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For the love of kicks

The sneakerhead culture in the UAE is a fledgling one - but serious collectors in the country believe it needs to go beyond the hype of a limited-edition release

Would you be willing to drop thousands of dirhams on a pair of dope coke whites? That's sneaker-speak for very fashionable, very white shoes (for the uninitiated.) How about shelling out far more for multiple pairs of shoes a month? There aren't many ways to answer these questions - just two very polarised reactions, really - but for the swelling community of sneakerheads in the UAE, the response to both questions would be a resounding yes!

The sneakerhead culture is not a new one - going back to 80's America, when hip hop was beginning to resonate with urban youth and Michael Jordan was cementing his place as the greatest basketball player of all time. (Yup, one man played a major role in getting entire generations hooked onto sneakers!) In the UAE, the scene is less than a decade old. In true fashion though, it has managed to catch up with this trend, even surpassing some markets to become one of the hottest destinations for diehard sneaker collectors. If there's any indicator of this, it's that there are just four Michael Jordan stores globally - and the latest one opened in Dubai last year. Not to mention, the dozens of sneaker stores cropping up all over the place.

'The culture is about more than the hustle'

Kris Balerite, freelance creative consultant and co-founder of Sole DXB (a regional lifestyle platform for footwear and more), has a 400-pair-strong collection. He shipped part of it back to his home in the Philippines and even brought his cache down to about 200 pairs once. "Within a year, it was back to 400," he confesses. "It's starting to fill up the room again." He used to pick up 4-5 pairs a month, but since he became a family man, the 32-year-old father-of-two is down to a pair a month, tops.

The local sneakerhead community is a very young one driven by hype, he feels. "You have a lot of teenage sneakerheads on Instagram now, who come from really wealthy families and are able to pick up rare or high fashion shoes, just so they can resell online." He's not deriding the booming resale market - which is very much a part of any country's sneaker culture, he clarifies. "I like the hustle created by the billion-dollar business of sneakers. But the culture is about so much more - and that's what we need to educate ourselves about: to have more appreciation for the movement itself."

Self-employed Indian expat Richard Wilson agrees. The 37-year-old juggles multiple hats - and pursuits. He's a PR consultant, personal trainer, musician and a lover of shoes. Currently, his collection totals "just under 250 pairs" - and counting, considering he buys shoes almost every month. "In Dubai, we get access to some of the latest releases and limited drops as well. With the opening of flagship stores and the emergence of stores like Concepts (City Walk), Good Life Space (Al Serkal Avenue) and Corcel (d3), we are sometimes spoilt for choice. As is the case in other markets, there is real demand for certain releases (Jordans, Yeezys etc) and then absolutely no demand for shoes that are highly coveted elsewhere in the world." That is something he reckons has to do with the fact that not every sneakerhead in the UAE is well-versed with the history of the brands and shoes.

Like thousands of fans before him, Richard's own induction into the culture started with Michael Jordan's eponymous line of shoes as well as the Nike Air Max 1. "The classic colourways of the Air Jordan 3 (White Cement) and Air Max 1 (Infrared) appealed to me. We believed and bought into the whole 'Be Like Mike' and 'It's Gotta Be The Shoes' commercials that Nike released. The influence of hip-hop artists rocking certain sneakers back in the day also made them seriously desirable."

BEST FOOT FORWARD (clockwise from top left): Kris Balerite, Richard Wilson, Ann Prepose and Jackson

Conversation-starters, not showpieces

For Richard, his sneakers tend to define everything else he wears. "My passion for sneakers has always been based on quality materials, interesting colourways and the overall build of the shoe. They are a talking point or a statement piece on most occasions with the rest of my ensemble built around the shoes." And they always pave the way for some solid networking connections. "Just the other week, I was leaving a well-known watch boutique when the assistant store manager caught a glimpse of my shoes," he narrates. "We proceeded to talk about sneakers for about 20 minutes, and now keep in touch regularly. I'm even trying to help him buy some shoes he missed out on!"

It's a bit childish to be buying these kicks if you only intend to place them in a glass case, feels Kris, who believes in wearing every one of his own. Most serious collectors would concur. "If it's a Yeezy that Kanye wore or the very first sample of the shoe, perhaps that would make sense - not a shoe made in China that everyone else owns as well," reasons the Filipino expat, who has shoes signed by former world No. 1 American tennis player Stan Smith, as well as by Jordan himself.

There's no doubt that social media is helping drive the culture in a big way. In fact, it's key for people like 24-year-old Jackson*, who lives in Abu Dhabi and doesn't get to meet his fellow sneakerheads as much as he'd like to. Facebook makes it easier to communicate, Twitter keeps one up to date with instant releases and Instagram is a great showcase for pics of kicks.

