OUR CULTURE

Imagine that its Saturday morning and you wake up at 7 o’clock to go stand in line in front of a sneaker store. Your favorite sneaker is coming out and you just have to get it. You wait in line for just about 2 ½ hours because the store opens at 10am. You finally get to the front of the line and sadly you’re told that shoes have sold out. That’s what it’s like to be a sneakerhead. You win some and you lose some.

In most of my blogs I have talked about sneakers and their resell value but it’s time to give you more insight into the culture. You couldn’t always purchase a shoe with the tap of a finger. One would have to travel to great lengths to have the opportunity to even purchase a shoe and the shoe itself was never guaranteed. If you weren’t able to travel, then you were stuck on websites like eBay hoping to find an authentic pair of the shoe. The love for the hunt is what got me into sneakers and now I label myself as a sneakerhead. What is a sneakerhead? A sneaker enthusiast. In all reality it is someone who has too many shoes to count but aren’t considered hoarders.

If we’re being honest sneakerheads spend too much money on sneakers. Back in day Jordan’s would only cost about $100 and now at retail they can run anywhere from $160-$250. The price doesn’t stop there. Shoes can have a resell value for up to $28,000. Who pays that much for shoes you ask? Avid collectors and people who have the financial stability for it. Reselling also turns sneakerheads into businessman.

Often times people don’t understand the joy that sneakers bring. To explain it best, getting a new sneaker or a wanted grail is like opening presents on Christmas morning. That feeling of excitement and rush of energy that’s comes along with it is the same feeling sneakerheads get. The hunt plays a big part of it as well. When you’ve gone to that sixth footlocker and they say “Yes we have your size”, nothing beats that feeling.

Sneakers aren’t just shoes, they’re art. When you look at shoes like that, it makes sense why people gain a passion for it. The sneaker world becomes a community submerged in the world of fashion and this community only continues to grow. Next time you see a sneakerhead buying his 60th sneaker just smile and let them be.