Point of View

Summer is truly, fully, 100% over. No matter how hard everyone who’s still wearing shorts and sandals is trying to hold on, it’s gone. It’s fall now, and winter is right around the corner.

Now that summer’s over and the hype for any summer releases has passed, I can look back on the full slate of summer footwear releases with a more unbiased view. And when I do that….there’s only one thing I can think of. Jordan Brand really dropped the ball with their Summer 15′ releases. I’d even venture to say that Summer 15′ was one of their worst seasons in the last few years. read more

Ah, culture vultures. Those who steal traits, language or fashion from a certain group in order to create their own false identities. People who leech the good out of something, and cause outsiders looking in to stereotype. Every subculture has their own set of culture vultures, and the sneaker world is no exception.

There’s three main kinds of culture vultures that you may come across during your experiences in the sneaker game, and we’ve got them all listed here for you so you can identify them easily and keep them at arm’s length. Let’s get right into it. read more

There are few things better in the sneaker world than when a dope celebrity comes together with a sneaker company to create a collaborative sneaker. Kanye with Nike, Adidas, Reebok (S. Carter if you were wondering) and Louis Vutton. Drizzy with Jordan. Kendrick Lamar with Reebok. High-profile collaborations usually bring out the best in the two involved parties and make for an inspired sneaker. However, this isn’t always the case.

There have been some truly awful collaborations, where an artist and a brand have linked up to produce steaming piles of garbage. I’m talking the kind of shoe where your first thought is “what the fuck is this??” when you lay eyes on them. I’m talking the kind of shoe that makes Sketchers look like Saint Laurents. I’m talking the kind of shoe that….alright, that’s enough. Let’s get right to it. read more

Collecting kicks isn’t a hobby, it’s a lifestyle. The time you have to invest in checking release calendars, attempting to acquire new releases, attending conventions, going to the mall to fill out raffle tickets, cleaning off your shoes, and a million other things is substantial. If you’re really about it, it’s not something that you can do halfheartedly.

Thankfully, there are many great benefits to collecting kicks. Believe it or not, there are several skills you can pick up along the way and life lessons that you’ll learn. “Ross is full of shit” you’re probably muttering to yourself right now. “How can something like collecting sneakers teach you anything?” I’m about to tell you. Pull up a chair and grab your 320z Haterade. Here’s what you can learn from collecting kicks. read more

If you aren’t brand new to the sneaker world, you’ve probably caught on to the new release overdose. You know, the multitude of new releases each and every weekend. Some of these new shoes are trash, some are dope, some are limited, and so on and so forth.

As a college student, it’s pretty important for me to keep my finances in check. (Actually, keeping finances in check is pretty important for everyone. There’s more to life than sneakers.) As much as I’d love to be able to cop every single release I want, I just don’t have the money to be able to do that. (Go ahead, call me a broke boy.) read more

This week belonged to Adidas.

Yes, Adidas. The perennial second banana in the athletic footwear world. The brand with the three stripes that, no matter how hard they try, just can’t seem to unseat Nike from their spot atop the athletic footwear food chain. The brand that can endorse everyone from Jeremy Scott to Pharrell to the almighty Yeezus himself, and crank out dope designs and ideas like Boost foam and Primeknit uppers, but is still perpetually viewed as #2.

Well #2 was #1 in the sneaker world this week. Let’s start back on Monday, when two Adidas x Bape x Undefeated Superstars were announced (They release today…may be the Force be with you if you’re trying to cop). The signature Bape camo adorned the uppers of the shoes, while suede stripes, Bape and Undefeated branding on the heel and an off-white midsole and toe box made for a crazy collaboration. With how hot Bape is right now, the time was right for another collaborative release and the week started on a high note for the Three Stripes read more

You’ve heard it a thousand times: “Resellers screwed up the sneaker game.”

This is a fairly valid statement. I’m not going to go on some big rant right now on how you should never charge over retail for any pairs whatsoever and if you do, you’re the reason why sneakers are so hard to get nowadays, and blah, blah, blah. I’m not going to do that because I don’t think it’s true at all. There’s nothing wrong with charging over retail or making some money on a pair of kicks. That’s just how the game is now. Besides, who am I to say nobody should resell ever? I’d be flat-out lying if I said I’ve never resold and made money on a pair of shoes. read more