What inspired you to take an interest in sneakers? 

        Many ponder as to why people take up such a mundane hobby as sneaker collecting. Many 

people criticize sneaker collecting often regarding it as a waste of time and effort, personally i think 

there are two sides to this question as many people get inspiration from many different things 

not everybody shares the same passion and that is understandable. 

       Sneaker collecting is  costly but at the same time its a passion; while there are other things in life 

to be spent money on i much rather think that people get into sneaker collecting for the common cause, 

others see it as a way to look their best so therefore they collect as much as they could. with that being 

said there is many reasons why teens do it, of course adults do not understand much as it does not seem 

reasonable to spend so much on a pair of nikes but if it keeps them off the streets doing negative things 

that lead to a negative lifestyle id much rather agree that this is worth the time to look into. 

         Money consuming because people often over price the shoe depending on the following factors

the condition, the rarity, and how old the sneaker has been since it was first release all these factors 

affect the pricing but then again don't let it discourage you can always bargain and get a sweet price on 

those new pairs of nike SB's you were planning to save up money since your birthday. One does not

need to know how the economy works sneaker collecting and trading itself teaches life skills this is 

theoretically how the economy works you buy a product for cheap then you flip it for double the price 

then you proceed to make profit then you do it again, presto a life lesson learned and you didn't even 

have to attend economics but that is pretty much the basic of how stocks work, same can be applied 

for sneaker collecting.

this is what most people aim for during their time as a collector 

Sources/citations: me, myself, and I 

basedlife94.blogger.com 

websites such as sole collector and base NY help sneakerheads buy and sell thier collection with ease. 

Nike air Pillars will be releasing once more,

     Rumor has it Nike pillars are to be released this summer, sources used where Niketalk a internet 

forum community designed to keep fans of the sneaker game informed of whats going on in the sneaker 

world. it is not confirmed whether or not they will be released anytime soon however it is presumed that 

they most likely be in stores by the month of june somewhere along the month of august and will be 

released in the 4 original colorways. 

     What makes these shoe so exclusive is that the original pair was released in 1998 and they were 

never to be re released after 14 years passed and they are yet to see the light of day only difference is

the material being used to construct these shoes are the different but the overall look is pretty much the 

same. The fact that they are vintage adds on to the value of the sneaker itself; the retro release price is 

rumored to be around 130.00 USD and the colorways include neon Green and white, Michigan 

(yellow and blue), Black and red, and of course black and green.

      No sneaker fanatic would want to miss this release as they probably won't ever be released until

after a while adding more value to the collection raising the price on the resell value that is of course 

if the sneaker is kept in mint condition. The sneaker features extra comfort on the feet as the sole 

contains an air bubble that is suppose to distribute weight around the sneaker reducing the amount of 

force being exerted as the shoe was intended for running purposes. 

sources:http://www.kicksonfire.com/2011/10/31/nike-total-air-pillar-–-summer-2012-colorways/

http://theshoegame.com/articles/nike-total-air-pillar-2012-retro-release.html 

nike air pillars neon green ! 

aside from the original colorway released in 1998 new colorways will be released

Corporation and how they effect the Sneaker game.

     Earlier in the year company responsible for making Jordan shoes have been re-releasing versions of

past Jordan Sneakers and while this may seem attractive to sneaker fanatics it has in fact had the

opposite effect on true sneaker collectors; to make matters worse these release prices go up for more

than what they retailed for in the past !. 

       In the past Companies used different marketing strategies to attract consumers therefore increasing

their profits, while some may have come out successful others there are some strategies are rather

skeptical. Now all you may be asking how does all this correlate to the the Jordan brand, well their

strategy is to release popular old school Jordans at a raised price than they originally where when they

first came out; the way i see it , this is just the company trying to make money off unsuspecting

consumers of course you can't fool a loyal fan but unfortunately there are people who have no clue

what exactly they are buying therefore they are not savy shoppers they do not do their research and are

indeed easier to fool. that is how the company makes its profit by foolish shoppers

        How can us as consumers stop this i say we form a boycott by not buying expensive new Jordans

but instead we buy other brands remember Jordan is not the only elegant appealing sneaker brand out

there you will find new balances rather attractive, doing this we are saving money in our pockets and in

in return we are stopping corporate greed from spreading and having sneakers Retail at sky high prices .

this is the basic idea how to stop over pricing! 

pretty much whats happening cheap materials sold at a high price

sources: http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2009/01/are-overpriced-shoes-real-jordan-legacy.html

http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2009/01/are-overpriced-shoes-real-jordan-legacy.html

http://rollingout.com/business/entrepreneurs-business-leaders/michael-jordan-to-blame-for-riots-over-shoes-what-isiah-thomas-said-and-5-things-he-could-do-with-nike-profits/

