all words and photos by Dafna Steinberg
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A disclaimer before reading this post: If you are not into sneakers, then the DunkXChange (which is what this post is all about) won’t make very much sense to you. In fact, stop reading right now. However, if you are into one of a kind, limited edition sneakers that you can only order off of websites in Japan, you can understand how exciting it is to be in a club full of said pairs of shoes.
This is sort of what the DunkXChange at Bravo Bravo was like. Being a big sneaker fiend myself (No, seriously…I wrote my Masters dissertation on it) and never having been to an exchange, I felt it was only appropriate that I go and photograph the whole event.
Basically, the DunkXChange is like a flea market/swap for kicks. While you can bring used shoes in, most people tend to bring pairs that they bought with the intentions of reselling or that they have barely or never worn.
Upon first walking, there were two things I noticed. One, the average age in the place was probably between 18 and 20. Two, there were more people trying to sell then there were trying to buy. Almost everyone was carrying around boxes of shoes and advertising by holding a selection of shoes in the air. Others, who had seemingly more experience with sneaker exchanges, had tables with sneakers lined up from end to end. There were also people selling local streetwear clothing lines and a number of tables (including representatives from Georgetown’s sneaker/streetwear spot Major) selling New Era caps. DJs K.I. and Cold Case provided a good selection of Hip Hop classics for sneakerheads to listen to while they bargained and swapped.
Being a woman with a camera in a room full of testosterone, it was easy to get some awesome photos. However, for me it was entirely about the shoes and I was grateful for the opportunity to see some really amazing sneakers.
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bitter I missed this but I was chillin poolside so I guess it’s allgood. my guy chauncey went and said it was cool but he told me about it yesterday …
June 9, 2009 at 3:45 pmnice photos :)
June 9, 2009 at 6:39 pmamazing, the art of the kick is a new found language to be pass down, literally. ENVIOUS
June 9, 2009 at 10:00 pmHey, Im kicking myself for missing this! How come this wasn’t widely publicized! Never heard of this event. Please share next time before it happens! Thx!!
June 10, 2009 at 9:37 amas much as i wanted to go check out some dope kicks, i couldn’t stand the thought of being surrounded by hypebeasts all day. i don’t think i could have done it.
June 10, 2009 at 11:59 amDafna – great recap.
I’m with judge mental though – can’t stand being around that many hypebeasts. I think sneaker culture is dying though – granted dozens of people still line up outside boutiques for sneaker drops, but the fervor has died down considerably since the days of Pigeon Dunks. I find sneakerhead culture narrowminded – they rock the sneakers, but don’t usually care about the profundity of the design, the artist, the symbolism of the shoe. They’re just hypebeasts. Sneakers, is after all, a part of street culture and a lifestyle that encompasses art, design, skateboarding, etc. It’s like the “hip-hop head” that can recite every songs’ lyrics, but don’t know a thing about b-boying, graf, etc… you know… the “other” elements of hip-hop.
June 10, 2009 at 2:09 pmyeah no doubt its all full of hypebeasts, but what do you expect when you have a company like nike selling millions of dollars worth of shoes at $125 a pop, under the guise of an “artistic outlet”? Only the kids with f*cking money are going to buy kicks. If it were only about the art, then we wouldn’t be buying mass produced shoes. Its not like the material for a lot of these designs warrants one to possibly have to pay more than $100.
The only symbolism these companies see is $$$$$$$$. Market an artist, jack up the price, walk away with dollars for tissue paper. Too bad even I am a victim ;)
June 11, 2009 at 4:25 pmand just to add one more thing. this is “style art”, which has always differed from other forms of art. this is urban culture’s dolce and gabbana. you wear the clothes to show off what you got. it’s meant to be looked at and to create an impression. the whole culture is a hypebeast, which is why using the term in this context is self defeating.
June 11, 2009 at 4:34 pm
This looks fucking amazing
June 9, 2009 at 3:39 pm