Born Oakley Neil Caesar-Su, British drill and hip-hop rapper Central Cee recently revealed that his entire 12-year trainer collection was stolen from storage just days before the release of his two Nike Air Force 1 colorways.

West London’s Central Cee, also commonly known as Cench, took to his Instagram story and revealed:

“My [trainer] storage got robbed the other day: 12 years of collecting crep. Had my first Nike ID air force 1 in there that I deetsed from Alboraaq in 2015 g but everything is written. Anyway buy my shoe when it drops”

Cench, who was born and raised in London to an Irish mother and a Guyanese/Chinese father, is estimated to have a net worth of over £4.4 million. Since amassing his millions through multiple platinum-certified songs such as Doja, Sprinter (with Dave), and BAND4BAND, Cench has become as infamous for his fashion choices as he has for his music. His urban fashion style often pairs Nike Tech and street-fashion tracksuits with high-value jewellery and some of the most exclusive pairs of trainers available.

In 2022, after receiving online backlash for wearing a Decathlon jacket, Nike tracksuit bottoms, and a spandex durag to the British Fashion Awards, Cench made a rare response video and stated:

“I dress like this 365 days a year. I’m not changing it for one day, it’s not even my wedding day. You lot love going to these events in fancy dress, dressed as other people. I went there as me.”

On Friday, Cench shared an image of his emptied, ransacked storage unit, with empty transparent bins scattered across the floor, to his nearly 17 million followers. According to his post, he had spent the last 12 years building his trainer collection, dating back to the very beginning of his lucrative music career, which first gained traction with an appearance on a now-deleted episode of the Fire in the Streets series in 2014.

The collection included his first-ever Nike iD Air Force 1 from 2015, a custom design with deep sentimental value as one of his earliest personalised pairs of trainers. Central Cee is set to release two Nike Air Force 1 colorways in just a few days, causing some fans to wonder whether the robbery is legitimate or simply a marketing stunt for the upcoming releases, which would be uncharacteristic for Cench.

Nonetheless, Cench’s partnership with Nike for two Air Force 1 colorways gives the MOBO- and BRIT-decorated rapper yet another feather in his cap. The two upcoming Central Cee x Nike Air Force 1 releases are highly anticipated by his fans. One pair showcases a bold color-blocked design in black, racer blue, and opti yellow, while the other opts for a cleaner look with a light smoke grey base accented by black and white throughout.

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We hope Cench manages to get his trainers back, but if he doesn’t, and if his upcoming Syna World collaboration does as well as his 2024 Central Cee x Nike Air Max 95 collaboration, which retailed for £140, it should soften the blow.