We keep things in-house this time for another size?collections, visiting one of our own in Zach Sturge who tells us he’s been collecting for some 12 years now and boasts over 150 different pairs of Nike and Jordan’s. Not just that, though. We also get a glimpse at his Gundam model collection which unintentionally kick-started the seriousness of his dedication to footwear, and we save time for a catch-up with dad Andy who’s also an avid collector; like father like son as they say.

Every collector has got that one pair that started it all, and for Zach it was the Air Max 98 Gundam – with its bold OG colourway that happened to resemble the robotics of the mecha anime of the same name which Zach was also a big fan of at the time. ‘‘I remember hearing about the Gundam’s coming out, that initially got me into shoes and then I started losin’ my head a little bit and started collecting everything that I like,’’ Zach recalls.

Onto the first Jordan, which is an Air Jordan 1 with hazardous colour blocking that’s reflective of the Staten Island hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. Zach says, ‘‘In terms of me I just get shoes I like and that’s it.’’ Clearly, his different interests all cross over into his world of streetwear – which makes for a collection with bags of personality.

Just because it’s a favourite doesn’t mean that you liked it at first sight, which is the case for Zach’s Air Max 1 ‘86s ‘World Make Korea’ that he picked up in Japan, which features a cork-bed insole that he wasn’t fond of at first but eventually grew on him.

The collector gene must just be in the DNA with these two though, because Dad Andy has been collecting footwear for over thirty years and has a particular passion for one of Tinker Hatfield’s own: the ACG Air Mowabb which adopted an unofficial Chicago Bears NFL colourway for its release back in ’91.

Saving the rarest ‘til last, Zach rounds his collection up with the Air Max 97 Sean Wotherspoon. A release that he camped out for in the cold, and featured in an interview in the Birmingham Mail papers for – a story that he’s prone to telling when it crops up now and again in conversation.

Dig into even more size?collections on our blog if you’re looking for that footwear fix.