Faces & Spaces in Amsterdam bei Kwon Kim

Faces & Spaces, dieses mal außer Landes in Amsterdam. Hafenstadt, Hauptstadt der Niederlande, Grachtenstadt, durch den Noordzeekanaal mit der Nordsee verbunden. Wo wir feststellen mussten, dass es noch so etwas wie Ladenschlusszeiten, pünktlich um 18 Uhr gibt, unter der Woche, und die Restaurants ab 22 Uhr eigentlich kein Essen mehr servieren. Dort befindet sich die Europazentrale von Asics. Und dort lebt seit kurzem auch der Asics-Manager, verantwortlich für alle Asics Lifestyle Produkte, Kwon Kim. Gebürtiger Berliner, Sneaker Freaker mit Leib und Seele und einer Vorliebe für Gummibärchen.

Anfang der 1970er Jahre kommen Kwons Eltern von Süd Korea/Seoul nach Berlin-Kreuzberg, wo er aufwächst und zur Schule geht und schließlich ein VWL-Studium an der Freien Universität in Berlin beginnt. Dabei scheint es fast, als wäre es auch egal gewesen wo Kwon, wann, wie aufgewachsen wäre und was er gelernt hätte. Das er einst im Sneaker-Geschäft erfolgreich sein würde dürfte wohl eher etwas wie vorherbestimmt gewesen sein. Mit einer bereits kindlichen Begeisterung für jegliche Sportarten wurden Sportbekleidung und Sneaker schnell ein wesentlicher Bestandteil seines alltäglichen Lebens. „Whether it was Agassi, McEnroe, Bjorn Borg or Jordan, Magic and Pele or Maradonna…all of them influenced me back then in Berlin and kept me sleepless over nights watching the finals.”

Auf früheren gelegentlichen Reisen nach Korea erkundet und erobert er dortige Sneakerläden und entdeckt einmalige Stücke. Zu seiner Studienzeit in Berlin arbeitet er im renommierten Schuh City/Apartment in Berlin-Mitte und verkauft Sneaker mit Leidenschaft und Hingabe, die ihn schicksalhaft immer wieder den richtigen Leuten begegnen lassen. So wird er schließlich Product Manager bei PUMA, verantwortlich für die weltweite PUMA Heritage Collection, und bei adidas Originals in Herzogenaurach, reist um die ganze Welt, auf der Suche nach immer wieder neuen Sneaker Designs und Store Konzepten, ist zu Besuch in verschiedenen Fertigungsstätten, immer in enger Zusammenarbeit mit namenhaften Designern in China, Vietnam oder Jakarta.

Nach drei Jahren adidas in Nürnberg war es nun an der Zeit für etwas Neues. Eine neue Stadt, ein neuer Job, nun also Amsterdam und ASICS & Onitsuka Tiger. Wie es sich und Kwon dort lebt, sein Lebensweg ein bißchen detailierter und natürlich wieviele Paar Sneaker er besitzt, und noch mehr gibt es nach dem Jump…

How is live going in Amsterdam?

All good in amsterhood!

5 things you are missing about Berlin?

Family & friends, X-Berg , inexpensive and good food, space in general, “Altbauwohnungen”.

I think you are kind of a sport addict since you are a child. Who was the most influential athlete to you?

I was not really a sport addict but like doing sports. To me Michael Jordan was an unique athlete and achieved outstanding results.

When did you become interested in Sneaker?

I was interested in sneakers at a young age. When I was a kid I was traveling to Korea once in a while and discovered sneaker stores or even sneaker chains like ABC mart. It’s the biggest sneaker chain in Asia mainly located in Japan and South Korea. Back then you found big selections of sneakers in south Korea which were not available in Germany or even in Europe due to the fact that big brands such as adidas and Nike started producing their sneakers in south Korea and Taiwan middle of the 80′s, so the selection you saw was a mix of official releases or samples and fakes which came straight from the factory.

During my studies I worked at “Schuhcity”/Apartment back then located at the Neue Schönhauser Straße and sold sneakers with passion and love. I learnt a lot and started selling different kind of sneaker types. Schucity was to me the best sneaker store in Germany back then but honestly speaking after almost ten years of traveling around the world, discovering and checking new sneaker stores, I have never seen a store concept with such a unique product selection like Schuhcity.

When did Sneakers become a lifestyle accessory? Once it was made for doing sports and even very frowned upon by wearing Sneakers in common.

