CLASSIC KICKS MAGAZINE VOLUME 2 | Page 45

LUIS MIGUEL LOZANO Words: Nick Santora | Photographer: Deven Cucolo Location: Murcia, Spain | Age: 41 | Occupation: Foreign Language Teacher Collection: 2,000 pairs My conversation with Luis Miguel Lozano was a lesson in the power of positive thinking. Ever since he was a kid, “Jumi,” as his friends call him, has possessed the ability to visualize things into existence. Before all the newest Nike and Converse sneakers were imported to Spain back in the 1980s, he would draw the models he spotted in magazines, but couldn’t own. Today, every single sneaker from his childhood sketchbook is included in his collection. In the late 1990s, Jumi acquired his first pair of “vintage” sneakers. It was the same metal- lic blue Air Jordan 1 that his uncle bought him overseas and got him hooked on Nike as a kid. He simply thought about them one day and asked a few local shop owners if they still had any old stock, and within days he received a call about a deadstock pair in his size, along with the Chicago colorway, also new in the box. It happened so effortlessly that it skewed his whole perception of hunting down vintage sneakers. His Holy Grails were in the posses- sion of the third person he asked, in his size, brand new in the box, thirteen years after they originally came out! Jumi’s “collector” story is also unique because many of his sneakers were found the old fash- ioned way of exploring back-alleys across Europe in search of hidden old stock in family- owned shops. You’ll be surprised to learn what gems he’s found recently just by walking into a store and seeing them hidden somewhere in the back. Jumi made his way (uninvited) to the Nike, Beaverton a few years ago to try to talk his way into its archives. After being denied entry by multiple gatekeepers, he pulled out his phone and started showing off photos of his collection to anyone who would listen. At that pre- cise moment, “the right person” just happened to be walking by and overheard his informal pitch. That Nike employee remains nameless, but he had enough clout to invite him to stay the week as his personal guest where he toured the campus and met with many more people. Today, Jumi contributes his collection and his time to Nike events throughout Europe.