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It’s 2024. If you don’t have a side utility, are you really making moves? It’s no coincidence that the individuals at the forefront of culture are the ones relentlessly putting in the work while hashing out new ideas. Whether it be out of need or out of scratching that creative itch, it’s become apparent that the ones paving the way for the next generation have one thing in common: they embrace the grind.

Andy Dutton is a full-time middle-school teacher by day. At night, he runs one of the bigger independently-run sneaker fan-pages on social media. How he manages to tie it all together is a truly original plot behind one of the more compelling bios in the digital world of footwear, and in partnership with adidas Originals, we dug a bit deeper to get to know Mr. Dutton and see the secret behind the magic sauce while allowing him to flex his skills by photographing three of the brand’s silhouettes at the forefront of what’s hot.

Read the full feature on Andy just below; all of his footwear and apparel selections are available via adidas.com right now.

Adidas March 2024 Insert Photo 1

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The earlier days of Andy’s personal relationship with sneakers is not unlike the other 30-somethings who grew up anywhere outside of a major city in the 1990s. Growing up in Idaho, Andy flipped through mail-order sneaker catalogs, often cutting out his favorites and make collages on his school binders.

The local mall would be the only place to truly experience the love of sneakers in person, as it was for many. It’s in these catalogs and in-store visits that he fell in love footwear, particularly the likes of the Crazy 97. This early discovery set the foundation with his current obsession with the adidas’ modernized hoops updates and 2000s-era running icons like the Response CL and Adistar.

“The tech runner trend is growing on me,” Andy says. The current craze is indeed the Y2K era, where comfort and style cross over seamlessly with some added touches of metallic silvers, breathable meshes, and intricately layered uppers. adidas Originals recently launched its 2000s Runner collection, from which Andy himself chose three as his current personal favorites. We like Andy’s vision so much that he photographed the shoes in this feature himself.

Of the three, however, Andy has a clear-cut winner. “The Ozmillen runners have my favorite midsole of the 3. The chunky look matched up with the wide mesh panels on the upper make these one of my overall favorites from Adidas.”

adidas no cavity mid body weight limit for women Photography by Andy Dutton
adidas Originals adiStar Cushion 3 Photography by Andy Dutton
adidas superstar rose gold european women Photography by Andy Dutton

Before getting his feet fan in the worth of photography, Andy has been a teacher for a decade, getting into the world of education since 2014. His focus is on technology, with an emphasis on practical problem solving and digital literally— two skills that are absolutely paramount in building a career in the future.

According to Andy, the most rewarding thing about being a teacher is seeing the confidence levels of his students grow, particularly in their creative skill sets. Beyond being an educator, Andy acts as a mentor of sorts as they connect beyond the classroom subject matter, discussing everything from future plans, stress, and their general perspectives on life.

Mr. Dutton might also have a reputation as the “cool” teacher at his school. He’s been known for going against the norm and wearing sneakers on a daily basis, and it’s this shared passion with his students that has acted as a new platform for him to connect with the youth. “Anytime a kid approaches me about it, we can have a good conversation about it.”

“It’s been super fun to work with kids and see their creativity.”

Andy’s love of photography came in high-school as he would documented things he’d do with his friends and the places he’d hike to. As the passion for the hobby continued to grow, he honed in on the mechanics of his photography equipment to improve his work. It wasn’t until the COVID-19 lockdown that he started taking photos of his shoes; “I had a decent-sized sneaker collection at the time, and got really bored around the house,” Andy admits. He continued to evolve his work resourcefully, teaching himself the tricks of the trade through YouTube tutorials and seeing the photography put out by brands.

Eventually, Andy began to gain notoriety for his sharp snaps of footwear on social media, and as his audience grew in numbers, so did the interest from the brands he grew up loving. “A few companies started reaching out to me to work with them, and it’s been continually growing from there.” As the emails and DMs continue, Andy is committed. “I hope to further develop my skill set and work with more brands and have my work be valued across the industry.“

We wanted to get a behind the scenes look at how he creates his compelling images, so using the adidas Ozmillen, Response CL, and adiStar 2000 as his subjects, we got a peek at his process as well as some of his own beautiful shots of the three silhouettes.

adidas stores in carlsbad san diego Photography by Bryan Chow
adidas stores in carlsbad san diego Photography by Bryan Chow
adidas stores in carlsbad san diego Photography by Bryan Chow
adidas stores in carlsbad san diego Photography by Bryan Chow
adidas stores in carlsbad san diego Photography by Bryan Chow

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While this side hobby continues to grow, Andy doesn’t lose focus as a teacher. He mentions a crucial pitfall of education: outdated skill sets are still being taught. In response to that, he concentrates on keeping his classes as relevant as possible. “I want to help my students develop skills that they can use right now, and can also be a good foundation for them to build on in their future.”

When it comes to sneakers and his photography, his focus is on one thing: have fun. He credits this off-the-clock passion for helping him meet so many awesome people in the industry, and he wishes to continue developing strong relationships with more brands and industry figures. The ultimate grail for him? Collaborating on his own shoe.

As for working specifically with the Ozmillen, Response CL, and adiStar 3, we can see a parallel with his relationships with his students. “I wanted to capture each shoe highlighting their differences…we just need to look at them through the lens of individuality.”

All of Andy’s looks are available via adidas.com right now.

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