#black cement 3s

[sneakerhistory]

Greatness.

If you agree, you should join our Discord community.

[bengoombs]

[cleverhottubmiracle]

The hunt is often better than the kill. The journey is better than the destination. Trying to get a pair of sneakers, and jumping through hoops to obtain them, is a more satisfying feeling than owning the physical shoes—for some, at least. The world as we know it is undergoing a reset at the moment, and the sneaker world is experiencing one, too. Gone are the days of complaining that a shoe is limited. In are the days of going on a quest to get a sneaker. It’s almost as if people want to follow the yellow brick road to obtain the slippers—I mean shoes—of their dreams.There was a time not too long ago when everyone (and by everyone, I mean people that got into sneakers during the pandemic) was up in arms about hyped sneakers being released in limited quantities. They felt it was unfair that Nike could make a shoe like the Chunky Dunky, the Dior x Air Jordan 1, or any Travis Scott collab in quantities that were less than the demand for the product. They projected that if you had the money to purchase a sneaker at retail, then a brand should allow you to do such.Long gone were the days of the Pigeon Dunk only being released at Reed Space in 2005, where a so-called “riot” broke out. Or the days of the Galaxy Foamposite in 2012, when a release was shut down by police helicopters in Florida and madness ensued over them in New York City. Or even the Entourage or PlayStation Air Force 1s, where, honestly, I don’t even know how you would get the dang things.But a lot has changed in the sneaker world since those glory days. Everyone and their mother got into buying and selling limited-edition shoes. The advent of the SNKRS app made it easy to try your hand at nearly every release. You didn’t have to know the guy at the local sneaker boutique, or even live in a major city to be able to purchase the shoes that everyone wanted. You didn’t have to be cool to have the cool sneakers. People wanted equality in a game that was always about exclusivity. Even if Jordans were made by the millions in the 1980s and ‘90s, it was the price that was the gatekeeper.Starting some time around the early 2020s, people didn’t want to hear that they couldn’t get a sneaker. They felt like they deserved it. Here’s a hard truth: you don’t deserve anything in life.Something that made a lot of people feel jaded towards striking out on shoes was the perceived unfairness of it all. Bots ran rampant in the late 2010s and early 2020s. Especially during the onset of the pandemic, when a bunch of crypto dorks-turned-resellers tried their hands at flipping Yeezys and whatever else they could get their hands on. They bought into a dream, and it all came crashing down on them, just like their NFTs.People were upset that they had to spend $800 on a sneaker that retailed for $150. And I totally understand that sentiment. There was a moment in 2020, when all of the stimulus money was floating around, that if a sneaker didn’t resell for $1,000, then it wasn’t a hit. And that’s absurd.So what did brands do? Well, they started to make more sneakers. They collapsed the resale market as we know it. Most cool shoes go for a little over retail these days, except Travis’s sneakers. Nike went cold. Smaller brands became hot. The sneakers on Sneaker of the Year lists weren’t the mega-expensive grails like they were in the past.People bought what they liked. And they could buy the sneakers when they wanted. “Black Cement” 3s sat on shelves. So did the “Legend Blue” 11s. The answer to solving the stagnation with the sneaker consumer wasn’t just going back to making less and less shoes so people fight over them. It was to gamify the sneaker-buying experience. To send people on sneaker quests. It made the pursuit of the sneaker the cool thing to do. If brands couldn’t drop sneakers in super-limited quantities in the traditional sense and not draw ire from the public, then they needed to do it in new, fun ways.London streetwear brand Corteiz is a master of this process. In 2023, Corteiz took to New York City to drop its Air Max 95 at a bodega. Everyone had to meet at the Nike billboard on 34th St to get a set of coordinates, which led to a corner store near the East Village. There was a similar release in Paris. People were roof surfing on the tops of buses for the shoes.There was a similar release in New York City for Corteiz’s Air Trainer Huarache collaboration in December. The brand put out