Whether you’re an old school sneakerhead or you’ve only been collecting for a few weeks, you’ve probably heard of Randy Galang. Not only is he one of the greatest sneakerheads in Manila, his sheer influence has taken over the globe – and that’s not an exaggeration.
Regarded by lots of as the sample King, Galang is distinguished for his huge collection of early Off-White x Nike and Yeezy pairs, and for our first ever segment of “Under the Influence”, we’ll be delving into how he got started in the industry, his much-loved brands and silhouettes, and much more!
Image by means of DJ Bigboy Cheng
How lots of sneakers do you currently have in your collection?
I believe I have 100 pairs of sneakers, a lot more or less. I had way a lot more but a lot more recently I started focusing on quality rather than quantity.
What got you into the sneaker game?
What got me hooked to the sneaker game was the appeal of having special sample pairs and early pairs and the challenge of obtaining them – this topic alone can be the subject of another article! Not to mention the fun that goes on in between shooting and publishing the shot on Instagram, reading the comments, and getting featured on big sneaker Instagram accounts, too. I’m also humbled by the fact that a lot of sneaker influencers on IG have been influenced by what I do. It’s something to be a sneaker influencer, moreso one who influences fellow sneaker influencers.
Collaborating with some of the best creative photographers in Singapore, Manila, Chicago, London, and Germany was loads of fun, too. learned a lot and made some good friends along the way.
Joining sneaker events either as an attendee or having my own booth, meeting fellow sneaker lovers, sneaker collectors, meeting my sneaker idols like Jaysse Lopez of urban Necessities, exchanging ideas, and trading pairs. special mention also to private label nyc for inviting me to fly to long beach for ComplexCon 2017 to display my sample pairs and rare pairs in their space with their superb sneaker duffle bags and backpacks. That was quite an experience!
Meeting DJ Bigboy Cheng also opened doors for me. aside from allowing me to source rare and early pairs for him, he gave me the opportunity to curate his supreme collection, including sneakers, twice and this was even featured on Sotheby’s in 2019.
Image by means of Randy Galang
Do you remember your first sneaker memory?
The first sneaker memory that pertains to mind is an adidas Samba “Black Gum” pair I copped in the early 2000s. It was my much-loved pair that time and I remember getting a lot of compliments whenever I wore it. It was a classic pair.
Comfort-wise, the first significant memory was trying adidas improve technology for the first time by means of the NMD “Friends & Family”, which I still have to this day. Suffice to say I was blown away by the comfort. It was a game-changer at the time.
What pair are you intending to cop next, and why?
I’m intending to complete all colorways of the upcoming sacai x Nike VaporWaffle. I really dig the design and feel it fits my style. I have the “Black” colorway already!
Image by means of Randy Galang
From all of the samples and rare pairs that you own, which one is your favourite?
One of my favourites is the adidas 3D Runner. It still turns heads when I rock it, and I love how it represents a piece of history with adidas using a 3D printed midsole and heel cup before partnering with Carbon and shifting to 4D. At one point, I had four pairs of the 3D Runner. Today, I still have a pair.
My second equally much-loved pair is the unreleased blue Off-White x Nike Zoom Fly sample. It’s very rare and the colourway is a head turner, but it became so much rarer and memorable when, on a holiday in Chicago in may 2019, I randomly bumped into Virgil Abloh himself and had him sign it for me. He gamely posed for a photo and we had a little chat, too.
To me, the pairs that really matter a lot more are those with a story behind them much like provenance in the art scene. sneakers are starting to catch the attention of severe collectors and esteemed auction homes alike.
I’ve also had a few custom-made pairs produced me by very talented artists and sneaker customisers who do this as a pastime or professionally, namely St Nimbus, Govrn, chef Huy Le, Philllllthy, RG Conopio, and Steven Zaptio. I genuinely admire their talent in customisation and/or restoration, and their custom-made pairs are some of my favourites. Do check them out!
If you could only get two silhouettes for the rest of your life, what would they be?
I’d opt for the Yeezy 700 and the Nike Air force 1. great style, versatile, minimal, and low maintenance.
Image by means of Randy Galang
What is your all-time much-loved sneaker brand?
Moeilijke beslissing. A few years ago, it would have been adidas hands down. However, today, honestly, I’d say 50% adidas & 50% Nike.
List your top much-loved sneaker stores!Er zijn veel, maar vanaf de top van mijn hoofd zouden ze Adidas Originals -buurt zijn, Commonwealth, Titan, Sole Academy, The Nines, Akimbo (allemaal in Manilla), Atmos in Tokio, Engelse zool voor zeer zeldzame pes en monsters en Het Nike Lab Recreation Center C/O Virgil Abloh in Chicago. Laat me ook vermelden dat in Manilla, mijn go-to-wederverkoperwinkels Rif Manila, schoenspel Manila, Cop Garden en KxStart zijn!
Afbeelding door middel van Randy Galang
Laat ons de huidige sneakerfoto zien op uw IG -feed en beschrijf wat er gebeurt!
Het is een foto van mijn gebroken witte X Nike Air Force 1 “MCA” -paar met een No Peet Face Shield, Takashi Murakami Face Mask en een 3D-geprinte oorbevaarder met mijn IG-handvat. Met deze foto wilde ik gewoon het nieuwe normaal illustreren.
Is er nog iets dat je zou willen toevoegen?
Ik ben echt dankbaar voor je steun door de jaren heen en kijk ernaar uit je te ontmoeten in toekomstige sneakerevenementen! Aarzel niet om gedag te zeggen. Houd veilig en gezond!
Zorg ervoor dat je Randy volgt op Instagram op @randygalang en zorg ervoor dat je het vergrendeld houdt aan de enige verkoper voor heetste sneakernieuws en releases!
Afbeelding door middel van Randy Galang