Sneaker Con is just wrapped up its Chicago event this past weekend and today we got a quick recap of its first ever, international event. London was amazing. It wasn’t the culture shock that some of us who went thought it would be. There are some obvious differences, but overall we all felt right at home—minus the lack of street signs and the opposite side of the road that everyone drives on.
London has its share of sneaker spots to shop at. From Size? to Supreme, to SneakersnStuff, to Foot Patrol. They even have a Foot Locker: House of Hoops and a Niketown. Just make sure you have an Uber account to make your way around. Also, if you’re headed that way any time soon, be prepared for that currency exchange. With all things being equal, things are slightly more expensive over in the UK. What costs $6 here in the U.S. will cost about 7 or 8 British pounds. Once you factor in the fact that the British pound is worth around $1.30 U.S., you feel the loss after a couple of purchases.
The Sneaker Con event itself was great. There was a huge turnout. Funny thing that we noticed was that during our stay throughout the week was that everyone wore running/casual sneakers. Mostly Reebok and PUMA, with a little bit of Adidas sprinkled in there. Of the three days outside of Sneaker Con, we may have seen two people on the street wearing Jordans. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but when it came time for Sneaker Con, and we’re heading towards the venue, we began to see lines of people all rocking either Jordans or Yeezys. It’s like they keep them in their closets until there’s a special occasion. Like an Easter Sunday of sorts for sneakerheads.
Anyway, the event featured a who’s who of Sneaker Con. Bull1trc and Tony D2 Wild were there. Jaysse of Urban Necessities was there. Mayor made an appearance. Crep Protect definitely showed out seeing that Sneaker Con had traveled to their hometown of London, England. 8and9 brought their dope shirts per usual. The Real Ray-Ray and Boost God made the rounds. And of course Qias was there. Never seen a line that long last for an entire 7-hour event. That’s some next level, international love right there. To top everything off, Crep Protect threw a special after party later that same night at their new store in collaboration with consignment shop Presented By. There was a 3-D Nike Air Max 1 that changed colorways every few seconds. There was a cleaning booth in the back of the shop stocked with Crep Protect products. There was even a sneaker art showcase featuring works done by Reina Koyano, designer and illustrator from Tokyo, Japan.
All in all, the entire event was an experience. Just to think that sneakers brought everyone there at that one place. From different countries and backgrounds. The entire event was so nice that Sneaker Con is considering going back there again later this year. Rumor has it that it will be in December. Maybe more people from the states can attend this time. Start stacking your bread now. For more information on any and all upcoming Sneaker Con events stay tuned to The Sneaker Box podcast and Sneaker Bar Detroit.
