It was in 2004, my 9th grade year at Miami Carol City High School when the Bred 13’s dropped. I went to Pembroke Lakes Mall to campout at 3 a.m. just to make sure I got my pair. That was the pair that started it all for me. The very first sneaker in my collection and I still have it to this day, but man has things changed since then.
This is a topic that I’m sure most sneakerheads can talk about for days but I will just touch on a few that I can relate to. So let’s begin with what we used to call “The Hunt”, the driving around and calling the different stores to see which will have the next big release. Before social media or before just going on a stores website you had to know a place, know someone or know something to get your hands on a release. I would call around to Champs, Footlocker, Footaction, Just For Feet (if you don’t know Google it), Shoe Gallery, Mr. R Sports, Culture Kings, MIA Skate Shop, ATC (Air Traffic Control), and FTSLDRS (Foot Soldiers) just to name a few.
On any given day you could walk into any of those stores and see a sneaker on the wall and that may be your first time seeing that colorway not knowing when it released. So there’s no hunt anymore, the internet and social media changed what we call the sneaker game. You can literally build your entire collection and never leave your home as you watch sneakers get delivered to your door step because we have access to everything right at our fingertips.
That leads me to no more camping out. I remember me and my friends would go campout at 2 and 3 a.m. just to be first in line and the stores didn’t open until 8 a.m. That was the thrill, these things made getting the sneaker more special. But camping wasn’t just about getting the sneakers; it was a way to build connection and meet people with the same interest.
They decided to do away with the camping out process due to the crowds and the violence that it was occurring across the country. Introducing the new raffle system, at first the stores would give you a ticket and you fill it out with your contact information and size. You get picked; they call you to come pick up you sneakers simple! This transition helped out with the crowds but didn’t eliminate them.
So again back to the internet, all major franchise Champs, Footlocker, and Footaction all have apps with a selection process based upon points you get from purchases. Other store like sneaker boutiques does an online raffle through their website where they will contact you by email if you’re selected. Some stores may do first come, first serve if it’s not a major release but even then it’s still on rare occasions.
Of course the prices have changed; everything is a lot more expensive now than it was in 2004. I will use one of my favorite sneakers as an example, the True Blue 3’s. Originally released back in 1988, the True Blue’s retailed for $100. They were first retroed in 2001 which also retailed for $100. Then the 2009 retro which was a “Europe Only” release retailed at $125, then in 2011 for $150 and finally in 2016 for $220. So you can see the trend of the prices continues to increase and on average sneakers retail from $160-$190 which is expected in 2017.
The last and the most surprising change I think in the sneaker culture is Adidas surpassing Jordan brand. For a while in fashion related to the sneaker culture Jordan’s stood alone. Of course there are plenty of other classics that people love but it seemed that Jordan’s were the pinnacle of it all. I would say maybe 3 years ago the culture took a shift for comfort, the runner and trainer sneakers took over the shoe game.
Nike Roshe Runners, Nike Flyknit Racers, and Adidas Ultra BOOST were all flying off the shelves selling at an all-time high. But the sneaker that put everything in perspective for me was the Adidas Yeezy BOOST 350. Comfort was becoming a sense of style and Adidas mastered that wave quick. With Adidas revolutionizing comfort with a the full-length BOOST mid-sole it was perfect for Kanye West to utilize in his insanely popular BOOST 350 and BOOST 750. Shops, resellers and enthusiasts stopped at nothing in attempts to add them to their collections.
The Yeezy BOOST 350 was awarded “Shoe of the Year” in 2015 at the Footwear News 29th Annual Achievement Awards Ceremony, which leads to June 2017 where Adidas nearly doubled its U.S. athletic footwear market share from 6.3% to 11.3% which put them only .5% behind Jordan brand who sat at 11.8% in second place. Then just released in September 2017 according to NPD Group, Adidas now owns 13% of the sneaker market in the U.S. more than double what it had a year ago, and 1.7% higher than what was reported in June. This puts them second behind Nike as Jordan brand falls to third place. It was in 2012 when Kanye first rapped that “Yeezys just jumped over Jumpman” and we all thought he was crazy, well today if we’re going by the numbers that statement stands as the truth!
