and effective. The downside is, they aren't very durable and if you're stacking them high, that can be a serious problem. For sneaker collectors, if you're ever going to get rid of a pair of shoes, whether through trading or selling, having the original box is added value.
Deadstocknyc says: I keep about 10 percent of the boxes, no room in our apartment but I keep them in storage. Only for special to me releases
Afrokix says: I keep my shoes in their original boxes.
Kingpoetic says: I keep my sneakers as they come, I don't do any type of special thing to them! I do keep them in a cool temperature room.
Always clean your kicks before you put them away.
Putting your shoes back into storage after wearing them is a must, even for the lazy sneakerheads out there. But putting them away dirty is actually one of the worst things you can do to them. Whatever dirt and residues that have built up on your sneakers while wearing them is only going to become more permanent over time. If you need some tips on cleaning your kicks, we got you.
Deadstocknyc says: I used to but lately I've been a little lax on it. Maybe I'm just tired of keeping up with it. The downside is if you don't keep up on it, it increases the difficulty to get it back to day-one condition.
Inserts never hurt.
Just like you and I, the materials used to make sneakers are lazy as hell. Ever throw on a pair of kicks you haven't worn in months and think, "What the?!? Are my feet shrinking?" Well, it's not your feet, it's the material. The same reason a deadstock shoe from a decade ago will crumble if you wear it now, the materials are meant to be used and stretched in order to keep them in good conditon. Grab some shoe trees, plastic inserts or even the cardboard ones and stuff those toes to help keep creases to a minimum.
What about plastic sneaker boxes?
Even if you choose to go the plastic box route and spend the big bucks, there are still things you need to be careful about. Sharp edges on the boxes can scratch and even tear some materials. If you are storing your new plastic boxes in a room that gets a lot of sunlight, that can be harnful as well. To avoid sun damage like color fading and cracking, keep your kicks in a cool dark room. If you have to keep them in the sun, flip them around and move them on a regular basis so no side stays in the sunlight for very long.
Deadstocknyc says: Basic runners can stand up in them, the rest have to be laid down. The few that DON'T fit I keep in other places. If you jam them into the bins you could ruin the shoe when taking them out on the sharper edges of the plastic (Shaq Attaqs, Twilight Zones, etc.).
Kicks0l0gy says: I store my sneakers in their boxes but I have also started to convert them into containers from The Container Store. Eventually, all into containers, easier in my opinion.
To display or not to display.
Displaying your sneakers is not for everyone. In fact, there are some downsides to keeping sneakers on display. Especially if you plan on wearing them. Any shoe that sits out on a shelf will yellow much faster than a shoe in a box. Not to mention, that shoe on display is going to get dusty and that can be a pain in the ass on certain suede and nubuck materials. For some sneakerheads, the best way to "display" their kicks is by wearing them. To others, the display setup makes for some sick-ass back drops for those Instagram photos.
Deadstocknyc says: The plastic bins are more of a display and "furniture" feel to them, rather then having tons of dirty crushed boxes, when you enter my office you can see all the shoes.
Kingpoetic says: I think putting them in plastic boxes would preserve sneakers longer. Keeping them out of the sun and in a cool spot won't damage them.
Kicks0l0gy says: Well. One side of my shoe is display so the ones that I wear the most are on that side easier to walk in grab a pair and go . But spacewise the containers make it nicer and easier to work with in my opinion.
Don't go overboard and go broke.
Not everyone can afford custom-built closets specifically for sneakers (we wish!). Plastic bins are cool but just ask anyone who has made the changeover how much they've spent. There are a variety of plastic boxes out there ranging from reasonable to GTFOH in price. Going with all of the same kind can make stacking much easier but if you have space, going with the more expensive cases for the rare kicks and the entry-level plastic shoeboxes for your general releases is a cool way to differentiate.
Kingpoetic says: If I had a choice, I would keep all of them in plastic boxes but that can get a bit expensive when you have a lot of shoes. To me that's another addition to the sneaker expense!
Everyone is different.
It's important to realize that no matter what you see on the Internet or think is the right way to store your sneaker collection, everyone is different. Plan it out and think it through. Take time to measure the space you have and utilize it efficiently. You can see from the collectors we talked to that each has their own approach to storing their sneakers and each of them have a nice collection worth being proud of.
Deadstocknyc says: I personally store my collection in the Container Store drop fronts, originally I used the lid units but the drop fronts are a lot easier to access the shoes, ventilated and stackable.
Afrokix says: I keep my shoes in their original boxes, and in a ziplock bag on shelves and I have them separated in different sections.
Kingpoetic says: I feel everyone is different and have different methods on how they like to keep their shoes. It's more so up to the individual.
Kicks0l0gy says: Do what works for you. When your collection grows and years pass, things change, so will the type of way you store your sneakers in my personal opinion.
