Do YOU want to become the next "Sneaker freak of the week". Former freaks: Charles – Mr.67 Henry from Finland finds Air Jordan irrestistable Max - from Sweden InSane Balla - from the Bronx Linus - the Bomb Cameron - Pumping Reeboks Charles - Stenamark fan Pontus - crazy hair, crazy sneaks? Carmine - Brooklyn man? Jeff - the mad collector? Mike - Shake Fan? Duncan - Puma Power? Justin - sponsored by Nike? David - designs his own? Kinyatta - wants to be sponsored? Andrew - had scary Ewings? Fedry - not so normal from Normal? Marieke - wears New Balance 576 on stage Lim - his Kangaroos got jacked Greg - Skating Sneaks Luke - Sofa Sneaks Matt - Botkyrka style Jonas - crying for clogs Nikeboy - he knows what's up in freekin Baltimore Nick - he knows lil'penny personally! Maegan - creative in Converse. Pat - Footlocker Freak. Yusuke - is he gonna get his Air Max snatched? Somaya - the Bronx is her brand Fatima - loves a water fight Nina - tooth brush lady Tobbe - you can tell a tagger by his sneakers. Humpty - gangsters wear hi-tech now. Patrik - lacing is essential. Anna - Stan is her man. Pelle - the shoe tree guy. Micadelica - Adidas with fat laces are no 1. Fredrik - from skater to trainspotter. Pim - a modern man.

Jeff Chan from Vancouver, B.C., Canada is a true Sneaker Freak. Your first sneakers? Nike Air Jordan IV. I got them when I was 12. I originally wanted to get the white/red/black pair, but that style was out of stock so I settled for the black/red pair. I owned several sneakers before the Nike Air Jordan IV, but I don't remember their names. They were probably those velcro strap types that were popular then. It's very ironic that I never knew the name for my Air Jordan IV until some guy in school told me about it. I then started to get more involved in sneakers by going to the local Footlocker every once in a while to look for new releases (look only! I had no money to buy many shoes then). My second pair of sneakers after the Air Jordan IV was the Air Jordan V, which I bought one year later. Where do you shop for sneakers? I buy sneakers all over the world. Locally I look for sneakers in Footlocker or Champs. I often buy sneakers in Hong Kong or Taiwan because there are more selection and no sales tax. I particularly like to shop in Hong Kong because there are entire streets of sneakers in Mong Kok. I usually go to Sino Centre and Fa Yuen Street in Hong Kong for hot style sneakers and sneakers that are hard to find. In Hong Kong I can also bargain with the store owners so I get better deals there than in local store. Taiwan is also an interesting place to shop for sneakers because due to importing laws, all sneakers sold in Taiwan are either made in Korea or Taiwan, and NONE are made in China. So in Taiwan I can buy good quality sneakers at cheap prices (especially the Taiwanese Dollar is low now), without worrying about buying made in China shoes. Jeff's first sneaker. Why are sneakers important? Sneakers are excellent alternatives for casual wear if not used for sporting purposes. I find them very easy to coordinate with jeans, chinos, cord pants, or just almost anything other than a suit. I think sneakers are also a great way to express your personality. Sneakers allow those people who may not express their personality in their clothing to do so in the sneakers they wear. You can be totally generic in the clothing you wear, but with a sharp looking pair of sneakers, you will stand out in the crowd. It is sometimes easy to distinguish a person's culture by the sneakers they wear. I believe there are generally some styles of sneaks that are indigenous to particular groups of people. It is also interesting to see how the sneaker has evolved in the last decade. The innovations in the sneaker are evident in its design, its materials, and its colours. I am looking forward to see the evolution of the sneaker in the next decade. Your best sneaker story? I was in Hong Kong two years ago spending the summer holidays with a friend, when one day we undecidedly walked into a Nike Shop in Jordan. I browsed around and noticed moments later a salesgirl stocking a blue shoe onto the display. I didn't know what shoe it was at that time, but my friend recalled seeing it on the magazine as Penny's new shoes, the Air Foamposite One. I liked it but it was too expensive ($1450 HK) so I thought about it for a while. I finally decided to buy it and so did my friend. We went on then to Tsim Sha Tsui for more shopping. When we walked past the Nike Shop again i n the evening on the way back home we noticed the Air Foamposite One was no longer on the display so we went in to asked about it. We were told the Air Foamposite sold out that day in just two hours. I felt I was lucky to have decided to buy it at first. After that time, I learned to buy whatever s hoe that I liked very much, because it is very likely that the shoes will be gone later! How many 127, growing steadily How do you clean your sneaks? I clean my sneakers with warm water and a toothbrush. Usually I use "Fantastik" cleaners on them to clean out dirt, and those petroleum based shoe cream to remove scuff stains on the plastic. Rarely I will wash the shoes entirely with water because if you wash them with water, the water will alt er the original shape of the shoes. I usually apply a small amount of water to where the dirt/stain are, and brush on the "Fantastik" cleaner, then wipe it with paper towel. For the scuff stains on the plastic, I usually rub on the petroleum based cream, and then wipe it with paper towel. I find the "Fantastik" works well with leather, plastic, nylon, and synthetic materials on sneaker. I will never wear my shoes to a very dirty or worn condition. I will usually put them away if I have worn them for three months on a regular basis. I think if you wear a pair of shoes for too long, not only it becomes dirty, but its shape will also change. So most of my shoes are in a condition that can be cleaned easily and put away for my collection. Jeff has made a simple page with some photos of his shoes. Sneakers you are most looking forward to? I am looking forward to buy the re-release of the Nike Air Jordan IV, since it was the first pair of sneakers that I have (the first pair of sneaker that I know the brand and style name). I think it will be intriguing to buy again the same pair of shoes that I bought over a decade ago. It will surely be a memorable experience for me. Submit your own opinions in the worldwide sneaker report