Juline Garnier 14:30 pm, April 15, 2023

For several years, a real business of sports shoes has been set up in a community of enthusiasts. Brands play the game of limited editions and rare models, sometimes creating a crowd to get a pair, as this Wednesday in Paris on the occasion of the Nike and Corteiz collaboration. Who are the so-called "sneaker addicts"? Elements of response.

Chaos for a handful of pairs of sneakers. On the occasion of the sale of the "Air Max 95" shoes by the Nike and Corteiz brands, a massive crowd movement was created, causing several injuries. The event had not been authorized upstream by the town hall but it is above all the method used by the two brands that was lacking, that of a "wild drop": a treasure hunt to find the ephemeral shop, making nearly a thousand people move through Paris.

Sneakers that can be sold for five times more

The appointment was given Place de la République but it is via a bus, dressed by Nike, that the geographical coordinates of the shop were transmitted. From that moment on, all means were good to achieve it. In front of the shop, finally located Cours de Vincennes in the 12th arrondissement, fights broke out. "There were 600 pairs for at least a thousand people, so people started forcing the blinds of the shop," said a participant in the newspaper Le Parisien.

Republic at the moment for the Corteiz x Nike what delirium mdr pic.twitter.com/iYRucxgKSs

— Clara Eymery (@EymeryClara) April 12, 2023

This event reflects the explosion of interest in these accessories, which have become collector's items. But also that of an investment very quickly profitable, because of the scarcity of models. The 600 "Air max 95" were sold for 190 euros per pair but can according to some enthusiasts be resold two to five times more expensive.

Well-crafted storytelling

This is also the observation of Léo Nilly, a young Strasbourg sneaker enthusiast. In five years, he has obtained about forty "collectible" pairs that he exhibits religiously in his living room. "What interests me is obviously the style of the sneaker but also its history, when the brand tells coherent things around the pair, how and why it was made," he told Europe 1.

"For example, my pair of Jordan 1s, which is the model worn by basketball player Michael Jordan when he arrived in the NBA 1984. There are a lot of stories that he was not allowed to wear these shoes during the championship so he received fines every game, which Nike paid him. The young man does not put them under a bell, and enjoys wearing them from time to time for different occasions.

© Leo Nilly

The law of the market (sneakers)

And behind the style, then the story, there is obviously the question of price. "As I know a little about this environment, I have sometimes bought models knowing that they could be worth more, later. I always tell myself that it's an investment," adds the enthusiast. However, there is a limit not to be exceeded. "Putting 1,000 euros in a pair of shoes, I find it too expensive for what it is but I understand that others can do it," he said.

Some, precisely, organize a real business. They take advantage of the "drop" and "raffle" (online draws that allow them to be selected to acquire the right to buy a pair in limited edition) of the different streetwear brands to create stock and grow their investments. But for Léo Nilly, it's a dangerous game.

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They are popular on the stock exchange

"It happens more and more that brands come out of models that were limited edition, offer other colors for the same rare model and this obviously lowers the rating, so prices since there is more stock for less demand," he analyzes. In addition, brands like Nike are organizing to avoid cases of cheating on its online "raffle", such as registration - nominative - in the draw with several accounts or IP addresses. "Entire families have been deprived of buying from the online store because of this kind of strategy," he warns.

This market, still difficult to estimate, is driven by celebrities and influencers all over the world, especially on social networks. Since 2016, he even has "his" stock exchange, via the website "StockX". No wonder, then, that it attracts beyond the circles of enthusiasts.