The Gentrification of Sneakers Is Killing the Culture - Complex

[ninjahood]

smells like elitists should cop some cars or jewelry if they wanna do da exclusive lane.

 

[shogun]

Am I wrong seeing all this kids in the burbs rocking Supreme?

I was kind of shocked seeing a little boutique in Laguna Beach with a bunch of Supreme stuff for sale.

I was eating lunch with family today and saw an old guy walking with a Supreme jacket. Actually surprised me.

 

[shogun]

They’re just sneakers. People take sneaker buying too serious.

 

[frenchbreadbuilds]

I don’t think the people upset about the culture being gone aren’t mad about exclusivity. It’s because it stopped being about the shoes. It’s about resale value, it’s about trend chasing, it’s about having what’s outlets like complex tell them is hyped.

 

[Nawzlew]

They’re just sneakers. People take sneaker buying too serious.

been this way since the beginning though

got kids dying in the 90s cause of jordans

still need a pair of bred 1's, then i'll be done with jordans. even then, i haven't bought a pair in years.

 

[putting in work]

Im just happy all the beast flocked to adidas. I was able to cop a ds pair of black laser 4s for $370.. reminded me of one time I went to Rif in HS and bought a used pair for $120

That's not bad... I paid $420 when they released my first and last overpaid for kicks.

Well I paid $60 over retail for the dark knight kobe's too.

What size did you get

 

[Brownstone]

Man, I personally love it. Kids from China, and all parts of the world participating in something that existed in a handful of cities and regions, is now global.

 

[gry60]

I dont like that quote in the article at all. So only poor, hood kids were into sneakers? If im my memory serves mecorrect, there were many collectors who came from a middle class family that got into collecting nikes, jordans, etc in the 80s and 90s.

Im sure some OGs like that are still here on NT if anything.

To say the sneaker "culture" is gentrified isnt something I can agree with. I would say it is more mainstream and slowly getting oversaturated, though.

I get your point, but that is not at all how I understood that quote. I think it encompassed the broad categories of people who made sneakers more than what they are: the technology geeks, the athletes/sports fanatics, and those in the hip hop movement (music, graffiti, breaking) and street/gang culture (Cortez, foams, British knights, etc...).

In addition, the writer said "average," not poor.

And let's be real, suburbanites were definitely buying sneakers, but they weren't the ones being put in sneaker ad campaigns in the 80s and 90s.

 

[DB Cooper]

Remember as a kid (well, for me at least back in the 80's-90's) you'd get 1 pair, maybe 2 for the whole year. When shoes like Nike actually had new sneaker smell to them fresh out of the box. Seeing those nostalgic pics from back in the days from kids to grown ups rocking heat makes you wonder what the heck happened? Nowadays, it's just hideous retro cw's of once classics, one after the other. Quality is garbage. People needing 4,5,6 pairs of the same shoe. All just to stunt on social media. It is what it is.

 

[W)taps]

I get your point, but that is not at all how I understood that quote. I think it encompassed the broad categories of people who made sneakers more than what they are: the technology geeks, the athletes/sports fanatics, and those in the hip hop movement (music, graffiti, breaking) and street/gang culture (Cortez, foams, British knights, etc...).

In addition, the writer said "average," not poor.

And let's be real, suburbanites were definitely buying sneakers, but they weren't the ones being put in sneaker ad campaigns in the 80s and 90s.

It doesn't matter who made sneakers popular or who were in the ads. The articles main argument was that sneaker culture is being gentrified. Something can't be gentrified if people in middle class we're already buying/in the s eaker culture to begin with.

And let's be real, suburbanites were definitely buying sneakers

And this quote you wrote backs that up. Middle class was already into sneakers, like you admitted. Again, you can't gentrify something that was already in the realm of middle class.

 

[HarlemShakeStory]

Wear what you want. Who cares. Suburban high school kids only want Yeezys.

 

[frenchbreadbuilds]

I don’t think Buying/wearing shoes is the same as contributing to and being apart of a culture that stemmed from those shoes.

 

[kickvicisous]

I think we’ve seen this happening for years, which has made a lot of us disconnect from the “culture”. Ironically complex is complicit in the gentrification in my opinion.

