In a rather unusual moment for us last week, we found ourselves sat in the attic of a restaurant in Peterborough talking about sneakers with Aston Villa and England footballer Darren Bent.

It’s always interesting to talk to those who are less directly involved in the sneaker/streetwear culture than the obvious choices, but who still have that same hunger for footwear that we all know far too well. Darren is a great example of this kind of person. You probably wouldn’t assume him to be an avid sneaker collector, but when we found out he was, we couldn’t resist sitting down with him for a chat and sifting through some of the 350+ pairs in his collection that have recently earned him a place as an ambassador for Sneakerpedia.

Words & Photography: Alex Synamatix