Every day at VSU, students of all classifications wear different styles and brands of shoes.

The “Sneakerheads,” however, take pride in the quantity and rareness of their sneakers compared to others.

 The term “Sneakerhead” is a term that is sometimes used in a positive and negative light by many people in today’s growing fashion culture.

 To some the term means one who enjoys purchasing sneakers for the love and passion of current and retro shoes. To those that do not understand the true essence of purchasing shoes, “Sneakerhead” means a reckless person who wastes their money on overpriced material.

 Most Sneakerheads define themselves as a people who own multiple pairs of shoes as a form of collection and fashion.

 Shoes give some of them a sense of establishment and status, while others feel that it is a way of connecting to the past with their retro sneakers.

 Some Sneakerheads started their purchasing ways by buying shoes that were general releases, or just buying a pair of shoes that they thought was interesting or exclusive.

 Some started by noticing a pair of shoes they wanted when they were a kid.

 Tracy Robinson, business management and marketing major, started purchasing sneakers because of the love for various pairs.

 “I started purchasing so many shoes because there were so many shoes that I liked, and in high school I liked having shoes that nobody else had,” Robinson said.

 Some Sneakerheads begin to look for examples of everything when it comes to choosing what brand name shoe to buy.

 Others Sneakerheads look to collect shoes of a particular set or brand name.

 Popular shoe collections include Air Jordans, Nike Dunks, Adidas Classics, the Nike Air Max Series and other popular classic Nike shoes.

 With the evolution of the Internet, it is easier for today’s sneakerheads to find out when and where the most popular sneakers will be released.

 Samson Adeboye, senior psychology major, credits the use of online shoe websites as his source of finding some of his sneakers and release dates for upcoming sneakers. 

 “I use websites such as FlightClub.com, 23isback.com, and Nicekicks.com to find out when certain shoes that I like are released,” he said.

 Shoes that catch the eye of most Sneakerheads are the ones that have the most value or ones that are exclusive or limited editions.

 These shoes normally have some kind of theme, or they were made only in limited numbers.

 To the general public, Sneakerheads are sometimes stereotyped as males, but there are some girls that share the same passion collecting shoes as males do.

 Tyrina Dickson, senior communication disorders and sociology major, likes the feeling of having exclusive sneakers that only a limited amount of people can acquire.

 “I like to have what other people don’t have. It may sound selfish in a sense but I like looking brand new,” Dickson said.

 Sneakerheads take pride in the shoes that they purchase. They feel that shoes are more than rubber created by manufacturers overseas. They are investments, memorabilia, and
memories that Sneakerheads cherish.