I think the boom started around 2000 and people fully respected sneakers as a style element even though peeps were showing ad wearing their limited editions way before. You had for example PUMA Styles like the Speedcat, Mostro or Adidas Tae kwon do’s, Huaraches, Nike Air Trainers, Adidas Galaxy’s, Officials….Rift’s, and even more, which we were selling over and over at Schuhcity.

What is the secret about Asics?

A clear positioning, a clear vision and a strong and unique heritage. Anima Sana in Corpore Sano  = A sound mind in a sound body.

(1977 fusioniert das Unternehmen Asics mit zwei anderen Sportunternehmen und bekam seinen heutigen Namen, abgeleitet von dem lateinischen Spruch „Anima Sana in Corpore Sano”)

How many pairs of Sneakers do you have?

Around 500 pairs.

Which one is your favorite one and why?

“Adidas Conductor Hi” (Black – White)

When I was at High school I bought a pair from a friend, which I lost afterwards. It was my favorite pair especially in black – white but adidas never released them again. When I started working for adidas Originals as a product manager in 2005/2006, it was always my dream to bring the Conductor family back but due to certain reasons it was almost impossible to release them.

Well it was a very sad chapter and I was obviously very disappointed but when I came to the office and it was my birthday, my colleagues at adidas handed over a box where I found the adidas Conductor Hi in my favorite Colorway black – white. One pair made for me… . So far adidas has not released the original black white version again.

How did you get in touch with PUMA?

One day I met Christian Wiesender, big guy from PUMA back then, at Schuhcity and he gave me his card to call him whenever I considered an internship at PUMA. Ever since I worked at Schuhcity I knew I wanted to work in the “sneaker” area thus I got in touch with PUMA where I did my first internship beginning of 2000.

I had the honor to meet Siggi and Silke working for PUMA Germany – already back then for more than 20 years – and they shared funny and never heard before stories about Herzogenaurach, Adidas and PUMA families.

You had the pleasure to rummage in the last 30 years of Puma history. Sounds like a Sneaker Freaker dream come true. How did that happen?

During my first time at PUMA I begged for old PUMA catalogues and got in touch with Helmut Fischer (Head of Sport Marketing, PR, Media und Marketing Services, Germany) further more I had the pleasure to see a few old catalogues where I found nice 80′s and 90′s sneakers which have never been released before. The perfect material to find the right styles and right stories to create products for the next two years. Unfortunately it was quite difficult to find a department at PUMA Germany taking care of “sneaker/lifestyle” products since that business was completely new to PUMA.

Luckily I met the right peeps and it came out that a new Product/Design/Development lifestyle department just opened in Boston. They offered me a Traineeship for two years focusing on the “Heritage” and “Basketball” product collection. The first thing I did was to contact Helmut in Herzogenaurach and ask him where I can find more old PUMA catalogues.

He directed me to the legal team and I was a little concerned to get full access to the old stock. Happily they welcomed me with open arms

The downside was that I needed to scan all pages so I had everything covered. That meant scanning more than 30 years of PUMA’s catalogues.

What did you find?

I found all old School Boris Becker APP collections as well as the soccer and training shoes of Pele. I found a few from the states and they sold back then thousands of Puma Suedes, Clydes and the well known GV Special ( Vilas ).

Tell us about the red mask?

That’s a traditional Korean mask. My mum gave it to me couple years ago and in Korean tradition masks have got a variety of contexts. Back then they were used in wars and for ceremonies to drive a way evil spirits.

5 things that don’t have to miss in your fridge?

Milk, cheese, coffee, juice & Gummibärchen

How is your relationship to Seoul. Do you go there often?

Unfortunately I have not been there as much as I wanted to , even though I currently travel to Asia four times a year. My entire family lives in Seoul and if I’m lucky I find space to pop by for a weekend.  Seoul is not that familiar to me Berlin is the place I want to spend the rest of my life.

5 places on a journey round the world – where do you stop?

Tel Aviv, JeJu, Melbourne, Vancouver, Montreal, Andalucía.

5 People you look up to?

My mum and Nuna.

Where do we might meet you in ten years?

In lovely Berlin – Kreuzberg or Schöneberg

Who do like to see at Faces & Spaces?

Martin Kann

Vielen Dank für das Gespräch.

Fotos: Robert Wunsch

Text: Katrein Baumeister

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Tags: Adidas Originals, Amsterdam, Asics&Onitsuka Tiger, Kwon Kim, Puma, Robert Wunsch