That's 5 | Leo Gamboa

A New York City transplant living in Boston, Leo Gamboa cut his teeth in the industry working at the beloved Packer Shoes, before being picked up by Reebok as the brand’s Senior Global Product Marketing Manager for the streetwear category.

If you follow Leo on Instagram, you’ll know his interests extend far outside of just sneakers, namely into areas like niche outerwear and furniture (which makes it slightly less surprising that Reebok just announced a collaboration with none other than Eames).

We caught up with Leo for the latest instalment of That’s 5, where we discuss the finer things in life.

Let’s start with shoes. Which kicks are you keeping in rotation lately?

I would say the Patta x Club C, EightyOne x Pump Paris and Beatniks are my current go-to rotation. We have some really good Beatniks set to launch soon that I feel people will really appreciate. 

You’re known for Reebok’s sneaker collaborations but talk to me about socks. What sock brands do you keep in rotation?

The best socks in my opinion are Smartwool. After that, I usually wear Uniqlo and Muji basics. Basic simple socks are my favourite, Clean classic colours like white, cream and black.

Do you think “jean lay” is an under-recognized concept? Do we need to be thinking more about the pants that allow our sneakers to shine?

Yes. Some may say this is more important than the actual sneaker itself. Whether it’s jeans, pants or sweats, the way they drop on the shoes is key to highlighting the footwear at its best.  Definitely one of the most underrated points of an outfit. Some of my favourite bottoms at the moment are Dickies work pants, vintage Levi’s, and Camber sweatpants. 

Name something underrated and something overrated. 

For underrated…general release shoes are the most underrated at the moment. Everyone is so focused on hyped collaborations, and being validated by others. In reality, some of the best product is openly available to them every day with no lines or frustrations to purchase.

We should appreciate a given shoe in its OG execution as the best representation of that model in question.

For overrated…I would say high-priced T-shirts. Nobody needs a £500 T-shirt.

Tell me about a recent big purchase that was not shoes or clothing.

My last big purchase was a house in the suburbs. With COVID taking over the city, and all the restrictions, it pushed us further out to find peace and more space. Coming from the city my whole life, this has been a big change, but it’s been nice to adjust to working from home. I am in the market for a lawnmower if anyone has any good suggestions haha.  

Who has the best team logo in sports?

The best sports logo by far has to be the New York Yankees. This is the most iconic logo in sports that also translates to fashion. The navy Yankees cap with the green bottom is my all-time favourite cap. 

Lastly, name a guilty pleasure.

Moving to Boston, I definitely miss NYC Pizza. Pizza has to be my favourite food of all time and it’s been a bit challenging finding the right spots in Massachusetts. But every time I go back to NYC, it’s nice to visit Scarr’s and Joe’s. Those are my favourites.