THIS

And similar to what was said above me, complex kinda calling the kettle black on this one...

AND THIS

Complex is arguably part of the gentrification. Look at their staff, writers, and contributors.

THIS

More like 2009/2010

Birth of the Yeezy and instagram

I'd say 2010 exactly because........

Galaxy Foam = Counter punch daze in the late round
Yeezy 2 Release = Direct uppercuip
MAG Auction = knock out right hook
Red October Release = Try to pull up on the rope while being counted out
Price Increases = 10 count. Fin.

Concord 11 release. That was the one that broke news nationally because they were released all across the country unlike the one's you posted. It also made the general public hip to the resale market. **** hasn't been the same since

 

[Lee And His Sneaks]

I can’t stand:

“Can I get size (insert your size)?

“Sorry, we don’t have your size. We only have Leebuttahz’s size in stock.”

“Cool, let me get that just so I can walk out with something. Maybe I could flip.”

 

[ninjahood]

THIS

AND THIS

THIS

I'd say 2010 exactly because........

Concord 11 release. That was the one that broke news nationally because they were released all across the country unlike the one's you posted. It also made the general public hip to the resale market. **** hasn't been the same since

u forgot about da eggplant Foamposite... first model i everrrr seen sported wit skinny jeans

 

[Guccishades]

Just LOL @ spending more than $80 for athletic sneakers

You ain’t even in the mix with $80

 

[kickvicisous]

u forgot about da eggplant Foamposite... first model i everrrr seen sported wit skinny jeans

I was speaking more so on when hype took over, and the boom in reselling. The concords pushed both of those to the forefront of the masses. I dont think Eggplants did that (although it was pandemonium in my area when they came out)

 

[llerraj]

this.

complex act like only hood urban youth was rockin fly kicks.

No, we weren't the only ones rocking heat, but it was nothing like we're seeing now. Suburban kids with trust funds are running the culture now. They're the big resellers and tastemakers. They lit the dynamite on resale prices being what they are now. They are a big reason why the state of the culture is what it is. Between bots, everyone wearing the same thing, the mom and pops being forced out and having responsibilities now, I have one foot out the door. The culture is dead.

 

[llerraj]

THIS

AND THIS

THIS

I'd say 2010 exactly because........

Concord 11 release. That was the one that broke news nationally because they were released all across the country unlike the one's you posted. It also made the general public hip to the resale market. **** hasn't been the same since

It was the Space Jam in 09 that really brought attention to this. Besides being one of the few Blacks at school, I was one of the few sneaker guys on campus. When I came back to campus that January, it seemed like the tide was turning. Had kids who wore raggedy track shoes as their only pair of sneakers asking me about them and telling me how they tried to get them.

 

[frenchbreadbuilds]

Things really died when reselling kicks became the new lemonade stand in suburbs.

 

[doublemesh96]

09 space jam was harbage

 

[kickvicisous]

It was the Space Jam in 09 that really brought attention to this. Besides being one of the few Blacks at school, I was one of the few sneaker guys on campus. When I came back to campus that January, it seemed like the tide was turning. Had kids who wore raggedy track shoes as their only pair of sneakers asking me about them and telling me how they tried to get them.

I thought this at first too cause I specifically remember the **** I had to go through to get them at retail. Up to that point I would just hit the mall at most 90 minutes before the store would open and I would get my pair without much trouble. It would be familiar faces alot of times too and resale prices weren't quite as wild (Not counting flight club obviously). When the Space Jams dropped there was about 70 people at my local mall 4 hours before it opened (during winter at that). That number increased as time got closer, **** look like an hurricane came through, but the media interest was higher with the Concords which is why I chose those. Atleast thats what I think

 

[ninjahood]

09 space jam was harbage

GM space jams were way better than da 09 joints

 

[SneakerProSr.]

I don’t think the people upset about the culture being gone aren’t mad about exclusivity. It’s because it stopped being about the shoes. It’s about resale value, it’s about trend chasing, it’s about having what’s outlets like complex tell them is hyped.

Man it's been like that.

 

[tay1]

It was “dead” once it was considered a culture

I been saying this. Once goofies took pride in being called a sneakerhead, I saw it for what it was.