PHILADELPHIA (UPI) -- "Sneaker-heads" were out in force Tuesday in Philadelphia, camping out and waiting to score the latest shoes in Nike's 1World collection, retailers say.

One pair of self-admitted sneaker-heads, Eddie Ortiz and his 17-year-old son Eddie Ortiz Jr., said they had been camping out in front of the Ubiq footwear store in downtown Philadelphia since Saturday morning and the shoes weren't set to be released for three days, KYW-TV, Philadelphia, reported.

"People look at you like, 'A pair of sneakers?"' the elder Ortiz told the station. "But they don't understand, it's a culture," much like collecting baseball cards or comic books.

Store officials said 26 people had lined up by Tuesday morning.

The latest $225 sneakers to be released were designed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, drummer for the Grammy-winning hip-hop band, The Roots. The red, green and gold Air Force 1 sneakers as part of the 1World collection, which is set to eventually feature 18 designs, KYW-TV said.