This past year, I attended Coachella for the second and final time in my life. After two years in the desert getting dehydrated, sun-burnt, and acquiring enough dust in my lungs to give my doctor reason for concern, I’ve decided that I’m too old for this shit.
But at my last Indio hurrah, my friend, a pretty staunch fashion advocate, kept having men come up to him saying “sick kicks, man” or “those shoes are incredible, where did you get them?” The sneakers were the Nike Air Fear of God 1, which launched at a retail value of $350 but have since gone on to sell for $550- $750.
I wouldn’t know until later that his pair were remarkably convincing knock-offs from China. Still, the whole exchange left me dumbfounded and trying to understand the economy of sneakerheads is fascinating.
