1 to Rock & 1 to Stock

Most things in life follow an order. Girls tend to follow a certain order when getting ready, whether it is hair, makeup, outfit or makeup, outfit, hair. It does not matter. Regardless of the order, a girl’s shoes must match her/their outfit. A sneakerhead would probably disagree because they build their outfit from the ground up. A sneakerhead might argue that the outfit must match the shoes.

A sneakerhead means different things to different people. To some people it means saving every penny to buy the sneakers you want. To other people it just means collecting sneakers and taking care of them, sometimes by not wearing them. There is no doubt though, that a sneakerhead loves sneakers. Like almost anything else, the sneakerhead culture has evolved and changed over the years, but one thing that stays true is the passion that the sneaker community has for shoes. As the sneaker community continues to grow, so does the sneaker industry. Stores like TDK and STATUS have become popular amongst sneakerheads. 

TDK is a barbershop and boutique that sells sneakers and clothing. It began in Laredo, Texas, where there are three stores. TDK also has stores in McAllen, Mercedes, San Antonio, College Station and Corpus Christi. The social media director for TDK, Nate, also known as Natetowavy, said, “our culture, our thing, is Kicks, Kuts and Klothing.”

According to Nate, being a sneakerhead is a hobby that is changing into a lifestyle. “So like me, like I’ve presented myself in this, you know, in a certain way. Now I have to maintain it.”

Nate, who is also a sneakerhead, said he has adopted the sneaker world as a lifestyle. “Like me, I wake up, the first thing I do is check my phone and see what’s gonna drop, like what shoe is going to come out.”

According to Laura Oleniacz. “many sneakerheads trace the origin of the movement to the 1970s and ‘80s, when sneakers were popularized by basketball icon Michael Jordan, and also by hip-hop stars who were known not just for their unique rhythms, rhymes and lyrics, but also for their style or their “swag.” As stated in the article, Sneakerheads, Not Hypebeasts: Defining s Sneaker-Driven Sub-culture.

However, being a sneakerhead is much more than the love of sneakers in the sneaker world. There is the financial aspect of the sneaker culture to consider. The financial aspect of the culture is when people go and buy the shoes, but they find them at a more expensive price than what they are usually released at. The sneakers are more expensive because of the buy and resell process that some people do. There is a retail price that the shoes sell for when they are initially released and a resell price. There are people who dedicate their time to buying at retail prices and reselling at a higher price to make a profit.

“Being a sneakerhead is much more than the love of sneakers in the sneaker world”

Nate explained that this buying and reselling has spiked sneaker prices. “So like before, shoes were generally around $200. Like it wasn’t that hard to get some Jordans. But like now, everything’s gonna sell out. I go to Footlocker. You probably won’t get a release there, because people are gonna go and buy them, and then resell them. So like that’s all it is now. It’s just buying and reselling.”

Nate added, “All the OG (original) pairs… that’s really the sneakerheads because that’s like all the shoes Michael Jordan wore in his time like all the Pennys, all the Hardaway.”

Sneaker heads also feel a connection to the shoes they wear or collect. A sneakerhead Nate said, “That’s more of a sneakerhead because it’s more of, like, you have a connection to it. Like my dad grew up watching Michael Jordan all day so like, that’s really me. I watched him idolize Michael Jordan, wear all his shoes growing up, wear nothing but Jordan growing up. So that’s kind of my connection.”

One shoe that is the most popular in the sneaker community is the 1985 Jordan 1 Chicago, or as most sneakerheads call them, The Chicagos.. Sneakerheads consider this shoe the “holy grail.” Nate said, “The ’85 pair is like, that’s a grail, the Chicagos, specifically the ’85 pair? That’s a grail. As soon as I get my Chicago 85, that’s it. I don’t want no other shoe.”

In an article for Otis Magazine, Anna Millard said “What happened next lends itself in equal parts to legend as it does facts.” The NBA banned Jordan from wearing the shoes (Jordan 1) in October of 1984. The NBA argued that the colors were not uniform with that of his team.

The words, “Fortunately, the NBA can’t stop you from wearing them” appeared in American commercials, giving new meaning to Air Jordan. This ban gave a whole new meaning to the AJ1. Millard said, “They came to embody the spirit of youth and rebellion while offering a means of expressing individuality through style. For the first time, the sneakers you wore meant something about your identity and who are, without saying them at all.”

