On Saturday, Nike wasn’t supposed to drop the OVO Jordan X. They did and a few people got lucky and snagged a pair. While the shoes were pushed back the other major retailers, the smaller boutiques released their pairs. The owner of Sneaker Politics in Lafayette, LA. had changed the way resellers approach the store.
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Like others, the store held a raffle and for those who won, they had the opportunity to buy. In order to purchase the OVO Xs, the buyer had to wear them out of the store. Obviously, the shoes wouldn’t be deadstock anymore and the market value would drop. Complex grabbed an interview with Derek Curry, the owner of Sneaker Politics and he explained it all:
Is this the first time you’ve done this?
We did it once before for a Yeezy release, and it worked. A few people got mad about it, but we still did it. With the “OVOs,” kids were coming in the store, like, “Yeah, I’m gonna sell them!” I’m like, “Dude, that sucks. There are a million people who want to wear the shoes. I’m not giving them to y’all. You’re going to wear them out if you want them. You’re going to have to dirty them up a little bit when you’re walking out.” I should have put a mud puddle in front of the store.When did you decide that this is how you were going to release them?
When the kids were talking about [reselling them] and getting their raffle tickets, I was like, “Change the listings and ‘put they need to wear them out,’ too.” They had to put the shoes on, buy them, then walk out with them on.Did anyone get mad?
A lot of people were cool with it. They thought it gave them a chance to get the sneakers and weed out the people who won’t wear them. One kid was pissed and said, “It’s my money, you can’t make me do it.” I said, “Cool, you don’t have to buy them.” He responded, “No, I won the raffle I’m going to buy them.” So right in front of his face, I said, “So who needs a size 10?”Has Nike said anything to you about this?
My Jordan rep was cool with it. She called me up the other day and said, “Did you really do that?” I said, “Yeah, I hope you’re not mad.” She said, “Nah, that’s cool. I’m going to report back to everyone and tell them how you did it.”You were the only shop in the area to get them, right?
We were the only people to get them in our area. We had people driving from Texas. A lot of people really want these sneakers so they can wear them. What happens, too, sometimes: When the “Black” Yeezys came out, kids who won the raffle came and picked up their shoes, and then people in the parking lot were like, “I’ll give you $800 for them.” I was like, “F**k this,” because the dude in the parking lot who paid $800 for them is going to wear them. He wanted the shoes, he just didn’t win the raffle.Are you going to do this in the future?
We’re definitely going to do this with future releases. We’re only going to do it with super-hyped stuff. But it was kind of a hassle making people try them on.
Reselling has made it difficult for anybody to grab coveted shoes. Sneaker Politics will continue to do this in the future with hyped items. Will other stores follow suit? It’s surprising to see the Jordan rep approve of the tactic, but it helps us in the sneaker community. What do you think?
