Sneakers are everything for a lot of boys, especially if you're a boy between the ages of 12-21 who likes sports -- or even know anyone who likes sports. My son, Nissim, is one of these "sneakerheads" and tipped me off to Sneaker Con, which is happening this Saturday on Pier 94. As their site reads: Sneaker Con is the premier traveling event for sneaker connoisseurs to buy, sell and trade some of the most sought after footwear on the market. After doubling in size since last year, this year's Sneaker Con has over 350 vendors including several accessories, apparel and footwear brands bringing exclusive releases to the event. A major highlight of the event is the culmination of the Ace of Customs competition, in which four finalists -- narrowed down from twenty participants -- will compete live to see who can best customize a pair of British Knights Control kicks.
Ahead of Sneaker Con, I asked Nissim to single out some of the sneakers he expects will be big among collectors this year.
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The Doernbecher Collection
The Doernbecher Collection is probably the most exclusive collection of Nikes and is designed by patients in the Doernbecher children's hospital in Oregon. All profits from these shoes go to the hospital; the program has been going on for 11 years and has raised nearly 8 million dollars.
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Space Jam 11s
Released around the 2000's. These are the shoes MJ wore in the movie Space Jam, a shout out to his wearing the 11s during the 1995-96 NBA championships after first getting slapped with $5000 fines for wearing a pair of Air Jordan Concord 11s that didn't match the Bulls' colorway. Nike went on to release this model to consumers in 2000 and many people even treated the shoes like formal wear, putting them on in place of dress shoes. They've been retroed multiple times.
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Air Yeezys
Last but definitely not least is the sneaker known by perhaps everyone: the Kanye West-designed Nike Air Yeezy 2 Red Octobers. In addition to being some of the most well-known shoes they're also some of the most expensive, re-selling for around $5,000 after initially selling out in minutes after their launch this past February. Kanye has now stopped working with Nike and is preparing to release a line for Adidas.
Ahead of Sneaker Con, I asked Nissim to single out some of the sneakers he expects will be big among collectors this year.
The Doernbecher CollectionThe Doernbecher Collection is probably the most exclusive collection of Nikes and is designed by patients in the Doernbecher children's hospital in Oregon. All profits from these shoes go to the hospital; the program has been going on for 11 years and has raised nearly 8 million dollars.
Space Jam 11sReleased around the 2000's. These are the shoes MJ wore in the movie Space Jam, a shout out to his wearing the 11s during the 1995-96 NBA championships after first getting slapped with $5000 fines for wearing a pair of Air Jordan Concord 11s that didn't match the Bulls' colorway. Nike went on to release this model to consumers in 2000 and many people even treated the shoes like formal wear, putting them on in place of dress shoes. They've been retroed multiple times.
Air YeezysLast but definitely not least is the sneaker known by perhaps everyone: the Kanye West-designed Nike Air Yeezy 2 Red Octobers. In addition to being some of the most well-known shoes they're also some of the most expensive, re-selling for around $5,000 after initially selling out in minutes after their launch this past February. Kanye has now stopped working with Nike and is preparing to release a line for Adidas.