i wore fake shoes to school for years.

i wore fake shoes to school for years. 19yrs old me no one ever noticed. funny enough, they eventually changed my life. this was me in college, 2012. i was wearing fake vans here i remember always hoping no one would look too closely Fake Vans Shoes i just really wanted to fit in. originals were way too expensive for me back then so... fake it was and somehow, i kept getting away with it. no one said anything but weirdly, that made me even more conscious about it everyone thought they were real. which should've made me feel better ...but it didn't no one ever caught me. but honestly, that was never the heavy part wearing something fake just slowly made me feel fake too i think this was when something changed in me. honestly, not affording stuff made me feel like i was nothing. so i decided to change that peso by peso, i saved whatever i could eventually i thought... what if i sold the shoes i actually wanted? 2014. 19yrs old. student. P5,000 savings. that was it. found one of my first listings THE ORIGINAL 10K KICKS CLUB 10KC ALL LEGIT PAIRS, ALL FROM 5K TO 100K! Michael Tieng this one pair was basically my entire capital i didn't even have customers yet hahaha i'd post in facebook group then meet buyers myself at the LRT For Sale: Jordan 11 "Legend Blue" Last Pair Brand New and Authentic Selling For: P7295 Size: "4.5Y" fits 6 Womens "5Y" fits 6.5 Womens "5.5Y to 7Y" also available Available for Meet ups sa Lrt Vito Cruz or Shipping. Congratulations! Michael Alfonso C. TIENG BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN ACCOUNTANCY BATCH 2014-2015 all while reviewing for the CPA boards passed the boards, started my first corporate job Michael Tieng the business? still running it on the side hahaha this was me working on my laptop while lining up for a sneaker release my 9-to-5 never stopped my 5-to-9 for years, it honestly looked like this. meetups. boxes. online orders. repeat. whatever i earned, i'd put back into the next pair then the orders started looking like this i remember thinking... Michael Tieng JULY PREORDER <3 wait. is this actually becoming something? july 2023. our first physical store. 8 years of selling online before this we put almost everything we saved into opening it sometimes this still feels weird to look at. the kid who couldn't afford one original pair now has stores full of them and somehow, that little side hustle became Sole Avenue. 12 years later, we still make sure every pair is authentic maybe because i remember exactly how it felt to wear the opposite if you're wearing something fake just to fit in right now... shoes, a smile, or a whole version of yourself this is for you. one day this will just be a story you tell and if you already made it past season, i'm proud of you. i know how heavy it was. anyway hahaha that's my fake shoes story. what's yours? something you used to be insecure about that somehow changed your life drop it in the comments. i read everything. - Mike