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A sneakerhead is a person who collects, trades, or admires sneakers as a hobby. A sneakerhead may also be highly experienced in distinguishing between real and fake replica sneakers. Sneaker collecting is a hobby often manifested by the use and collection of shoes made for particular sports, particularly basketball and skateboarding.

The birth of sneakerhead culture in the United States came in the 1980s and can be attributed to two major sources: basketball, specifically the emergence of Michael Jordan and his eponymous Air Jordan line of shoes released in 1985, and the growth of hip hop music. The boom of signature basketball shoes during this era provided the sheer variety necessary for a collecting subculture, while the hip-hop movement gave the sneakers their street credibility as status symbols. The sneakerhead culture has emerged in the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic in the last decade.

Resell Market Industry

Store display of new release Nike sneakers.

Several popular brands and styles of sneakers have emerged as collectors items in the sneakerhead subculture. Popular collections include Air Jordans, Air Force Ones, Nike Dunks, Nike Skateboarding (SB), Nike Foamposites, Nike Air Max, and more recently, the Nike Air Yeezy. Shoes that have the most value are usually exclusive or limited editions. Also certain color schemes may be rarer relative to others in the same sneaker, inflating desirability and value. More recently, sneaker customs, or one-of-a-kind sneakers that have been hand-painted, have become popular as well.

Nike continues to use basketball stars to market new sneakers. In 2011, the Zoom Hyperdunk was introduced through Blake Griffin (a Los Angeles Clippers player and NBA 2010–11 NBA Rookie of the Year). Nike has also employed celebrities from outside of the sports world to design and market new shoe lines. One example is the Nike Air Yeezy, designed by rapper Kanye West and released in 2009, as well as the Nike Air Yeezy II, released in 2012.

This therefor leads to this main topics discussion, the resell industry. The myth of investing into sneakers would give a higher return on investment than stock in Apple is no hoax. For example reselling a pair of 2011 Jordan IIIs would actually give you a higher return on investment than stock in Apple from the same time period.

There aren't many people with a better understanding of the volatile sneaker market than Josh Luber, the man behind the data-centric website Campless. Last month, Luber took his expertise to the stage as he gave his very own Ted Talk. The speech was loaded with interesting stats and sales figures, but there was one bit of info that really caught our attention. Towards the end of his talk, Luber shifted his attention to a concept he calls a "stock market of things," which lead him to address the Jordan IIIs on his feet. "If you had invested in a pair of Air Jordan III "Black/Cement" in 2011, you could either be wearing them on stage, or have earned 162 percent on your money. [That's] double the S&P, and 20 percent more than Apple. And that's why we're talking about sneakers," Luber said.

Fast forward to today, it is very common to see sneakers rise upwards of 200% in market price in a very short amount of time. This is hand in hand with the same idea of reselling Supreme. The notorious street wear logo is one of the world's most sought after brands. Since the brand's inception, James Jebbia and company has grown to be an international titan, with sell out collections and collaborations season, after season. As of the last few years, the brand has become associated with hypebeast culture, primarily for its ability to sell just about anything with its name on it. People line up around the block on Thursday just to secure a chance to cop, and countless others camp by their computers as the clock ticks closer to 11 a.m. Eastern Time, with hopes that the thing they've got their eye on doesn't sell out in literal seconds.

Enter resellers. With such sought-after collections, a reseller's market has cropped up, with lucky guys flipping their Supreme purchases like rare kicks. If you're one of the earliest resellers on a product, you theoretically have free reign over what the price is going to be for a particular item. That said, if you're selling your stuff at an insane markup, your product ain't gonna move. Don't alienate potential consumers with unrealistic prices. Generally, people expect to pay a little more than twice than the retail price after an item sells out.

Sneakerhead subculture

The sneakerhead subculture originated in America during the late 1980s and had gone global by the end of the 1990s. Hardcore sneaker collectors in Britain, Europe, and the US buy online and go to outlets, sneaker events, swapmeets, parties, and gatherings in search of rare, deadstock, vintage, and limited edition shoes to invest in. Originally popular among urban black youth and teenage white skateboarders, by the 21st century, it had also gained a sizeable Asian following especially in Malaysia, India, and China.