a newspaper that had coordinates in it, which ended up leading to Tom, Dick, and Harry’s, a seminal footwear retailer in Brooklyn.The release was applauded. It brought back the “outside” feeling that people were missing in recent years. It was a way to do something special in small numbers, and not make the people from flyover states (shoutout to everyone in flyover states—I wish I could live there) angry on the internet.The sneaker of the year to me (so far) is the “Ruby Red Slipper” Nike SB Dunk that was hidden amongst the restock of the Wizard of Oz Dunks that hit skate shops last week. No one saw this one coming. The original pair had an upper covered in a poppy field print, which could be cut away and reveal a flat red material. Maybe it was foreshadowing of the Ruby Red Slippers to come. The cool thing about these shoes was that all the pairs were bagged inside of the box, which gave it a blind-box effect. Whether people want to wear a sequined red shoe, that’s up to them. But it was the perfect Easter egg hidden in plain sight. Those who wanted the shoe, which wasn’t extremely hyped, got a chance to get them. And no one knew that a second, ultra rare batch ofthe “Ruby Red Slipper” version was sprinkled in. That part of the drop was first revealed by Bluetile Skateboards in Columbia, South Carolina, last week. And then others started to roll in. According to a sneaker industry source, there are less than 100 pairs of the “Ruby Red Slipper” SB Dunks in existence. There’s no way Nike could launch something so limited on its own. But hiding it in a wider release, Willy Wonka style, is genius. It doesn’t cause riots. Rather, it blesses those who wanted the shoes anyway. It’s a feel-good story, rather than one of envy, greed, and resellers. It takes sneakers back to a more pure place, one that we can all champion.Another recent sneaker quest was an unofficial release of sorts. It was a New Balance 860v2, which was hand-dyed by UK designer Lorenz.OG. The “Dusk” sneakers came in mismatching left and right shoes and were launched, once again, Willy Wonka-style, by having shoppers purchase custom Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate bar that secured access to the sneakers. Two of these tickets were given away by sneaker shop Footpatrol in London. There were scenes in Soho for those trying to get the shoes. Not many people have a chance at owning Lorenz’s custom work, so getting a pair, and a good looking pair of New Balance 860s, was a dream come true for them. People are listing their pairs for a lot of money on StockX, and some are selling for $900. Maybe it’s a sign that New Balance should do an official project with him in the future.The re-release of the “Bred” Air Jordan 1 might be the biggest release of the year. But it’s not that in numbers. Retail sources in the US tell Complex that Jordan Brand informed them there were only 10,000 pairs dropping, with more pairs rumored to be releasing internationally. Jordan Brand is scaling back on its most important shoe. Bumping the price to $250 and cutting back the distribution is a bold move. But maybe it’s what was needed to bring energy—and the idea that you need to hunt for its shoes—back to the brand. Its recent re-releases the Air Jordan 3 “Black Cement” and Air Jordan 11 “Legend Blue” weren’t met with the warmest of reactions compared to past releases. If the “Bred” Jordan 1 sat on shelves, it would be a tough pill to swallow for the brand that holds its ego at the center of sneaker culture. So they’ve made the shoe a premium release, like it’s a luxury good. Retailers have been instructed to create for customers a “white glove” experience to make them feel special. First-come first-served launches are not a priority for the shoe, retailers stocking the black and red Jordan 1 tell Complex. It’s the opposite of first-come, first-serve. Will people be happy? It’s hard to tell. But the shoes were made to look as similar to the original 1985 pair as possible, with premium leather to boot.So is this the new trend? To turn sneakerheads into Bilbo Baggins, on a journey to get the grails of their dream; Indiana Jones in hunt of their own holy grail, just with no Sean Connery? I think so. But it’s a fine line. These are cool right now. But expect this trend to jump the shark. People are only willing to do so much before something gets corny, and that can happen quickly with marketing gimmicks. If the treasure isn’t worth the miles trekked, then sneakerheads won’t be a fool for the gold. Source link

