Interview with Yuki of Yukigraphics

We are happy to share an interview we did with Yuki aka. Yukigraphics have led. The interview was conducted in English and translated here.

The English version can also be found below. PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ENGLISH VERSION.

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A: Hi! Who are you? Can you introduce yourself?

Y: Hello! I am Yuki Born in Japan. Raised in Thailand and Japan. Studied in England. Worked in Japan. I currently live in Germany.

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A: How long have you been in the sneaker game and how did you get into it? Which model did you start with?

Y: It started early for me. I was 12 or 13 and my first pair was an Air Force 1.

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I started collecting when I was about 15 or 16, that was when I started studying design in England. My parents moved at the same time and unfortunately threw away my entire collection. There was also a Dunk SB Heineken, which still weighs on me to this day.

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After graduating from university, I moved back to Japan and resumed my passion for collecting. Part of the reason was that I lived next door to Mita Sneakers.

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A: Are you a member of a Sneaker Stammtisch?

Y: Yes, at the one in Cologne and in Düsseldorf. And in Tokyo I hosted one.

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A: Do you have a Go-To store in Germany?

Y: AFEW Store & overkill

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A: Is there a focus in your sneaker collection?

Y: Not really, I buy what I like, the brand doesn't matter.

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A: Which sneaker are you wearing right now?

Y: Yeezy Slide (I'm home...)

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A: Which sneaker did you buy last?

Y: Sonra Proto “Fuffi”.

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A: Which sneaker are you sad to have missed?

Y: Asics GL3 Super Green.

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A: Is there a brand that's undeservedly under the radar?

Y: Snow Crew.

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A: Is there a trend in the sneaker scene that you miss or are glad it's gone?

Y: The entire sneaker scene has changed drastically compared to 10 years ago. There are still some great sneaker communities helping each other. But the whole sneaker resale game is something I'd like to see abolished one day. From "Oh that's a nice pair of sneakers you're wearing" to "Oh that sneaker is worth $$$$$".

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A: How important are real sneaker stores compared to online retail for you?

Y: One thing even more important than sneakers is talking to the people in the store. I really like staying in a store for a long time to talk to the employees. That's a big difference between stationary and online retail. This human interaction.

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A: How do you store your sneaker collection?

Y: On a shelf, some are still in their boxes.

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A: Do you wear all your sneakers or are there any that are "too good for the street"?

Y: I try to wear all my sneakers, but due to the current lockdown times, I haven't always managed to do it.. I try my best to wear all my sneakers, to the point where I taking photos of what I'm wearing every day for a year. Check out #whatsonyukisfeettoday on Instagram!

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A: Do you have any rituals, like unpacking a new sneaker?

Y: When unboxing, I ALWAYS look at other things that are in the box before I get to the shoes. I like little extras and a personal touch. Just something special. After checking everything in the box, I first check the size on the shoe box before I get to the actual shoes.

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A: Are you picky? For example with the lacing or do you wear your clothes to match the shoes?

Y: I tend to keep my clothes pretty simple. Usually just gray pants or Japanese jeans and a simple top. This usually goes well with all shoes. The socks are usually white because that's easy and goes with everything.

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A: Do you clean your sneakers, if so, how?

Y: I try to clean them (the ones I wear) once a week. I use different products. By Collonil Carbon, DFNS, Bama Urban Element. Name any name, I've tried them all.

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A: What release are you waiting for?

Y: I don't have anything on my radar right now, but I'm sure a pair will come along sooner or later.

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A: Which shoe should be released again?

Y: That's a tough question. I don't own a Jordan 1 “Chicago” myself and I would like to have one at some point.

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A: Have you ever accidentally bought a fake?

Y: Yes, some fake bapesta on eBay... that was a painful realization. I gave them to a friend.

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A: What do you wear when you're not wearing sneakers?

Y: I've been working from home for a while. Therefore mostly Yeezy Slide or Foam Runner.

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A: What do you do when you're not pursuing your sneaker hobby/lifestyle?"

Y: I love to travel, eat and hike. Whenever I find time, I try to go hiking. When I'm not hiking, I try to find a few places to eat and try different dishes.

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A: Do you have a sneaker anecdote you would like to share with us?

Y: Wear your sneakers! :)

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A: Thank you for the interview!

