OPINION:Gentrification of sneaker culture has made purchases inaccessable

INFOGRAPHIC: Price tracking graph on Travis Scott Jordan 1 Retro Highs.

By Xochitl Armien,

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

Sneaker culture has been around since the 80s and its popularity is largely attributed to Michael Jordan and hip hop.  It originated in the  Black community but has recently spread into mainstream culture.

Jordans aren’t just shoes, they’re a staple in fashion and culture.

“If you wearing an outfit, the outfit could look cool but if you not wearing the right shoes it messes up the outfit, shoes just bring it all together,” senior Frank Yates said.

Sneaker culture is a subculture of people who know the value and history of sneakers, known as sneakerheads. However, due to the insanely  high prices of today’s sneakers, not all sneakerheads can afford to have large shoe collections.  

Sneaker culture has become polluted by hype-beasts, brand name obsessed people who follow trends but don’t necessarily understand the weight of what they’re wearing. Brands like OFF WHITE and SUPREME rose and fell in popularity from the 2010s to 20s but they left a lasting impact in the street wear market. With the spike in popularity, getting sneakers at their retail price is nearly impossible, leaving resellers who use bots to buy out all of the shoes in control of the market.

“The system is rigged, you can enter a raffle online but people have hella bots to get all the raffles, so you can’t get shoes,” junior Aeryon Jackson said.

Sneakerheads point the downfall of sneaker culture to resellers. Reselling sneakers is more than just a way to make easy money. Resellers play a direct role in the gentrification of a vibrant culture.

Because of the rise in prices, Nike Jordans have not only become unaffordable but they have also become unavailable. A few years ago you could easily get Jordan 1s at retail price but resell culture has completely destroyed the shoe game.

Resellers buy out all of the Jordans, Nike Dunks and Adidas Yeezyes in stores and resell them on apps like StockX and GOAT at astronomical prices.

“When I was a little kid they was inexpensive like $30,” senior Jai’ae Johnson said. 

Yates says he typically spends $200 to $400 on a pair of shoes. Johnson wears kids shoes so she currently spends around $180 to $200 per pair.

Jordan 1s retail for around $115 to $190 but can be resold for hundreds to thousands of dollars. One example of this is the Travis Scott Jordan 1 Retro Highs which retailed in April of 2019 for $190 but on May 15 2022 sold on StockX for $2,031.

Much of the new demographic of white suburban kids drawn to the hype of the sneaker trends are able to pay the high prices for the shoes but don’t understand their value. This is shown just by looking at the condition of the shoes that they wear.  

Here in Davis, Jordans aren’t as common as they are in the Bay Area or any other big city, but Johnson noticed that, “when (kids in Davis) do have Jordans on they’re all messed up and scuffed up and dirty,”

“It makes me feel hurt, like you got some nice shoes on and they just beat up,” Johnson said.