[norajworld]

The hunt is often better than the kill. The journey is better than the destination. Trying to get a pair of sneakers, and jumping through hoops to obtain them, is a more satisfying feeling than owning the physical shoes—for some, at least. The world as we know it is undergoing a reset at the moment, and the sneaker world is experiencing one, too. Gone are the days of complaining that a shoe is limited. In are the days of going on a quest to get a sneaker. It’s almost as if people want to follow the yellow brick road to obtain the slippers—I mean shoes—of their dreams.There was a time not too long ago when everyone (and by everyone, I mean people that got into sneakers during the pandemic) was up in arms about hyped sneakers being released in limited quantities. They felt it was unfair that Nike could make a shoe like the Chunky Dunky, the Dior x Air Jordan 1, or any Travis Scott collab in quantities that were less than the demand for the product. They projected that if you had the money to purchase a sneaker at retail, then a brand should allow you to do such.Long gone were the days of the Pigeon Dunk only being released at Reed Space in 2005, where a so-called “riot” broke out. Or the days of the Galaxy Foamposite in 2012, when a release was shut down by police helicopters in Florida and madness ensued over them in New York City. Or even the Entourage or PlayStation Air Force 1s, where, honestly, I don’t even know how you would get the dang things.But a lot has changed in the sneaker world since those glory days. Everyone and their mother got into buying and selling limited-edition shoes. The advent of the SNKRS app made it easy to try your hand at nearly every release. You didn’t have to know the guy at the local sneaker boutique, or even live in a major city to be able to purchase the shoes that everyone wanted. You didn’t have to be cool to have the cool sneakers. People wanted equality in a game that was always about exclusivity. Even if Jordans were made by the millions in the 1980s and ‘90s, it was the price that was the gatekeeper.Starting some time around the early 2020s, people didn’t want to hear that they couldn’t get a sneaker. They felt like they deserved it. Here’s a hard truth: you don’t deserve anything in life.Something that made a lot of people feel jaded towards striking out on shoes was the perceived unfairness of it all. Bots ran rampant in the late 2010s and early 2020s. Especially during the onset of the pandemic, when a bunch of crypto dorks-turned-resellers tried their hands at flipping Yeezys and whatever else they could get their hands on. They bought into a dream, and it all came crashing down on them, just like their NFTs.People were upset that they had to spend $800 on a sneaker that retailed for $150. And I totally understand that sentiment. There was a moment in 2020, when all of the stimulus money was floating around, that if a sneaker didn’t resell for $1,000, then it wasn’t a hit. And that’s absurd.So what did brands do? Well, they started to make more sneakers. They collapsed the resale market as we know it. Most cool shoes go for a little over retail these days, except Travis’s sneakers. Nike went cold. Smaller brands became hot. The sneakers on Sneaker of the Year lists weren’t the mega-expensive grails like they were in the past.People bought what they liked. And they could buy the sneakers when they wanted. “Black Cement” 3s sat on shelves. So did the “Legend Blue” 11s. The answer to solving the stagnation with the sneaker consumer wasn’t just going back to making less and less shoes so people fight over them. It was to gamify the sneaker-buying experience. To send people on sneaker quests. It made the pursuit of the sneaker the cool thing to do. If brands couldn’t drop sneakers in super-limited quantities in the traditional sense and not draw ire from the public, then they needed to do it in new, fun ways.London streetwear brand Corteiz is a master of this process. In 2023, Corteiz took to New York City to drop its Air Max 95 at a bodega. Everyone had to meet at the Nike billboard on 34th St to get a set of coordinates, which led to a corner store near the East Village. There was a similar release in Paris. People were roof surfing on the tops of buses for the shoes.There was a similar release in New York City for Corteiz’s Air Trainer Huarache collaboration in December. The brand put out a newspaper that had coordinates in it, which ended up leading to Tom, Dick, and Harry’s, a seminal footwear retailer in Brooklyn.The release was applauded. It brought back the “outside” feeling that people were missing in recent years. It was a way to do something special in small numbers, and not make the people from flyover states (shoutout to everyone in flyover states—I wish I could live there) angry on the internet.The sneaker of the year to me (so far) is the “Ruby Red Slipper” Nike SB Dunk that was hidden amongst the restock of the Wizard of Oz Dunks that hit skate shops last week. No one saw this one coming. The original pair had an upper covered in a poppy field print, which could be cut away and reveal a flat red material. Maybe it was foreshadowing of the Ruby Red Slippers to come. The cool thing about these shoes was that all the pairs were bagged inside of the box, which gave it a blind-box effect. Whether people want to wear a sequined red shoe, that’s up to them. But it was the perfect Easter egg hidden in plain sight. Those who wanted the shoe, which wasn’t extremely hyped, got a chance to get them. And no one knew that a second, ultra rare batch ofthe “Ruby Red Slipper” version was sprinkled in. That part of the drop was first revealed by Bluetile Skateboards in Columbia, South Carolina, last week. And then others started to roll in. According to a sneaker industry source, there are less than 100 pairs of the “Ruby Red Slipper” SB Dunks in existence. There’s no way Nike could launch something so limited on its own. But hiding it in a wider release, Willy Wonka style, is genius. It doesn’t cause riots. Rather, it blesses those who wanted the shoes anyway. It’s a feel-good story, rather than one of envy, greed, and resellers. It takes sneakers back to a more pure place, one that we can all champion.Another recent sneaker quest was an unofficial release of sorts. It was a New Balance 860v2, which was hand-dyed by UK designer Lorenz.OG. The “Dusk” sneakers came in mismatching left and right shoes and were launched, once again, Willy Wonka-style, by having shoppers purchase custom Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate bar that secured access to the sneakers. Two of these tickets were given away by sneaker shop Footpatrol in London. There were scenes in Soho for those trying to get the shoes. Not many people have a chance at owning Lorenz’s custom work, so getting a pair, and a good looking pair of New Balance 860s, was a dream come true for them. People are listing their pairs for a lot of money on StockX, and some are selling for $900. Maybe it’s a sign that New Balance should do an official project with him in the future.The re-release of the “Bred” Air Jordan 1 might be the biggest release of the year. But it’s not that in numbers. Retail sources in the US tell Complex that Jordan Brand informed them there were only 10,000 pairs dropping, with more pairs rumored to be releasing internationally. Jordan Brand is scaling back on its most important shoe. Bumping the price to $250 and cutting back the distribution is a bold move. But maybe it’s what was needed to bring energy—and the idea that you need to hunt for its shoes—back to the brand. Its recent re-releases the Air Jordan 3 “Black Cement” and Air Jordan 11 “Legend Blue” weren’t met with the warmest of reactions compared to past releases. If the “Bred” Jordan 1 sat on shelves, it would be a tough pill to swallow for the brand that holds its ego at the center of sneaker culture. So they’ve made the shoe a premium release, like it’s a luxury good. Retailers have been instructed to create for customers a “white glove” experience to make them feel special. First-come first-served launches are not a priority for the shoe, retailers stocking the black and red Jordan 1 tell Complex. It’s the opposite of first-come, first-serve. Will people be happy? It’s hard to tell. But the shoes were made to look as similar to the original 1985 pair as possible, with premium leather to boot.So is this the new trend? To turn sneakerheads into Bilbo Baggins, on a journey to get the grails of their dream; Indiana Jones in hunt of their own holy grail, just with no Sean Connery? I think so. But it’s a fine line. These are cool right now. But expect this trend to jump the shark. People are only willing to do so much before something gets corny, and that can happen quickly with marketing gimmicks. If the treasure isn’t worth the miles trekked, then sneakerheads won’t be a fool for the gold. Source link