@FatBoiSuperKool
I decided to start this blog to express myself the best way I can about something that means so much to me…sneakers. Ever since I can remember it’s been the only thing I ever think about majority of the time. I finally got the courage to start this blog and honestly I’m very excited about it. Not only do I want to show my favorite sneakers I also want to reach out to some people and do interviews eventually. I think it’s important to hear other peoples point of view concerning this topic. Of course they’ll be different from mine but its a path I want to take to get as many people involved. This blog isn’t just about me and I’ll never want that to be the result of it. I really want people to get to know me through this process and I want to get to know others as well.
My collection is small right now, yes, but I know with time it will get where I want it to be. My taste is very different and that’s what makes me so different from other people. People have approached me and told me they’re excited to see what I have on my feet when I come around and honestly my heart smiles every time. My sneakers are what makes me so unique aside from my height and its just important to me to be unique being apart of this growing culture. The culture has changed so much throughout the years and it’s just been crazy to watch. This blog is also a reminder of why people started collecting in the first place. Don’t want people to forget those stories of camping out early in the morning at malls before the whole raffling system or when Jordans were a lot cheaper than they are now. Also sitting on the floor outside of sneaker stores just patiently waiting with nothing but thoughts of adding this shoe to their collection. Some people purchase sneakers to just deadstock and wear eventually or never wear at all. So this is where you can tell those camping stories, express why you started collecting in the first place, or even just learn things you never knew before. So with that being said…
welcome to SOUL.
I have to start on the right foot and let you all know what sneaker first caught my eyes. I was always paying attention to people’s sneakers since like middle school; what brand, style, color way, which laces were on the sneakers how they were laced like all of that. In my freshman year of high school I came across the DTRT 3’s and ever since then they’ve been in my top 5. DTRT standing for do the right thing they were named after the Spike Lee movie that dropped in 1989. What made me love the shoe is that it was such a different color way something totally unexpected, not the typical red black and white. Don’t get me wrong that color way is undefeated but it’s always refreshing to see a different color way. The blue, the gold like color, the elephant print, the suede, the hint of green, it’s like it all belongs together. Oh yes the elephant print was my favorite part of the sneaker not even an overwhelming amount of the print but just perfect to where I fell in love. It was wonderfully executed in my opinion. I’m not lying when I say I like sneakers that nobody really thinks about. Released in April of 2007, 10 years later I’m still saying undefeated. I don’t think I’ll ever remove those from my top 5. I’m so thankful for these and I can’t wait to find a DS pair.
@ayolean
I decided to start this blog to express myself the best way I can about something that means so much to me…sneakers. Ever since I can remember it’s been the only thing I ever think about majority of the time. I finally got the courage to start this blog and honestly I’m very excited about it. Not only do I want to show my favorite sneakers I also want to reach out to some people and do interviews eventually. I think it’s important to hear other peoples point of view concerning this topic. Of course they’ll be different from mine but its a path I want to take to get as many people involved. This blog isn’t just about me and I’ll never want that to be the result of it. I really want people to get to know me through this process and I want to get to know others as well.
My collection is small right now, yes, but I know with time it will get where I want it to be. My taste is very different and that’s what makes me so different from other people. People have approached me and told me they’re excited to see what I have on my feet when I come around and honestly my heart smiles every time. My sneakers are what makes me so unique aside from my height and its just important to me to be unique being apart of this growing culture. The culture has changed so much throughout the years and it’s just been crazy to watch. This blog is also a reminder of why people started collecting in the first place. Don’t want people to forget those stories of camping out early in the morning at malls before the whole raffling system or when Jordans were a lot cheaper than they are now. Also sitting on the floor outside of sneaker stores just patiently waiting with nothing but thoughts of adding this shoe to their collection. Some people purchase sneakers to just deadstock and wear eventually or never wear at all. So this is where you can tell those camping stories, express why you started collecting in the first place, or even just learn things you never knew before. So with that being said…
welcome to SOUL.
