We’re always showing you the latest and greatest footwear, but we thought we’d take some time out and showcase what some of the staff here at size? HQ have in their backlog.

First on the bill, it’s our content photographer, James Measom.

James has been here at size? for just over 10 years now, and day to day he’s involved with creating photo and video content for our blog and social channels.

So sit back and have a browse through James’ decade-spanning collection!

“I’ve had varying types of interest in shoes for the past 20 years, whether it be through football or skateboarding when I was younger, but have actually been ‘collecting’ as such for about 10 years now.

I’m not into the hype side of things, more-so the more eccentric-looking shoes that not everyone else is going to be wearing. I also love researching and collecting footwear from years gone by so I’ve got my own little archive on the go that I can refer back to when creating historical articles.

I’ve pulled together some of my favourites from my stash to show the variety of things I’m into.”

Nike Air Footscape – 1996

“The Air Footscape is one of my all-time favourites, and of all the different variations that have released over the decades, it’s still the original version that does it for me.

One of the stranger kinds of shoes I’ve got in my collection, it’s one that takes people a bit of getting used to. A few high-end brands seemed to have been using it as an inspiration in recent years, with its strange off-centre lacing system.”

Nike SB Zoom E-Cue – 2002

“This was an amazing era in skateboard footwear (in my opinion) where Nike was being really experimental with adding technology to the outside of skate shoes, in order to protect and make them last longer through heavy-use.

Eventually, this would get more and more minimal as years passed by, until a lot of the tech was resigned to the inside of the shoe. I found these while on a trip to Berlin vintage shopping, and also have the black/silver OG pair from 2002 which you can see in the box underneath.”

Nike HTM Woven Boot – 2002

“Nike’s HTM line has long since been a favourite among collectors, more-so the really early years where the trio was given the chance to experiment with how footwear could be designed.

Having Mark Parker in your line-up almost gives you free-reign to go wild, and the addition of Tinker Hatfield and Hiroshi Fujiwara means you had some really innovative minds on the case.

The HTM Woven Boot was a step-on from the original Air Woven, and each pair was individually numbered on a label inside. There aren’t many projects that feature this level of individuality nowadays. I found this pair on a trip to Japan from the famous K-Skit store in Kichijoji.”

adidas Galaxy 2 – 1997

“When I was younger (we’re talking 10 years old) I used to pore over mail-order catalogues and think about all of the shoes I’d have if I had the means, one of which was the adidas Galaxy.

Both the 1 and 2 were pretty overbranded and came in some great colourways that you didn’t see cropping up on other shoes. This pair was a great eBay-find for an amazingly cheap price, unworn as well!”

Nike Dunks

“I’ve collected and skated a few different versions of the Dunk over the years. It still retains a classic and there have been so many good releases in both the standard Dunk and Nike SB version.

The four pictured are all from the early 2000s, including the ‘Carhartt’ Pro-B’s (The SB Dunk before the official SB branding was added) ‘Tony Parker – Olympic’s’ (of which I think I might have one of the only UK11’s in the country), ‘Twisted Prep’s’, and some great Black/Grey’s which can be worn with anything.

Digging these out is a reminder that I need to track down some more.”

Nike Air Max 90 ‘Escape’ – 2003

“I used to take a lot of trips up to London with my friends when I worked back in size? Plymouth. We’d go hunting across the city in a few different spots, and there was a vintage spot on Portobello Road where I used to pick up a lot.

I think one person had sold in their whole collection, and they were all my size, so I used to pick up so many different pairs on each trip! These Air Max 90 Escapes were made with some great quality materials, it’s a shame they’re all crumbling now, there aren’t a lot of releases that stand up to this era in footwear.”

Nike Bongo – 1986

“I found these Nike Bongo while digging around a vintage sale in Manchester and scored them for £15! Had a good chat with the guy selling them and I don’t think these were even supposed to be out on the table, so I got lucky!

As you can see, they’re only a size US5, but I always like picking historic pairs like this up to use for articles like this. I can’t imagine there are many pairs of these around in this good condition, this pair dates back to 1986.”

adidas City Series Dublin – 1970s

“Another that I managed to find in a vintage shop randomly for some silly cheap price, and another that’s not in my size. These were made in Yugoslavia, and from what I can gather from info found online. I think they might be from a run made in the 1970s (answers on a postcard please!).

The ‘DUBLIN’ insignia on the other foot is actually printed upside down which is a nice touch for a collection!”

And that’s it for James’ collection, keep checking back on the size blog to see what other silhouette’s our staff are hoarding…