Put your takkies on and rush to SXC for deals
The largest sneaker-trading event in Africa, where sneaker collectors and aficionados can buy, sell or trade sneakers as well as buy locally produced apparel and footwear, Sneaker Exchange (SXC) boasts close to 3 000 attendees per event in many city centres.
Founder and codirector of SXC Zaid Osman is one of SA’s most notable sneaker collectors. Having spent his formative years in the US, Osman brought with him not only a great love for sneakers but also ideas on how to build the sneaker culture in SA. SXC will be in Joburg on Saturday May 6 at Constitution Hill on 11 Kotze Street from 11am to 7pm. Pre-sale tickets are available online at R70 per person, and R90 at the door. The live entertainment line-up will include Riky Rick, Anatii, Youngsta and Palmtree Paradise. Local DJs will include Major League, Capital, JJ Fresh, Lord Veezus and Dunn Kidda. The event will also play host to local fashion labels, big-name brand activations, food vendors, live sneaker customisation, as well as a barber and tattoo artists on site.
Amsterdam-based clothing label Daily Paper will be a special guest. Founded in 2010, the menswear label was inspired by the founders’ African heritage and their passion for contemporary fashion. The label is also known for being influenced by different African cultures, incorporating these into modern design with a rugged character.
Also in attendance will be multidisciplinary artist and sneaker customiser Dada Khanyisa, who will be creating miniAsics sneakers on site.
The inaugural SXC event in 2013 had very humble beginnings, with only a few dozen diehard sneaker collectors and aficionados in attendance at a coffee shop in Woodstock, Cape Town. Since then the event has grown exponentially year-onyear, and has even been commissioned to curate sneaker exhibits across Africa.
SXC offers not only diehard
Tickets for the Joburg SXC next Saturday are available through Computicket.
sneaker collectors (also known as OGs or originals gangsters) the rare opportunity to see limited-edition or exclusive sneaker designs first hand, but it also gives sneaker traders the opportunity to either trade in or sell their near-mint condition footwear to likeminded individuals.
SXC isn’t only for the solemnly devoted sneaker lover, though: “The whole premise of the event is that it’s about sharing the love of a culture few people know about or understand,” says Osman.
“I created this event so that I could share my passion for sneakers with others and so we welcome anyone and everyone to Sneaker Exchange.”
SXC has traditionally been the ideal platform for local and global sneaker brands to showcase their designs and activate consumer campaigns. However, Osman says local apparel and footwear brands are offered the opportunity to showcase and sell their designs, too.
“There’s no denying that bigname and global brands will always hold a certain appeal, but it’s time SA rallies behind and supports local designers just as passionately,” adds SXC codirector Tebogo Mogola, who joined forces with Osman in 2015.
Joburg-based Mogola shares not only Osman’s passion for designer sneakers but also works in the entertainment industry, giving him the perfect credentials as a business partner.
In the past, SXC has hosted performances by the likes of AKA, Da.Les, Riky Rick, Reason, Nomuzi “Moozlie” Mabena, Stilo Magolide, Mashayabhuque and Nasty C.