Introduce yourself and how did you get into sneaker collecting?
Hi, my name is Lim Kok Kean, known as Bunga which is my DJ moniker. 3 things rule my life: music, food and sneakers. I got into sneakers like most kids in the ‘80s and ‘90s through basketball during the era of Michael Jordan.
As a big-time music geek, I often take inspiration from my favourite artists, mostly from two different music scenes namely metal musicians in their high top Nikes and hip hop artist in their freshest gears.
I picked up this hobby seriously in ’97 – ’98 when I was in Japan during the beginning of the CO.JP era of Dunks, during the time where you could only catch a glimpse of certain sneakers through Japanese magazines such as Boon and Street Jack.
What is your first impression/thoughts on this pair?
First of all, I love the shape! It’s pretty sleek just like the recent retros of the Crystal Blues and Solar Reds and I think the grey gradient with the white stitching lines is just straight up fire topped off with the neon yellow. The reflective panels on the shoe tongues and heels are also great, none of that flaky material that flakes off after a year or two.
Are there any differences, did they miss any details?
I think this 2020 version might be the closest to the originals from ’95, with some key differences between the 2020 and the previous reissues, the latest which I think is from 2018. The PSI markings on the sole are correct and in order, the Air Max logo on the shoe tongue has been flipped back to look like the original 95s, even the inner soles are now full neon, unlike previous reissues. The box is true to the OG too. This is definitely not a pair to be missed if you’re into Air Max, Nike has done a great job this time ensuring this pair is as close as possible to the ones released back in 1995. I’m gonna triple up on these babies!
What is your personal affiliation to this silhouette?
I first saw the Air Max 95 in Japan, priced at an exorbitant price of 100,000 yen due to the influence of Takuya Kimura. What caught my attention to the silhouette is the ground-breaking design and also it was the first Nike shoe without a large Swoosh branding. Although I was unable to purchase them then, I managed to cop my first pair during the 2000s and the Air Max 95 has been my favourite Air Max silhouette to date and is one of my Top 5 sneakers of all time.
What have you been working on in recent times?
Like everyone else, it has been a very strange and tough year – I was still lucky enough to DJ a few times before the lockdown and a couple more times when the lockdown was lifted. Besides that, I’ve been busy with my day job at a marketing and activation agency but this coming year I definitely want to do more to contribute to the local sneaker community as well as try to get my food hashtag and platform #bungabites off the ground!
