There are sneaker connoisseurs and then there's Del Ten. If you're into sneakers and on Instagram, it's almost a guarantee that you've seen the masked man with an incredible amount of kicks and drip to match. I'm talking about all the grails -- from the Dior AJ1s to the Louis Vuitton x Nike AF1s by the late Virgil Abloh, and everything in-between. Recently, he added clothing designer to his repertoire, collaborating on a capsule collection with the Japanese brand Always Out Of Stock.

I talked with the Kuwait resident about his insane sneaker collection, his inspirations, sneaker culture in the Middle East, and, of course, his new capsule line.

Where did the name Del Ten come from?

Ever since I was a kid, there was this former Italian Soccer player named Alessando Del Pierro and I used to idolize him. All of the kids in the neighborhood were always calling me Del Ten, DT for Delta, so I grew up with that nickname.

How did you get into sneakers? What's your earliest memory?

Growing up as a kid playing basketball, there's always something attached to you, like basketball sneakers. I wasn't collecting in the beginning -- I used to love kicks, but I wasn't collecting. I would say in 1995 or 1996, I started to buy sneakers and then, I started to collect them at the beginning of 2000. It's all because of basketball, the Air Jordan 11s, and the 1996 Nike Air Uptempo. Those were the first two pairs I collected.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

It starts with my love of sneakers and my Italian background. I was always into fashion and when I was a kid, I used to go to Italy to see my family, and also Milan a lot. Italians are generally into fashion and because of that, I have this knowledge of fashion and sneakers. I started with sneakers and I tried to combine the two cultures, but back then, it wasn't like it is today. We weren't too focused on fashion like nowadays. So, basketball, Hip Hop, sneakers, and fashion in Italy is how I get my inspiration usually.

How would you describe your fashion style?

I always start with my kicks unless I buy a new hoodie, jacket, or a new piece.

What about the face mask? How did that become a part of your signature look?

The thing is, most people think I started to put on the mask because of COVID, but I was wearing the mask way before COVID. The secret behind the mask is that I want to be hidden. I'm a private person, even though I love sharing my passions, my sneakers, my outfits, and my lifestyle. When it comes to my personality, my family, and my real life, I prefer to keep it private.

How do you balance being a private person and having a public-facing lifestyle? Would you say wearing a mask helps you get into that persona because it's kind of like putting on armor?

It's hard and I was suffering at the beginning, but with time I got used to it. For the mask, when I go to events, fashion week, or post on Instagram, I feel more comfortable when I have it on. It makes my life easier, but in my day-to-day life, in my free time, I don't have it on.

Tell me about living in Kuwait. Is sneaker culture big there and how has it changed?

It's growing so much every year. Compared to three or four years back, it wasn't like this. Back then, people didn't get it. Even my friends, when they would come to my place, would ask why I collected all of these shoes. But now, they understand the passion and the value of all of these kicks. Sneaker culture is huge in America, so bringing this culture that started in America to the Middle East wasn't easy, and I wasn't trying to bring it, but I just wanted to show people my passion and I wanted them to respect it. And it's working in the region, there are a lot of sneakerheads in Kuwait, Dubai, and Riyadh. It's all because of you guys in America. I grew up playing basketball and idolizing Michael Jordan and all of those legends.

It's interesting because when you think about sneaker capitals of the world and where a sneaker connoisseur would come from, you wouldn't immediately think of the Middle East so to hear about how much it's grown in the last three to five years, and how you're helping to influence that makes sense because so much of influencing and creating opportunities is visibility and you have a lot of it.

We weren't trying to intentionally push the culture here; we're just being genuine. I'm just trying to show the people what I love and kids started to idolize me because they saw something real, they saw the passion, and they got it. I love being able to put Kuwait and the Middle East on the map.

How many sneakers do you own?

I stopped counting, but the last time I counted it was over 1,500.

What's your favorite pair of sneakers and what's the story behind them?

The 1985 AJ1 Breds AJ1s. I know a plug in Tokyo and that was my first buy from Japan. He came to me with a good deal. I was expecting the minimum to be like $4,000; but the guy was like I got you for $2,000 so I copped immediately. I paid for the shipping and everything, and the shoe disappeared for two months. I thought it got lost.

Tell me about the Always Out Of Stock x Del Ten collab. How did that come about?

I was on a trip two years ago in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They invited me to a huge sneaker event and I met King-Masa from Japan, the owner of Always Out Of Stock. We had a meeting and he was interested in doing a collab with me so we started talking about it. I designed everything and it was a bit challenging to drop my first collection in Tokyo. I went to Kyoto to shoot the campaign. The collection just dropped in February and now we're doing a pop-up in Ginza Six, a mall in Tokyo. We're doing good so far.

How many pieces are in the collection? Do you have a favorite?

I mean, I tried to make it simple as much as I could. We've got jackets, pants, and T-shirts in a good stock amount. I didn't put too many logos or too many fonts. The olive cargo pants are my favorite.

Tell me about the kimono jacket. What was the inspiration behind that?

I wanted to do something related to Japan because it's my first collaboration with a Japanese brand. For the kimono jacket, the inspiration was that I wanted to combine something from Japanese culture and mix it with utility. Most kimonos don't have pockets, so I designed a lot of pockets and I used a different fabric. The thing with this collection is there are a lot of pieces that you have to try on and then you're gonna understand the piece because, with the pictures, you may not be able to tell. I made everything in Japan, so it cost me a lot and it might be pricey for some people. But, I was thinking about the quality more than anything else.

I'm glad you touched on the quality because REVOLT’s “Rate ‘Em” assesses sneakers and clothes on a scale of one to five based on the following categories: Quality, design, desirability/hype, originality, and story. How would you rate the collab?

Honestly, the quality is top-of-the-line. I'm not saying that because it's my thing, but if you compare this quality to a lot of big brands, this is definitely on top. I would say five! For design, I would say four because I wanted more details on it, but I had to come to a common ground with my partner.

What about desirability/hype?

I would say three. The people who showed up at the event went crazy. We were selling more at the pop-ups than on the website. Once people tried on the pieces, it was game over. They sold.

What about originality? What makes it unique to you?

I'm that guy who always likes wearing loose cargo pants. So, I wanted to create something related to that. I wanted to do something that I wanted to wear every day. I wanted the pants to be comfortable and loose with pockets. When I made these, I tried to make sure the fabric was light and that it had many pockets. With the pants, you can wear them every day! When I create, I try to create something for today, not too far in the future. I'd give it a five.

And for the story?

The T-shirts of the collection say "Eternal Soul" because I still have this passion and love for fashion that I had since my early twenties. I'm 37 and with the older generation, once you reach a certain age, some of that youthful style starts to disappear. But, I believe that in 10 or 20 years, I'm still going to be wearing my sneakers! That's the meaning behind Eternal Soul. I'd give it a five for the story.

Do you have a philosophy or quote that you live by?

Just do your thing! Do you! Respect everybody and respect all types of hobbies and all types of passions.

What's next for you? Is there a sneaker collab on the way? We would love to see your take on a sneaker.

That would be a dream. Nothing yet, but I would love to do a collab or my own signature shoe. Hopefully one day!

The Always Out Of Stock x Del Ten collection is available now at alwaysoutofstock.com.