Trainers Fanatic Buys Dubai Penthouse For Collection

Story ByLee Bullen, Sub EditorJoseph Golder, AgencyNewsflash

Shoe collector Mohamed Al Safar has bought a penthouse in the world’s tallest building to house his collection of over 2,000 pairs of expensive trainers after outgrowing his other luxury Dubai flat.

Al Safar, 31, has reportedly bought the luxury penthouse in the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to house his collection of trainers worth around 3.6 million AED (758,715 GBP).

One hundred storeys up in the world’s tallest tower, Al Safar proudly showcases his prized collection in the spacious living room in transparent cases.

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Al Safar, director of his family-owned Al Safar Group, boasted: “This is just one third of my collection. The rest are in my home in California.

“I usually spend half a year in the US, but since the COVID-19 situation I haven’t been able to travel much.”

Al Safar, a Bahraini national who splits his time between the US, the UAE, and Bahrain, said he first developed his love for trainers in his home country: “We were all in uniform, but we were allowed to wear whatever footwear we wanted.

@mohamedalsafar/Newsflash

“So it became our only form of expression. I’ve always liked collecting things even as a kid, so as my obsession with sneakers grew, my interest in owning the rare ones started.”

His passion developed when he went to study in the US. “I immersed myself in the sneaker culture there, and very soon made contact with insiders and collectors who’d get me the most in-demand pairs.”

However, Al Safar has no plans to make money from his collection: “There are two types of ‘sneakerhead’, those who will buy sneakers to rock and those who will buy them to make a profit.

@mohamedalsafar/Newsflash

“I only buy what I like. I am not interested in making money out of them.”

The married father-of-two said that his two Jordan 4 Retro Travis Scott models, now selling for around USD 30,000 (GBP 23,242) each on leading reseller site StockX, are among his favourites.

Al Safar said: “My parents actually encouraged my collections since I was a kid, and my wife gets every pair of sneakers I buy, so she doesn’t complain.

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He added: “She also has her own obsession with handbags.”

Al Safar still hopes to acquire a pair of Jordan 4 Eminem Encore, released for the rapper’s 2004 album of the same name.

He said: “That’s the pair I’m dying to get. Eminem is one of my favourite rappers of all time and I need this shoe to complete his Jordan set.”

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According to StockX, a pair of Jordan 4 Eminem Encore costs USD 30,000 (GBP 23,242).

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