Inspiration of Rebel 

     Rapper Kanye West has shocked us throughout his career with his witty lyrics, his Egocentric flow and 


his Scandals at the MTV Video Music awards where He Interrupted Taylor Swifts acceptance Speech as 


well as taking her award off her hands at the VMA's; its been unexpected twist and turn in the Rappers 


career.nevertheless he has good fashion taste ironically enough the Young Rapper came out with his own 


Sneaker naming them  "Nike Air Yeezy's" , "Yeezy" being the Rappers Stage Name. Now you all are asking 


himself why would a rapper design clothing and now sneakers; in a interview it is revealed that Kanye is a 


big fan of Fashion during his Performances he can be seen wearing Billionare Boys Club"® and "Ice 


Cream"®  famous Brands favored among Youth of today. 

          
          "Nike Air Yeezy's" are Exclusive Sneakers only Releasing in some select Retailers; it is  because of 


this Release that has sneaker fanatics going crazy over them, they are not a public Release and only a couple 


pairs are being release at a Retail Price of $215.00. Nike Air Yeezy's Released in the following colorway 


Zen Grey/ light Charcoal, later releases included the following colorway black/ neon pink and later Net/Net 


colorway which consisted of a wheat color with a pink accent in the Sole. Success behind the Sneaker was 


that Kanye west worked with Famous Sneaker designer Tinker Hatfield the mastermind behind the famous 


air Jordan brand (as mentioned on my earlier blog) as well as endorsing the sneaker via his music 


videos, the most notable is "knock you down" in where he is seen wearing the black/neon pink colorway of 


the Nike Air Yeezy; all these events where the success behind his sneaker, thus Sneaker heads all over the 


country went crazy some traveled from other states to acquire said sneaker. 


        Air Yeezy get inspiration from other sneakers as they do resemble early Nike/Jordan Brand models no 


big surprise as Tinker Hatfield designed many of the Jordan brand sneaker but then again Kanye is Very 


fond of the Jordan 3 sneakers which stated in an interview are his Favorite pair of Air Jordan models. 


"There is beauty in simplicity" once stated in his interview, the main inspiration for this pair of sneakers is 


the 80's pop culture a big influence in Kanye West fashion style.Movies such as back to the future inspired 


the sneaker he felt that the sneaker should resemble one particular sneaker featured in the movie named the 


"Marty Mcfly's" where the protagonist Referenced them being the sneaker of the future. 


        Tinker added that the Air Yeezy's design is very sleek the insoles are comfortable and many of his 


inspiration for the sneakers come from his earlier models of Jordan, such as Jordan 3 and Jordan 5, The 


insole is padded providing comfort for the wearers heel and the material used is patent leather and mesh 


adding that shine to the sneaker the strap is added on  as an accessory  but also helps the sneaker clutch 


onto the wearers feet. 

          Kanye west stated in an interview "I wanna be the type of designer that inspires people, not 


follow other ideas. I wanna be as innovative as Marc Jacobs has been. I wanna go from being a f


fashion plate to being an innovator. This collaboration is a dream come true. Everybody comes to 


these shows has a love of fashion, but then it’s just figuring out what’s your place in it. I’m a walking 


billboard but to be able to now create something from scratch is amazing." . Turns out his vision was 


portrayed well being the Fashionista that he is he Carried his vision well he may not be a famous designer 


such as Marc Jacob but he sure does know to carry out his fashion sense in his clothing and sneaker 


designs; his fashion sense does not disappoint neither does it leave anything to desire specially in the sneaker 

world his sneakers the Nike Air Yeezy's are considered to be a valuable pair in any sneaker fanatics 


collection a must have due to their scarceness, pairs now a days go up to a 1,000 maybe even more. '

          In my own opinion  i feel that the sneakers is worth the price in a couple of year they may even 


become valuable maybe even worth a couple grands it is a must have for even the biggest of fanatics 


although we may not all acquire get our hands on them they would be a great future financial investment as 


they are exclusive releases and collectors will want to get their hands on these. As for Kanye west partake in 


the sneaker itself its not a bad step who would have thought he had a great sense of fashion being a Rapper 


now a days takes no talent as well as distasteful fashion sense consisting of baggy jeans and expensive belts 


and shirts but Kanye is no hood rapper he wears slim jeans and sports good looking sneakers its no wonder 


this guy gets a lot of popularity well ... aside from the controversy that surrounds him.