Common contemporary sneakerhead apparel includes Nike Air Jordans, Air Yeezys, Nike SBs, DC Spartans, Supra Sky-Tops, Vans, designer sportswear, True Religion slim fit jeans, backwards baseball caps, red high-tops with fluorescent or reflective white stars, Skullcandy headphones, leggings, slouched crew socks, and Keds (for girls), Aviator sunglasses, waffle plaid shirts, throwback basketball singlets, tracksuits, Nike Elite socks, cosmic print t-shirts, hoodies, and Nixon watches.

Sneakerheads often customise their shoes by tying their shoelaces in unconventional patterns, including cross-ways, laddered, and staggered.

As of 2016, the most desirable colors for sneakers and apparel were black, red, and white due to their longstanding association with late 1980s new wave music, the Michael Jordan era of basketball, and old-school hip hop.

Sneakerhead slang

During the 2010s, sneakerheads influenced by hip hop fashion and skater subculture began to develop their own jargon. Commonly used words include:

• "Bred" – black and red sneakers
• "B Grade" – shop-worn seconds sold at a discount
• "Coke whites" – pristine white sneakers
• "Crispy" – clean
• "Deadstock" – pair of sneakers that has never been worn
• "Dope" – fashionable
• "Fire" – very good
• "Fresh" – new and cool
• "Goat" – greatest of all time
• "Garms" – clothes
• "Grail" – very rare sneakers, as in Holy Grail
• "GR" – general release, or common
• "Heat" – rare
• "Hypebeast" – trendies who only buy the latest release
• "Jumpman" – basketball player Michael Jordan
• "Ice" – sneakers with transparent soles
• "Instacop" – impulse buying
• "Kicks" – shoes
• "L" – loss/unable to purchase
• "Lit up" – great
• "Nib" – unworn, new in the box
• "OG" – original, derived from the term "original gangster"
• "Quickstrikes" – limited edition sneakers and prototypes with a regional early release, especially Nikes, and are highly desirable status symbols for American sneaker collectors.
• "Reseller" – a person who buys large quantities of unworn popular sneakers to sell at a profit
• "Steezy" – stylish
• "Unauthorised" – counterfeit
• "W" – win/successful purchase
• "Wild" – amazing
• "Yeezy" – sneakers designed by rapper Kanye West

Industry growth

The sneakerhead market has begun to manifest itself in different venues. The growth of online retailing and auction sites has provided sneaker collectors with new methods to find the rarest shoes. Stores such as Suplex in Philadelphia, the online site HG Kicks, and Flight Club in New York City offer rare and exclusive sneakers, and take inventory from the public, selling sneakers on consignment. Jordan Geller opened the Shoezeum in San Diego, a 9,000-square-foot (840 m²) gallery of collector sneakers. Sneakercon is a popular sneaker event. At Sneakercon, shoes can be bought, traded, or sold between people attending the event. Sneakercon has events in cities across the United States and Europe. Foot Locker launched Sneakerpedia.com, a wiki based online community for shoe collectors. NSB developed an online sneaker marketplace.

A large counterfeit supply chain has developed.

As a part of their Student College program, Carnegie Mellon University has offered an official course in the history of sneaker collecting called Sneakerology 101.

See also

• Just for Kicks
• 2010s teenage fashion

Further reading

• Michael Khan, "Sneakerheads show sole devotion to footwear", The San Diego Union-Tribune (September 28, 2004).
• Richard A. Martin, "The Rebirth of the New York Sneakerhead", The New York Times (July 11, 2004).
• Michael Tunison, "'Sneakerheads' Kick It Up a Notch in Search for That Rare Pair", Washington Post (Saturday, February 17, 2007): D01.
• Eric Wilson, "Front Row; Sneakerhead Bonanza", The New York Times (March 23, 2006).
• Bloomberh, "Sneaker Culture and Street Wear on Bloomberg TV", Bloomberg TV (January 31, 2012).
• Cool Hunting, "'Where the Ladies At'", Cool Hunting (October 11, 2005).

External links

• Sneakerhead University on StreetFame.org - series about sneakers etc.

Category:Collecting Category:Fashion Category:Sneaker culture Category:Uses of shoes Category:1980s fashion Category:2010s fashion Category:Hip hop fashion