Collin Allin is head of Oakley’s META (Middle East, Turkey and Africa) region, and has a staggeringly impressive Oakley collection. So, why does he collect?
“I still have my very first pair. I bought them in 1996 as I was finishing school. It was an Eye-Jacket, cobalt blue with red lenses, and I probably wore them in the shower, if not to bed too. Growing up in South Africa, Oakley was a luxury product, so I had to save – delivering newspapers, working in restaurants – just to get a pair. My aunt worked at one of the surf shops and managed to get me a discount, so that’s the only way I could actually afford them. Now I have about 170 odd pairs. If I were ever to sell my collection, that’s the one pair I would definitely keep.
Growing up as an athlete, as a lover of sports, coupled with that ‘90s hip-hop culture and guys like Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, everyone was in Oakley’s in the ‘90s. Cycling has always been my core sport, and you can’t have cycling without Oakley’s – they’re just intertwined. But also, Oakley just don’t give a f*** about anything. ‘Disruptive by design’ is our headline, and if anything other brand was as audacious, eyebrows would raise. But Oakley gets away with it.
I’ve moved to 8 different countries over the last few years, and every time I move, my entire 170 piece collection has moved with me. I buy a new glass case and put them on display, and I love watching people’s reactions as they see the collection. Especially older people who recognise old pairs from back in the day.
“It’s amazing to watch the joy and excitement come over someone as they hold an old pair in their hands and try them on – that’s why I collect. To preserve those moments in history.”
Collin Allin
Every pair of Oakley’s that I own, I wear. I used to collect sneakers, and I had about 400 odd pairs, and I’d wear every single one, even the most expensive, exclusive kinds. It always pains me when I see some vintage Rolls Royce just chucked in a museum. Because these things were designed to be used, to be worn, to be enjoyed. One of my absolute favourite pairs I own are the ‘Over The Top’, which are actually super comfortable.
I even wear the Medusa’s (the pair with the dreadlocks), and whenever I do, people either get freaked out or they come up and ask if they can try them on. People will know the history about them, and I just love sharing those moments with random people on the street, people who have never seen them in person, and only ever online or in movies or on Instagram.
It’s amazing to watch the joy and excitement come over someone as they hold an old pair in their hands and try them on – that’s why I collect. To preserve those moments in history. And in a way, I have my own museum. I have a pair from 1984, up until a pair from last week.
Jim Jannard (founder of Oakley) and Phil Knight (founder of Nike) used to be best friends. And then Jim wanted to get into footwear, but Phil told him not to, saying ‘we do footwear, you do eyewear,’ but Jim didn’t care, and did it anyway. And Phil got so angry that he bought up all of the land around Oakley’s headquarters in California, creating a surrounding sea of Nike. So Jim raised a pirate flag – the skull and crossbones – on top of the building, which we still use today. And that exact F*** U attitude is interwoven in every single pair of Oakley’s I own.”
