The 6: Sneakers

Sup, Hypenerds. Welcome to Part 2 of the series The 6. In this article, we will be discussing my favorite topic: sneakers. Growing up around sneakers and even working in a shoe store, I have gained some insights on sneakers. Sneakers and shoes, in general, can often be one of the most under appreciated articles of clothing. As a fellow sneakerhead and shoe nerd, I have a need and want to provide. These 6 tips are basics to help, introduce or further expand to the shoe game

Tip #1 Multiple Pairs=Multiple Wears

This tip is a staple for any sneakerhead and is rule #1 of shoe protection: Create a Sneaker Rotation. Like a baseball pitching rotation, a sneaker rotation is designed to protect your shoes by not wearing them regularly and slowing down wear and tear. Creating a rotation that starts at, say 3 pairs and increasing it to whatever fits your lifestyle.A rotation can be the difference between having a shoe for 6-12 months and multiple years. Many of my shoes in my collection are about 2-4 years old and still in wearable shape. In building a rotation, you can either go cheaper with shoes like Vans, Converse, and older Nike/Adidas shoes or expensive like Yeezys, Jordans, and Off-White. Either way, your shoes will stay intact for longer.

Tip #2 The Sneaker Life Insurance

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This tip is one that I picked up on early in my sneaker shopping experience and what I called the Sneaker Life Insurance plan. It is buying a shoe cleaner and protector. Both are designed to protect your shoes with a protector or proofer as a way to provide protection and the cleaner as an eraser for accidents. This is perfect for sneakerheads or the casual consumer because it will protect your shoes and help them look better longer. Like a rotation, this helps extend the life of your shoes but cheaper than buying a rotation. The cleaner/protector can cost from as cheap as $5 with target and other shoe store brands to entire kits like Reshoevn8r, which is around $130. Some brands I use are Jason Markk Cleaner, Crep Protect, and Lave. No matter the price, a good cleaner/protector will keep you looking fresh.

Tip #3 You can never go wrong with white leather

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A standard tip for many sneakerheads is the ultimate wardrobe staple: white leather sneakers. A white leather shoe can provide its owner with tremendous variety and durability when worn. The shoe can be dressed up formalwear or be worn comfortably with everyday clothing. With endless models like All white Nike Air Force 1s, Adidas Stan Smiths/Superstars, and even the Reebok Classic Leathers, everyone can find a pair right for themselves. Also, white leather is more accessible to clean than white canvas/mesh because it doesn’t absorb stuff like dirt or mud as much. Just be careful of scratching or scuffing the leather.

Tip #4 Different strokes for different occasions

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This one is something that my father has shown thru his habits. While he loves his sneakers, he also made sure he had dress shoes, sandals, and other types of shoes for different occasions. Have different shoes for different occasions. Many people fall victim to this tip because they don’t believe they need dress shoes when they don’t have a fancy job or event to go to. Personally, I would like to be prepared for these situations because you never know when the next big interview or formal will come up. Stores like H&M, Target, and ASOS provide quality dress shoes for cheaper. This also goes for workout shoes. While lifting in chucks or vans isn’t a sin, good workout shoes go along way on your feet.

Tip #5 Beware of the online scammers

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While I spoke online shopping in The 6: Fashion article, this one is not about the fit but being vigilant. When shopping for sneaker, especially expensive or hype sneakers online, BEWARE OF SCAMMERS OR FAKE SHOES. This trend has happened since sneaker trading began in the 1980s-1990s and is a hot button topic in the sneaker community. I have been scammed out of my shoes once and also been accused of scamming someone over Chicago Jordan 1s which I bought from Flight Club. Some signs to look out for are:

1.the price is way under resale, 

2.they refuse to provide detailed pictures of the kicks, 

3.they will ask you to go off the site and do private transactions.

The best way to see if you are being scammed is by staying on highly reputable sites like StockX, who does a legit check before the money is even paid or legit checks online.  This may not save you money but will save you the embarrassment of being scammed.

Tip #6 Have your own shoe flavor

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The last tip is the most important one: Wear the sneakers you like. While all of the other tips are designed to help you, they are ineffective if you don’t wear what you want. I personally have hype stuff like Jordan 1s, 3s, and 4s, but I have them in colors and wear them in unique ways. From not hype releases to different laces, I made them my own and unique to me. So when looking at shoes, you should be asking: Is this shoe for the hype or do I like it?

Thank you for reading my new article The 6: Shoes. Be on the lookout on my next articles/posts coming soon. Don’t forget to subscribe via email or follow on my social media, where I will be posting some good content. Have a nice day, and don’t forget to be Nerdy and Swaggy.