Imelda Marcos has nothing on how boys now collect sneakers. They buy every release of their fave brand, display them (sometimes even better than store windows do), take care of them like grooms take care of a horse, wear them to certain occasions and store them as if they were jewelry they could hand down.
As much as I like to make fun of my husband who has a couple of sneakers he barely wears, I do understand the obsession. In fact, if I were a boy most of my salary would probably go to them, just like my love affair with heels.
As I was walking in Greenbelt 5, I was surprised to see Celestina had been converted to a curated sneaker store. I inquired and found out that this concept came from Emilio Ocampo, the only son of Ricco and Tina Ocampo. Each pair they carry is carefully chosen with the counter-culture conscious in mind. They also have a space at the back where young creatives can exhibit their work.
I was impressed with the brands they carried, particularly Eytys which is a Stockholm-based sneaker brand that aims to be the perfect product manifestation of generation Y: “Born in the boom years of the ’80s, grew up with the street culture of the ’90s, and subsisted on a heavy diet of everything—and anything—which has always been just a click away.” They also carry unique and hard to find pieces from other brands such as Nike, Adidas, Play by Comme des Garçons, Puma and Asics.
Want to learn about the coolest kicks? Visit the store in Greenbelt 5. While you’re at it buy a pair, and if you’re a girl like me, get one for your man. He’ll be so happy and impressed, he might just get you a bag from Celestina that’s now 40 percent off.