[ellajme0]

The hunt is often better than the kill. The journey is better than the destination. Trying to get a pair of sneakers, and jumping through hoops to obtain them, is a more satisfying feeling than owning the physical shoes—for some, at least. The world as we know it is undergoing a reset at the moment, and the sneaker world is experiencing one, too. Gone are the days of complaining that a shoe is limited. In are the days of going on a quest to get a sneaker. It’s almost as if people want to follow the yellow brick road to obtain the slippers—I mean shoes—of their dreams.There was a time not too long ago when everyone (and by everyone, I mean people that got into sneakers during the pandemic) was up in arms about hyped sneakers being released in limited quantities. They felt it was unfair that Nike could make a shoe like the Chunky Dunky, the Dior x Air Jordan 1, or any Travis Scott collab in quantities that were less than the demand for the product. They projected that if you had the money to purchase a sneaker at retail, then a brand should allow you to do such.Long gone were the days of the Pigeon Dunk only being released at Reed Space in 2005, where a so-called “riot” broke out. Or the days of the Galaxy Foamposite in 2012, when a release was shut down by police helicopters in Florida and madness ensued over them in New York City. Or even the Entourage or PlayStation Air Force 1s, where, honestly, I don’t even know how you would get the dang things.But a lot has changed in the sneaker world since those glory days. Everyone and their mother got into buying and selling limited-edition shoes. The advent of the SNKRS app made it easy to try your hand at nearly every release. You didn’t have to know the guy at the local sneaker boutique, or even live in a major city to be able to purchase the shoes that everyone wanted. You didn’t have to be cool to have the cool sneakers. People wanted equality in a game that was always about exclusivity. Even if Jordans were made by the millions in the 1980s and ‘90s, it was the price that was the gatekeeper.Starting some time around the early 2020s, people didn’t want to hear that they couldn’t get a sneaker. They felt like they deserved it. Here’s a hard truth: you don’t deserve anything in life.Something that made a lot of people feel jaded towards striking out on shoes was the perceived unfairness of it all. Bots ran rampant in the late 2010s and early 2020s. Especially during the onset of the pandemic, when a bunch of crypto dorks-turned-resellers tried their hands at flipping Yeezys and whatever else they could get their hands on. They bought into a dream, and it all came crashing down on them, just like their NFTs.People were upset that they had to spend $800 on a sneaker that retailed for $150. And I totally understand that sentiment. There was a moment in 2020, when all of the stimulus money was floating around, that if a sneaker didn’t resell for $1,000, then it wasn’t a hit. And that’s absurd.So what did brands do? Well, they started to make more sneakers. They collapsed the resale market as we know it. Most cool shoes go for a little over retail these days, except Travis’s sneakers. Nike went cold. Smaller brands became hot. The sneakers on Sneaker of the Year lists weren’t the mega-expensive grails like they were in the past.People bought what they liked. And they could buy the sneakers when they wanted. “Black Cement” 3s sat on shelves. So did the “Legend Blue” 11s. The answer to solving the stagnation with the sneaker consumer wasn’t just going back to making less and less shoes so people fight over them. It was to gamify the sneaker-buying experience. To send people on sneaker quests. It made the pursuit of the sneaker the cool thing to do. If brands couldn’t drop sneakers in super-limited quantities in the traditional sense and not draw ire from the public, then they needed to do it in new, fun ways.London streetwear brand Corteiz is a master of this process. In 2023, Corteiz took to New York City to drop its Air Max 95 at a bodega. Everyone had to meet at the Nike billboard on 34th St to get a set of coordinates, which led to a corner store near the East Village. There was a similar release in Paris. People were roof surfing on the tops of buses for the shoes.There was a similar release in New York City for Corteiz’s Air Trainer Huarache collaboration in December. The brand put out a newspaper that had coordinates in it, which ended up leading to Tom, Dick, and Harry’s, a seminal footwear retailer in Brooklyn.The release was applauded. It brought back the “outside” feeling that people were missing in recent years. It was a way to do something special in small numbers, and not make the people from flyover states (shoutout to everyone in flyover states—I wish I could live there) angry on the internet.The sneaker of the year to me (so far) is the “Ruby Red Slipper” Nike SB Dunk that was hidden amongst the restock of the Wizard of Oz Dunks that hit skate shops last week. No one saw this one coming. The original pair had an upper covered in a poppy field print, which could be cut away and reveal a flat red material. Maybe it was foreshadowing of the Ruby Red Slippers to come. The cool thing about these shoes was that all the pairs were bagged inside of the box, which gave it a blind-box effect. Whether people want to wear a sequined red shoe, that’s up to them. But it was the perfect Easter egg hidden in plain sight. Those who wanted the shoe, which wasn’t extremely hyped, got a chance to get them. And no one knew that a second, ultra rare batch ofthe “Ruby Red Slipper” version was sprinkled in. That part of the drop was first revealed by Bluetile Skateboards in Columbia, South Carolina, last week. And then others started to roll in. According to a sneaker industry source, there are less than 100 pairs of the “Ruby Red Slipper” SB Dunks in existence. There’s no way Nike could launch something so limited on its own. But hiding it in a wider release, Willy Wonka style, is genius. It doesn’t cause riots. Rather, it blesses those who wanted the shoes anyway. It’s a feel-good story, rather than one of envy, greed, and resellers. It takes sneakers back to a more pure place, one that we can all champion.Another recent sneaker quest was an unofficial release of sorts. It was a New Balance 860v2, which was hand-dyed by UK designer Lorenz.OG. The “Dusk” sneakers came in mismatching left and right shoes and were launched, once again, Willy Wonka-style, by having shoppers purchase custom Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate bar that secured access to the sneakers. Two of these tickets were given away by sneaker shop Footpatrol in London. There were scenes in Soho for those trying to get the shoes. Not many people have a chance at owning Lorenz’s custom work, so getting a pair, and a good looking pair of New Balance 860s, was a dream come true for them. People are listing their pairs for a lot of money on StockX, and some are selling for $900. Maybe it’s a sign that New Balance should do an official project with him in the future.The re-release of the “Bred” Air Jordan 1 might be the biggest release of the year. But it’s not that in numbers. Retail sources in the US tell Complex that Jordan Brand informed them there were only 10,000 pairs dropping, with more pairs rumored to be releasing internationally. Jordan Brand is scaling back on its most important shoe. Bumping the price to $250 and cutting back the distribution is a bold move. But maybe it’s what was needed to bring energy—and the idea that you need to hunt for its shoes—back to the brand. Its recent re-releases the Air Jordan 3 “Black Cement” and Air Jordan 11 “Legend Blue” weren’t met with the warmest of reactions compared to past releases. If the “Bred” Jordan 1 sat on shelves, it would be a tough pill to swallow for the brand that holds its ego at the center of sneaker culture. So they’ve made the shoe a premium release, like it’s a luxury good. Retailers have been instructed to create for customers a “white glove” experience to make them feel special. First-come first-served launches are not a priority for the shoe, retailers stocking the black and red Jordan 1 tell Complex. It’s the opposite of first-come, first-serve. Will people be happy? It’s hard to tell. But the shoes were made to look as similar to the original 1985 pair as possible, with premium leather to boot.So is this the new trend? To turn sneakerheads into Bilbo Baggins, on a journey to get the grails of their dream; Indiana Jones in hunt of their own holy grail, just with no Sean Connery? I think so. But it’s a fine line. These are cool right now. But expect this trend to jump the shark. People are only willing to do so much before something gets corny, and that can happen quickly with marketing gimmicks. If the treasure isn’t worth the miles trekked, then sneakerheads won’t be a fool for the gold. Source link

[chilimili212]