Even corporates are sitting up and taking notice. Two weeks ago, Nike revealed its Dunk Low BSMNT shoe, a collaboration with a London-based collective called The Basement, which organises meet-ups using Facebook groups and has over 62,000 followers. The shoe was designed by 18-year-old Daniel Pacitti using nine different materials to highlight the diversity of the nine founding members of the group. Hundreds of people queued up at the London pop-up to grab a pair. "It goes to show they're recognising the voices of real consumers," says Jackson. "The fact that they collaborated directly with consumers this time is encouraging, because they're giving them the chance to design a shoe with a brand the size of Nike. That's how far social media can take you."

The British expat, who owns over 100 sneakers of his own, admits his family thinks he's "crazy", but the shoes have helped him forge long-term friendships all over the world, and his travel plans revolve around sneaker stores he wants to see. So far, he's travelled across Europe, the US and parts of Asia; Japan is next on his list. "From Hong Kong to Iceland and Berlin, the passion is the same," he explains. "No matter what culture you're from, if you share the passion, you get talking. The styles and tastes differ, but conversations and friendships are very often built off the passion."

Where are the women?

While the demographics in sneakerhead cultures around the world can fluctuate on the basis of nationality, they are (for some reason) definitely skewed on the gender scales. Abu Dhabi-based Ann Prepose, better known as Jumpann within the sneakerhead community, is one of very few female sneakerheads in the country and acknowledges that it definitely has a male-dominated following. "It may have something to do with the fact that women don't necessarily see sneakers as fashionable or collectibles," she says. She wouldn't blame them. Before she became a sneakerhead around 2008, she was a 'high heels' kinda gal. "I'm short," she laughs. "But my partner gave me my first pair of Air Jordans and I fell in love with them - mostly because basketball is like a national sport for us in the Philippines and I'm also a Michael Jordan fan. I never thought sneakers could be fashionable - but they are."

More practically speaking, she adds it could also have something to do with the unavailability of kicks in women's sizes. "Most of the time, the releases are geared towards men. There are lots of models for styles of sneakers that I like but they're only available in men's sizes in the UAE. If you want it in a smaller size, you have to ship it in from abroad."

Going the extra mile

The passion for obtaining a pair - especially a limited edition one - is such that a release often results in day-long campouts outside stores. Ann, who has done this on several occasions, both here and in the Philippines, has picked up a few tips on the best way to beat the crowds.

Being early is a no-brainer, but she also advises against going alone. "That would be a disaster. Always go with a friend or a group, so they can hold your place in a queue in case you need a break and, of course, keep you company while you wait." More than anything else, it helps to have connections at the stores or within the sneaker community. "Sometimes, it's a limited-edition release and a store will only stock a few pairs. Only those with connections can usually access those pairs. Of course, they may also not have your size, so that can be frustrating - but try your luck!"

Why would anyone be willing to wait in line for hours on end for a pair of shoes, you ask? Not just for bragging rights (though, there is that too, of course); the greater motivator is that failing to pick up a pair would mean having to do so through the resale market, where a pair that retailed at $200-350 would easily set you back by about $700 instead. If you do plan to resell a pair, Ann - who is the proud owner of about 70 pairs of her own - recommends keeping the box. "Saving it, along with extra shoe laces and anything else that came with the purchase, will add value when you want to trade."

For passionate collectors who don't have much personal wealth to sustain their constant drive for new kicks, a little discipline and planning keeps them in step. "I used to buy every hot sneaker being released every month, but now I've started to get only the rarest in the market," says Ann. "I've learnt to be more disciplined with my collecting."

There's an average of over 1,000 exclusive releases every year, points out Kris. "You can't buy them all, so I personally focus on first releases and any collaborations with my favourite designers. I don't follow the hype." The only way the sneakerhead culture can grow here is if more people start supporting smaller sneaker brands - and not just the big names. "People need to start wearing the newer brands too - Asics, New Balance, Amongst Few. That's how we develop a healthy culture."

*Full name withheld on request

DO YOU SPEAK THE LINGO?

A mini-glossary to sneaker terminology

Bred: Black and red kicks

Colorway: A particular combination of colours

Deadstock: A pair of sneakers you've never worn

Grail: Highly coveted sneakers (à la Holy Grail)

Hypebeast: Someone who only buys sneakers based on the hype surrounding them

Kicks: Sneakers

OGs: Originals

Yeezy: Kanye West's line in collaboration with Adidas

karen@khaleejtimes.com