Sneaker exchange ‘kicks’ off

Celebrity-led designer footwear event for trading and bargaining

WHETHER it’s a pair of Adidas Khanye Yeezy or the Vlone Nike Airforce 1, sneakers maketh the man or woman in 2017.

And with SA’s top celebrities in Durban this weekend for Metro FM Awards, some are bound to be seen at the Sneaker Exchange event taking place there today .

The founder of the event, Capetonian Zaid Osman, confirmed on Wednesday that hip-hop artist Cassper Nyovest would be on hand for a meet and greet, but the main attraction would be the possible bargains for sneaker fans.

Osman, who has a sneaker business in Cape Town, grew up in the US, where footwear culture is huge thanks to the celebrity industry.

“Growing up in the US, I saw guys trading sneakers all the time and I collected sneakers, I have a passion for them.

“When I came back to SA in 2008, everyone kept asking me where I got my shoes. I needed to make some money and realised I had a lot of sneakers, some of which I didn’t even wear. So I decided to introduce the concept of an exchange event,” said Osman.

His first Sneaker Exchange (SXC) took place four years ago in a small coffee shop in Woodstock.

“About 80 people attended, which was far more than I thought would come.

“I got the shock of my life as one guy brought Puma Staple collaboration sneakers which are extremely rare. There are only 500 pairs worldwide and people in America go crazy for this shoe,” said Osman.

That particular pair were worth R7 000, but sold for R3 000.

Osman said the event gave aficionados the opportunity to bargain and trade.

“Trading sneakers was fairly unknown here, but it’s a common practice in America. During the SXC, people will come with limited edition sneakers that have only been worn a couple of times.

“They may see another pair they really like and then it’s up to them to negotiate.

“The sneaker culture is also really picking up among females; in the US it is huge and there have been a lot of female releases.

“Celebs such as Khanye West and Rihanna both have collaborations,” he said.

He is quick to point out it is the collaboration of leading fashion designers and A-list celebs with elite shoe brands which fix the price of the sneakers, with the Vlone/Nike AF1 topping the charts as the must-

Vans than fake Yeezy’s.

have pair, according to Osman.

Often referred to as “kicks”, many big-name design houses have formed collaborations, bringing their own style, such as Gucci’s creative director, Alessandro Michele, whose sneakers upped the game for everyone else.

Nike Free Flyknit partnered with Maison Margiela, who dipped their “kicks” into paint to give it some shabby chic with the coolest edge, while Adidas has cosied up with White Mountaineering, a Japanese label, to release an outdoor version for adrenalin junkies.

As the sneaker trend has grown, so have Osman’s SXC events. He has teamed up with sneaker collector, Tebogo Mogola, who is in the entertainment industry.

Osman and Mogola are big supporters of local sneaker brands such as Butan and 2Bop, with Mogola saying: “Global brands will always hold a certain appeal, but it’s time South Africa rallied behind local designers just as passionately.”

Sneakers are now the shoe of choice for young professionals in the workplace and, according to Osman, the biggest no-no is to go fake.

“Rather buy a pair of Vans than fake Yeezy’s. Be authentic.”

Zaid Osman has a sneaker business in Cape Town.