The hunt is often better than the kill. The journey is better than the destination. Trying to get a pair of sneakers, and jumping through hoops to obtain them, is a more satisfying feeling than owning the physical shoes—for some, at least. The world as we know it is undergoing a reset at the moment, and the sneaker world is experiencing one, too. Gone are the days of complaining that a shoe is limited. In are the days of going on a quest to get a sneaker. It’s almost as if people want to follow the yellow brick road to obtain the slippers—I mean shoes—of their dreams.There was a time not too long ago when everyone (and by everyone, I mean people that got into sneakers during the pandemic) was up in arms about hyped sneakers being released in limited quantities. They felt it was unfair that Nike could make a shoe like the Chunky Dunky, the Dior x Air Jordan 1, or any Travis Scott collab in quantities that were less than the demand for the product. They projected that if you had the money to purchase a sneaker at retail, then a brand should allow you to do such.Long gone were the days of the Pigeon Dunk only being released at Reed Space in 2005, where a so-called “riot” broke out. Or the days of the Galaxy Foamposite in 2012, when a release was shut down by police helicopters in Florida and madness ensued over them in New York City. Or even the Entourage or PlayStation Air Force 1s, where, honestly, I don’t even know how you would get the dang things.But a lot has changed in the sneaker world since those glory days. Everyone and their mother got into buying and selling limited-edition shoes. The advent of the SNKRS app made it easy to try your hand at nearly every release. You didn’t have to know the guy at the local sneaker boutique, or even live in a major city to be able to purchase the shoes that everyone wanted. You didn’t have to be cool to have the cool sneakers. People wanted equality in a game that was always about exclusivity. Even if Jordans were made by the millions in the 1980s and ‘90s, it was the price that was the gatekeeper.Starting some time around the early 2020s, people didn’t want to hear that they couldn’t get a sneaker. They felt like they deserved it. Here’s a hard truth: you don’t deserve anything in life.Something that made a lot of people feel jaded towards striking out on shoes was the perceived unfairness of it all. Bots ran rampant in the late 2010s and early 2020s. Especially during the onset of the pandemic, when a bunch of crypto dorks-turned-resellers tried their hands at flipping Yeezys and whatever else they could get their hands on. They bought into a dream, and it all came crashing down on them, just like their NFTs.People were upset that they had to spend $800 on a sneaker that retailed for $150. And I totally understand that sentiment. There was a moment in 2020, when all of the stimulus money was floating around, that if a sneaker didn’t resell for $1,000, then it wasn’t a hit. And that’s absurd.So what did brands do? Well, they started to make more sneakers. They collapsed the resale market as we know it. Most cool shoes go for a little over retail these days, except Travis’s sneakers. Nike went cold. Smaller brands became hot. The sneakers on Sneaker of the Year lists weren’t the mega-expensive grails like they were in the past.People bought what they liked. And they could buy the sneakers when they wanted. “Black Cement” 3s sat on shelves. So did the “Legend Blue” 11s. The answer to solving the stagnation with the sneaker consumer wasn’t just going back to making less and less shoes so people fight over them. It was to gamify the sneaker-buying experience. To send people on sneaker quests. It made the pursuit of the sneaker the cool thing to do. If brands couldn’t drop sneakers in super-limited quantities in the traditional sense and not draw ire from the public, then they needed to do it in new, fun ways.London streetwear brand Corteiz is a master of this process. In 2023, Corteiz took to New York City to drop its Air Max 95 at a bodega. Everyone had to meet at the Nike billboard on 34th St to get a set of coordinates, which led to a corner store near the East Village. There was a similar release in Paris. People were roof surfing on the tops of buses for the shoes.There was a similar release in New York City for Corteiz’s Air Trainer Huarache collaboration in December. The brand put out a newspaper that had coordinates in it, which ended up leading to Tom, Dick, and Harry’s, a seminal footwear retailer in Brooklyn.The release was applauded. It brought back the “outside” feeling that people were missing in recent years. It was a way to do something special in small numbers, and not make the people from flyover states (shoutout to everyone in flyover states—I wish I could live there) angry on the internet.The sneaker of the year to me (so far) is the “Ruby Red Slipper” Nike SB Dunk that was hidden amongst the restock of the Wizard of Oz Dunks that hit skate shops last week. No one saw this one coming. The original pair had an upper covered in a poppy field print, which could be cut away and reveal a flat red material. Maybe it was foreshadowing of the Ruby Red Slippers to come. The cool thing about these shoes was that all the pairs were bagged inside of the box, which gave it a blind-box effect. Whether people want to wear a sequined red shoe, that’s up to them. But it was the perfect Easter egg hidden in plain sight. Those who wanted the shoe, which wasn’t extremely hyped, got a chance to get them. And no one knew that a second, ultra rare batch ofthe “Ruby Red Slipper” version was sprinkled in. That part of the drop was first revealed by Bluetile Skateboards in Columbia, South Carolina, last week. And then others started to roll in. According to a sneaker industry source, there are less than 100 pairs of the “Ruby Red Slipper” SB Dunks in existence. There’s no way Nike could launch something so limited on its own. But hiding it in a wider release, Willy Wonka style, is genius. It doesn’t cause riots. Rather, it blesses those who wanted the shoes anyway. It’s a feel-good story, rather than one of envy, greed, and resellers. It takes sneakers back to a more pure place, one that we can all champion.Another recent sneaker quest was an unofficial release of sorts. It was a New Balance 860v2, which was hand-dyed by UK designer Lorenz.OG. The “Dusk” sneakers came in mismatching left and right shoes and were launched, once again, Willy Wonka-style, by having shoppers purchase custom Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate bar that secured access to the sneakers. Two of these tickets were given away by sneaker shop Footpatrol in London. There were scenes in Soho for those trying to get the shoes. Not many people have a chance at owning Lorenz’s custom work, so getting a pair, and a good looking pair of New Balance 860s, was a dream come true for them. People are listing their pairs for a lot of money on StockX, and some are selling for $900. Maybe it’s a sign that New Balance should do an official project with him in the future.The re-release of the “Bred” Air Jordan 1 might be the biggest release of the year. But it’s not that in numbers. Retail sources in the US tell Complex that Jordan Brand informed them there were only 10,000 pairs dropping, with more pairs rumored to be releasing internationally. Jordan Brand is scaling back on its most important shoe. Bumping the price to $250 and cutting back the distribution is a bold move. But maybe it’s what was needed to bring energy—and the idea that you need to hunt for its shoes—back to the brand. Its recent re-releases the Air Jordan 3 “Black Cement” and Air Jordan 11 “Legend Blue” weren’t met with the warmest of reactions compared to past releases. If the “Bred” Jordan 1 sat on shelves, it would be a tough pill to swallow for the brand that holds its ego at the center of sneaker culture. So they’ve made the shoe a premium release, like it’s a luxury good. Retailers have been instructed to create for customers a “white glove” experience to make them feel special. First-come first-served launches are not a priority for the shoe, retailers stocking the black and red Jordan 1 tell Complex. It’s the opposite of first-come, first-serve. Will people be happy? It’s hard to tell. But the shoes were made to look as similar to the original 1985 pair as possible, with premium leather to boot.So is this the new trend? To turn sneakerheads into Bilbo Baggins, on a journey to get the grails of their dream; Indiana Jones in hunt of their own holy grail, just with no Sean Connery? I think so. But it’s a fine line. These are cool right now. But expect this trend to jump the shark. People are only willing to do so much before something gets corny, and that can happen quickly with marketing gimmicks. If the treasure isn’t worth the miles trekked, then sneakerheads won’t be a fool for the gold. Source link

