Sneakerhead Fresco Opens Up About His Footwear Obsession and Girlfriend Mary Jane

His name is Fresco and he’s comin’ straight outta Brooklyn.

Standing at 6-foot 4-inches, the long-time sneakerhead and cannabis connoisseur reps for one of streetwears most sought-after sneaker distributors, and is known for serving as a brand Editorial Producer. Obsessed with the stitching, design creativity, pop culture relevance, and historical context behind every custom and limited-edition set of kicks to drop, Fresco now hosts the brands must-see unboxing series. The digital show unveils coveted and one-of-a-kind sneakers that aficionados live for and wannabes wish that had. But when the BK native isn’t salivating over fresh boxes of footwear, he’s kicking back or running the streets with his longtime love, Mary Jane, by his side.

Fresco’s love for flowers was slow to bloom, but once a bond was established, there was no separating two. Whether it’s to fuel some needed creativity or to just sit back catch a vibe, Fresco doesn’t go anywhere without his girl and her buds by his side.

We caught up with NYC’s most-connected sneakerhead to find out more about the footwear fetish that keeps his blood pumping and the woman that stole his heart. But not listing his five favorite pairs of footwear. His picks: 1) Jordan 3. I hate to say that because I don’t even wear them much anymore, but aesthetically it’s one of my favorite shoes, 2) This is going to be a stretch for a lot of people, but I don’t care because its what I like the LeBron 15. I love that shoe. A comfortable aesthetic. And I feel like I make that shit look good, whoever doesn’t like that’s on them, but when I put that shit on everybody’s like 3) Air Force One. Air Force One is uptown. It’s New York. Very, very, very New York. 4) Air Max One. I have several colors. 5) I’ll let the last one be my favorite, very specific as the shoe. The lucky seven Nike SB Dunk. It’s green and gold [and] green is my favorite color. I do not own this shoe, but it’s my favorite.

Let’s go!

Yes, they’re both universal. They’ve been consumed at a high level for years, but now both are very mainstream. A lot of the entertainers don’t disassociate themselves [from] weed, and these people are on the highest levels. From Travis Scott to whoever, they embrace it. It’s one of those things you now see collabs with Christian Dior and Jordan, that would never happen before. You have to teeter those lines. That’s why I see the connection between weed and sneakers. You have to blur those lines because they’re so common on all fronts, no matter what race, no matter anything. It’s consumed at high levels and people f-cking enjoy it.

Rapper Travis Scott’s fans got goosebumps when word spread that he was collaborating with Nike on a new SB Dunk shoe.

Nope! I did not smoke until 2009. I was well into my twenties by the time I first smoked.

A girl.

[I was] like, I’m not gonna do the sh-t. I’m a basketball player. This can’t be me. And then I found out that a lot of dudes that play ball smoked weed anyway so I just was ready to try. I smoked with her for the first time. Of course, it was like walking on the moon.

If it’s a sativa, it has to be a potent sativa cause I feel like a lot of sativas that I’ve come across lately have been very faint. So, I tend to lean towards hybrids so I can get like a balance of both.

My favorite strain ever is Animal Cookies. Not girl scout cookies. I had Animal Cookies from this dude, man. He used to have labels on his bags [and] tell you exactly what you’re going to feel from this [strain].

Animal Cookies is a hybrid crossed between Girl Scout Cookies and Fire OG. This potent medicine’s ability to obliterate pain and insomnia is unprecedented.

Like Leafly. He had the Cookies; he had some Jolly Rancher; he had Mango Haze. This was back in 2011. I had Green Crack from him first and that sh-t had me that was probably the strongest or one of the strongest sativas that I had. I remember walking through Harlem and just moving.

When I smoked in 2009, I used to smoke sparingly. I’d go months without it. Then I started to work with this girl [and] we used to come down here to Dumbo to smoke. That’s when I started to get like a high. And just went progressively [down] from there.

[A] sole supplier. I could literally be anywhere and [just hit the] Bat-Signal. It’s just a smartphone away. He knows his audience and gives exactly what works for you.

With the climate of marijuana and these strain names and the designer bag pricing I love the fact that [my guy] remains consistent across the board with pricing, quality, service, and consistency.

Edibles.

The ones that don’t taste like weed, but have the impact of a mac truck.

More.

I’m blessed to have friends that always have their own supply, so much so, that I connect my friends directly to [my plug].

Papers.

I’m just not a blunt guy. I feel like rolling is a very personal experience. That intimacy I can only accept from certain people.

My sister rolls up. [She’s] good money. My sister, right now, is probably the only person [I smoke with]. [But] if you’re my people, I’ll even roll a little one for you.

BY PARKER T.