The last pair of sneakers I bought were fake.
I didn’t get hoodwinked or swindled (one of those words would have sufficed, but they’re just so fun to say). I knew they were fake. They were bootleg Tom Sachs Mars Yard 2.0s from Malaysia. I’d always wanted a pair and appreciated the design and storytelling, but there was no way I was going to drop $7,500. Instead, I paid $172 for replicas that don’t give me financial anxiety every time I put them on.
This was in November 2021. For people who aren’t into sneakers, that may not seem like a long time to go between sneaker purchases. For me, it is. While I’m not one to schedule my life around release dates, I tend to have a pretty solid knowledge of what’s dropping when.
The issue is that none of the sneakers that dropped in that span have interested me all that much. The overwhelming silhouettes that attract hype seem to be Air Jordan 1 Highs, and Dunk Lows, with a sprinkling of New Balance 99Xs and Jordan 3s and 4s. It’s been that way for too long. All of those styles are fine, but it’s hard not to be left with a sense of “been there, done that.” Where are the new silhouettes that create excitement? Where are the colorways that tell a real story, as opposed to backing themselves into one?
I acknowledge that sneakers, like everything else in the world, are subject to supply chain issues right now. So perhaps once the logistics get smoothed out, it will pave the way for more interesting sneakers. I certainly hope that’s the case. Because the alternative—that the culture surrounding sneakers has simply made peace with mediocrity so long as it keeps the wheels of capitalism spinning—is a pretty big bummer.
Or maybe, as Throwing Fits co-host James Harris is fond of saying, we really have moved into a post-sneaker world. For decades (I can’t believe it, but it really has been that long) I’ve thought, “This sneaker thing can’t get any bigger,” only to be gobsmacked when it gets bigger by an order of magnitude.
Could it be that this time it’s actually true? I don’t know the answer, but I do know that while I haven’t bought any sneakers since last November, I have purchased Clarks Wallabees (the Aimé Leon Dore ones), and Birkenstock Bostons (the orange Concepts ones that I’ve wanted since they originally released in 2014).
The Intentional Line
Geoff McFetride is one of my favorite artists, and The Surfer’s Journal is one of my favorite publications. So when I saw that there was going to be a profile of McFetridge in the latest issue, I couldn’t wait for my copy to arrive in the mail. The story isn’t available online, which is both awesome and inconvenient. So use this as an opportunity to go to your local surf shop or bookshop and enjoy it in all of its analog goodness.
—Justin
KEEGAN: The Opposite of Loneliness
The years immediately following college graduation can be scary. So much about what comes next is unknown, and yet what is known (that this this amazing period of your life is over) can be even scarier. Marina Keegan, 22 year old Yale graduate, wise beyond her years, wanted her classmates to fear not – their brightest days are in front of them. Unfortunately, she tragically passed five days after her words were published. 10 years later, I find her advice comforting and apt, despite not being the target audience. She made something happen to this world.
—Andrew
Markus Eder's The Ultimate Run
Candide Thovex created this genre of ski video with One of Those Days (2013). The progress of camera technology and general ski ability since then is remarkable. 90 days of skiing in the Alps culminates in the greatest 10 minutes of skiing content I’ve ever seen. A must-watch, regardless of interest in the sport.
—Andrew
Mark Zuckerberg on the Lex Fridman Podcast
It is so easy to hate on Mark Zuckerberg. So easy that Lex straight-up asks Mark why he thinks so many people hate him. Zuck, nor Facebook and its suite of products are going anywhere soon, so they are doing the right thing by trying to increase their likability. It’s working. There is a point in the interview where Zuck answers a content moderation question with a question back to Lex: how would he do it? To no fault of Lex, his jumbled nonsensical answer perfectly reflects the complexity of the issues they try to solve every day.
—Andrew