Variety is the Spice of Life: Stop Trying to Keep Up with the Joneses

We live in a new golden era of sneakers.

Sure, there’s always plenty to complain about, from high prices and endless licensed Anime collabs to classic gripes about backdoored pairs and early leaks on Twitter. But offline, sneaker culture is bigger than ever, with more collaborations, well-thought-out colorways, and cool shoes from every corner of the industry.

While sneaker culture kicked down mainstream doors with the appeal of high-hype, instant sell-out collabs from the likes of Off-White, Travis Scott, and Yeezy, the fallout of that widespread obsession has turned those resale rockets into the domain of the Rolex and luxury car class. Outside of the rare four-figure StockX flips, though, the rest of the sneaker industry has responded to sneaker culture’s new status with more collaborations, designer capsules, and unique designs, bringing us back to a point where it is nearly impossible to keep up with everything that drops from every brand.

Nike’s latest earnings call this week bemoaned that expansion, noting that Jordan Brand would be cutting back on drops in coming years to try and regain the sense of exclusivity they had before the culture side of the industry blew up. But with the hype already leaving containment, the ship has already sailed for most of us, with exclusivity now better expressed in personal taste rather than resale price. After all, the shoes you see online, on social media, and on dorks every day might be limited, but they aren’t exactly rare.

The emergence of Wall Street bros wearing Travis Scott Jordan 1 Lows like Sperrys has also had its own effect on what counts as cool, reminding us all that keeping up with the Joneses doesn’t come with the same validation when the Joneses are finance bros and AI investors in fleece vests and Lululemon pants.

Instead, sneakerheads everywhere are skipping out on the secondary market for a return to a sneaker industry that isn’t dominated by any one brand or silhouette, and invites real creativity in the rotation. The hype collabs still sell out, but on a recent trip to a retail boutique in Philly, I saw shoppers skip freely from the Asics and On section to Salomon, adidas, Vans, BAPE, and, of course, Nike and Jordan, with more numbered retros on the wall than there have been in years.

With more focus on sneakerheads and lifestyle silhouettes than ever before, consumers can easily find pairs of Kiko Kostadinov Asics, Hellstar adidas collabs, new and retro silhouettes from Salomon and New Balance, and the list goes on. More collaborations may have helped water down the meaning of the partnership, but they’ve also created diamonds in the rough that get overlooked amidst the flood of drops.

For an industry that used to be full of segmented collectors who only focused on Nike SB Dunks, Air Force 1s, Jordans, Air Maxes, adidas SPZLs, or other factions of the market, the new normal is a closet full of different brands, styles, and silhouettes. Go for a walk in any major city, and you’ll see silhouettes from Asics you can’t name and colors of Forces you didn’t even know hit shelves, and you can’t convince me that’s not more interesting than another backward Swoosh or Panda.

There’s been a lot of talk about the increasing price of sneakers at retail lately, but while times are clearly tough for brands like Nike, retail boutiques, and hype chasers, those of us who don’t need to worry about a brand’s bottom line are seeing the largest sale sections ever, with plenty of legit options sitting at 50% off in boutique closeout sections.

For some people, the concept of enjoying sneakers for their style and design instead of their resale price and clout might be a bit foreign, but that’s something you’ll have to figure out on your own.

Sneaker culture started as a way for athletes, skaters, breakdancers, and regular guys and girls everywhere to stand out from the pack of normies who didn’t know any better. But at some point, the script flipped, and sneakerheads started caring more about fitting in and copping the same pairs as the next person. It’s a return to the good ol’ days in the truest sense, because falling in love with sneakers should always be about finding your own personal style, and that means embracing individuality and stumbling upon something unexpectedly meaningful, not slot machine-style raffle spins.

Zach Harris

Zach Harris is a writer based in Philadelphia. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Vice, Complex, High Times, and more. He is obsessed with skateboarding and bowling. He is still looking for his first 300. For tips, reviews, and anything in size 10.5 - zach.h@soleretriever.com