Nate was rocking the off-white version, which Virgil Abloh originally designed that Nike released in 2018. As the world modernizes, so does sneaker culture. But does that mean that new shoe releases do not form part of the sneaker world? To some sneakerheads, new shoes with artist collaborations are just part of a sneaker-driven subculture called “hypebeasts.”

According to Delisia Matthews in the article Sneakerheads, Not Hypebeasts: Defining a Sneaker-Driven Sub-Culture, hypebeasts are “people who hop on sneaker trends or are just interested in the resale value of the shoes.”

Rene Azuara, a sneaker enthusiast also explained that there is a difference between a true sneakerhead and a hypebeast. Azuara said, “A real sneakerhead would camp out and wait hours. This new generation, they go for the popular item. Being a sneakerhead meant something.”

For Azuara, “A sneakerhead is someone who saves up every single one of their dollars to buy a shoe they want.” Those who consider themselves a sneakerhead in the sneaker world. Azuara said, “A true sneakerhead has to have a real appreciation for the culture of sneakers. If you know about sneakerhead culture you know and if you don’t, you don’t.”

“The phrase means buying two pairs when you buy shoes, one you can wear and one to keep in good condition.”

Another popular store amongst sneakerheads is STATUS, where sneakerheads can find collectible shoes. It has a McAllen location inside La Plaza Mall and a second location opening up in Brownsville.

Toni, the owner of STATUS, along with his partner, Alex Ramirez, opened up STATUS on the basis of them being sneakerheads. “It was something that as a fellow sneakerhead, I always wanted, you know, and it was a dream of mine. So, you know, I pursued my dream and I was very persistent over what I wanted to do.”

Toni explained what being a sneakerhead means to him. “To me, a sneaker head is somebody that has a passion for shoes…it’s something that you know, you have a passion for a shoe and, it just drives you crazy and you do the impossible to obtain them.”

Although a sneakerhead can be seen wearing their kicks sometimes, “you don’t identify them by visual representation. You define them by their passion, and how they talk about them you know or maybe how they act when they buy a shoe. It’s more like a motion or a reaction,” said Toni.

On various occasions, while speaking to sneakerheads, the phrase, “One to rock, one to stock” came up. To sneakerheads, the phrase means buying two pairs when you buy shoes, one you can wear and one to keep in good condition. According to Nate, that is a practice that sneakerheads will use sometimes, but it is harder to do so now.

Due to the limit of one pair per person when buying sneakers, sneakerheads now face the decision of rocking or stocking their shoes. Toni said, “It just depends on the shoe, you know. I wear all my shoes. A lot of people want to take care of the shoes as well or want to collect them and that’s a very great thing to do. Some people collect them and just have them you know looking nice and that’s how pairs just pass on to other years and that’s how you see cool things,” Toni was rocking the Nike Dunks UNLV.

A few years back, there were campouts. Campouts were people standing in line overnight at a sneaker store, waiting for a sneaker release. According to Nate, “They (sneakers) used to come out on Wednesdays, and they stopped doing it because people will camp out there and kids will start missing school. So like, they caught on to that. So they released them on Saturdays.” Campouts were on a first come, first serve basis. A sneakerhead could take two pairs of shoes home. Nate explained that they stopped doing campouts because “people started shooting each other for shoes. Like it started getting violent. So after that they stopped campouts because it’s a hazard. Like, it’s a threat.” Campouts have evolved into in-store ticket reservations and online reservations. This creates a safer way for sneakerheads to buy the shoes they want.

Buying and selling sneakers is not the only way for sneakerheads to come together. There are several sneaker events for the sneakerhead culture. There is Sneaker Con, which happens annually, and a place called Valley Vintage and Sneakers, Toni said that STATUS has been at the Venue, an event that takes place at Payne Arena where they do sneaker shows every six months.

STATUS us opening two more locations soon, one in Mexico and another out of state that has yet to be announced. You can find them on Instagram as Status.tx.

Nate also encouraged the community to stop by any of their TDK locations. “I just want people to come. Just come see how the store looks. Come take a picture, you don’t have to buy nothing.” Nate added, “Our goal is to instill confidence through our products, our services and our culture.”