size?six
Ahead of the size? Toronto launch, we’re catching up with some of The Six’s most coveted culture catalysts. Our size?six series, asks six quick Qs to get to know the people behind the handles; their backgrounds, their inspirations and their visions for the future. These are the go-to heads for the latest in sneakers, fashion, food and art; the four things we couldn’t live without!
This week, size?six sets its sights on Sean Go, aka @sgo8 aka Shane Goo. With almost 100k Subscribers on YouTube, Sean Go has solidified his name as one of Canada’s GOAT sneaker reviewers. Shane combines his expertise in photography, travel, fashion and footwear to provide his honest take on the shoes he loves the most; and well… We’re here for it! Read more about the dream-collection-curator below.
size?: Tell us a little bit about yourself, who you are and what you do.
Sean Go: My story is similar to a lot of other Torontonians who are into sneakers. I was born and raised in the city and grew up a huge fan of basketball, specifically Michael Jordan and the Bulls in the mid to late 90s, and of course, the Raptors since their inaugural season in 95.size?: What’s your main passion outside of sneaker culture?
Sean Go: Outside of sneakers, I’m a passionate photographer, which in fact helped springboard the success of my YouTube channel through my following on Instagram. Beyond just sneaker photography though, I dabble in wedding photography and love bringing my camera with me on my travels.
Travelling and the food that comes with visiting other places is a huge part of my life, and aside from our frequent visits to Walt Disney World, my wife and I had plans to visit Hawaii, Taiwan and countries within Europe before the pandemic postponed all those plans.
Lastly, I’ve been a comic book geek since I was young and though I don’t read much of them anymore, I love what Marvel Studios has been doing with their shared cinematic universe in both their movies and TV shows.
size?: What’s a key project that you're focusing on for the year ahead?
Sean Go: After the year that was 2020, this past February I started my very first podcast, The Channel 8 Podcast. I never want to feel comfortable with my success, and really wanted to challenge and put myself in a new and unfamiliar space. To me, the podcast gives me a new avenue to connect with others and get to know them on a deeper level and share my thoughts to my audience in a more intimate setting. I’m not sure what the future will hold but I’ve been having fun with it and it seems like the reception has been positive so far!
size?: Were there any interesting stories about how you became connected with certain people, chance encounters that led onto bigger things in the future?
Sean Go: I think connecting with the Canadian sneaker community in general has been the most amazing “encounter” I’ve had the privilege of having. Although our country is huge by area, I think it is safe to say that the sneaker community in general, while growing fast, is still pretty small, pretty tight knit but welcoming. Meeting different people throughout the years, whether through Instagram, through in-person events, or just through mutual friends, has been great, and we’ve been able to forge some deep friendships and share a ton of respect for one another and root for each other’s successes. Seeing many of us flourish and do amazing things for the community and for the country as a whole has been very rewarding.
size?: What do you love about Toronto, and what’s your favourite spot in The Six?
Sean Go: It’s home. I’ve always said this but I feel like Toronto is the best city in the world, and though some other cities may be more scenic, some may have better places to shop, some are more affordable, and others have more history behind them, Toronto, to me, is tops when factoring everything together. I love that it’s a big city with so much diversity, and everyone is accepted for who they are.
Toronto encourages people to be themselves, share their traditions, their food, their beliefs, and everything in between. I don’t think I can pinpoint my specific favourite spot in the city, it really depends on what I want to do, but some of the places I find myself most are walking down Yonge Street downtown, checking out restaurants and shops on Queen Street West, hitting up some of our great malls like Yorkdale, or grabbing some Johnny’s Hamburgers in Scarborough.
size?: Finally, what’s your favourite sneaker and why?
Sean Go: My favourite sneaker of all time is the Air Jordan 3 “White Cement.” Even before I knew much about sneakers, the Air Jordan 3, just by aesthetics alone, was my favourite Jordan model. Beyond just its looks though; factor in that it was designed by Tinker Hatfield, that it introduced the iconic elephant print to sneakers, and of course, Michael Jordan’s legendary performance in the 1988 NBA Dunk Contest – to me, it’s the perfect shoe and one that I will always have in my rotation to wear.
