The Founder of Outsole Tells His Story

K’LEKT Member Interview – Frank Klerks

Frank isn’t just a passionate sneaker collector, he’s also one of the founders of the website Outsole.nl together with a few friends. We talked to him about his personal favorites, the idea behind the website and the most hyped sneakers from their collection.

Thanks, great to be here!

First of all, could you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

My name is Frank Klerks, I’m 23 years old and I live with my girlfriend in Apeldoorn. My passion is sneakers, sneakers, sneakers, music, football and… sneakers. I’ve been collecting for about ten years and recently launched Outsole as an online shop for second-hand exclusive collectible sneakers. Besides processing orders at Outsole I work as a Business Intelligence Consultant.

Since when have you been collecting sneakers and when did you start reselling?

After growing up in hiking boots and sandals I bought my first pair of Nike Air Max with my birthday money after my 12th birthday. This was before the Nike AM1 hype. Back then most kids wore Puma Race Cats or K-Swiss sneakers so I wasn’t exactly cool with my Nikes. But the Air Max gave me that WOW feeling and I just had to buy another pair… from twice a year to twice a month to twice a week. Of course I had to sell parts of my collection to fund it and I could sell pairs for about €10 more than I paid. My focus was always on older sneakers not on fresh releases. That buy-and-sell combo is what I still do today. Outsole is a legit platform to sell hundreds of sneakers but also to buy new ones and grow my own collection.

How did you set up the platform?

I started Outsole together with co-owner Bas Honders and our visual designer Dennis Wegereef as the official webshop for legit collectible sneakers. We know from experience how hard it is on platforms like eBay or Facebook to know if a seller is trustworthy. That’s why we want to assure our customers they can buy safely with us. What you see is what you get. We offer more than 500 exclusive sneakers and we update the webshop at least once a month. In total we have over 1,000 exclusive pairs we aim to sell over time. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram so you don’t miss out! Our focus is mainly on Air Max 1s from the past few years — we’re Dutch after all (laughs). But we like diversity too. About 50% of our selection is AM1s and the rest consists of AM90s, New Balance, ASICS, Jordans, Vintage, Air Stab, 180s, Structures and more. You’ll find few sneakers from the past year with us.

Tell us: what are your Top 10 sneakers in stock?

1. Patta x Parra x Nike Air Max 1 ‘Burgundy / Cherrywood’
No doubt at number 1. These limited sneakers were designed by Piet Parra and released for the 5th anniversary of Patta. We sell them in US 5 and US 8.5. We also have the other AM1s from Patta’s anniversary.

2. LFSTL x New Balance 577 ‘Kakkerlak’
This sneaker represents Rotterdam as the counterpart to Amsterdam. We had this collector’s item in US 10, brand new in box. Unfortunately it sold out quickly after our launch.

3. Parra x Nike Air Max 1 ‘Amsterdam’
Another sneaker representing a Dutch city. Maybe a bit chauvinistic but every AM1 fan knows this one. So ugly it’s brilliant again.

4. Atmos x Nike Air Max 1 ‘Supreme Animal’
These could also be number 1. Not the highest value but insanely hyped at the moment. Still available in US 9 and 9.5. Not to be confused with the “Beast Pack”.

5. Patta x ASICS GEL-LYTE III
Patta’s first collaboration with ASICS on a GL3. Not the most expensive but definitely the most hyped.

6. Nike Air Max 1 ‘Urawa’
One of the best colorways ever. Hopefully they get a proper retro at some point.

7. Nike Air Jordan I BRED 1985 Original
A true collector’s shoe. Older than we are but still in top condition. The OG Bred absolutely belongs on this list.

8. Atmos x Nike Air Max 1 ‘Elephant’
Besides the ‘Supreme Animal’ we also have other Atmos releases. But the ‘Elephant’ is without doubt the most popular.

9. Nike Air Max 90 BHM Hyperstrike
Not the priciest hyperstrike but unique in our shop: a real Friends & Family release.

10. Clot x Nike Air Max 1 NL
The first AM1 Clot release with a transparent toebox and no lining. Love it or hate it!

Do you have a personal grail as well?

That’s the Overkill x Nike Air Max 1 Studio ID in the Concord colorway. My friends know I often wear something pink — real men wear pink! I’ve owned this AM1 three times and I’m down to one pair now. Bought at Sneakerness Cologne two years ago but they started to yellow heavily. So if anyone has a pair in good condition in US 9… hit me up (laughs).

How many pairs of sneakers do you currently own?

Tough question because there are always many pairs in my collection that might be sold via Outsole. There’s no clear line between my personal collection and sales. But I currently have more than 800 pairs of sneakers. There are true collector’s items among them: Amsterdam, BRS, Burgundy and some hyperstrikes. But I’m just as happy to prefer simple Studio IDs and Structures.

Thanks for sharing your story and these gems!
Thank you — see you at Outsole or at one of the sneaker events!

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