His collection also extends to hats, shirts and other clothing items. On its face, this treasure trove of fashion price tags between $80,000 to $100,000, and that is without taking into account the value of rarity and demand. Since the very beginning, Robert only bought one pair of shoes above retail.
It was the Dr. Feelgood Nike SB Dunk, he thought the resale was the normal price. Otherwise he would have never paid the asking price.
Retail in the sneaker culture is bought at the store of the supplier.
But once on the street, its value can skyrocket depending on the limited supply and high demand in the market. So the market value of his entire collection can even be higher.
Robert’s beginnings in the sneaker game
Robert’s dad, a Chicago native raised in Peoria, Illinois had a huge influence on Robert as he is a die-hard Chicago fan. Robert, who grew up with the Chicago teams in his house, saw it all from the start.
“So, I’m 10 years old when Jordan wins his first championship and 5 years old when Jordan dunks his free throw line dunk. So, I was a very impressionable kid…. and the coolest guy in sports just happened to be on your favorite team,” he said. “My parents not because we were poor, but just because they wanted to instill good values. Never allow me to get Jordans.”
Robert’s first pair of Jordans when he was young was the original Jordan Chicago 1 High, given to him as a hand-me-downs by a neighbor.
They were way too big on him, but he wore them anyway. He tied the laces around the ankle, and wore them out until one day his mother decided to throw away the shoes because he looked “ridiculous." He didn’t blame her at the time.
“Even when I was in the crunchiest of crunchy phases, I still had to be fresh compared to all other crunchy people,”
Jason Robert
Sneaker Collector
Sneaker Collector
He started to collect more seriously between ‘08 and ‘09. His collection would range from Supreme, Nike, Asics, Lifted Research Group also known as LRG, New Balances and more.
Sneakers are a conversation and support system
Fashion is an art and a community to Robert.
He mentioned that it influences people to want to spark a conversation about the uniqueness and rarity to each clothing piece. He has connections from Europe to New York in which they would always help each other out in getting the shoes they needed. In the face of adversity, they looked out for each other like a family.
“We had a sneaker homie whose dad passed away and his wife had cancer at the same time,” he said. “We put together a package of all these streetwear, money and gifts just to send it to him as a surprise.”
This community even goes beyond him as one of his other friend’s apartment building caught on fire and he lost a bunch of his sneakers. Without hesitation, Robert and his friends raised a bunch of money and sneakers for him.
What drove him to do all this was because of the culture it used to be. “The thing was limited shoes, it wasn’t about affording them, it was about knowing someone who had access to them,” he said.
He had dreams of opening up a sneaker boutique which is where DropDSM came from. He was hoping this business would be up-to-date with all of the releases and would sell clothing items, shoes and other fashion lines. Robert mentioned that if he broke even every year, meaning he wouldn’t make a profit, he would still be happy because he would be able to still be a realtor through his computer and talk about fashion and sneakers with people all day.
“I’m not religious, but the closest thing to religion is to make a stranger smile everyday. That’s how I approach life,”
Jason Robert
Sneaker Collector
Sneaker Collector
He then lost interest due to many resellers turning over the culture into a business. His interest sparked back up during Valentine’s Day where his wife gifted him the Jordan 6 Black Varsity Red.
During the time of the gift his inspiration sparked. During this time he started having more money and this was the time when Ronnie Fieg, founder of “Kith,” was with New York-based franchise David Z. In the 1990s David Z was the most influential block in the country for street culture. There was a pair of Ronnie Fieg x Asics Gel-Lyte Cove he was going for and it was one of the first super hype pairs released online as Robert mentioned.
“I remember one time I think it was the Ronnie Fieg Rose Gold GT-II. My internet stopped working like 15 minutes before the release, and in my underwear and a hood, I got in my car and drove to Caribou to use their wifi in their parking lot. I had no shoes or pants on,” He said.
He didn’t get the shoes.
DropDSM, which once was an idea for a business, is now an instagram page in which he displays many of his sneakers.
Robert will find every opportunity to incorporate his shoes in any special event.
Take his wedding, for instance.
He called “Nike ID,” now known as “Nike By You,” a custom shoe service provided by Nike.
Robert had a special request to the company and it was to put the date on when he will be getting married on the shoes.
The staff member put him on speaker and congratulated him on the special occasion. His order was later confirmed and the date September 13, 2008 was sewn on the shoe.
There is no doubt that Robert left a shoe print in many sneakerheads' hearts. It is not about the money for him, but about the countless connections he’s made with his shoes.
“There's been lots of people that I now consider like good friends that we just met because of sneakers,” he said.