Nike SB: What’s up Nicole?

Nicole Hause: Not too much, just chillin’.

SB: Nice. Ok, so I know you were still undecided, but it’s the moment of truth now. You gotta pick one. Favorite SB shoe. Go!

NH: Ok, it’s down to the wire. I’m gonna pick the Soulland Blazer. I’m really into that shoe.

SB: Hell yeah, the snakeskin one?

NH: Yep, such a nice looking shoe. And it looks even better on your foot than off your foot, that’s the craziest part.

SB: For sure. Do you have any good stories about how you got it?

NH: Well, it just showed up. I never really know what I’m gonna get or what I’m not gonna get, so it’s always kind of a surprise when I get a box in the mail. Is this gonna be a normal skate shoe, or are they sending me some sneakerhead stuff?

I think I got two pairs, though, which I was stoked on. I was like, “I definitely want to get a clip in these, for sure.” I saved them for a while, but my first trip to New York was in January and I was like, “These are the perfect New York shoe,” so I wore them out there.

SB: You said you had two pairs and you obviously wore the one pair in New York, does that mean you’re saving the other pair for your collection?

NH: Yes, definitely saving one. I’ve already skated the other one and just worn it around...but I still want to get a clip in it.

SB: Do you have many shoes like that? That you won’t skate or even wear but just keep around for collecting?

NH: Definitely. I have a lot of Dunks. I have the Raygun Dunks in black and white. I will probably never skate those. I have a few pairs of the Strangelove Dunks because I did the shoot for them. I think I have three pairs of them. Skated one pair, wore one around and I’m saving one. One to rock, one to stock, one to skate is kind of the ideal situation. But it doesn’t always happen.

SB: Right? Three pairs is tough.

NH: Three pairs is tough for sure, but since I did the shoot they gave me a few extra… What else? I have those Air Trainers, the Polar collab that I’ll never skate. They look super comfy to skate, though!

I’ve got these vibrant pink Off Whites, the LA to Chicago Jordan 1s that I got from a shoot I did when they first came out. When I got up to LA they only had a size and a half bigger than what I wore. So it’s funny, my feet look kinda big in the photos ‘cuz I was wearing shoes that were way too big for me!

SB: Is there a pair that you don’t have that you wish you had?

NH: I definitely really like the Soulland Dunks. I would trade one of my pairs of Strangelove Dunks for a pair of Soulland Dunks. Those are sick.

SB: Would you trade the Soulland Blazer for the Soulland Dunk?

NH: I don’t know...I only have two pair so….The soulland Blazers are maybe my favorite shoe, all time. Up there. I would trade another Dunk for it though.

Those Soulland Blazers though...they’re low key fashionable. You can wear them casually but when people notice what you're wearing they’re like, “Damn, those are some nice looking shoes!”

SB: But you do skate a lot of the more high-heat shoes right?

NH: Yeah, I do. I want to enjoy these, too. Especially if I’m going to film something, I’ll try to wear a cool shoe.

SB: How many times will you skate a shoe before you can't skate it anymore?

NH: Well, I have to throw on knee pads a lot, especially if I’m competing, so sometimes in contests I won’t wear a shoe more than a few days or a week. But if I’m just cruising they’ll last a couple months if I’m not knee-sliding on them. They just get so wiped out when you knee-slide on them, so I can’t really wear my favorite shoes when I’m padded up and competing or they’d be just ruined after the sesh’. I’ll usually just rock a basic Blazer Mid or a Bruin.

SB: Have you gotten any reactions from people who are out skating and see you in a rare pair?

NH: Yeah, a little bit! I mostly have people comment on my Instagram. I posted some photos when I was skating the Strangelove Dunks. Sneakerheads were tripping, “You’re skating a $1,000 pair of shoes! How do you have those and why do I not have them?”

SB: Has anybody ever offered you anything crazy to trade for some?

NH: Not offered anything, but those GDP Dunks that just came out? Oh my god. I’ve never been so hip in my life. People are obsessed.

SB: Oh, you have a really high number, too, right?

