Restore the Feeling
In a world dominated by e-commerce, sneaker brands primarily use online platforms to release their latest pair. Whether it be the Nike SNKRS app or Adidas’ Confirmed app, online releases are a fiscally responsible strategy for brands, as less is required of them to distribute product. Upon reflection, there are moments in sneaker history that point to online releases being socially responsible as well. Some might think that it was the Covid-19 Pandemic that led to online releases becoming the primary medium for sneaker brands to sell shoes. In reality, true sneakerheads know it was the release of the ‘Galaxy’ Foamposite in 2012, which prompted brands to retreat from traditional in-person first-come-first-serve releases. Today sneakerheads are left grasping at straws in an online wasteland. Beaten by bots, career resellers, and even the UPS delivery driver attaining a new pair of sneakers feels more like the Squid Games and less like business. Additionally, nothing compares to the magic of walking into a sneaker store, seeing shoes in person, holding them in your hands and getting to leave with something new. The day my dad and I went to pick out my first pair of basketball shoes is still a cherished memory. Before the hype, before the resell value, it was just cool shoes and being excited to show them off.
This weekend, without any plans, I took a trip to the local Nike Outlet. Like a kid in a candy store I browsed the aisles checking out what was on shelves, and drooling over shoes which had previously only existed in brand lookbooks. In the hour plus that I spent in the store, I touched every shoe on display and tried on half. Feeling the materials, and examining the craftsmanship reminded me why I fell in love with shoes. Even borrowing one of the employee’s brannock device had a smile framing my face. Then I saw it, while rifling through the back wall of additionally discounted items, a shoe I’ve wanted for a long time the Air Structure OG. Upon consulting an employee I had my size 10 and was occupying way too much space in the mirror. Forty three dollars and forty four cents later, the newest pickup and addition to the collection had been secured. It was Christmas morning. I almost wore them out of the store and even though it was 100 degrees, I was the coolest person out that day. The feeling of new shoes is bar none.
Part of being a sneakerhead is liking shoes no one else likes, and wearing shoes no one else knows about. In this social media dominated age, copping “bricks” from the Outlet won’t garner any clout, but not everything should be a flex. In it’s purest form, sneaker culture is about a love of sneakers. Find a pair you enjoy and rock ‘em. If you find them in a sneaker store or outlet even better. Engaging with sneakers in person is important. When the only interaction is through a screen it is easy to become disconnected to what fueled the obsession in it’s infancy. Take away the steal that I acquired the Air Structures for and the excitement would still be present. Walking into a store, finding something you think is awesome and leaving with it is what sneakers are all about. Don’t get caught up in the hype machine or ride the latest wave simply because it is this moment’s moment. Sneaker culture reaches beyond the product we collect and wear. It is those other things: the community, the stories, and the memories that give it life. Connect with all aspects of it, restore the feeling.
