Speaking to Nike coinciding with the brand’s Air Max Day celebrations tomorrow, Walker revealed his appreciation for a fresh pair of sneakers started at an early age.
“I've always had a trainer fetish. That's just my thing,” he said frankly. “I think I caught it from my mum.”
Growing up in Sheffield where a culture of collecting emerged amongst youth in his neighbourhood, it was the Air Max 90 that caught the defender’s attention and inspired a longstanding obsession.
“Everyone used to try and get the latest colour,” Walker says. “I can remember I used to go to my friends' house, knock on their door and say to them, ‘Can I borrow your trainers?’ I didn't want to ruin mine.
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A self-confessed neat-freak stemming from his mother’s influence, the England international keeps a box of wipes in his custom-built cupboard to clean each pair he wears to keep them in mint condition for longer.
“It's not a sob story or anything,” Walker says. “But when I was growing up, I didn't have much. So my mum always said, ‘Treat things with respect, and they'll last a little bit longer.’ So that's what I've tried to do.”