Sneaker Talk

Hey Sneakerheads!

As the sneaker industry has become a hub for sneaker lovers, it has also become the scene for people to make some serious cash. The resell market of sneakers has been lucrative, but what resellers won’t tell you is that the market is dying. With a combination of general releases and re-releases, the access to sneakers has been easier. Prior to the current release policy, the exclusiveness of sneakers is what resulted in the hype as well as the surge in resell prices. If people are able to get sneakers by themselves, then the resell market suffers because there is no dire need for resellers.

What’s more interesting is that as sneaker companies have been the support system for resellers businesses, they have also been more aware of the reseller market. In the past, they would ban resell happening in front of the store, where exclusive sneakers were released. However, Nike Air Jordan has taken a different approach and addressed the market directly. They have released two models of the Air Jordan 1 in two different colorways. Both sneakers feature writing on the midsole, read as “Not for Resale”.

Despite, the message written on them, the exclusive sneakers are being sold for a pretty penny. Prices have been as high at $1,000+. To access how the market has priced both sneakers, refer to following links:

Air Jordan 1 “Not for Resale” Varsity Maize

Air Jordan 1 “Not for Resale” Varsity Red

The mixed signals have confirmed that it’s not that sneaker companies can’t release, but rather they just choose not to. I think it’s highly possible that sneaker companies do not want to contribute to the finances of what is supposed to support their establishments. Feel free to let me know what you guys think about this. Thanks for reading!

Hey Sneakerheads! As the highly anticipated animated Marvel movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is set to release in theatres on December 14. It is also the release date of a new rendition of the Air Jordan 1 model. The sneaker will be available to purchase tomorrow morning at 10 AM on www.Nike.com , while reservations done earlier on Nike’s SNKRS mobile application. Other sneaker retailers have completed raffles to determine who the sneakers are getting distributed to.

The sneaker was designed to match the sneakers that the protagonist, Miles Morales wears in the film. In the description of the sneaker, Nike said “Like Morales’ character, the AJ1 is known for defying the norm” and went as far as to say that the sneaker can be worn by anyone and empower acts of heroism. Now, I do not know how true this may be, but I do in fact know that the hype of the sneakers has been generated because of the release of the movie and the representation of having an Afro-Latino play Spider-Man.

Despite, my love for the Marvel Universe and all of the Spider-Man lovers, I do not think that the sneakers are a direct replication. I believe that the sneakers that Morales’ wears in the film look very closely to the design of the Air Jordan 1 ‘Chicago’.

As the picture above shows, the soles of the sneakers are icey blue and are transparent. However, in the trailer’s and flyers that Marvel has distributed, depict the sneaker to have red soles. In addition, upon further observation, the spots of tints of red features along the body of the sneaker is something that is distracting. Though the spots may not be seen clearly enough in the content Marvel has put out, it is possible that Nike wanted to pay homage to the film through accents that complemented the sneaker. Below is one of the many flyers distributed on the movie’s Instagram handle (@spiderversemovie).

Throughout the entire year, various sneaker companies have partnered with anime production companies. The collaborations have brought forth sneakers that are associated with anime characters. Some of these companies include adidas, FILA, Nike, and Skechers. The sneakers may reflect the same color schemes as the characters they are associated with as well as display symbols that are iconic for the series.

It is interesting to analyze whether or not this type of collaboration will continue to become a trend or are sneaker companies looking to tap into the large anime watcher community? For now, the collaborations have stayed consistent with the popularity of the series chosen for the partnerships. The anime’s selected include favorites such as Pokémon, One Piece, and Dragon Ball Z, while having the 1998 series, Gundam be the oddball among the four series.

The collaborations include:

1. Nike Air Max 98 ‘Gundam’
2. adidas Dragon Ball Z Collection
3. Fila x Pokemon Collection
4. Skechers x One Piece Collection

Below are some snapshots of the different releases that pay homage to the anime lovers and the characters that have captivated millions.

 

 

Hey Sneakerheads!

Upon the conclusion of the year, December is the month for the release of the final installment of the adidas and Dragon Ball Z collaboration. The sneakers being released are both adidas EQT Support ADV Primeknit model. The two are referred to as “Shenron” and “Super Shenron” as it pays homage to the wish granting dragon that is featured throughout the series. From our sources, it is our understanding that both sneakers will be released later next month, but no definite date has been announced for each sneaker.

