Reasonable Doubt
The Sneaker Swindle: Inside the Crusade to Sniff Out Fakes
What are thooose?
Standing behind the Legit Check counter at Sneaker Con, held recently at Houston’s NRG Center, is a guy with a clear tub of plastic tags and a head filled with an encyclopedic knowledge of sneakers. His name is Eric Perez. As each new pair is placed before him, he lifts the lid from the box, removes the shoes, and begins the examination. He presses his thumb against the tread, caresses the tongue, squeezes the toe. He loosens the laces and removes the insole. He scrutinizes the box with the narrow-eyed skepticism of a customs official or a master sommelier. He shoves his nose inside the shoe and inhales deeply: Some replica makers use a chlorine-based glue with a telltale odor. If the sneakers pass, he affixes a tag embedded with an NFC chip that you can scan with your smartphone. If it doesn’t pass, Perez shakes his head.
No explanations are given, no appeals entertained.
What was once a curious niche market (You won’t believe what the kids are paying for sneakers!) is now a corporate juggernaut hyped by its own constellation of celebrities and fueled by online consignment companies like StockX, Stadium Goods, and GOAT, where you can hunt for your personal footwear grail and monitor daily fluctuations in market…
