Yue Wu On Air

#1 Do you remember the story behind your first pair of Air Max?

My first pair of Air Max that I bought for myself was actually a pair of Air Max 97. I saved for more than a year for those. I remember I used to go to the public library to read through a basketball magazine because they always have advertising with all the craziest sneakers. There was this advertising for this particular shoe that just came out, like half off the price, which was probably a mistake on their part.

So I went to the shop and I showed the advertising and they said, ‘Okay, you can have the shoe, but you can have either a U.S. size 8 or U.S. size 10.’ I was a U.S. size 9 at the time. And I was like, ‘Whoa, okay. I'm probably going to grow. I'm going to have bigger feet.’ And I wore those, but they were way too big, and my feet never grew. But I was so proud and I wore them with baggy pants to cover my feet.

#2 How many sneakers are in your collection?

I wouldn't say that I have a collection, but normal people would say I have some kind of disorder. But it was never meant to be a collection. I just love sport shoes. I love the colors, the shapes. I don't really know how many pairs I have, but I would say around 500, more or less.  

#3 How does a sneaker make the cut to be in your collection?

For me, a sneaker that I keep now is a sneaker that I would probably wear every day. And now that I'm older, the comfort is number one, and then the look, of course. I always have a particular relationship with every pair that I pick up, because I would never buy a shoe because it's hyped. I would take a shoe that people give to me if I am not going to wear them. I wear every single pair of my shoes.

#4 How many years did it take to accumulate your current sneaker collection? When did you start collecting?

I never meant to collect sneakers. But since the first pair that I had, I’ve always tried to keep them as long as possible. I’ve tried to keep them fresh, clean them, do some painting, retouch on the sole if there are some scratches or whatever. And throughout the years, probably since '97, slowly I got more and more shoes.

But it took a while, and when I first actually started to work and earn my own money, I took advantage of being able to buy what I couldn’t have afforded when I was younger.

#5 What thoughts went through your mind when you saw Air Max for the first time?

The first time I saw a pair of Air Max that really struck me was the Air Max 95.  I remember seeing it in the street. The shade of gray and neon color was just crazy. The Visible Air unit was very appealing to me as a child, almost like a novelty on a toy. You know, like, ‘Oh, you can see through this.’ and the bright colors. It was like an attractive toy.

#6 How would you define sneaker culture?

Right now, sneaker culture is truly a culture because we all grew up with it. It's embedded in our DNA. It's related to the music we listen to, to the films we watch, to the athletes we have loved from our childhood to now.  So it's completely intertwined and tangled together.

I have a story for each of the sneakers in my collection. A lot of them were bargains, because I went to look for them. I went to dig for them. I went to look for the underrated shoes when everybody was hyped about another shoe because it was hyped. Part of sneaker culture is this process of discovery.

#7 How is art intertwined with sneaker culture in France?

I think sneaker culture and sport brands inspired a lot of artists because sneakers become cultural icons. Like this shoe represents a French project, French neighborhood, a certain type of music, a certain type of dress code.  

#8 Being an artist who has traveled and lived all over the world, how would you define the differences in sneaker culture around the globe?

Sneaker culture nowadays is globalized because of the Internet. But everybody has a relation with sneakers all over the world. I guess in Europe, we're more into running shoes, retro running shoes. In America, they're more into basketball shoes. In China, basketball shoes are big as well.

So I guess in sneaker culture, it's slightly different around the globe. You can find gems everywhere in the world as a sneaker person if your taste is very eclectic.

#9 Can you describe the feeling you get when you put on your favorite pair of sneakers?

The feeling that I have when I put on a shoe that I'm really excited about makes me very happy. It makes me very energetic and helps me go through the day with pride.

#10 As an artist, where do you find creative inspiration?

I find creative inspiration everywhere. Recently, this inspiration has mostly come through conversations that I have with friends that push the boundaries of your own thought. I also get information from when I travel because you go away from your usual environment, which puts everything you’re trying to do and achieve in a different perspective.

#11 As an illustrator, what is your favorite shoe style to draw, and why?

As an illustrator and as a sneaker lover, there's really no one type of shoe that I like to draw. I'd love to draw my own shoe someday and design something different, something new. But yeah, as a sneaker lover, I love all types of different kind of shoes, from running shoes to basketball shoes.

I have a very eclectic taste, and in my style of drawing, I can draw pretty much any type of shoe. So, yeah, there's no one specific shoe.