We personally appreciate the contrast between the sneakers and love the collection as a whole. It is great to see that adidas is branching out to collaborate with popular animated series to appeal to larger audiences. As they conclude the collection, you will able to try to get your hands on these. They will be available on the adidas website and their mobile application, where you will be to purchase or reserve your pair. The sneakers embody the series that have many come to love and puts respect on the brand. Who knows, your wish may be granted too. Good luck on trying to get these exclusive sneakers.

Black Friday sales have passed, but the next best thing happens tomorrow, Cyber Monday. According to our sources, we have found out that the retailer, Finish Line is restocking four fan favorites that released this past year. The launch is expected to happen at 10:00 am. The sneakers that are included in the restock are the Air Jordan 3 “Black Cement”, Air Jordan 1 “Pine Green”, Air Jordan 11 “Win Like 82”, and Air Jordan 11 “Win like 96”. Feel free to visit Finish Line’s website to get access to these sneakers. Don’t miss out on this opportunity.

Let us know if you were able to get one of the sneakers and the experience that you had with the restock release.

 

Hey Sneakerheads!

As the end of the year is closing in and the holiday season approaches, I would like to present my Top 10 Sneakers that were released this past year. I’ve put my list in chronological order. I’ve taken materials used, creativity behind the project, aesthetic, color scheme and fashion complementary all into account while generating this list. Without further ado, the list is as follows:

1. adidas Yeezy 700 ‘Wave Runner’

2. Nike Air Max 97 ‘Sean Wotherspoon’

3. adidas Futurecraft 4D Ash Green

4. Nike Air Presto Off-White (Black)

5. The Union x Air Jordan 1 ‘Los Angeles’

6. Nike Air Max 97 Off-White ‘Menta’

7. adidas Yeezy 500 ‘Blush’

8. Air Jordan 1 ‘Bred Toe’

9. Air Jordan 3 ‘Black Cement’ 

10. Fenty PUMA by Rihanna Cleated Creeper Surf

Feel free to comment and share your thoughts with me. I would love to hear what you guys think of the list and if you have any recommendations or excited sneaker releases for the upcoming year. Thanks for reading!

Hey sneakerheads!

If you haven’t noticed, over the past year it has gotten increasingly worse to get highly anticipated sneakers for a retail price. In the past, I was able to get sneakers if I really wanted to. This may entail trying several retail websites and exhausting all of my options on raffles and draws. However, now if I use the same process I end up empty handed. I thought it may have been my Wi-Fi or perhaps my cellular speed, but it seems unlikely. To avoid further confusion to my and many other sneakerheads predicaments, I researched and also contacted my peer, Anthony Pujols to find definitive answers.

Here are my findings:

• Reseller Saturation
• Market Robots
• Change of Store policies

It seems as though the trend to participate in reselling has resulted in a saturation of sneakers being bought, but not by people who want to wear them. Many people engage in the highly profitable business simply because of the benefits of quick cash and making high profits for one product. This can be seen by Instagram famous resellers such as, Benjamin Kapelushnik, known as Benjamin Kickz (@benjaminkickz). So the amount of people buying the highly anticipated sneakers aren’t being purchased by you and I, but rather the influx of resellers hoping to make a quick buck. See below how many pairs that resellers are able to buy in bulk.

 

In addition, to the saturation of resellers, a big issue is how quick sneakers sell out. Online retailers typically announce when they will sell a specific sneaker with a launch date and time. 5 years ago, it was normal for people to all go on to the site at one time and hope that they fill out the necessary check out information as quick as possible. Today, cyber robots are used in order to override the programs that sneaker retailers use. It is completely luck, if you are able to complete your order manually and get a confirmation from the retailer. It is also possible that retailers often make mistakes and sell more sneakers than what is in their stock.

Finally, the policies that were in place for sneakers has changed dramatically. Among the sneaker community, it has become a norm to camp out in front of stores because of the first-come first-serve (FCFS) protocol that stores used to follow. In the past, I have camped out and several times I have been rewarded for the time spent waiting overnight. Stores no longer wish to deal with the complications of their consumers and wish to simplify who is served with raffle draws. Yet another outlet that is completely dependent on luck.

So if you have not been getting the sneakers you wish that are popular among the sneaker community, one of the three reasons above is problem what is going on.

Thanks for reading!