Sneaker Events: Birmingham

Sneaks&Peaks, is a new event based in Birmingham, as covered by article ''Sneaks&Peaks' Meet Up Event' by the Daily Street.

The event as a whole looks like it has potential to be the best sneaker event the UK has seen, that I'm aware of at least, but the branding as a whole isn't too great.

The top image shows the behind of a tattooed lady straddling a skateboard and the smallest part of a shoe that could be shown. I feel this doesn't really represent the scene, culture or what it's actually about. It reminds me of Tumblr and the way I guess in which sneakers have received a lot of coverage and exposure to the new base of customers.

The mint colour used with the branding isn't that significant a colour within sneakers and I don't know why it was picked, other than the colour being used a lot recently described as 'fresh'.

What is good? Stores

Kith, New York City, USA

Kith and Kin, known as Kith, comprises of two stores in NYC. One in Manhattan the other Brooklyn, but still both keeping the items it sells as exclusive as ever.

It is nigh on impossible to obtain certain items from Kith, let alone if you're an international customer. Recent releases have seen just in store releases and no online sales, making sneakers that are already super rare, even rarer!

 

Asics x Ronnie Fieg GL3 'Super Green'

One of my favourite sneakers of the year definitely has to be Super Green's. They're an ideal shoe in flattering tones of grey accented by different materials all over and lime green branding. The GL3 is one of the cleanest silhouettes when it comes to Asics.

This sneaker happens to be unbelievably rare, not even seeing a limited release to the public, this sneaker was handed out in Haiti to help people with no/battered shoes. Soles4Soles was the charity Kith worked with to achieve this feat, and although as nice a gesture as it is, the prices these could have sold for could have raised unreal amounts for the charity. These sneakers would easily sell for around $1000.

Hanon Shop, Aberdeen, UK

Hanon is one of the best, if not the the best, retailers in the UK. The staff are really friendly and make everyone and anyone feel welcome. Hanon boasts an impressive collection of collaborations with such brands as Asics, Adidas, Saucony and Puma to name a few.

Hanon, one of 3 UK stockists for the Nike Air Yeezy, is where I had to go to to pay for and collect the Yeezys that I won. Definitely worth the 7 hour train journey each way, but that's what it's all about.

Asics x Hanon GL3 'Wildcats'

One of my all time favourite sneakers are the Wildcats, the blocks of colour separating the sneakers into levels of solid colour shows how beautiful the silhouette for sneakers is. The burnt orange on top works in contrast with the burgundy lower section, paying homage to a dying species which calls Scotland it's home.

The Wildcats were released late in 2011 when I had insufficient funds, they stay as my all time favourite release.

24 Kilates, Barcelona, Spain

24 Kilates is one of the best European stores related to street culture, boasting collaborations with Asics, New Balance and Reebok to name a few. Collaborations result in a better customer experience and end product, usually with a wooden box, containing other accessories such as a bottle of wine.

Asics x 24 Kilates GLS 'Las Trez ZZZ'

The presentation and photography of the products is second to none. Well composed and suitable for the target audience. The whole package shows that you can get more when it comes to sneakers if you know what you're looking for.

Footpatrol, London, UK

Footpatrol is probably the most notorious shop in the UK for street culture and exclusivity. I have attended ques at the store for a release from 6am, other people had been there since the night before. I love the sense of community when there's a release, obviously there is a lot of people getting jealous and trying to push in etc, but overall the atmosphere is always good.

The store gets pretty much any release that's hard to get hold of, except store collaborations from other stores. Footpatrol is only a small location and when you walk in to the second room, you feel really homely, it's as though you were in a log cabin.

Asics x Footpatrol GSII

Boasting collaborations with Asics, Reebok, Le Coq Sportif and Adidas, which have all been sell out shoes. These limited Asics saw ques of over 100 people to obtain the shoes, started at around 6/7am. They came in a wooden box numbered to 100 and each had a screenprinted cotton drawstring bag to mark the release.

What is good? Asics

Asics has seen a lot of popularity over the past few years with sneaker collectors and more recently an explosion of hype coming from such sources as Tumblr.

Ronnie Fieg is one of the most notable characters associated withing exclusive Asics, and other sneakers, dropping at his store Kith in NYC and on their online store in super limited quantities, making them almost impossible to obtain.

The recent explosion in hype over trainers has resulted in resellers getting hold of rare pairs and selling them on for incredible mark ups.

