Sneakers
The Air Jordan 1 Mid’s Are Rising In Popularity
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Jordan Brand / Jordan Brand The Air Jordan 1 Mid’s have gotten a lot of hate over the past few years from sneakerheads and collectors alike. Despite many wanting Jordan Brand to drop many of their colorways in AJ1 High form, the Mid’s are apparently a big deal overseas. In StockX’s Big Facts report, they are finding that one of the most hated on silhouettes in the sneaker game is actually performing pretty well out in Europe with the UK buying up to three times the Mid’s as the whole world, but now sales across the globe are up 100%. Word?! Not only are the Mid’s getting more love around the world, but apparently women’s releases are appreciating more in value than the men’s are. We’re not sure if that’s because women buy more than men or because the wome...
LaVar Ball Unveils Big Baller Brand’s $695 “Luxury Lifestyle” Sneaker, Twitter Spots The Jig Immediately
HipHopWired Featured Video CLOSE Source: Big Baller Brand / BBB “Luxury Lifestyle” Sneakers LaVar Ball and Big Baller Brand are officially back in the sneaker business. LaMelo Ball made a splash Tuesday (Oct.12) when the Charlotte Hornets second-year NBA player revealed his first signature with PUMA. His dad, LaVar Ball, figured why not join in on the fun and decided it would also be an excellent time to announce the return of the Big Baller Brand with the reveal of the brand’s “luxury lifestyle” sneakers. The sneakers, which are blatant rip-offs of the Stan Smith or the now-popular Alexander McQueen high fashion sneaker your favorite Hip-Hop loves to wear, were designed by the last Ball standing that is repping the brand not named LaVar, LiAngelo. Besides the lazy design, what stand...
The Sneaker Game: RARES App Founder Gerome Sapp
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: handout / RARES Sneakers are big money, and investing in them is a no-brainer, now. Gerome Sapp, a former NFL player and the Founder & CEO of RARES, introduced a new app that allows users to literally invest in kicks, but convincing venture capitalists of the money in the sneaker game was practically a non-starter. Despite a degree in Finance from Notre Dame (and an MBA from Harvard Business School), a keen insight into the viability of sneakers as an asset class, and a dedication inherent in anyone who can carve out a career as a pro-athlete, Sapp had to pull up stakes and go for self. “Finally, I was just like, ‘these people aren’t even my demographic’,” recalls Sapp of getting the cold shoulder from venture capitalists. “They don’t understand sneak...
HYPEBEAST & Neiman Marcus Team For New Sneaker Virtual Showroom
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Hypebeast / Hypebeast Just when you thought you couldn’t possibly take anymore sneaker related ventures, HYPEBEAST and Neiman Marcus have teamed up to take sneakerheads on a virtual journey to show us what we can’t have, and we’re not mad at all. HYPEBEAST is reporting that they’ve teamed with Marcus to create a virtual showroom that will feature 11 of the most exclusive kicks from the likes of Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Balmain, Christian Louboutin, Dolce & Gabbana, Givenchy, Maison Margiela, Off-White™, Versace and Giuseppe Zanotti. Wait, no Jordans? We’re not sure how we feel about that. We know the world doesn’t revolve around the Jumpman, but still. The collaboration is part of Neiman’s “Re-Introduce Yourself” campaign which looks to g...
eBay Announces New “Inside Drop” Sneaker Rewards For Sellers & Buyers
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: eBay / eBay eBay is out here really blessing sneakerheads in ways that you’d expect from some of your favorite sneaker apps on your phone. Source: eBay / eBay Almost two years after deading the dreaded “Seller Fees” and a year after beginning their own sneaker authentication program to ensure bootlegs don’t get past them, eBay is now rewarding both sellers and buyers with a new “Inside Drop” release. The “Inside Drop” will be available to all ebayers across the board and will feature all kinds of grails that had you feeling blue when you got that notification that you had an “L” in your back pocket. How’s the drop going to work? Well, check the information provided by eBay below. Whether it’s their first or five-hundredth listing, eBay users can list a pa...