[oliviajoyice21]

The hunt is often better than the kill. The journey is better than the destination. Trying to get a pair of sneakers, and jumping through hoops to obtain them, is a more satisfying feeling than owning the physical shoes—for some, at least. The world as we know it is undergoing a reset at the moment, and the sneaker world is experiencing one, too. Gone are the days of complaining that a shoe is limited. In are the days of going on a quest to get a sneaker. It’s almost as if people want to follow the yellow brick road to obtain the slippers—I mean shoes—of their dreams.There was a time not too long ago when everyone (and by everyone, I mean people that got into sneakers during the pandemic) was up in arms about hyped sneakers being released in limited quantities. They felt it was unfair that Nike could make a shoe like the Chunky Dunky, the Dior x Air Jordan 1, or any Travis Scott collab in quantities that were less than the demand for the product. They projected that if you had the money to purchase a sneaker at retail, then a brand should allow you to do such.Long gone were the days of the Pigeon Dunk only being released at Reed Space in 2005, where a so-called “riot” broke out. Or the days of the Galaxy Foamposite in 2012, when a release was shut down by police helicopters in Florida and madness ensued over them in New York City. Or even the Entourage or PlayStation Air Force 1s, where, honestly, I don’t even know how you would get the dang things.But a lot has changed in the sneaker world since those glory days. Everyone and their mother got into buying and selling limited-edition shoes. The advent of the SNKRS app made it easy to try your hand at nearly every release. You didn’t have to know the guy at the local sneaker boutique, or even live in a major city to be able to purchase the shoes that everyone wanted. You didn’t have to be cool to have the cool sneakers. People wanted equality in a game that was always about exclusivity. Even if Jordans were made by the millions in the 1980s and ‘90s, it was the price that was the gatekeeper.Starting some time around the early 2020s, people didn’t want to hear that they couldn’t get a sneaker. They felt like they deserved it. Here’s a hard truth: you don’t deserve anything in life.Something that made a lot of people feel jaded towards striking out on shoes was the perceived unfairness of it all. Bots ran rampant in the late 2010s and early 2020s. Especially during the onset of the pandemic, when a bunch of crypto dorks-turned-resellers tried their hands at flipping Yeezys and whatever else they could get their hands on. They bought into a dream, and it all came crashing down on them, just like their NFTs.People were upset that they had to spend $800 on a sneaker that retailed for $150. And I totally understand that sentiment. There was a moment in 2020, when all of the stimulus money was floating around, that if a sneaker didn’t resell for $1,000, then it wasn’t a hit. And that’s absurd.So what did brands do? Well, they started to make more sneakers. They collapsed the resale market as we know it. Most cool shoes go for a little over retail these days, except Travis’s sneakers. Nike went cold. Smaller brands became hot. The sneakers on Sneaker of the Year lists weren’t the mega-expensive grails like they were in the past.People bought what they liked. And they could buy the sneakers when they wanted. “Black Cement” 3s sat on shelves. So did the “Legend Blue” 11s. The answer to solving the stagnation with the sneaker consumer wasn’t just going back to making less and less shoes so people fight over them. It was to gamify the sneaker-buying experience. To send people on sneaker quests. It made the pursuit of the sneaker the cool thing to do. If brands couldn’t drop sneakers in super-limited quantities in the traditional sense and not draw ire from the public, then they needed to do it in new, fun ways.London streetwear brand Corteiz is a master of this process. In 2023, Corteiz took to New York City to drop its Air Max 95 at a bodega. Everyone had to meet at the Nike billboard on 34th St to get a set of coordinates, which led to a corner store near the East Village. There was a similar release in Paris. People were roof surfing on the tops of buses for the shoes.There was a similar release in New York City for Corteiz’s Air Trainer Huarache collaboration in December. The brand put out a newspaper that had coordinates in it, which ended up leading to Tom, Dick, and Harry’s, a seminal footwear retailer in Brooklyn.The release was applauded. It brought back the “outside” feeling that people were missing in recent years. It was a way to do something special in small numbers, and not make the people from flyover states (shoutout to everyone in flyover states—I wish I could live there) angry on the internet.The sneaker of the year to me (so far) is the “Ruby Red Slipper” Nike SB Dunk that was hidden amongst the restock of the Wizard of Oz Dunks that hit skate shops last week. No one saw this one coming. The original pair had an upper covered in a poppy field print, which could be cut away and reveal a flat red material. Maybe it was foreshadowing of the Ruby Red Slippers to come. The cool thing about these shoes was that all the pairs were bagged inside of the box, which gave it a blind-box effect. Whether people want to wear a sequined red shoe, that’s up to them. But it was the perfect Easter egg hidden in plain sight. Those who wanted the shoe, which wasn’t extremely hyped, got a chance to get them. And no one knew that a second, ultra rare batch ofthe “Ruby Red Slipper” version was sprinkled in. That part of the drop was first revealed by Bluetile Skateboards in Columbia, South Carolina, last week. And then others started to roll in. According to a sneaker industry source, there are less than 100 pairs of the “Ruby Red Slipper” SB Dunks in existence. There’s no way Nike could launch something so limited on its own. But hiding it in a wider release, Willy Wonka style, is genius. It doesn’t cause riots. Rather, it blesses those who wanted the shoes anyway. It’s a feel-good story, rather than one of envy, greed, and resellers. It takes sneakers back to a more pure place, one that we can all champion.Another recent sneaker quest was an unofficial release of sorts. It was a New Balance 860v2, which was hand-dyed by UK designer Lorenz.OG. The “Dusk” sneakers came in mismatching left and right shoes and were launched, once again, Willy Wonka-style, by having shoppers purchase custom Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate bar that secured access to the sneakers. Two of these tickets were given away by sneaker shop Footpatrol in London. There were scenes in Soho for those trying to get the shoes. Not many people have a chance at owning Lorenz’s custom work, so getting a pair, and a good looking pair of New Balance 860s, was a dream come true for them. People are listing their pairs for a lot of money on StockX, and some are selling for $900. Maybe it’s a sign that New Balance should do an official project with him in the future.The re-release of the “Bred” Air Jordan 1 might be the biggest release of the year. But it’s not that in numbers. Retail sources in the US tell Complex that Jordan Brand informed them there were only 10,000 pairs dropping, with more pairs rumored to be releasing internationally. Jordan Brand is scaling back on its most important shoe. Bumping the price to $250 and cutting back the distribution is a bold move. But maybe it’s what was needed to bring energy—and the idea that you need to hunt for its shoes—back to the brand. Its recent re-releases the Air Jordan 3 “Black Cement” and Air Jordan 11 “Legend Blue” weren’t met with the warmest of reactions compared to past releases. If the “Bred” Jordan 1 sat on shelves, it would be a tough pill to swallow for the brand that holds its ego at the center of sneaker culture. So they’ve made the shoe a premium release, like it’s a luxury good. Retailers have been instructed to create for customers a “white glove” experience to make them feel special. First-come first-served launches are not a priority for the shoe, retailers stocking the black and red Jordan 1 tell Complex. It’s the opposite of first-come, first-serve. Will people be happy? It’s hard to tell. But the shoes were made to look as similar to the original 1985 pair as possible, with premium leather to boot.So is this the new trend? To turn sneakerheads into Bilbo Baggins, on a journey to get the grails of their dream; Indiana Jones in hunt of their own holy grail, just with no Sean Connery? I think so. But it’s a fine line. These are cool right now. But expect this trend to jump the shark. People are only willing to do so much before something gets corny, and that can happen quickly with marketing gimmicks. If the treasure isn’t worth the miles trekked, then sneakerheads won’t be a fool for the gold. Source link

