Meet the Crew: Radim Stezka

How was your first day at Footshop?

Friendly. I had the great advantage of not going into a completely unfamiliar environment and that I knew a few of the Footshop crew before I joined the team. It helped me a lot in the beginning to get a feel for who was responsible for what and I always had someone to ask if I needed help with something. 

Did the expectations of your job meet the reality?

100%. I learned a lot about my position during my first interviews with Peti Hajduček (CEO) and Adriana Jurdová (CMO), so I had a clear vision and it came true.

What does your usual working day look like?

Probably not surprising, but it’s full of meetings in the office and online calls. I arrive at work every day after 8 am, make coffee and by 8.30 am I’m sitting at my computer going through reports, emails, and stats from the previous day and preparing for the meetings that lie ahead. And at the end of the day, I always check the new arrivals section on Footshop!

And how does it go on after you shut the computer?

I try to spend as much time as possible with my girlfriend and our dog. I like to cook, I like to go for a run or a workout, and I also spend my evenings working on my Tradeshow project, which is a podcast and zine I create in my spare time.

What are your favourite sneakers to run in?

I love trying new silhouettes and brands of sneakers. By not only running on the asphalt at Stromovka but alternating it with trail running, I have several pairs of running sneakers in rotation at once. On the street, I now get most of my mileage in the On Cloudstratus, for the trail I have the Asics Gel Trabuco 9, and when I get to the mountains and more challenging terrain I go for La Sportiva running shoes. But I’ve run the most miles in my life in the Ultraboosts from adidas and the Asics Novablast.

How many pairs of sneakers do you have at home?

Less and less. The most I had at home was about 80 pairs of sneakers, but moving and changing priorities, the amount started to decrease.  I donated a lot of the pairs of sneakers that I didn’t wear as much anymore to family and friends. I sold some at second-hand shops and gave some to charity. I have 40 pairs at home now and I don’t add many new sneakers to my collection. I could easily wear the Nike Air Max 1/97 in collaboration with Sean Wotherspoon every day.

What was your best cop in Footshop?

A Nike ACG t-shirt with the word HIKE on it (in the same font as Nike). As soon as it arrived, I knew I had to have it. I have a huge thing for ACG, I need at least 1-2 pieces from each collection. I love that I can go to work every day and hike on the weekend in Nike ACG.

What do you listen to at work?

I don’t have a particular type of music I listen to strictly while working. I don’t listen to podcasts, I can’t concentrate while listening to them. I’m listening to the new Burn Boy record right now while answering this question.

What are you working on at the moment?

Most of my time right now is spent on a big project for the 11th anniversary of Footshop, which I’m working on with Martin Lukáč. It’s going to be finished in late October/November and I’m enjoying every day working on it with the team. You have a lot to look forward to!

Describe in simple terms how you perceive the Footshop brand.

Our 3 core communication pillars describe it the most: For Everyone. For Creators. For Better Future.

Now in reverse, how do you think the public perceives it?

I hope that they see that we have young people of all skin colours, religions and sexual orientations in all lookbooks and that art and creativity are important parts of our brand. And that we care about the future – that we behave responsibly when it comes to the environment, and sustainability and that we try to improve our future together.

Which brand would you like to get Footshop to work with?

I don’t like to set myself small goals, which is why I’d like us to have a sneaker deal with Nike one day.

Where do you see Footshop in 5 years?

Footshop will be the most significant player in the sneaker and streetwear market in Central and Eastern Europe. It will be one of the most important retailers in all of Europe and will have brick-and-mortar stores in the most important capitals across the region. We will have our collaboration with Nike.

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This was our brand manager Radim Stezka ✌️ We’ll introduce you to someone else soon in the Meet the Crew series. For now, I suggest you continue with the article about Vans’ new definition of comfort.