Sneaker Store Employee Shot & Killed During Sneaker Raffle Dispute
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Gary Coronado / Getty Sneakerbots, resellers, and even sneaker apps have ruined the sneaker game something seriously. But now its gotten to the point where trying to win a pair of coveted sneakers (that would’ve probably been a general in-store release pre-pandemic) is leading to violence out in these streets. The latest incident actually cost someone their life as KTLA5 is reporting that an employee at famous sneaker boutique Shoe Palace was shot and killed over a sneaker raffle in the store this past Wednesday (August 11). According to the report a group of men and a woman began arguing in front of the store on Melrose Avenue in the Fairfax district over a sneaker raffle. When store employee Jayren Bradford went out to intervene, he was shot and killed....
adidas Sells Reebok for $2.5B, Still Drops A New Human Rights Collection
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Reebok / Reebok For a while there was talk that adidas was looking to unload their Reebok brand to the highest bidder with rumors that Master P and Baron Davis were interested in purchasing the OG sneaker brand. Well, it’s a done deal and Reebok will officially have new owners (not Master P or Baron Davis, though) as Reuters is reporting that adidas offloaded Reebok for a cool $2.5 billion to Authentic Brands Group. Not quite the profit they might’ve been hoping to get. Heck, they didn’t even break even as adidas purchased Reebok in 2006 for $3.8 billion only to struggle with sales and profits over the years which pushed them to just give up on the brand. They’ve tried everything from retro’ing classic silhouettes from OG’s NBA players like Shaquille O’Ne...
KLEKT: The Sneaker Resale App That’s Not Just For Sneakerheads
Fashion resale is at an all time high, and one part of the industry that’s seen a huge rise in resale is sneakers. Thanks to apps like StockX, events like Crepe City, and an increased awareness around sustainability and pre-owned fashion, resale platforms are the most popular form of buying and selling sneakers. One platform that aims to bring more women into the resale industry is KLEKT, an online marketplace that promotes safety and inclusivity. We caught up with KLEKT’s CEO, Sally Scott, to talk about the app and the future of sneaker resale. POPSUGAR: What can you tell us about KLEKT, for those who haven’t heard of it? Sally Scott: KLEKT is an original sneaker marketplace. We bring buyers and sellers of sneakers and streetwear together to help create a community of li...
Stadium Goods & Christie’s To Auction Off A Gang of Rare Air Jordans, Again
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Stadium Goods / Christie’s If you missed out on Stadium Goods and auction house Christie’s last “Original Air” Air Jordan sneaker collection auction, fret not because they’re about to give rich sneakerheads another chance to drop a lifetime’s worth of paper on exclusive footwear. Source: Stadium Goods / Christie’s The sneaker consignment destination, ahem, marketplace and auction house are once again collaborating to set up another sneaker auction dubbed “Original Air Part II” which will be boasting 90 pairs of kicks composed of scarce early samples, the complete Air Jordan 1-14 collection (basically all the kicks Jordan actually played in), game-worn kicks, and Jordan-related pieces from celebrities such as Eminem, Kobe Bryant, Drake and LeBron James. So...
What Makes a Sneaker Sustainable? We Asked the Experts
Sustainable sneakers and trainers have become increasingly popular as more and more people are considering their impact on the environment — especially when it comes to the products they buy. Sustainability has become a bit of a buzzword in the last year or two, and it can be hard to know if what you’re buying truly passes the test and has a positive impact on the environment. We spoke to a few experts at the forefront of the sustainable sneaker industry, and this is what they had to say. Colin Vernon is the founder of Slow Factory Foundation, an educational institute and research lab specialising in climate and culture. A large part of the foundation’s research in this space centres around raw materials. “Most raw materials used in most footwear are extremely toxic and d...
HHW Gaming: Basketball & Video Games Collide With ANTA x HyperX’s Gordon Hayward Limited-Edition Bundle
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Bernard Smalls / ANTA x HyperX Athletic wear and gaming have gone hand in hand as of late, so this latest collaboration between ANTA and HyperX makes all the sense in the world. The two companies have one thing in common, they both work with Boston Celtic forward Gordon Hayward, so the decision to work together on this limited-edition box was a no-brainer. It brings together the two things that Hayward love’s to do, and that is playing basketball and gaming. Source: Bernard Smalls / ANTA x HyperX Inside the box is a limited-edition pair of Hayward’s signature basketball sneakers from ANTA, the GH2 “HyperX” and HyperX Cloud Alpha gaming headset. The sneakers feature some unique gaming-inspired details that help them easily stand out from other shoe silhoue...
Why the Sneaker Industry Isn’t More Inclusive For Women, and How We Can Change That
Image Source: Titi Finlay I’ve always felt intimidated by the sneaker industry, despite having worked for two major sneaker brands in my life. As a humble shoe size four, there are immediately limits to what sneakers I can and can’t wear, and I’m not alone in that exclusion. The industry has predominantly favoured the needs of men over women, and it’s a problem that has existed for a long time. “The reasons for the sneaker industry not being inclusive stems right back to women’s sporting history,” Angelee Kholia, the founder of Sheaker Magazine, told POPSUGAR. “Sneakers were primarily made for sport, and of course, it was frowned upon for women to participate in sports, unlike for men. So the sneaker industry has always favoured men’s n...