         Aside from Kanye West collaboration with Nike he also design sneakers for Louis Vuitton; Why 


sneakers? well when being interviewed Kanye responded the following : "They’re a great entry point into 


a luxury brand. For people who can’t afford to buy $2000 trousers, they can take these shoes and

mix it with jeans from another brand.". Good point he felt that people would style his sneakers when 


they can't afford expensive luxury brand jeans i guess nobody has ever seen it that way,  his main aspirations 


for his sneakers are mainly from Fan fiction anime and Japanese pop artas well as 80's fashion, a great 


combination very appealing to the public but what an unlikely pair. 


Sources : http://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/1699/1/kanye-west-for-louis-vuitton

http://www.nicekicks.com/2008/04/nike-air-yeezy-breakdown/

http://www.ontheredcarpet.com/Kanye-West-rants-about-former-President-George-W--Bush-and-Taylor-Swift-scandals-in-NY-concert/7808895

despite the controversy during the VMA's he has apologized to singer taylor swift

Louis Vuitton Collaboration you can see a bit of 80's  in his fashion sense.

Kanye West Seen Sporting Air Jordan Cement 4's 

Air Yeezy draw inspiration from the follow sneakers: 

        
             

Quality over Quantity Nike SB's

     Nike has a variety of sneakers whether you cross train, play basketball, Soccer or football there are specific sneakers for every sport. One idea that Nike has Integrated into its Franchise was Sneakers made for skateboarding since Skating itself is not considered a sport,  Nike felt that it deserved some recognition.
     Nike SB is the sub division of the brand Sneakers specifically designed for Skating, the design favors comfort over design. Most Nike SB sneakers retain their design resembling Nike Dunks which is a early Nike model design for Basketball the only difference is that the tongue of a SB sneaker is that it is stuffed providing comfort to the fore foot and the ankle as well the sneaker itself is a big pillow which absorbs impact when landing on the skateboard.
     SB's are rarely released to the public, very few are sold in Retail stores which makes the Value of these sneakers rise. No two SB's are like they usually are designed after artists, Skaters, events. For Example U.N.K.L.E a Indie Band group collaborated with Nike SB in order to design their own sneaker. The Rarity of SB's depend on the following factors: age, Series Ex (Original Releases, Re releases and how common the sneaker is on the market).

                                                                                                                                                                          limited edition wu tang dunks 

The most underrated idea

         1985 were triumphant times in the NBA ,it was the defining point in one Basketball players 
Career Michael Jordan whom at the time played for the Chicago bulls. Now Michael had an 
idea of playing with his own brand of sneakers that only set back he suffered was that it was 
Ruled out and banned since the colorway of the sneaker itself was not permitted in the NBA.

             Michael Jordan did not stop after hearing the fines he would receive as a result of wearing his own sneakers in a game although NBA official David stern gave fines up to $5,000 
per game it did not stop him from wearing his creation. Air jordan I as they are referred to 
would eventually sell out going for $65.00 at retail price, the sneaker sold out and it was quite 
popular at the time. Eventually the frandchise expanded new sneakers being released, different 
colorways made; the air jordan franchise was  gaining popularity upon the Release of Air 
jordan 2's in 1986 and air jordan 3 in 1988 both retailing at around $105.00. 

           Michael was not working alone aided by Peter Moore whom designed the first Air jordan 
as well as Bruce Killgore , both worked for the Nike and where the masterminds behind the 
design of the Air Jordan 1-2 as for air Jordan 3 Tinker Hatfield drew inspiration from Michael 
Jordans the free throw dunk contest, and features on elephant skin, which would be the idea 
behind the elephant print found on the midsole of the sneaker. Michael had an idea he thought 
of a marketing technique which involved a commercial starting famous movie producer Spike 
Lee playing as a fictional character (Mars Blackmon) this idea alone sold the sneaker like hot 
cakes. 

(Michael Holding the Original pair of Jordans  Released) 

            With the Success of the jordan 
brand came more Demand of the shoes 
from models 1-11; though Jordan became 
an independent Brand they have broken off 
from Nike and had their own model of 
sneakers, Tinker Hatfield did not 
disappoint Jordan Fans more Sneakers 
released in rather crazy fashionable 
designs the brand became a success. 
many fanatics often prefer Jordan brand 
due to their ingenuity and the bold colors; no two Jordan sneakers alike there was a story behind every sneaker worn by MJ himself every championship Jordan would wear his own Sneakers making the sneakers more popular to the public.

           
  Today The Jordan Brand is diverse more new sneakers coming out, Fanatics and collectors alike share the same passion of buying and selling it has become a habit popular amongst teens to get together and collect these sneakers. Jordan Collectors often try finding Rare vintage Original sneakers released. Prices increases as the sneaker ages and how good of a condition their in and how difficult it is to find the sneaker itself.  

(Propaganda used to advertise the sneaker MJ
On the left Mars Blackmon (Spike Lee) on the right)

"Michael seen Wearing Air jordan XIV "last Shots" named
after his retirement in the NBA"