Sneakerhead.
It sounds like a childish insult, but it’s a label proudly worn by those who cherish Nikes, Adidas and K-Swiss, those who believe gym shoes belong on pedestals rather than pavement.
“The appeal is simple — having shoes that no one else has,” said footwear pundit Kiante Young, who labels himself America’s foremost expert on sneaker trends and owns hundreds of pairs. “Sneakers are one luxury that are attainable for those who can’t afford a house, those who can’t afford a car. A sneaker isn’t an unrealistic dream.”
Nothing is cherished more among sneakerheads than exclusivity. As such, limited-edition models by major manufacturers carry price tags of hundreds of dollars. And custom shoemakers make their livings crafting models that are guaranteed one of a kind.
Young said that limited-edition and custom sneakers started showing up 15 years ago but became widely popular at the start of the millennium, when rappers and other urban celebrities began setting trends.
Young’s home of New York was and still is the epicenter of sneakerdom, but other cities are lacing up.
“Chicago is more conservative,” he said, recently returned from a speaking tour around the nation that included a local stop. “In New York the big trend is bright colors. You’ll see a guy on the subway wearing pink sneakers. In Chicago you see more earth tones — blacks and grays.”
Who are sneakerheads?
Are gym-shoe lovers outside of New York a step behind? Is this passion an urban thing? A hip-hop thing? A black thing? Hardly.
“Sneakers have helped bridge racial gaps, in my opinion,” Young said. “Go to a sneaker party and you’ll see Chinese, black, white, Spanish. You’ll see basketball sneakerheads, skater sneakerheads, hip-hop sneakerheads.”
If you’re asking yourself what exactly a “sneaker party” is, you weren’t at the Aragon Ballroom in September, when nearly a thousand local devotees gathered for the Sneaker Pimps Tour, an oddly titled exhibition of shoes, a celebration of the culture and a concert featuring rapper Slick Rick.
Of course, at this fifth-annual event, the stars of the show were the kicks. The ballroom’s hallway was lined with chain-link fences on which were mounted 1,000 pairs of custom and rare sneakers, over which the attendees gushed. “PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH” read a sign, and people respected that request like art lovers would the Louvre’s.
Irving Sanchez, a student at DePaul University, snapped photos of shoes that caught his eye. “I’m immersed in this culture,” he said. “This is like art to me. It’s like wearing art.”
Similar to pieces at the Louvre, styles varied here. Some shoes were intricately designed, others splashed with paint. One pair was emblazoned with Chicago’s skyline, another a blooming garden, another splattered in fake blood, the shoe resembling a murder scene.
Mirroring the varied shoes, the crowd was a blend of black and white, Asian and Hispanic. It was mostly male, and mostly young, but there were some women and even some parents accompanying kids.
“The Chicago sneaker culture is not as large as New York, but it’s growing,” said Chicagoan Nita Banker, who helped produce this event.
“The sneaker culture is crazy — guys putting $300 on their feet,” said Morgan Bailey-Wright, a 19-year-old student at the School of the Art Institute wearing tight jeans, a cardigan sweater and a dollar-symbol chain around his neck. On his feet were Nike Air Force 3 high-tops.
His girlfriend, Shani Reid, owns more than a dozen pairs of sneakers and is always looking for the next pair. The problem is most cool designs are targeted to men, and finding small sizes is tricky, she said.
Meet, greet, feet
So what’s the fuss, you might be asking yourself, especially if your closet has a single pair of of stinky running shoes.
“Sneakers make a person’s outfit,” said Peter Fahey, founder of the Sneaker Pimps Tour. “Not to sound too superficial, but your shoes represent who you are and what you’re into, what culture you’re part of.”
That was personified at the Aragon Ballroom, where sneakerheads greeted one another and immediately glanced downward. Where an emcee failed to excite the crowd to dance, even when shouting over a thumping bass line, “If you’re a sneakerhead, make some noise!”
It’s not that these sneakerheads weren’t having fun, surrounded by thousands of shoes and hundreds of fellow shoe lovers.
They were having a blast.
It’s just that you don’t shout in an art museum. And you don’t step on a Picasso.
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Within walking distance
Chicagoland sneakerheads can get their kicks at Encore, 3941 N. Sheridan Rd. (773-477-4007), and Phli, 5210 S. Harper Ave. (773-493-7454).
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Your Nikes are blank canvases
At the Sneaker Pimps Tour, Chris “C2” Hui was busy painting on shoes when he wasn’t glad-handling fans and talking shop.
The 17-year-old Milwaukeean has been customizing sneakers for four years, which he sells to customers around the world via the Internet for as much as $300.
“People who are into sneakers want something different,” he explained, glancing down at the Vans on his feet, hand-painted to resemble Homer Simpson’s favorite doughnut — pink icing with sprinkles. “They want the most exclusive shoes they can afford. One-of-a-kind sneakers.”
Customizing your own sneakers is possible, if a bit tricky. C2 offers beginners these tips:
1. Prepare your leather sneakers for painting by stripping the factory finish. Scrub the leather with acetone, using cotton balls for large areas and cotton swabs for small panels.
2. Purchase some acrylic paint, textile medium, a bottle of matte acrylic finish and a variety of brushes from a local arts and crafts store. Mix a 2:1 ratio of paint to medium for flexible, durable paint.
3. Decide on a design and go to work! Be patient and build color by applying light, thin coats of paint. Allow each coat to dry completely before applying the next.
4. Spray a light coat of acrylic matte finish and let the sneakers dry completely before you wear them.
5. Last, do wear your handiwork! Enjoy the satisfaction that comes from creating your own one-of-a-kind sneakers.
6. If your efforts fall short of expectations, visit the Web site C2customs.com to buy a pair from C2.
— C.M.
