The sneaker market is also failing to understand the shift in demographics of “sneakerheads” and they are excluding the market that invented the term and still participates in it.
I wrote this quote in response to an analyst who constantly states that sneakerheads are a niche group who exist in an echo chamber. That analyst is more than likely speaking of the kids who prop up the ecosystem of sneaker websites. Those kids spend all day arguing about the importance of retros or if basketball kicks are still the best sneakers. In that reference he’s right that the echo chamber is small and niche, but it’s important to understand that a generation that grew up on Hip-Hop, the generation that started the fascination with kicks, a sneakerhead is not just some kid buying and trading shoes. A sneakerhead is a person that may own 6 pairs of shoes, not 100. Those 6 pair are going to be pristine, icy white, and fresh as f–k. The person that owns them might be 55 years old, not 15.
You know why? When Rapper’s Delight released in 1979 teens went crazy. I was a little kid, and I went crazy. It was the same when I heard Punk Rock Rap by the Cold Crush Brothers. It was the same when I bought a “How To BreakDance” tape and then got cardboard and went outside to try to do backspins. When I first saw Beat Street I had to go to the one kid in the neighborhood’s house who had cable. I also got to see Wild Style that way. After watching those films I begged my mom for a pair of Pumas and a pair of adidas. I got neither. I bring this up to state that those teens who listened to Rapper’s Delight are in their 40s and 50s. They are the ones who transitioned sneakers from “gym” shoes to fashion. Yeah, Converse was being worn by rock and punk bands, but it wasn’t until Hip-Hop made basketball sneakers fashionable that sneaker companies began to grow. I can take this one step more and state that even Nike was stagnant until they pulled off a coup in signing a gold chain wearing, high flying, 360 degree dunking… wait a minute that’s Darryl Dawkins. Nike took what could be considered an element of Hip-Hop in basketball and turned it into a billion dollar business. Hip-Hop made it okay to wear sneakers as casual wear. Anyone who doesn’t think this is true, take the street element out of sneakers and the current retro trend would be dead.
Why did I write this long paragraph? In marketing, companies and analysts keep stating that in order for a brand to win they have to reach teens. If teens aren’t wearing your stuff you’re dead. These marketing people and analysts aren’t in stores everyday. The people walking in and shopping are not kids. Kids can make a brand hot, but a lot of the purchases are by people 30 and up. Sneakerheads are passing their collections on to their kids. My son is 16. Ask him where and why he got his first pair of Jordans. Then ask him how he got a 2005 pair of retro 14 Last Shots. I gave him my kicks when his foot hit size 12.5 when he was turning 14. Giving him my pairs didn’t diminish my love for kicks. My son in all honesty doesn’t even care about kicks. He cares about his guitar, creating video games and Legos. Which takes me to another point that can explain why Vans has had such amazing growth in the last year. Kids today are more about alternative forms of entertainment. They like Tyler the Creator more than they like Paul George. These Black kids aren’t as influenced by athletes as they are entertainers. Chris Brown wore Vans this year… because kids in the street and kids playing e-sports started wearing Vans. In this instance, yeah teens drive growth, but overlooking the 40 and up crowd who grew up trying to get Dapper Dan outfits made from Gucci, Louis Vuitton and MCM is a crucial mistake taking place throughout footwear.
Just today 5/5/18, I got a comment from Mike Williams who watches videos on my YouTube channel. It was under an authentic verification for a pair of Tinker 3s. The picture at the lead of this page is what he wrote, I’m sharing here as well,
Even though I’m just entering my 40s, I just cop’d my favorite pair of kicks for the first time… the Air Jordan 3. When I first seen the Tinkers on the SNKRS app, with it coming to fruition the way originally intended, I knew I had to have them. 4/30 7a came, and I had the app ready to get a special pair of my favorite kicks since they first came out when I was a young’n. Coming Soon to Buy $200 @ 7a I clicked buy and got in the queue. Only doing that once before w the Vintage Box AF270s and getting them. Heart racing, waiting, finally said “Sorry out of stock.” Crushed. But determination kicked in and I found a pair in 13s for $260. Got’m yesterday. ? Smell was strong , fingernail polishy, and felt good to finally have a pair of 3s, and a special edition pair at that. Now I’m torn between wearing them or not. LOL My bad, just wanted to share.
Mike’s comment is marketing gold for any brand smart enough to understand that the demographics have shifted. The Hip-Hop generation created the words, fresh, def, and dope when describing how another person looked who exuded style and flair. I mean think about it, Run DMC (adidas sponsored) clarified that when Hip-Hop said bad it meant, “Not bad meaning bad, but bad meaning good,” in the song Peter Piper. People in Chicago used the word, COLD, to explain how fresh something was and is. People in Memphis say, “That junt fye aka Those joints are fire,” lol. Which is to say what you’re wearing is in old school Hip-Hop terms, ‘fresh to death”. Hip-Hop, unlike their mother’s and father’s generation, says that getting “clean” consists of a crisp pair of Levi’s and a fresh pair of kicks. The older generation wore suits and Florsheims. Is there any wonder why dress shoe sales have decreased?
As dad’s and mom’s continue to introduce their kids to their music and their style, brands are looking only at the kids, leaving the marketing of products to old heads on the cutting room floor. It’s funny though, there are brands like Greats, or Clae, who use a sophisticated, simple, elegance, constantly gaining ground. They are taking classic dress aesthetics and adding those looks to street ready sneakers and the industry is responding. There have been so many new footwear brands who’ve been able to get some marketshare because they’ve found a sweet spot in creating stylish kicks for an audience that wants to look “Hip-Hop Sunday’s Best”.
I know 60 year old retirees who consider themselves sneakerheads because they own more than 3 pair of running shoes; and they are right. The demographics of footwear have shifted. Mike is just as valuable as that 16 year old camping out at the mall. Maybe it’s time the industry began to look to alternative options for reaching those customers before they decide to go back to Stacy Adams.
No shade to SA, lol.
