Each community possesses a language of its own—a defining lexicon that laces together vast individuals in a society, secured by knots of shared interests, passions and topics. For the sneaker community, the colorful spectrum of footwear is the group’s form of communication.

An intricate vocabulary of materials, colorways, and symbolism, sneakers not only speak volumes of their wearers’ individuality, but also convey the coterie’s obsession with footwear as cultural artifact, a collection of walking stories that connect a person’s preferences to a global network of kindred soles. 

And while many have enjoyed the spirited togetherness of belonging to the sneaker community, be it on a global scale or an intimately local one, less have experienced being its initial catalyst. Indeed, it’s no easy feat to stoke your own spark into a flame that fires up others, but Jay Mijares is one such sneakerhead that magnetized his personal passion, attracting other Australian sneaker lovers into his local community group The Kickz Stand. 

10 years in, since The Kickz Stand’s inception in 2013, the online community group has grown from a following of like-minded individuals into the organizer of lifestyle event “It’s More Than Just Sneakers”—or as most would call it, Australia’s favorite community event. 

And while we had the opportunity to speak virtually with Jay through the power of social platforms, we finally met the man himself during the whirlwind of Sneaker Con SEA 2023. After, we caught up with him via email on all things community-related, and got insights on how he grew The Kickz Stand from the ground-up, the ins and outs of event planning, and discussed why he has a special place in his heart for ASICS. 

Could you introduce yourself to our SNKRDUNK Magazine readers?

Hi everyone, my name is Jay Mijares. I am the Co-founder and Director of The Kickz Stand. I am based in Australia—the Land Down Under. In Sydney, to be exact. The Kickz Stand is one of Australia’s largest Facebook community groups with over 48k members. We hold yearly events called “It’s More Than Just Sneakers”, which is Australia’s favourite sneaker and lifestyle event.

You and Dale started The Kickz Stand in 2013. What was it like starting the page and how has it grown in the great decade you’ve been doing this?

It was quite overwhelming as the numbers grew rapidly. We didn’t imagine that it would grow so much! We had to quickly recruit friends to help moderate the group because we wanted to make sure the members remained civil to each other. We are truly blessed and proud of all that we have achieved over the years.

I am a big believer of supporting our local scene in Australia. This includes local brands, artists and businesses. What I do in The Kickz Stand and our event “It’s More Than Just Sneakers” is my way of contributing to our local scene. 

We’re curious—you’ve grown a community of sneakerheads from the ground up. What do you think makes a community… A community? What brings and keeps people together?

For me, what makes a community is a place or group of people that value each other, have a common interest, and look after each other’s well-being. [That means] supporting and helping each other in any way, shape or form.

Our community is more than just sneakers, it’s a way of life. We all know that sneakers and streetwear, or even the lifestyle scene, are a way to bring us together. Strong friendships are formed through this. Friends become family.

Tell us how your event “It’s More Than Just Sneakers” came to be. What were your motivations and how has it manifested through the years? 

When we created The Kickz Stand community group in March 2013, and the number of members blew up, we decided that we had to do an event. The intention was to get people out of social media and have people within The Kickz Stand community group meet face-to-face.

From 2013 to 2016, our event was only in Sydney, and other members started asking when we were planning to do an event in their city. So in 2017, we decided to launch our events in different cities across Australia. Till this day, it feels surreal that we now do events in all major cities in Australia and have gone across the ditch to Auckland, NZ. It’s crazy!

As an event holder yourself, what do you think are the markings of a good convention or event? What were some things you learnt through your experience?

Personally, a good event is knowing what the people want—experience, communication, location, time and accessibility. This is something we had to learn over the years. Guests, vendors, brands, and volunteers, each of them has different wants and outcomes of the events. Our duty is to try our best to provide those outcomes, and to learn from our previous event and find ways to always improve. There is always room for improvement. 

You’ve travelled everywhere for sneaker conventions—what differences or similarities do you see in the community and culture towards sneakers across the world? 

The most obvious difference is attendance. Other events in different countries are much bigger than ours in Australia. Australia does not have many people compared to other countries. To put it into perspective, Australia’s total population is 25 million, which is equivalent to that of Jakarta city.

Events in Jakarta are next level. When I attended Jakarta Sneaker Day last February, approximate attendance was 97k! Pretty crazy, right? For similarities, and this one I love the most, is that local brands are supported by their locals.  

You’ve mentioned to us that ASICS supported you a lot and that you’re a fan of Shigeyuki Mitsui who designed your favourite ASICS GEL-LYTE III. Could you share some of those experiences with ASICS?

2019 was the GEL-LYTE III’s 30th anniversary. ASICS Australia brought Mitsui-san to Australia. I was privileged enough to be invited to a special dinner to celebrate this occasion. After a few drinks, Mitsui-san wanted to head back to his hotel to rest up for the 30th Anniversary event. As the others were still having fun, I told Mitsui-san that I will walk him back to his hotel.

During this walk, we got to know each other on a more personal level. The conversation wasn’t just about sneakers, but [was about] our life, family, and Japan. Till this day, Mitsui-san and I still keep in touch. We plan to catch up in August when I go to Japan. It will be good to see him again.

We understand that 2014 SBTG x Nike Air Max 1 ‘Mika Akito’ is your grail pair, custom made and dedicated to your children by Mr Sabotage. Could you tell us more about it and how you got to know Mark (Mr Sabotage)?

I think it was 2014 when I attended my second Sole Superior event in Singapore. Since then our friendship just grew over the years. We’ve kept in touch via social media and every time I’m in Singapore for an event, we would have quick catch-ups.

With 2023 being The Kickz Stand’s 10 year anniversary, what’s the next step for you and The Kickz Stand? Where do you see it growing in the next decade and how do you plan to reach that?

10 years! Can’t believe it. This year, I wanted to concentrate on working with brands directly, and on special projects such as collaborations and events. In order for me to do that, I had to let go of running our local events. I have assigned one of my good friends to take over. I am still involved with our event, but [act] more behind the scenes. I still deal with the brands and sponsorship but the running of the actual event on the day, I won’t do anymore.

Our Melbourne event was [my] first event for 2023. It was the first time ever since 2013 that I was able to enjoy our event and hang out with people. At the same time, it was kinda weird as I wasn’t running around.  

Do you have any advice for people who’d like to start a brand or to gain traction through social media, like you did?

My advice to people that want to start a brand is to ensure that you stay true to yourself. Know what is the purpose of starting a brand: is it to just make money or do you truly love design or creating? If your answer is just to make money, then don’t bother at all. If you do not truly love what you do, you will not last. If the money doesn’t come, then what, shut down the brand? Passionate people will work hard regardless of the outcome because they believe in their brand and in what they do. Money does not motivate them. The money will come eventually but what will make you last is the passion.

Any local brands from Australia that we should keep a watch out for?
– Saintside
– LaceSpace
– Kicks Kase
– The Sneaker Laundry
– Asphalt and Co
– Ichpig
– Fourwalls
– Aether Care

Images courtesy of @jay.tks. 

More SNKRDUNK Interviews:

New Balance Grey Day 2023: Up Close with NBplus65 Founder Ben Lau
Air Max Day 2023: From the Eyes of One of its Biggest Fans
Sneakertopia CEO Steve Harris on the Singapore Exhibit, its Future (and Other Things)
Lovers & Solemates: A Vis-à-Vis With Dharni & Weronika