One of the most sought after collaborations between Ronnie Fieg and Asics is the Salmon Toe.

Salmon Toes were released September 2011 instore, limited to 72 pairs and online in a similar quantity. The shoes were included in a 'collectors edition' which saw the shoes presented in a wooden box, with a Kith x Asics tee and some Kith x Asics dogtags.

The release was a success, despite prior thought as to the shoes not selling, the shoes sold out in minutes and now see resell value from $140 retail, or $200 with the box, sell for up to and over £1000.

2012 saw some release which also reached 'grail' status, such as;

Asics GT-II x Kith NYC 'Rose Gold' March 2nd 2012 release at Kith instore and online in limited quatities as usual. They sold out in seconds for the retail price of $130 and now sell for around £500.

Asics Gel-Lyte 3 x Kith NYC 'Total Eclipse' November 10th 2012 release at Kith instore and online as usual. In seconds they sold out at $145 and resell close to £500.

Other Asics collaborations this year have had huge success and none other than the Uk's finest sneaker store, FootPatrol stands out as much.

FootPatrol and Asics worked together on the Gel Saga model to produce a clean, high quality in both materials and construction, visually pleasing sneaker. The sneaker dropped only instore at FootPatrol in London which saw an exclusive release of 100 in 'collectors edition' wooden boxes, which retailed at £115, and saw ques exceeding the 100 on the morning of release.

The shoes resell for around £3-400, depending on whether the wooden box is owned.

People who buy these shoes, well, hope to own them and wear them are people who are looking for that little something extra when it comes to what sneakers to own and wear. Releases like these collaborations take sometimes years of planning and prototypes before they finally reach the market for that rush of excitement at the store or the disappointment of the 'sold out' sign appearing over the sneakers on the online store, seconds after they were released. The shoes are sold in ridiculously small quantities to make them extremely rare and are constructed by some of the best materials available adding an extra layer of luxury, as does the extras i.e wooden box or a screen printed tote bag, somewhat justifying the price and adventure/ballache to get them.

What is good? Asics

ASICS, is an acronym for the Latin phrase 'Anima Sana In Corpore Sano', which means, 'sound mine in a sound body'.

The forerunning company to Asics was Onistuka, started in Japan in 1949 by a Mr Kihachiro Onistuka. From 1950 the company became known as Onitsuka Tiger, which is still a part of modern Asics.

From the 1964 Olympics until present day various athletes still wear Onistuka Tiger or Asics shoes. 

The Tiger Mexico 66's were the first shoe to sport the stripes of Asics, made in 1966 in preparation for the Mexico Olympics in 1968.

In the 1980's Asics introduced the GEL cushioning system which boasts the ability to absorb shock by 'dissipating vertical impact and dispersing it into a horizontal plane'. In modern Asics, the GEL technology is at the forefront and sole of every shoe, literally.

In 2011 Asics launched a Global campaign titled 'Shedding'.

  The 45 second advert features runners running through a variety of terrain. All of the runners are perspiring and 'shedding' non physical attributes such as; stress, tension, worry and doubt. The words are used in a variety of different languages and appear to fall off the individuals in a typographic form. The whole motive for this campaign is show the world that Asics shoes are supreme in the sense they can relieve tension, stress, doubt and worry. Of which they can in the sense that the consumer utilizes the shoes to their full potential in whatever sport they partake.

Sneaker Events

During research towards an event that I could hold in Leeds, I looked into other events on offer globally and found that the majority are located solely in the USA.

Complex magazine has a dedicated part on it's site for sneakers and recently posted an article of their '10 Sneaker Events To Attend in 2013'

10   Sneaker Friends - Charlotte, Atlanta, USA
9     Crepe City - London, England, UK
8     Sole Con - New York City, USA
7     Cleveland Got Sole - Cleveland, USA
6     Sneaker Swap - Connecticut, USA
5     Sneaker Con - New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, USA
4     Sneaker Pimps - various locations, USA
3     Baltimore Sneaker Show - Baltimore, USA
2     Dunkxchange - Southern California, USA
1     H-Town Sneaker Summit - Houston, USA

Crepe City do something similar to what is possible to achieve, but they have a sweet venue in Nike 1948 store, but due to the location are limited on the trainers they can exhibit/sell.

The London Vandal review Crepe City

   HypeBeast TV coverage of Crepe City