[celebritywearairjordans]

Celebrity Kicks: Ludacris in the Retro Black Cement 3s.

[godiswithuss]

my favorite trips

- 2014 Seattle

God i fucking loved going to seattle. I was 12, the 2014 World Cup was on. i had the iphone 5c and about to go to 7th grade. i remember when we beat the netherlands on the road July 9th,2014 and the entire time in seattle we had the dream of winning the world cup UGHHHH it was beautiful 😭😭😭 I LOVE IT AND THE MUSIC FUCKING THAT ONE SAM SMITH SONG THE NOW I GOT YOU, AM I WRONG BY NICO, VINES!!! shit was amazing. i remember we were getting to vegas from behind the strip and there was we were passing by trump tower and everything and then the news hit that gotze scored that fucking cursed bitch ass goal and i was thinking like FUCK…. we’ll have another chance :/ shit was amazing though.

- 2017 Rushmore

I was 15. my first time listening to trilogy by the weeknd. i lost so much weight and was looking good, i grew out my hair. i looked SAURRR good. i had a black shirt blue jeans and black vans with some gold jewelry. i was beautiful. i remember getting ready in the hotel in south dakota and listening to house of balloons. it was euphoric it was literally fucking perfect. i was finding myself and i was young and like trying to be artsey and i even drew a purple rose in colorado. i was such a try hard but i loved it. i remember when keren was stuck because she sat on this foldable chair bed thingy and she laid in it and it fell over towards the wall and that shit was so funny she was stuck too… man THE MUSIC HAD YOU LOUGH LOUGH HAUST. oh and like XO tour life banged OMG AND THAT SUMMER I LISTENED TO LANA DEL REY IT WAS BEAUTIFUL!!! + SUMMER WORKOUTS THAT YEAR WENT CRAZYYYY

- 2018 Vegas

May 2018…… yeah….. i was about to turn 16. Ye was posting on twitter. my body was looking so good and i remember i had that ck shirt with light blue jeans and cement 3s… plus i think the guitar pic tattoo. it was for my dad’s 50th birthday and i made like a little movie. i remember that black shirt blue jeans black chelsea boots, i was on twitter and was taking picture and videos trying to be artsey and deep. shit was amazing. i love 2018 ye too. OMG IT WAS MOTHER’s DAy TOO AND I REMEMBER LISTENING TO LOOK MA NO HANDS FOR THE FIRSG TIME IT WAS BEAUTIFUL 😭😭😭