NH: Yeah, I have number 18. There’s this dude out there who DMed me and said he’s been looking for number 18. He was tripping. He was like, “I’ll do anything to obtain number 18.” He’s probably messaged me 12-15 times now.

SB: But you just said, “Nah, these are mine, I’m keeping these?”

NH: Yeah, it just feels wrong, they’re mine. I’m gonna save them.

SB: It’s funny, Theotis was tripping about having number 202 until I told him they go in order by size.

NH: Oh! I didn’t know that. People were saying, “You’re in the top 20!” and I’m like, “I don’t know? I just think they’re dope!”

SB: Those were an exclusive release at Familia in Minneapolis. Did you kick it there when you were growing up in Minnesota?

NH: Not really back then. My hometown is an hour and a half outside of Minneapolis and I was pretty much the only kid in my high school who skated pretty much, so I didn’t really go into the city. I wish I would have had a crew who wanted to go kick it at Familia after school or on the weekends.

I’ve been to Familia way more now than I did when I was living in Minnesota! When they get those exclusive drops, it’s so rad.

SB: Speaking of back in the day, what was the first pair of SBs where you thought, “I gotta keep these for my collection.”

NH: Oh man. It’s so hard. Let me take a look. The first pair I got where people were like, “Whoa,” were the Jordan 11 45s. Those are the first ones where I thought, “I definitely gotta save these.”

I’ve been getting shoes for not quite two years yet. So, I mostly have new stuff. I got the Purple Lobster dunks. That was the first SB ad I did. So, those were probably the first high heat SBs I got.

SB: Nice. Any other ones you like?

NH: The Parra Blazer is so nice. I only have one pair, so I just stare at it. I liked that collab a lot.

SB: Piet is so dope, such a creative mind.

NH: For sure. It’s crazy, you see how he did the Swoosh like that and it looks so dope. You’re like, “How did I never think about that before?”

SB: Totally. Did you get any of the gear from the Parra collab? Did you get the crazy pink pants?

NH: I did! They kinda remind me of Laffy Taffy. I’ve worn them a few times. Something good is gonna happen when you wear pants like that.

SB: You were talking about those Jordans. Are you a big Jordan fan?

NH: Yeah, I grew up playing basketball. My older brother played basketball pretty seriously and was a huge Jordan fan, so I always followed my big brother and always loved Michael Jordan.

When I got back into basketball, my first shoe was the Jordan Retro 3, so I’ve been thinking about picking up another pair of those. I also saw Oski skating a pair of Jordan Retro 3s which I thought was pretty sick.

SB: So, you’re just at the start of your collection?

NH: I was counting up my shoe boxes yesterday and I have 48 pairs that I am gonna keep and not skate. So yeah, I’m just getting going on my collection!

SB: 48 boxes! How much of your living space does that take up?

NH: Well, I live with Nora, who is another pro skater. So, she has a whole shoe collection and I have a whole shoe collection right when you walk in the door. People can get intimidated when they walk into our apartment. We got a lot of shoes going on over here.

SB: But you live with someone who gets it though?

NH: Right, she gets it. I also live with my boyfriend and I definitely take up most of his closet with shoes, too, though. Sometimes I’ll go, “Dude you have way too many clothes,” and he’ll say, “Well, I don’t have anywhere to put them because you’re taking up my closet with your shoes!” And then I’m like, “Oh yeah, well, keep on doing what you’re doing then!”

SB: Who do you think on SB has the biggest, gnarliest shoe collection?

NH: I’m gonna guess it’s P-Rod. I watched a video where he was showing off his closet and I definitely think he’s got the most. He’s been on SB for so long and he’s so in it. I bet you his collection is insane.

He’s the one who told me, “One to stock, one to rock, one to skate.”

SB: Learn from the master!

NH: Yeah, I gotta learn from him. He’s got the most, I would assume, and then probably Theotis.

SB: Anything you’d like to see from SB next?

NH: Well, I love the rapper collabs. Kendrick Lamar has done some sick collabs with Nike that would be dope. There are so many rad shoes coming out, though.

SB: Well, fortunately you got the plug.

NH: I’m so lucky I got the plug. I’m so lucky, I don’t even know how lucky I am!