Sneaker fiends get their kicks by competing
 Brian Spar, a former mortgage broker, has designed sneakers for R&B singer Chris Brown and rapper Rick Ross. (Globe Photo / Steven Lee Miller) |
The quest for rare or limited - edition sneakers is so intense that even collectors joke about their obsession with the shoes they call ``kicks." They claim that they suffer from OCSD -- obsessive compulsive sneaker disorder -- says Brian Spar , 31, a New Haven-based sneaker enthusiast. They wear T-shirts that read ``kicks before rent."
In the past, people who collected sneakers competed with other sneaker fiends every time they stepped into the street wearing a new, unique sneaker. Now thanks to events such as the International Sneaker Battle, which arrives in Hartford today as part of the Funkmaster Flex Custom Car & Bike Show at the Connecticut Expo Center, collectors can show their sneakers in a more organized forum. An estimated 25 to 40 sneaker fiends are expected to compete for cash prizes in categories that include best overall collection, best vintage collection, best custom pair, best Jordan pair, and best
The sneaker battle is part of an international move by people in the sneaker community to take the pastime out of its obsessive collecting niche and into the more respected realm of art.
``We need to embrace this culture," says Michael Daurio , 22 , the organizer of the International Sneaker Battle , who works as a sound engineer for Flex's Hot 97 radio show in New York. ``This doesn't get the respect it deserves."
The traveling exhibition ``Sneaker Pimps" puts the focus on rare, limited - edition , and vintage sneakers. The magazine Sole Collector has organized sneaker competitions in Miami, New York, Seattle , and Las Vegas. Lori Lobenstine , 38, a Jamaica Plain resident who runs femalesneakerfiend.com , a website for women who love kicks, has even hosted a party for female sneaker customizers in New York.
``It's sort of come out of this recent explosion of this online sneaker community," says Lobenstine, referring to sneaker sites like hers and Weekly Drop (www.weeklydrop.com), another Boston-based site for sneaker fans. ``It's a way for us to get together and see what folks have. All of these sneaker battles, sneaker shows, sneaker parties -- all of this is a way to do that."
Spar, who plans to compete in the Hartford ISB, says the creation of these events ``is long overdue. "
`` It's a way for customizers to be recognized as real artists ," he says. `` It's an opportunity to reap the rewards of our hard work."
A former mortgage broker, Spar left the banking business after discovering he could make a living selling kicks. He started out as just another sneaker enthusiast , but soon began buying and reselling sneakers. Then, about four years ago, he decided to start customizing kicks.
The art of customization, say s Spar, ``goes way back to the 1980s, when there weren't too many colorways out. As a kid, you needed to fulfill the social acceptance of having a new pair of kicks. It got down to picking up a magic marker and coloring in the stripes of your Ad idas or throwing on new laces to make them look new."
Spar's first customization project was inspired by the Chinese food dish beef with broccoli. Using a sponge and brown and green paint on a low - rise Nike Dunk, he got the food-like effect he wanted. The customized sneaker, which initially cost $50, sold on
The success inspired Spar to form his customized sneaker company, Gourmet Kickz -- Spar's nickname is ``the Chef." Now he has a website, gourmetkickz.com , and is the proud owner of a sneaker collection that numbers about 350 pairs. He has designed sneakers for R&B singer Chris Brown and rapper Rick Ross , who wore his customized kicks to the recent BET Awards.
The secret of customization, says Spar, is in making the changes invisible. For a sneaker called Greenpeace, he removed the swoop from a pair of Nikes and sewed it back on upside down. ``If the shoe looks torn apart and put back together," says Spar, ``you probably didn't do a good job."
The ISB will take place in three cities this year; Daurio plans to expand to eight to 10 cities next year. During the first leg, held last month in Edison , N.J., 50 enthusiasts showed their kicks; ISB heads to Atlantic City on Sept. 9 .
At the Edison, N.J., battle, a father and his two young sons won the best overall collection partially because instead of using insider contacts and calling stores to set aside kicks, as many hard-core fans do, they did their collecting the old - fashioned way.
``They didn't know anyone," says Daurio. ``They would buy things and wait on line."
A woman, one of only three in this male-dominated pastime who participated in the ISB, won best vintage collection. She displayed her old-school Nikes in an old sneaker display unit.
Spar has no doubt that he's going to emerge from the Hartford battle with a number of wins.
``Maybe four crowns I can take home," he says, brazenly claiming he will win best custom pair, best Air Force Ones, best rare collection, and best display. He'll showcase his wares in a living restaurant scene complete with waitresses and diners.
Judges for the Hartford event will include the two creators of Weekly Drop and Lobenstine of femalesneakerfiends.com.
Lobenstine values creativity. She likes the artistic thought process that goes into making sneakers inspired by Snickers candy bars or Rosa Parks. She's also looking forward to seeing the vintage kicks.
``I've been into sneakers since I was about 6," says Lobenstine. ``I always enjoy the vintage category : `Did you hang on to things from back in the day, some crazy thing that nobody liked? Something from LA Gear?' "
