This week, Community Collections goes international to feature a sneaker lover from Down Under. Aaron Duthoit is a collector from Australia who was inspired by the GOAT and his Air Jordans. Originally unable to obtain any of the releases he wanted, he began collecting when he had the means and the inspiration, and now Duthoit’s stash is stacked up to the ceiling with classics that he always wanted as a kid. Constantly having to deal with exchange rates and rare releases, this Australian sneakerist has to always be on his game to stay up to date.
Breeze your way through the pages to see this islander’s collection and some of his personal selections, including his You must be and Personal Favorite. Read Aaron’s personal sneaker story below, and tell us if you would rather collect out of Australia than the United States in the comment section at the bottom of the page.
Profile:
Name: Aaron Duthoit
City: Australia
Instagram: @Air_Ronnie
Size: 13
Started: 2005
Collection Summary:
“Growing up in the ’90s, there were so many sneakers that were amazing to me. I was constantly checking them out when anyone had a fresh pair on. It was generally the Swoosh and the Jumpman that got me. It felt like there was never a bad pair out there, even the early Team Jordans. As it is with most kids, I couldn’t get them all. I always knew that as soon as I earned my own money, I’d get the ones that I always wanted as a kid. It’s just lucky that they retro them to make it possible. I started by getting a colorway from each numbered Air Jordan, but that didn’t last long. There were just so many that appealed to me. Living in Australia can make it difficult to pick up the popular sneakers releasing. There’s a shop in Australia that is a legit sneaker destination that knows the culture really well, so I can pick up the general releases fairly easily. Nothing like the US releases I’ve experienced, with the raffles and people cutting lines. If I miss out there, I count on a connection in the US. For someone in Australia, it’s really important to have a strong relationship with someone who knows their stuff and can get you those trickier releases. When dealing internationally, you rely heavily on the exchange rate remaining comparable. It’s something I check almost daily. At one point, the dollar dropped to 55c to the US dollar, so it pretty much stopped me from collecting for a while, but when it picked back up I was able to catch up on the releases I missed. My collection consists of mainly numbered Air Jordans with a few Foams, Pennys and Kobes thrown in. I like pretty much all of the numbered Jordans, but don’t have many above the 14s due to the overflow of retro releases. 3s, 4s, 5s and 11s are my favored models. The Foams were always ahead of their time, they still look like a sneaker from the future in my opinion, so anytime they release something subtle I try to get them. I don’t have nearly as many Kobes as I’d like, I love his shoes. Particularly the Kobe 6s, and the 8s are so light and comfortable.”
