Sneaker Head Summit

All-Nike-Christmas-Holiday-edition-Kevin-Durant-6’s,-along-with-the-Nike-Yeezy-2-Red-October

By Gabriel Lorenzo

Sneakerheads flocked to the Jacob K. Javits Center early December for Sneaker Con, the second gathering of aficionados this year in New York City.

Over 6,000 people attended the event, some waiting in the rain for over two hours. The line stretched around the block of the arena and even crossed the street. It was a diverse crowd of collectors, musical artists, personal bloggers, and promoters.

Former NBA player Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway also made a surprise appearance, taking photos with fans and giving autographs. Hardaway said he has been a sneakerhead since he was a kid. His sneaker line with Nike is one of the most popular in history.

What motivates the diehard fans to stand outside for two hours in the rain? Sneakers are a way of life, said Ariel Gonzalez. “Everyone has their own hobbies, everyone likes cars or something,” said Gonzalez. “You may not camp out for your cars, or whatever you do, but we do and we love it. It’s life.”

Gonzalez came from Philadelphia to display his shoe collection. “I just like the whole feel to it,” he said. “Everyone here likes kicks. Sounds crazy that we are paying hundreds and thousands of dollars for sneakers but it’s cool to have all of the same kind of people in one roof.”

Several million dollars worth of sneakers were on display that day in the Javits Center. Many of the Sneaker Con sellers are serious collectors and own sneakers worth more than $5,000. And that is not even the most expensive pairs. Sneakers like the Nike Air “Yeezy Red October,” Nike Foamposite “Galaxy,” Louis Vuitton Don “Kanye West,” and Air Jordan 6 “Doernbecher” go for around $4,000 to $7,000 a pair.

There were many young talented entrepreneurs with clothing lines, keychains, vintage sports jerseys, hats, and sneaker blogs. Danny Evans, an ambitious musical artist from Norwalk, Connecticut, was promoting his brand “Fuego.” He and his crew were handing out free music “Zero Gravity” and “NWNM.” They were also offering a raffle giveaway for the Nike Yeezy 2 “Red October.”

Evans said he had building his musical career since high-school when he went to California to perform. He later moved to Honduras for a couple of years to learn Spanish. All proved to be worthwhile as one of his hit tracks “Same Difference” was used in a highlight reel for ESPN in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

So why Sneaker Con? Danny Evans just like Penny Hardaway, and the thousands of fans of the sneaker culture, share the same passion for shoes.

“This is doing something that is bliss,” said Evans about sneaker culture. “Doing something that you’re passionate about and then having thousands of people under one roof hanging out with you. You see these little kids out here eight years old, 10, 12, grinding out here. I mean how can you knock that? You can’t teach that. This is passion. They are out here, exhausted but smiling!”