by Luke Loranger |
For sophomore business major Rafael Sales, the day the Ronnie Fieg/Asics Gel Lyte III “Homage” shoe came out was just like any other drop day. From his house in Alaska, Rafael is up at 5:40 a.m., patiently setting up his computer for the 6 a.m. drop. He knows that the shoe is being released through a pretty strict online marketplace, so he will have autofill all the shipping and billing information himself.
When 6 a.m. rolls around, Sales is furiously clicking, trying to buy the shoe before everyone else. In a matter of seconds, he knows whether the shoe is his or not. This time Sales is successful, which is not always the case.
If you ask a “sneakerhead” what drives them to wake up so early for a small shot at the newest Jordans or Asics, the answer will always come back to the shoe itself. For junior nursing major Nick Coogan, sneakers were a way of distinguishing himself in high school.
“It has always been something I could dictate about my outfit,” Coogan said. “When I was younger I went to private school and had to wear a uniform, (so) choosing shoes was always something that was big for me.
For many of those who love sneakers, the love comes from the distinctive story or lore associated with each sneaker. In the case of the “Homage,” the shoe was released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Gel Lyte III, one of the most popular Asic models. The shoe features a mismatch of 13 styles of previous shoes designed by Ronnie Fieg, who remains one of the most prominent sneaker designers. His work fetches more than twice retail price in online resale markets.
Ronnie’s work is what originally drew Sales to sneakers. He saw the Ronnie Fieg “Volcano” in the summer after junior year and noticed that he could not find them for sale anywhere.
“I noticed they were selling for a lot of money, and I couldn’t do anything about it because I was broke and lived in Alaska,” Sales said.
When Sales came to UP, he was able to start seriously building his collection, reselling Supreme clothing and sneakers to buy shoes he wanted.
Resale Market
Besides a love of the sneakers themselves, many are driven to the sneaker industry because of the high returns on their investments. The “Volcano,” which remains one of the most popular and revered Asics, sells for an average of $588 for an unworn pair — not bad for a shoe that initially cost $160 three years ago. Sails still keeps his “Homages” in their original box, unsure if he will keep this pair or sell it for the $960 a brand new pair currently averages in the resale market.
This is a story that is very familiar to sophomore engineering major Aaron Leung, whose collection includes Yeezy Boost 350s and Jordan “Royal” 1s, which are two of the most storied and sought after sneakers.
“Buying the (Royal 1s) was the biggest purchase of my life, so it took a piece of my heart out when I had to shell out the money," Leung said. "But I figured I could resell them later for the same price if I did not want them.”
To get the Royal 1s, Leung was able to score a great deal on the secondary market, only paying $500 for a largely unworn pair.
Rise of the Runner
One of the most interesting aspects of the sneaker world is how quickly things change. Until the late 2000’s, the most popular and desired sneakers were those that were part of the Jordan line, which features over 20 different models, or came from the house of Nike. These shoes tended to be chunkier and bigger, mimicking basketball shoes.
However, in the last five years, the sneaker world has turned toward designs modeled after running shoes, often referred to as “runners.” These shoes often come from brands such as New Balances, Asics or Saucony, are sleeker and have lower cuts than their Jordan counterparts.
This rise in popularity is reflected on campus, where runners are considered the norm. Portland is an ideal city to be a sneakerhead because it is in the cross section of both Nike and Adidas, arguably the two largest and most important sneaker brands. Adidas, especially, is well represented on campus, as many students began to wear the Tubular X model soon after colorways were released last fall.
Still, sneaker lovers have deep appreciation for Adidas as well as New Balances. The ultimate draw to sneakers, besides the shoe itself, is the feeling knowing that a shoe will soon be part of the collection.
“Every time (I buy a shoe) I get a little excited,” Sales said. “There is a sense of amazement because I am fighting with other (people) and (I think), ‘Wow I was the one.’”
Luke Loranger is a reporter for The Beacon and can be reached at loranger18@up.edu or @loranger18.
