Of course, we all love a good sneaker…well, a few of them! And so does Brooklyn native and veteran rapper Fabolous. In the latest issue of Footwear News Magazine, the famed talent talks about his sneaker collection, what’s wrong with the “sneaker culture” now, his personal style, the “re-popping” of sneakers and much more.
What bothers you the most about the sneakerhead world today?
The re-popping, it’s out of control. It changes the experience for the regular consumer. It used to be track down the shoe, purchase it at box price and put it on. Kids are now working three weeks to a month to get a shoe that shouldn’t be that [elevated] in cost. It’s Jordans, Yeezys — anything that’s popular. Even Adidas Originals NMDs are starting to get that chase. I don’t know the solution; just give kids the chance to buy the shoes. When Kanye West first put his shoes out, he said he [wanted] everybody to have a chance to have quality. But when they came, it was the same re-pops, same markups, and Adidas didn’t do anything about it. It’s fun for the hype when you’ve got to pay $2,000 for a $200 sneaker, but [it’s hurting] the average consumer.
Who is the leader in the sneakerhead world?
I think there’s a best in different categories now. There’s always classics — they get their just due and respect. There’s a new wave of [Nike] Flyknits, I like them, they’re very comfortable. My mom was never a big sneaker person because she didn’t like how heavy sneakers were. You know how 1990s sneakers, they were all heavy? My mom wasn’t with it, so now I’m about to introduce my mom to Flyknits and stuff, see if she could hang — these are the kind of shoes she would like. She would buy cheap shoes because they were cheaply made but light — she liked light shoes on her feet, she didn’t like a heavy bulky shoe.
Are there any designers or labels you’re particularly fond of?
I grew up in the 1990s, so I like a lot of the styles that were going on then. The design of the shoes, to me, was truly ahead of their time — a lot of the classic Jordans and a lot of the retro stuff that’s coming back now is really all from that time period. Some of them were slept on — they were worn by living legends of the time or connected to people who were bigger-than-life stars, and they’ve moved on and new stars have appeared, but those shoes still have a connection with people. I like that ’90s era of style and swag.
Check out more of the interview HERE.
Stuff Fly People Like | SFPL 