It’s 12:00 midnight on a dreary, rainy, Friday night and you just so happen to be passing by your local sneaker store. You see a crowd of close to a 1000 people anxiously waiting to get inside. What is the meaning of all this? The new Jordans just released and all of these hopeful sneaker collectors are determined to get their hands on a pair. Sneaker heads, sneaker fiends, or sneaker connoisseurs are just a few titles that are used to describe people with an avid love for sneakers and the sneaker culture. This fascinating obsession has even turned into an addiction for some buyers who are willing to do whatever it takes to stay with the newest, freshest sneaks on their feet.
One of the hottest releases of 2011 was the Air Jordan XI Retro “Concords”. If you weren’t lucky enough to grab a pair I’m sure you’ve seen them or at least heard about them. Fights broke out and people have been killed over these sneakers and others like them. Rocking the latest sneakers isn’t just about looking good. It’s more than that. Sneaker heads take great pride in their shoes. It’s a culture, a mindset, a competition, a way of life.
Despite the constant struggle of trying to make ends meet as a college student, sneaker heads still manage to find ways to get their hands on their favorite sneakers and can be found rocking their latest purchases on campuses worldwide. They are no strangers here on Howard’s campus. I recently came across a mixtape by one of our fellow bison, Chase B. The mixtape entitled, “It’s Gotta Be The Shoes” is a creative combination of 23 tracks all dedicated to sneaker heads and the love of sneakers. Although many people may believe the sneaker culture is dominated by men, female sneaker heads are just as, if not more, passionate about their shoes as men are. I often find myself looking at everyone’s feet on a daily basis just to see what “heat” they’ll be sporting on their feet. Some recent hot releases for Jordans include the Retro X in 3 different colorways. The white/old royal-stealth pair, a white/black/red pair (“Bulls”) and a female colorway, “Violet Pop.” Some of the best features of Retro X’s are the patterns inside the shoe and the detailed bottom of the shoe. A Bordeaux colorway of the Spiz’ikes recently dropped which Spike Lee himself delivered personally to President Obama. Last, but certainly not least, the “Cherry” Air Jordan Retro IVs were released just in time for Valentine’s Day.
Photo from Spike Lee's Twitter Account
February is arguably the hottest month of sneaker releases this year thus far. Although so many dope sneakers have already been released, there are always more on the way. Look out for the Air Jordan Retro IV “Cements” dropping this weekend and the “Galaxy” Foamposites set to release later this month.
-Contributed by Khadija Hunt