Students can have a variety of shoes they wear every day, but could anyone go toe to toe with a $10,000 shoe collection?
Conner Range, a fifth-year senior, has 47 pairs of shoes and is still growing his collection.
Range said what started out as a fun hobby has turned into wanting to buy the next shoe as soon as it hits the market.
“If I like the pair of shoes, I buy them,” Range said.
Range has so many shoes that his roommates complain about them getting in the way.
Range’s roommate, Olivia Douglas, a senior at Bellarmine, said because he has so many shoes, they take up a lot of closet space and she tends to trip over them from time to time.
The rarest shoe he has is a Reebok style that paired with a YouTube show called “Hot Ones.” Range said only 2,000 pairs exist. He paid $275 to enter a raffle for the shoes and he won.
According to Peter Verry in his Footwear News website article: “The Reebok x Hot Ones Classic Leather Legacy is an homage to the show’s moments where guests reach for a sip of water or milk to cool off after being set on fire with multiple hot sauces. It features water and milk splash details throughout, icy insoles and a cooler version of the ‘Hot Ones’ branding on the heel.”
Range’s average pair of shoes cost about $200, but pairs of shoes can have price tags from $50 to $1,500. Range said he is able to pay for them by working while he is in school. Two of his most expensive shoes are his Gucci and Yeezy shoes, which were $850 and $1,500, respectively. His least expensive shoes are his Crocs, which cost $50.
Range said he will never wear the Reebok pair because they are a limited edition and they are too clean to risk getting them dirty. He said he has worn the Gucci and Yeezy shoes but tries not to because of their value.
Some other shoes in his collection are Air Force 1’s, Nike Lows, Nike Mids, Lululemon shoes, Vans, and a couple pairs of dress shoes.
Range has a favorite pair, however.
“My Yeezy Triple White Reflective’s are probably the coolest because if the lights are off and you take a picture with the flash, they're reflective,” Range said.
Range also has a pair of Adidas Ultra Boosts that are reflective and made of recycled plastic from the ocean and has a pair of Nike shoes made from 80% cork.
“They’re not really an investment. I don’t sell shoes. I just like the way they look,” Range said. “I’ll buy them from anywhere, and I find them during class, scrolling through Tik Tok or when I see them on other people.”
Range said most of the shoes cannot be sold. However, he said his brand-name shoes could be sold for the same price he paid, but he said he does not plan to sell because he would rather wear them.
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