Y: You are welcome!

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GERMAN VERSION:

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A: Who are you? Can you briefly introduce yourself?

Y: I'm Yuki. Born in Japan. Raised helped in Thailand and Japan. Studied in the UK. Worked in Japan. Currently living in Germany.

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A: How long have you been in the sneaker universe, how did you get into it? With which model did you start?

Y: My interest in sneakers started when I was quite young, at around 12-13 years old and it all started with a pair of AF1. My collection didn't start until when I was 15-16 but when I moved to the UK to pursue my university education in design.

My parents were moving houses at that time and threw away all my sneakers collection, including the Dunk SB Heineken, which I still regret today. But after my university education, I moved back to Japan and started collecting sneakers again since I lived next to Mita Sneakers.

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A: Are you a member of a “Sneaker Meetup"?

Y: Yes, one in Cologne and Düsseldorf and used to host one in Tokyo as well.

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A: Do you have a Go-To store in Germany?

Y: AFEW Store & overkill

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A: Does your collection have a focus?

Y: Not really, I buy what I like in any brand.

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A: Which sneaker are you wearing right now?

Y: Yeezy Slide (at home…)

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A: Which sneaker did you buy last?

Y: Sonra Proto “Fuffi”

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A: Which sneaker do you mourn, i.e. which one did you ditch and then regret?

Y: Asics GL3 Super Green.

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A: Which brand do you think is unjustly under the radar?

Y: Snow Crew.

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A: Is there a trend in the sneaker scene that you miss or are glad to see gone?

Y: The whole sneakers scene has shifted drastically in comparison to 10 years ago. There are still some amazing sneaker communities out there who are still trying to help each other. But the whole sneakers reselling game is something that I want to see gone one day. From being "oh! That a nice pair of sneakers you have" to "oh! That's worth $$$$$".

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A: How important are "real sneaker stores" to you compared to online retail?

Y: One thing that is more important than sneakers is actually talking to the people in store. I can be in a store for a long time, talking to the store staff. That is a big difference between instore and online. That human interaction.

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A: How do you store your collection?

Y: On a shelf and some are still in boxes.

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A: Do you wear all your sneakers or are there some that are "too good for the street"?

Y: I try my best to wear all my sneakers but due to the current years under lockdown, I haven't been able to wear all my sneakers. I try my best to wear all my sneakers to the point I take pictures of what I am wearing every day for a year. Check it out #whatsonyukisfeettoday on Instagram.

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A: Do you have rituals, for example when unpacking a new shoe?

Y: When I do my unboxing, I ALWAYS check other things that are inside the box first before even getting to the shoes. I like little messages and personalization. Just something special. Once I checked everything inside the box then I check the size on the sneakers box first before I even get to the actual sneakers.

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A: Are you meticulous? For example, lacing, matching clothes, etc?

Y: I tend to keep my clothes quite simple. Usually just a pair of gray trousers or Japanese denim and a simple top. Usually goes well with any shoes. Socks are usually white just because it's easy and goes well with everything.

‍

A: Do you clean your sneakers, if so how?

Y: I try to clean them once a week (the one I wear) with various products that I have. From Collonil Carbon, DFNS, Bama Urban element. You name it, I tried them all.

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A: Which release are you looking forward to right now?

Y: Nothing in my radar at the moment but I am sure there will be some pair releasing sooner or later

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A: Bring it back. Which shoe should come back?

Y: That's a tough question, I personally do not own a Jordan 1 “Chicago” and would love to have that one day.

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A: Have you ever "accidentally" bought a fake sneaker?

Y: Yes, a pair of fake Bapesta off eBay… It was a painful realization. So I just gave them to a friend for free.

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A: What do you wear when you are not wearing sneakers?

Y: Been working at home for a while now so usually the Yeezy Slide or Foam Runners at home.

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A: What are you doing when you are not dedicating yourself to your sneaker hobby/lifestyle?

Y: I love traveling, eating, and hiking. Whenever I find time, I try to go out hiking. If not hiking then I try to find some places to eat and trying different food.

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A: Do you have a sneaker anecdote you would like to share?

Y: Wear your sneakers! :)

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A: Thank you very much for the interview!

Y: You are welcome!

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Photos via Yuki, KHD FILM, Hikmet, legitcheck.app