The New Fake Sneaker Grey Area
I started buying Nike Dunk SBs 10 years ago and back then I wasn’t able to afford a lot of the popular pairs like the Pigeons, Heinikens, Medicoms, and other pairs for $800-$1500. Now, in 2020, I’m still not able to afford the hype pairs I’ve always wanted for the insane prices they’re going for now. I know some collectors like to buy shoes and keep them in the box for years, but the majority of people like to wear their shoes out. If I ever bought a pair of shoes for $10k I wouldn’t be able to let myself wear them, and I’m sure a lot of other people feel the same way. Very soon, these rare Nike SBs are going to become so rare and expensive that nobody except the super-rich will be wearing them on their feet. At some point, these Nike Dunk SBs are going to just become pieces of art that nobody will wear because the shoes are already limited and people will always want them.
This gap in supply and demand has created a shift in the sneaker world because factories are starting to pump out fake shoes like never before. Fakes have always been around. In an Instagram post by @thesneakersavant, they perfectly break down the state of fake sneakers in 2020, “Back in the day – fakes were horrible recreations of famous (and sometimes) non-existent models. They looked ridiculous. The shape, materials, colors, etc. were ALL off. But today – fakes (or UAs) are recreated with more care and attention to detail than even the authentic pairs. Some even argue that fakes are created in the same factories, by the same people, with the same materials” (@thesnekaersavant, 2020).
Because the “real” shoes are either limited, expensive, or just unattainable, many creators have responded to the growing demand of the most popular sneakers like Air Jordan 1s and Nike Dunks by creating their own version of these same shoes. Tons of Instagram creators are jumping onto the bootlegger sneaker train because right now it’s a cash cow. People want sneakers that they can’t have, and now more than ever people are accepting of wearing a shoe that’s clearly a “knock-off” of a popular shoe. Ten years ago, people in the sneaker community would not be as accepting of bootleg sneakers, but since the prices of shoes have gotten so inflated in the past couple years, sneakerheads are starting to turn to more unique choices that not everyone will have. Bootleg shoes are not a new thing either. One of the most accepted bootleg shoes out is the Bapesta which is just Bape’s version of a Nike Air Force 1. Even though these shoes are an AF1 clone, people have the opposite reaction when they see someone in a pair of Bapestas. They’re considered to be more valuable than the actual original AF1 shoe. With more creators making “bootleg” shoes, I’m curious to see if any of these become more valuable than the original.
When Warren Lotas announced a couple of weeks ago that he was going to take pre-orders for his own version of the Nike SB Pigeon, the sneaker world lost their minds. The original Nike Dunk SB pigeon was limited to only 150 pairs. When the sneaker released it started riots and was on the front page of the New York Post. Warren Lotas even got a co-sign from the original creator of the Pigeon sneaker, Jeff Staple. Many Nike SB purists couldn’t handle that one of the most iconic sneakers was going to be “bootlegged” for thousands of people to pre-order for only $300. I can understand the frustration of the sneakerheads that were sitting on multiple pairs of the original Pigeon shoe that is now being sold for over $20,000 because it can possibly bring down the value of their investment, but at some point, someone is going to bridge the gap. But how do you fill the demand of a shoe that is 15 years old and was only limited to 150 pairs? The answer is you make a tribute to the original shoe, put your own logo on it, and get it co-signed by the original creator. It’s like Warren Lotas pulled off the biggest heist in the sneaker world and it’s pissing off sneakerheads. I see the new WL Pigeon sneaker as a good thing because people will actually be wearing the shoes.
Most of the hatred directed at Warren Lotas from the die-hard sneakerheads should be directed at Nike instead. If anything, Warren Lotas is helping to apply pressure to Nike to make a change about the way they fill the demand of their sneakers. Nike should be doing more to fill the demand for Dunks instead of dropping limited amounts of basic colorways on SNKRS. Today, it seems like we are all going after the same shoes online. We need more general releases so the IG girls and hypebros can get their fix. It’s so crazy to me to see simple colorways of dunks going for $300+ resell when they used to be on eBay for less than $100. The sneaker resell market is worth $2Billion and projected to be $6Billion in five years. If Nike was smart, they would try to take some of that profit they’re leaving on the table by increasing their prices or doing wider releases and making their shoes more available. Nike has done nothing for so long that people are starting to take advantage (i.e. Warren Lotus, @im2ful, and dozens of other creators ). I know a lot of SB purists hate the idea of retroed Nike SBs because they’ve spent a good portion of their life and money dedicated to collecting these rare sneakers and they’re going to be the ones hurting the most. I don’t think Nike should ever retro SBs unless it’s a variation like the Tie-Dye Ray Guns. Nike just needs to make dunks more available for everyone. The demand for Dunks and Jordans is higher than it has ever been, so it’s time that Nike makes more of an effort to make their shoes more available.
Overall, I’m happy to see other creators working to fill the demand left by Nike. These shoes are becoming more accepted and in a lot of cases are built better than the actual Nike shoes.
(Image above from @im2ful on Instagram)
References
@TheSneakerSavant on Instagram: “Back in the day – fakes were horrible recreations of famous (and sometimes) non-existent models. They looked ridiculous. The shape,….” (2018). Instagram.Com. https://www.instagram.com/p/CF7Rs_1J6BL/