What do rappers, middle schoolers, basketball players and (probably) your dad all have in common? In Chris Robinson’s words, “They all appreciate a good pair of sneakers.” And he would know! Robinson, known far and wide as SBCollector, has made his fortune in the sneaker resale industry. Having built a company from the ground up, Chris knows what it means to, in his words, ‘appreciate a good pair of sneakers’. His personal collection alone is worth over two million dollars.
I’ve gotten used to interviewing people online, but since Chris and I are both from New Jersey, I decided to come over to his skate shop (yes, he owns a skate shop) and talk about a new project he’s very excited about (hint, it’s not sneakers). Chris was waiting for me when I get there, coffee in hand.
M: So, Chris, the first question is this: what do you think of my sneakers?
C: (laughs) Air Force 1s in white, a classic. You might want to clean them up a little, but I got you, I have some spray that’ll make those good as new.
M: Ok, so now that we know my shoes are cool. What are you wearing right now?
C: I’ve got on Graph Paper Nike SB dunks, they were a Japan only release in 2015.
M: So tell me about your start in the shoe world.
C: I opened my shop in 2011, when I was 19 years old. But I loved sneakers as long as I can remember. In order to stay on trend with the industry, you have to keep up to date daily with different blogs; such as hype beast, sneakernews, and nice kicks. As well as pay attention to the influential celebrities, and what they wear because at the end of the day they’re the ones starting the trends.
M: I know you opened this skateshop too, were you a big skater?
C: No I was never really a skater. But we share a common language, and a love for shoes. The local skate shop in my area Bare Wires was going out of business, so I purchased it, renovated, and saved it for the local kids in the community. The biggest challenge I faced was getting the respect from a community that I wasn’t a part of: the skate world is a tight knit group and being someone that was never involved in that community now owning a skate shop was a bit difficult to navigate at the time. But they’ve since been so warm and really brought me into the fold.
M: Ok, now tell me about the thing I came here for, your music.
C: I started making music because it’s always been such a big part of my life. When the pandemic happened I found myself both with a lot of free time and really questioning what I wanted to do with my life in a meaningful way. I’ve been making beats for a while, but this year I took it seriously. I invested in the right equipment and got familiar with it, and just spent hours on it every day. I get obsessed with things and music is something I really became obsessed with.
M: Who are some of your influences?
C: Redman, Jay-z, Eminem, Snoop. The classic guys from that era. I love a lot of the new stuff coming out now, and there’s a ton of ingenuity, but I really want to bring back that old, analog feel. I really think my music is going to make a mark and strike a chord with people.
M: Where can people check you out?
C: The best place to find me is on Instagram as @SBCollector, but you can also find all my music on Spotify, too.