JED LIKOS
Words: Nick Santora | Photographer: Jed Likos
Location: Buffalo, NY | Age: 37 | Occupation: Teacher
Collection: Unknown
There’s a chance Jed Likos is my long-lost brother. Our very first conversation revealed that
even though we grew up in different places, we share the same childhood experiences and
memories. It’s actually probably not e ven that unique for anyone reading this magazine who’s
approaching forty years old. The year was 1991. Michael Jordan would go on to win his first
championship, Bart Simpson t-shirts were banned from middle schools, and neon David
Robinson’s were the most coveted sneakers in the world. If you owned a GT Performer and
Oakley Razor Blades, you were the raddest dude in town. You just had to be really careful rid-
ing that bike home after the sun went down.
The conversation turned to 1991, it was arguably Nike’s peak year. When you consider the
collection of sneakers, apparel, athletes, and marketing campaigns, the brand was clicking on
all cyclinders. They had incredible athlete endorsements and the marketing campaigns to sup-
port them. They also introduced hugely successful sneakers like the Air Huarache and 180 Air,
and expanded their Cross Training, Challenge Court, ACG, and Aqua Gear categories (see
interview with Chris Blackstone for catalog references). Nike was at the forefront of youth
culture with their ability to connect sports, style and the American psyche.
Jed began collecting one day, when he casually started looking on eBay for some of the
sneakers he grew up wearing. the “Golden Era” Air Force Series, Air Flights, Air Max, and
Tech Challenge. Like any great vintage hunter, his collection expanded as acquiring his grails
led him down many different paths. His sneaker range expanded to include a chronology of
Nike running styles, dating back to the early 1970s, as well as several SMU basketball player
exclusives, made for “The Iceman” George Gervin and World B. Free. His assortment of
ephemera is second-to-none, with an assortment of marketing materials and promo items
that include catalogs, keychains, posters, stickers, videos, apparel, shoe molds, sample pairs,
movie props, store displays, and books of fabric swatches. This is stuff that even seasoned
collectors and sneakerheads never knew existed.
Without further ado, I’ll step aside and let you look at some of this wonderful collection, as
Jed tells us what it is and how he was able to find it.