- 2018 New York/West Orange

god fucking damnit. what i consider the happiest moment in my life so far. i was 16. scorpion came out literally the DAY we were leaving to NYC. i remember falling asleep on the way back to west orange from i think it was one of the first day we were there, maybe when we went to eat pupusas at the park and i fell asleep next to my dad listening to summer game by drake and i remember after july 4th we were walking back to the house after watching fireworks and blue tint by drake was blaring from a car. and that NYC day man…. colombia vs england. PARTIDAZO and there were so many colombians and they were all fine like my gawd???? and i remember wearing that pink and white polo shirt with black shorts and the white huraches??? the black argentina jersey???? LAWDDDD i was so cold 😭 the happiest moment in my life and what would come that year…. another story for another time :)

UGH and all those diner we would eat at THE TEYANA TAYLOR ALBUM HURRY HURRY HURRYYYY GAWD IT WAS SO GOOOOODDD i loved going to all those janky hotel with my family and all of us sleeping in the same room. it’s those memories that you really carry and not the ones you except to remember forever. it started raining in NYC too. the rain was beautiful. it would be hot then cold and we took a train to get there and back and it was just so big and walkable and green 🌳 i loved it so much. FUCK AND TJE 2018 WC TOO I REMEMBER HOINH TO CHURCH WHEN FRANCE WON and when we ducking lost i remember when it was official we were at a gas station and i was telling my dad like FUCK we have to wait 4 more years and i remember how hyped we were going into oklahoma and we were 2-1 up and then everything happened :,(. those walks at the gas station during a road trip, things i will always cherish. just how sunny it would be and my dad pumping gas and my sister and mother going to by snacks and i would take off my headphones after listening to music 🥲

- 2021 Miami

the “last” big major road trip… 2021 was insane, i was looking good, feeling better, passed all my classes with good grades, wasn’t talking to my ex. I WAS LOOOKINH SO GOOD, had long hair. the summer where we finally saw argentina win a tournament and i remember those penalties vs colombia on July 6th, 2021 watching it with my dad. and then we saw them win in a hotel OH AND THE SUNS WERE IN THE FINALS LIKE OMG???? i had a breakdown talking to makayla and we went to disneyland and i had a hoodie 🥲. life was good.

GAWDDD CALL ME WHEN YOU GEET LOSTT TELEPATÍA BY KALI UCHIS UGHHHH SO BEAUTIFUL ESPECIALLY WHEN I LOST MY WALLET BEFORE THE TRIP 🥲 AWWW YOU LOOK MALNURISHED

- 2022 Mexico City

[heibaicom]

Jordan 4 Reps Shoes: Where to Buy

The Jordan 4 Reps sneakers are regarded as cultural icons by sneakerheads and fashion fans alike because of their sleek design, high-quality construction, and undeniable cool factor. Because limited edition releases sell out in minutes and have astronomical resale prices, it can be difficult for the average consumer to obtain one.

Replica Air Jordan sneakers provide a solution to this problem. Many people may scoff at the idea of buying knockoff designer goods, but many replica Air Jordan sneakers are made with the same attention to detail and quality as their authentic counterparts, at a fraction of the price.

As there are many replica Air Jordan sneakers on the market, it may be difficult to choose which to purchase. Therefore, we've put together this guide to help you choose.

Sun Sneakers carries a wide selection of replica designer goods, including shoes, clothing, and accessories, including Air Jordan shoes, from retro favorites to limited editions.

The following factors must be considered when buying replica Air Jordan sneakers from Sun Sneakers. First and foremost, make sure you do your research. You can identify sites with a strong reputation for quality and customer service by reading customer reviews.

Air Jordan sneakers are known for their high quality materials and construction, so you should pay close attention to details when buying replicas. Ensure that the seller includes detailed photos and information about the manufacturing process when you buy replica Air Jordan sneakers. Also, ensure that the sneakers are made from the same materials and design details as the originals.

The replica Air Jordan sneakers you purchase should be of high quality, but you shouldn't spend too much money. Sun Sneakers's websites also offer replica Air Jordan sneakers, so keep an eye out for sites that seem too good to be true - they often are. Look for sites that have competitive pricing and frequent sales.

The manufacturing and sourcing practices you employ should also be ethical and sustainable. Replica Air Jordan sneakers are an affordable alternative to their authentic counterparts, but they need to be produced ethically and environmentally friendly.

With Sun Sneakers' websites, you can get the look you want without breaking the bank. You can find high-quality replica Air Jordan sneakers that look and feel just like the original with a little research and savvy shopping. Get the best replica Air Jordan sneakers right now and elevate your sneaker game.

Sun Sneakers sells a variety of Air Jordan sneakers, including the Air Jordan 1, Air Jordan 3, and Air Jordan 11.

It has been a classic sneaker since 1985. The Air Jordan 1 has become synonymous with the Air Jordan brand because of its sleek high-top silhouette and bold color blocking, which was designed by legendary sneaker designer Peter Moore. "Bred" and "Chicago" are two of the Air Jordan 1's colors and styles.

Replica Air Jordan 3s are available in a variety of colors, including "True Blue" and "Black Cement." Tinker Hatfield designed the shoe with elephant prints on the upper and a visible Air-Sole unit.

There are many colorways to choose from, including the Concord and Space Jam. Tinker Hatfield designed the Air Jordan 11 and released it in 1995 with a sleek silhouette and patent leather detailing.

A high-quality iconic shoe is sold on Sun Sneakers, a website dedicated to fashion footwear for more than ten years. We know that consumers want a unique gift here. The Sun Sneakers shoes are produced using the same machines and technology as the official shoes. We have a deep precipitation in the production process as a result of years of research and exploration with the factory. All insoles, sewing threads, tongue wraps, and other details are strictly made from the highest quality raw materials designated by the official brand.

[blvckisking]

I know this is AI but they needa make this happen fr. Preferably with the black cement 3s.

[bmarie66]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Kids Air Jordan Retro 3 “Black Cement”.

[sneakerhistory]

Perfection.

[taketwotoo]

Sundays never let me down.

[dongottti]

elephant man

[williefresh]

chakra balance 💆🏾‍♂️