Have the world at your fancied-up feet

In a world that judges you by sole, rather than soul, you cannot expect to cruise through life donning worn-out footwear. You too should hop onto the newest trend of stacking up shoe racks with as many sneakers as possible. Not the run-of-the-mill sneakers, but ones from Adidas, Nike and Converse, which can burn a hole in your pocket.

For the craziest of sneakerheads, Adidas’ Yeezy Boost 350 V2 ‘Beluga’ was one of the most coveted drops of 2017. “We were sold out in minutes in India,” says an official spokesperson of the company. A collaboration between Adidas and American rapper Kanye West, Yeezys are known for their carbon-fibre armoured soles that absorb impact and make the shoes lightweight. While it is ideal footwear for professional athletes engaging in extensive workouts, in India, celebrities such as Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh have been spotted wearing it. “Ranging from Rs.20,000 to Rs.200,000, Yeezys are the go-to sneaker for many celebrities,” the spokesperson adds.

Pharrell x NMD Human Race ‘Friends & Family’ is another luxury offering from the sneaker giant. Ranging from Rs.25,000 to Rs.280,000, the shoe has a burgundy Primeknit upper, decorated with tonal Japanese characters. The right shoe has ‘Family’ inscribed on it while the left one has ‘Friends’. With reflective laces and EVA inserts, the sneaker has exquisite features to its credit. “There is huge demand for these sneakers, thus boasting 5x resale value in the market,” informs the spokesperson.

The Indian market also boasts of the Converse x Off-White Chuck 70 sneaker, featuring a white canvas upper with the signature Off-White branding. With price varying from Rs.37,000 to Rs.200,000, its shoelaces are printed and have a zip-tie tag on them. To complete the affluent look, the sneakers are rounded off with the Converse logo. Worth it or not, Bollywood actor and sneakerhead Ranbir Kapoor’s shoe rack boasts of this pair, too.

Nike, also brings its A-game to the playing field, with Air Jordan 1 Retro Mid Brooklyn Nets. Priced at Rs.215,000, if you want to channel the athlete within you, this sneaker is the perfect fit as the design is evocative of the pattern Michael Jordan donned when he was a part of the Brooklyn Nets City team. It also marks a reference to the birth year of Notorious B.I.G., an American rapper and songwriter, with an engraving of ‘1972’ on the heels. 

All said and done, the most iconic offering by Nike is the Mag self-lacing sneaker, inspired by Michael Fox’s Marty McFly character in Back To The Future II. The sneaker’s ‘Adaptive Fit’ technology senses the wearer and tightens or loosens to fit the feet’s contours perfectly, so undone laces can’t come in the way of your game. With a limited release of 89 pairs only, a chosen few were able to get their hands on it through an online draw in 2016. However, the sneakers have found their way to luxury resale sites such as Farfetch, where a pair is listed for a whopping Rs.2.8 million.

The price tags are hefty, but Adidas believes that instant sell outs are a proof of demand exceeding supply manifold in India. Furthermore, the companies are confident that the premium sneaker market is set to grow exponentially over the next few years, given the rising disposable income of people. But, while there has been an uptick in interest, hypebeasts remain disappointed as distribution of luxury sneakers remains limited. According to them, companies need to buckle up and cater to the rising demand.

Now, Rs.200,000 doesn’t seem like a lot when some godly sneakers warm your feet, does it?